S02.E02: The Green-Eyed Monster

[Meredith Quill]

Episode Synopsis:

The queen suspects that her husband is attracted to another woman, and discovers that she is pregnant with a second child - leaving her concerned that motherhood will dominate her life and reign, at the expense of any other possibilities. Below stairs, new dresser Cleary thinks that the palace is haunted, but Brodie believes there is a natural explanation for the events that have frightened her.

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[Kohola3]

I'm glad that they didn't blame Cleary for the missing items.  Not sure how I feel about Francatelli returning.

[Capricasix]

A nice surprise to see Patsy from Call the Midwife as Ada Lovelace.

[voiceover]

Are you freaking kidding me???

Just saw the post-ep short on the "Music for Victoria", or whatever they called it, and there's David Oakes, being perfectly charming & funny & self-deprecating.  So that means Ernst, and Ernst's portrayer: Perfect.

I guess when Keith Partridge died, SOMEone had to fill the void.  But it's killing me.

[Arwen Evenstar]

Ada Lovelace along with Charles Babbage did groundbreaking work on calculators and what came to be known as the computer.  In her short life, she really was a pioneer.  Uterine cancer took her at 36.  

I like how they portray Victoria as a woman who definitely knows her own mind. The modifier Victorian is used to describe someone who is prudish. 

[CarpeDiem54]

I'm annoyed by this Oliver Twist character lurking around the Palace.  Unnecessary downstairs drama.  Although I do enjoy Francatelli and "Mrs." Skerrit.  I think I'm the only one who likes their little storyline .

[Linderhill]

I can't stand the miscellaneous urchin kid either.  Seriously, no one saw him in all that time? 

So they aged up the Duchess and aged down Melborne.  Interesting.  While I enjoy Rufus' Sewell I don't go gaga over him.  I'm kind of glad his character seems to be pulling away from Victoria.  I do have to admit that the various young blondish gentlemen are blending in together. 

[CarpeDiem54]

4 minutes ago, Linderhill said:

I do have to admit that the various young blondish gentlemen are blending in together. 

Yeah, I can't keep these characters straight.  Are there two of them or a dozen?  Who are they?  It's confusing.

And what happened to the charming Lohlien?

[kassygreene]

Um, the kid wandering the Palace was The Boy Jones.  Although I don't think he knew parkour.

[Kohola3]

Quote

I'm kind of glad his character seems to be pulling away from Victoria.  

The whole "headaches and weakness on one side" hint doesn't bode well for Lord M. being around very long.

7 hours ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

Yeah, I can't keep these characters straight.  Are there two of them or a dozen?  Who are they?  It's confusing.

Neither can I.  And what's with the dude with the 7 brothers?  What's that all about?

Why was Skerritt crying about after Francatelli was back in the kitchen?  Did I miss something?

[Zella]

53 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Why was Skerritt crying about after Francatelli was back in the kitchen?  Did I miss something?

He told her the pots and pans needed to be so clean that he could see all of the pockmarks in her face. 

I intensely disliked the downstairs drama last year, and I really am not looking forward to more of it this year. 

[Kohola3]

Just now, Zella said:

He told her the pots and pans needed to be so clean that he could see all of the pockmarks in her face.

Wow, that was really horrible!  What an ass.

I agree, they can drop the downstairs stuff altogether.  And the whole Invasion of the Street Urchin was just a waste of film.

[Zella]

3 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Wow, that was really horrible!  What an ass.

I agree, they can drop the downstairs stuff altogether.  And the whole Invasion of the Street Urchin was just a waste of film.

Yeah, I know I am probably supposed to root for Mrs. Skerrit and Francatelli, but I can't. He was such a creep last season and now he's just an asshole. I get why he's angry, but I am not invested in that story line at all. 

Edited January 15, 2018 by Zella
grammar

[Pickles]

I am really not interested in any of the downstairs drama. Ridiculous that the street urchin kid was roaming around for days inside the palace. 

[Misslindsey]

Quote

Um, the kid wandering the Palace was The Boy Jones.  Although I don't think he knew parkour.

I saw a brief interview with Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes where they talked about some of the new characters and the urchin kid is suppose to be The Boy Jones. 

[pasdetrois]

I think the pockmark insult was directed to the scullery maid who would be cleaning the pots.

[Zella]

It might have been! I assumed it was intended for her based on her reaction. 

[Kohola3]

Quote

It might have been! I assumed it was intended for her based on her reaction. 

The whole thing is a little convoluted.  Does she or doesn't she want him working there?  I guess we're supposed to care but, honestly, I don't.

[Zella]

I think if the downstairs characters had more developed personalities or better chemistry, it could work, but as is, it really seems like it is inserted to imitate Downton Abbey and it's almost painful for me to sit through.  The writing for those scenes is also just bland and hard to follow. I enjoy the show, but I've come to look on the downstairs moments as when I go get a snack, which is a shame because ordinarily it is something I would be interested in. 

[atlantaloves]

Well, I, for one, am loving this season, hey, it's a wonderful soap opera! So glad Rufus is back.....yummmmmm.

[Arwen Evenstar]

3 hours ago, Zella said:

I think if the downstairs characters had more developed personalities or better chemistry, it could work, but as is, it really seems like it is inserted to imitate Downton Abbey and it's almost painful for me to sit through.  The writing for those scenes is also just bland and hard to follow. I enjoy the show, but I've come to look on the downstairs moments as when I go get a snack, which is a shame because ordinarily it is something I would be interested in. 

Oh, yes! Downton Abbey spoiled us for downstairs drama.  Their environment was clean and bright. Victoria may have been more realistic as to what downstairs life was like. Buckingham Palace was dusty, largely in part to the soot from candles and coal. 

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Oh, yes! Downton Abbey spoiled us for downstairs drama.  Their environment was clean and bright. Victoria may have been more realistic as to what downstairs life was like. Buckingham Palace was dusty, largely in part to the soot from candles and coal. 

It was also a different time. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I do have to admit that the various young blondish gentlemen are blending in together. 

Um - maybe in more ways than one. Am I the only one who wondered if there was a sort of flirtation going on between Lord Alfred and Drummond when they were out on the balcony together? Otherwise I can't figure out what the scene was supposed to be about. 

I also think Francatelli is an asshole. I don't get why he's so angry at Skerrett. Because she wouldn't leave her job and run off with him? Boo hoo. 

I do think this show hits just the right note on how Victoria must have felt being a female sovereign. Everyone keeps telling her she has to have more babies like that's the most important thing for her to do. 

I don't really see any romantic chemistry between her and Lord M either - their relationship strikes me more as a father and daughter type. She did grow up without a father after all, so I can totally see her looking upon him as a sort of father figure.

I do think it sucks for her not to be able to talk to someone because of politics or having to choose her ladies in waiting based on which party is in power. 

The scene with the leeches did its job in reminding us just how barbaric things still were in 1840, in many ways.

Edited January 15, 2018 by iMonrey

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I don't really see any romantic chemistry between her and Lord M either - their relationship strikes me more as a father and daughter type.

I always took it that way as well.  She certainly needs more guidance than that idiot uncle can provide.  And her father-in-law is a buffoon.

[Arwen Evenstar]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

The scene with the leeches did its job in reminding us just how barbaric things still were in 1840, in many ways.

Leeches naturally contain an anticoagulant.  Bloodletting was far more barbaric. Since he had weakness on one side of his body, I would assume he suffered a stroke and their properties might have helped to dissolve the clot.  I wouldn’t want leeches on me, either.  Ewwwwwww.  As to what doctors actually knew about their properties back then, I’m not sure. People with titles invariably got more cutting edge care.

[Arwen Evenstar]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I don't really see any romantic chemistry between her and Lord M either - their relationship strikes me more as a father and daughter type. She did grow up without a father after all, so I can totally see her looking upon him as a sort of father figure.

She was absolutely besotted with him and wanted to marry him. Her affections may well have been misplaced due to needing a father figure.  Melbourne knew this was a part of it and that this arrangement could have been viewed as unseemly and unwise and knew it was in her best interests for him not to encourage it for the sake of preserving her honor and being a gentleman was very important to him. 

[magdalene]

19 hours ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

I'm annoyed by this Oliver Twist character lurking around the Palace.  Unnecessary downstairs drama.  Although I do enjoy Francatelli and "Mrs." Skerrit.  I think I'm the only one who likes their little storyline .

I like them!  I find their relationship interesting.   He is not a nice guy but not a villain either.  He is an asshole and a genius in the kitchen who she is attracted to.  Unlike most women during this age she doesn't need a man to financially survive and marriage would be a step down for her.  I am curious to see how this all gets resolved.

[elle]

11 hours ago, Zella said:

He told her the pots and pans needed to be so clean that he could see all of the pockmarks in her face. 

I intensely disliked the downstairs drama last year, and I really am not looking forward to more of it this year. 

 

10 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I think the pockmark insult was directed to the scullery maid who would be cleaning the pots.

I agree that the nasty comment was directed at the scullery maid not Skeritt.  My take on why Skeritt was crying is that she was upset by her hope that he had returned because she asked him, he would be happy to be there, and/or they could go back to their old friendly relationship being dashed.  Mr. F was angry that he was fired and told to return to the Queen's kitchen, he still had resentment over her choosing the palace to a life with him; he was not all warm and fuzzy about his return to this situation.

What was confusing to me was how the cook replacement had been hired in the first place.  Would they have not sought out a chef of Mr. F's caliber?

[Kohola3]

4 minutes ago, elle said:

What was confusing to me was how the cook replacement had been hired in the first place.  Would they have not sought out a chef of Mr. F's caliber?

With everything being so political, who knows if they had to find someone recommended by the party in power - like Victoria  had to keep changing her staff. 

[Zella]

Seeing as Victoria picked one of her most senior attendants without ever meeting her, I'm thinking the palace hiring committee for the chef was probably not the most methodical. ;)

[howiveaddict]

2 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Leeches naturally contain an anticoagulant.  Bloodletting was far more barbaric. Since he had weakness on one side of his body, I would assume he suffered a stroke and their properties might have helped to dissolve the clot.  I wouldn’t want leeches on me, either.  Ewwwwwww.  As to what doctors actually knew about their properties back then, I’m not sure. People with titles invariably got more cutting edge care.

They still use leaches to help increase blood to necrotic flesh.

[LittleIggy]

15 hours ago, Zella said:

He told her the pots and pans needed to be so clean that he could see all of the pockmarks in her face. 

He didn’t say her face. He said to the scullery maid “your face.”

[LittleIggy]

Have to agree with Albert’s dad on one thing: Lord M has aged well. ? Rufus, Rufus. ::sigh::

5 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Leeches naturally contain an anticoagulant.  Bloodletting was far more barbaric. Since he had weakness on one side of his body, I would assume he suffered a stroke and their properties might have helped to dissolve the clot.  I wouldn’t want leeches on me, either.  Ewwwwwww.  As to what doctors actually knew about their properties back then, I’m not sure. People with titles invariably got more cutting edge care.

George Washington was bled to death. He probably would have lived many more years if the “doctors” had been kept away. Hope the same doesn’t happen to Lord M.

BTW, I’m worried about Dash since he must be rather old by now. 

[Haleth]

13 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't really see any romantic chemistry between her and Lord M either - their relationship strikes me more as a father and daughter type. She did grow up without a father after all, so I can totally see her looking upon him as a sort of father figure.

Maybe not now, but before she was married she was definitely crushing on him.  (I'm speaking of the show, no idea about real people.)  That put Lord M in a very delicate position and he still seems very uncomfortable in her presence.  

(Incidentally, if you haven't seen Rufus in The Man in the High Castle, take a look.  Outstanding performance.)

I'd never heard of the Boy Jones.  That was an interesting read on Wiki but for the show seemed random, a forced storyline to give the downstairs staff something to do.

Also new to me is Ada Lovelace.  Interesting lady.  I'll have to check her bio too.

[Zella]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

He didn’t say her face. He said to the scullery maid “your face.”

Yeah I figured that out. I guess that's what I get for only partially paying attention to anything that happens downstairs. :)

[benteen]

Really glad to see the return of Rufus Sewall, who is great in everything that he's in.  Loved the emphasis on science during this era...that kind of stuff must have been very exciting then and I think the show reflects that.

[iMonrey]

Quote

BTW, I’m worried about Dash since he must be rather old by now. 

I know - although I'm not sure how old Dash is supposed to be. We are currently about 3 years into Victoria's reign. I don't know how old Dash was when she became Queen but 3 years isn't too old for a dog. 

[Arwen Evenstar]

Dash was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, IIRC.  They’re super cute dogs, but they don’t have a very long life expectancy. He was her only companion during her isolation at KP, so he’s older than 3.  I’m sure Dash was better fed than most pets and got to live indoors.  He certainly lived better than most people of those times.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Arwen Evenstar

[Razzberry]

I remember watching a doc about Victoria where some descendant,  I'm thinking Prince Michael of York ? Kent? (sorry if I got that wrong) confirmed that she was absolutely smitten with Melbourne.

Since childbirth has always been dangerous (remember aunt Charlotte!) you'd think a Queen who wasn't especially maternal anyway would limit the number of births after an heir & spare.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Razzberry

[tinderbox]

1 hour ago, Razzberry said:

I remember watching a doc about Victoria where some descendant,  I'm thinking Prince Michael of York ? Kent? (sorry if I got that wrong) confirmed that she was absolutely smitten with Melbourne.

Since childbirth has always been dangerous (remember aunt Charlotte!) you'd think a Queen who wasn't especially maternal anyway would limit the number of births after an heir & spare.

I think she was so naïve that she had no idea HOW to limit the number of births.  Probably, nobody took the time to teach her about ovulation etc. 

[AZChristian]

12 minutes ago, tinderbox said:

I think she was so naïve that she had no idea HOW to limit the number of births.  Probably, nobody took the time to teach her about ovulation etc. 

But they showed her jumping up and down after intercourse last season . . . someone told her THAT was a good way to stop conception.

[Atlanta]

2 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Dash was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, IIRC.  They’re super cute dogs, but they don’t have a very long life expectancy. He was her only companion during her isolation at KP, so he’s older than 3.  I’m sure Dash was better fed than most pets and got to live indoors.  He certainly lived better than most people of those times.

I know a family who had a Dash and he lived to around 11. Maybe we can assume she had him for many years before becoming queen. They're sweet and laid back dogs.

[Haleth]

36 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

But they showed her jumping up and down after intercourse last season . . . someone told her THAT was a good way to stop conception.

And it was so effective!  Lol

[atlantaloves]

I would be jumping up and down with delight having romped with Tom Hughes, a/k/a Prince Albert!  Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

[iMonrey]

I liked the little moment when Albert was speaking German to the baby and said "see? She understands German already." I find it odd (although convenient I'm sure) that we don't hear Albert speaking his native tongue more often - especially when he's conversing with his brother and/or his father. That scene where they were all in the carriage for example - why would they be speaking English to each other? They're all German. 

[LittleIggy]

11 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Dash was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, IIRC.  They’re super cute dogs, but they don’t have a very long life expectancy. He was her only companion during her isolation at KP, so he’s older than 3.  I’m sure Dash was better fed than most pets and got to live indoors.  He certainly lived better than most people of those times.

I somehow got the idea that Victoria had had Dash for a long time hence the concern.

[CousinAmy]

I just keep thinking of Dash as a Kardashian's dog!

[MV713]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 9:10 AM, Kohola3 said:

Wow, that was really horrible!  What an ass.

I agree, they can drop the downstairs stuff altogether.  And the whole Invasion of the Street Urchin was just a waste of film.

He told the other lady that "pockmark comment" - he didn't react to Skerrit when she was happy to see him.  I just think she felt rejected.

I love this show but is anyone else getting tired of the "German" accents?  They are so phony.

[tennisgurl]

Ada Lovelave! One of my favorite historical figures of the era! She was such an interesting lady, so intelligent and with a fascinating life. One of my favorite things about this era was seeing the progress of technology and science, along side the old world values and such (leeches! gross!) and how they connected. Plus, there is something so excited about the new technologies, and you really feel how excited the characters are. Its almost like watching a prequel to the modern world. 

I always find it creepy when they go on about how they need to start producing heirs all of the time. I get that its important to have a new generation, but its just like you expect Victoria to expect just pop out kids 24/7. I really do feel for her and how hard it is to just do her job.

The downstairs stuff is...ok, but not really that interesting. It has its moments, but the romance stuff is pretty lame, even though I enjoy the period details and the actors do well with what they have. Just the upstairs characters are so much better written and more interesting. 

[Calvada]

On ‎1‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 5:59 PM, iMonrey said:

I liked the little moment when Albert was speaking German to the baby and said "see? She understands German already." I find it odd (although convenient I'm sure) that we don't hear Albert speaking his native tongue more often - especially when he's conversing with his brother and/or his father. That scene where they were all in the carriage for example - why would they be speaking English to each other? They're all German. 

I believe Victoria and Albert always conversed in German when they were alone.  Of course, they can't show us that, since people would get tired of subtitles throughout.  

I wonder what brand of shoe polish they are using on Alex Jennings' hair.  Each time he's on screen I'm watching to see if there's some black streak oozing down from his hairline.  

Poor Victoria, she just needed a friend.  Albert wants to fill that role, but he also wants to be her husband as that role was interpreted at that time, to "guide" her.  In other words, control her.  It's amazing to think at this time in their lives, they were each only 21 years old, 22 when they had their second child.