S03.E01: Uneasy Lies The Head That Wears The Crown

[Meredith Quill]

Episode Synopsis:

Revolution sweeps across Europe and pressure builds on Victoria with new arrivals at the Palace.

Please ensure you have read and understand the forum spoiler policy before posting in here.

Thanks.

[Driad]

If Victoria really thought the British did not do revolution, her education must have been even worse than we suspected.

[Zella]

32 minutes ago, Driad said:

If Victoria really thought the British did not do revolution, her education must have been even worse than we suspected.

Yeah I did a double take on that. I also laughed so hard when she was shocked that the French would overthrow their king. I was shouting at the TV, "They've done it before!" right about the time Alfred pointed that out in a much politer tone of voice.

Still, I enjoyed the stuff about the political revolutions. I was always interested in historical revolutions, so that was right up my alley.

Disappointed no Ernst but that's more realistic than him popping in every episode.

I can still do without the downstairs crew. I've never liked the Francatelli/Skerrett relationship and just don't care about them as characters. I also found their PDA very anachronistic. 

[MadyGirl1987]

Really interesting to see the turmult of global events hitting home. I don’t blame Albert for being worried about the safety of his family. I felt Victoria should have been more concerned.  I  mean, they are 50 years out from the first French Revolution, which didn’t end well for the French royals, to say the least. Also, there was the little affair of the American colonies overthrowing British rule not long before that. Surely she should be more tuned-in to public sentiment with such precedence to look to?

I thought it was a nice touch Albert was reading Karl Marx. It seems very much true to his character.

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

I can still do without the downstairs crew. I've never liked the Francatelli/Skerrett relationship and just don't care about them as characters.

The downstairs people have really grown on me since the first season.  I even like Mr. Penge now.

[Zella]

1 minute ago, Quilt Fairy said:

The downstairs people have really grown on me since the first season.  I even like Mr. Penge now.

Maybe one day I'll warm to them! :) 

[LittleIggy]

Victoria’s sister sure was weird. What’s up with her?

I love Lawrence Fox so I’m glad he is in the cast now. 

Who is this Sophie and her a-hole husband? I don’t remember them.

Edited January 14, 2019 by LittleIggy

[magdalene]

I miss Wilhelmina and Harriet and Ernst.  So far all the new cast leave me cold.  Lord Palmiston is a slime ball and Victoria's half-sister gives me the creeps.

I was rooting for the Francatelli/Skerritt romance last season but now I don't like how he is pressuring her to give up her career for him.

[freddi]

It just seemed like too many characters and a plot direction that is significant but strangely not gripping!  

[voiceover]

I'd watch John Sessions (Lord Russell) do...well, just about anything.  That's some right-on casting, as the seemingly-emasculated Prime Minister.  "If the Devil had a son/He would be Lord Palmerston", and you can see Laurence Fox is living up to the poem, playing the Mr "I'd hit that!" of the era.  Victoria appears to be the only woman who's immune.

Feodora looks like Lehzen 2.0.  But not nearly as loyal.

Welcome back show.  Bring on Ernst and get Vicky out of those muumuus.

[Suzysite]

I one thing I found to be unrealistic was when Feodora first made her bedraggled appearance and Victoria went over and immediately fell to her knees to console her.  No way. The woman was 9 months pregnant.  She could barely get up from a chair, so there would be no kneeling on the floor with ease. 

[BusyOctober]

I have to learn not to get soooo excited for the return of shows I enjoy.  I was really happy Victoria was back, and then....meh.  I assume this episode was to setup the rest of the season and the radical changes coming to England & Europe.  But I was disappointed by so much.  Hating the half-sister.  I don't know anything about the real person, but I can only hope she won't be with us all season.  Please let Victoria banish her or get her married off and out of the country.  I will give the writers and actor props for making Feodora almost a carbon copy of Victoria's sycophant and annoying mother.  

Skerrett and Francotelli were mild nuisances in the past, but now I actively dislike them both.  I can't warm up to Skerrett or muster up any interest in the character.  Maybe its b/c of  the actor's role on Outlander.  I also agree with the poster above - I don't think a lady employed in the Palace, in 1840's would be repeatedly making out with her BF either while on the clock at work or during a daytime public walk downtown.  

The new people will take time for me to get to know.  I am interested to find out how a grocer's daughter married a duke and rose to the inner circle of Victoria's Ladies in Waiting.  I see some not so subtle foreshadowing dropped on us re.  conflict with her dickhead husband and the new 7 foot tall footman.  

I will have to research the Charterists and their fight for the vote.  Off to Wikipedia!

[Suzysite]

47 minutes ago, BusyOctober said:

I am interested to find out how a grocer's daughter married a duke and rose to the inner circle of Victoria's Ladies in Waiting. 

It sounded to me - based on that comment from Lord Palmerston -  that her grocer father was loaded, and she married a (probably) penniless duke.    Money talks.

[springbarb]

8 hours ago, magdalene said:

I was rooting for the Francatelli/Skerritt romance last season but now I don't like how he is pressuring her to give up her career for him.

I got the feeling it was changing careers--they'd run a shop (?) together. Or something. She'd still be working. But yeah, it'd be quite a change from dressing the Queen.

[dubbel zout]

6 hours ago, voiceover said:

you can see Laurence Fox is living up to the poem, playing the Mr "I'd hit that!" of the era.  Victoria appears to be the only woman who's immune.

I think even Lord Palmerston would stop at trying to proposition the queen, heh.

6 hours ago, voiceover said:

Feodora looks like Lehzen 2.0.  But not nearly as loyal.

I know! The same tragic hairstyle. I had to stop and think about what happened to OG Lehzen.

3 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

I am interested to find out how a grocer's daughter married a duke and rose to the inner circle of Victoria's Ladies in Waiting. 

The grocer's father had a boatload of cash that the duke needed to keep up his estate, and ladies-in-waiting are always taken from the aristocracy. The duchess seems really nice, so I'm not surprised Victoria nabbed her. Or what @Suzysite wrote.

[plurie]

Is Victoria's mother still alive and at the palace? If so, why wasn't she there when her elder daughter showed up?

[EyewatchTV211]

10 hours ago, magdalene said:

I miss Wilhelmina and Harriet and Ernst.  So far all the new cast leave me cold.  Lord Palmiston is a slime ball and Victoria's half-sister gives me the creeps.

I was rooting for the Francatelli/Skerritt romance last season but now I don't like how he is pressuring her to give up her career for him.

Was it known that those cast members would be leaving and we'd be getting new ones instead? I had not kept up with news of the show. I was wondering where Wilhemina was in particular since Lord Alfred is still in the show, and they had that sweet Christmas episode. Weird to see him with no reference to her. 

[Popples]

7 hours ago, voiceover said:

I'd watch John Sessions (Lord Russell) do...well, just about anything.  That's some right-on casting, as the seemingly-emasculated Prime Minister.  "If the Devil had a son/He would be Lord Palmerston", and you can see Laurence Fox is living up to the poem, playing the Mr "I'd hit that!" of the era.  Victoria appears to be the only woman who's immune.

It took me about half the episode to recognize John Sessions. Although it was probably due to me yelling "Hathaway" whenever Laurence Fox appeared. I've missed seeing him on my television.

I was underwhelmed by this episode, hopefully, it's all just to set up the events to come.

The Duke of Monmouth looked like a poor man's version of Ernst, which made me miss him even more.

[TVForever]

I don't know the actual history on Victoria's sister, so this comment is based solely on what I watched last night. 

My take:

Feodora effectively abandoned her little sister when she left to get married. Now that revolution was troubling her home, she has abandoned her own family (husband and children) to take refuge in her sister's home. It seems she expected to be welcomed with open arms and treated like a member of the royal household. She keeps angling for new clothes and luxurious treatment, but Victoria is (hilariously) not taking that bait. Im curious to see how this plays out.

[magdalene]

7 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

Was it known that those cast members would be leaving and we'd be getting new ones instead? I had not kept up with news of the show. I was wondering where Wilhemina was in particular since Lord Alfred is still in the show, and they had that sweet Christmas episode. Weird to see him with no reference to her. 

I have no idea whether these actors are gone for good from the show or just not in all the episodes.  I realize that Ernst would have had important duties back home and couldn't always be at the palace with Albert but I still miss him.  And I want to know whether Wilhelmina and Alfred did get married after becoming engaged in the Christmas episode and how they are doing.

[Notwisconsin]

Victoria's half brother in law was dispossesed by the Prussians many years before and her nieces and nephews were all grown up by then, except the youngest who was nine. According to Wikipedia, Feodora got £300 stipend whenever she and her family showed up...which means that in real life she probably would have more often. I think that she shows up NOW because fans were complaining about the fact that HM had a sister and where was she?

...also the "oh dear! The poor relations are coming to sponge off us again" plot is always good fun.

[Notwisconsin]

Just in case anyone was interested. The demands of the  People's Charter are these:

A vote for every man twenty-one years of age, of sound mind, and not undergoing punishment for a crime.

The secret ballot to protect the elector in the exercise of his vote.

No property qualification for Members of Parliament in order to allow the constituencies to return the man of their choice.

Payment of Members, enabling tradesmen, working men, or other persons of modest means to leave or interrupt their livelihood to attend to the interests of the nation.

Equal constituencies, securing the same amount of representation for the same number of electors, instead of allowing less populous constituencies to have as much or more weight than larger ones.

Annual Parliamentary elections, thus presenting the most effectual check to bribery and intimidation, since no purse could buy a constituency under a system of universal manhood suffrage in each twelve-month period.

It is not a spoiler to say that eventually, all but the last would be enshrined in law.

[Zella]

1 hour ago, Popples said:

The Duke of Monmouth looked like a poor man's version of Ernst, which made me miss him even more.

I noticed that too. Every time he popped up, I'd think, "WHAT HAPPENED TO ERNST'S FACE?" and then realize that, mercifully, that was not him. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

 I was wondering where Wilhemina was in particular since Lord Alfred is still in the show, and they had that sweet Christmas episode. Weird to see him with no reference to her.

Several unexplained absences. I'm assuming Victoria's mother is now dead since there was no mention of her, even with her sister showing up, but that was odd. And yeah, Lord Alfred is there but no mention of his fiance/wife. In fact he seemed to be glued to the hip of the new Mistress of the Robes. Did the Duchess of Buccleuch die, or did Victoria have to replace her because the parties changed hands again?

I must say, though, that the new footman is a fine figure. 

I'll be interested to see if David Oakes makes any appearances as Ernst this season. 

I hope this show doesn't make the same mistake that Versailles did in its final season. I'm not interested in any side story about these peasants who are running the Charterist headquarters. Seems like they're trying to establish a romantic couple with that girl Miss Skerrett brought to the queen and the guy who stopped to flirt with her in the streets. I can just barely tolerate the b-plots with the palace servants since they are at least engaged in the royal household. I do not care one fig about the commoners out there that have no connection to Victoria.

That wasn't the same Louis-Phillippe (king of France) we saw last season, was it? It looked like a different actor, and IMDB doesn't list him.

Edited January 14, 2019 by iMonrey

[Popples]

41 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

That wasn't the same Louis-Phillippe (king of France) we saw last season, was it? It looked like a different actor, and IMDB doesn't list him.

No, last time it was Bruno Wolkowitch. This time it was Vincent Regan portraying him; I recognized him from The Royals where he played King Simon.

[scenicbyway]

If its 1848, Victoria's mother is very much alive.  In fact, she and Albert die in the same year.  It is curious that the sister has gone to Victoria's and not her mother's at Kensington.  Victoria was clearly upset that she was "left" by this sister as a child.  But was the sister really supposed to wait around to get married until Victoria grew up?

Lord Alfred's presence without Willhemina is just odd.  I would guess she's either at home taking care of children since there's been a time jump or they didn't end up getting married after all.

As for Skerrit, I would've thought she and the Queen would be even closer at this point since Victoria's former nanny was sent away several years previously at this point.  Skerrit is probably one of the few confidants Victoria has.  I can also see why she wouldn't want to go from working in the palace to spending her days alone in a dingy apartment somewhere while Francotelli is away at work 24/7.  I would guess they'll end up breaking up yet again because she won't want to give up her job.  I do think at that time servants weren't allowed to be married, even the chef.  If he has a room at the palace, where would they live anyway?

I would like to see the family travel again.  Didn't Albert build Balmoral?    They also would've had Osborne house on the Isle of Wight by this point, which Albert did mention fleeing to in the episode.

[LittleIggy]

Yeah, seems unreasonable of Victoria to hold a grudge over Fedora getting married and leaving. That was to be expected.

Francatelli wants to open a hotel with a restaurant. He talked about the number of rooms in the place they looked at. Don’t blame Skerrit for not wanting to leave.

Fun fact: Palmerston was married to Lord Melbourne’s sister! And he was 64 years old in 1848...

[pasdetrois]

That's Kate Fleetwood playing Feodora. Kate plays an 18th century dominatrix in Hulu's fabulous Harlots.

Edited January 14, 2019 by pasdetrois

[Kohola3]

I have to wonder if making Feodora so creepy has some purpose.  Since we know that Daisy does not normally pay much attention to reality, is Feodora going to turn into some sort of spy or a wedge between Victoria and Albert?  She doesn't seem to be a very likable person.

[TVForever]

4 hours ago, Popples said:

No, last time it was Bruno Wolkowitch. This time it was Vincent Regan portraying him; I recognized him from The Royals where he played King Simon.

Sheesh, that was HIM? I have to rewatch now, I would never have recognized him!

[iMonrey]

Quote

If its 1848, Victoria's mother is very much alive.  In fact, she and Albert die in the same year.  It is curious that the sister has gone to Victoria's and not her mother's at Kensington.  Victoria was clearly upset that she was "left" by this sister as a child.  But was the sister really supposed to wait around to get married until Victoria grew up?

As far as I know, Victoria's mother never went back to Kensington Palace after Victoria became queen and they all moved to Buckingham Palace. I just assumed she must be dead at this point in history, so if not, her absence is bizarre. If the actress wasn't available they could have at least mentioned where she was.

As for Feodora getting married first, I'll admit I don't know what the protocol was but perhaps there was something which dictated the heir to the throne of England should marry first even if she was much younger since she takes precedence in importance. Otherwise, Victoria is just being a petty child. Admittedly, that's entirely possible.  

[rur]

9 hours ago, springbarb said:

I got the feeling it was changing careers--they'd run a shop (?) together. Or something. She'd still be working. But yeah, it'd be quite a change from dressing the Queen.

 

4 hours ago, scenicbyway said:

As for Skerrit, I would've thought she and the Queen would be even closer at this point since Victoria's former nanny was sent away several years previously at this point.  Skerrit is probably one of the few confidants Victoria has.  I can also see why she wouldn't want to go from working in the palace to spending her days alone in a dingy apartment somewhere while Francotelli is away at work 24/7. 

I kind of got the feeling that Francotelli figured they'd be using her money, he would cook -- er, I mean be the "chef" --  and he would be expecting her to take care of everything else associated with the hotel. If I were her, I might start to think that being in the service of the queen wasn't such a bad life. 

[kassygreene]

22 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

As far as I know, Victoria's mother never went back to Kensington Palace after Victoria became queen and they all moved to Buckingham Palace. I just assumed she must be dead at this point in history, so if not, her absence is bizarre. If the actress wasn't available they could have at least mentioned where she was.

As for Feodora getting married first, I'll admit I don't know what the protocol was but perhaps there was something which dictated the heir to the throne of England should marry first even if she was much younger since she takes precedence in importance. Otherwise, Victoria is just being a petty child. Admittedly, that's entirely possible.  

The Duchess of Kent's two children from her first marriage were not part of the British Royal Family, and when Victoria was nine it was still just barely possible that the Duchess of Clarence (wife of soon-to-be William IV) could have a child.  So yes, Victoria was being a petty child.  Her beloved sister escaped their mother and Sir John Conroy, while Drina was stuck.  

[Nolefan]

Overall, I liked the episode. It just felt like I watched half of the episode, which is weird because the last two seasons PBS combined two separate episodes into one for a two-hour premiere, but this year the first two episodes seemed connected, then PBS has a one hour premiere? Odd.

Anyway, I liked Lord Palmerston, or I mean I think I will like to hate Lord Palmerston. I think he will play the part of a villain well. He seems like he will be more than just some mustache twirler like Uncle Cumberland.

Don’t know what I think of Feodora. Looks to me like she is going to create a wedge between Victoria and Albert because she seems very jealous of Victoria and she wants to wreck her life like she feels her life was wrecked by being prevented from marrying King George when she was 17. I think they would have to switch the actress who plays Victoria’s mother because the current actress would look younger than Feodora.

Man, is Bertie a brat. Surprised he don’t get punished for throwing his crown at the former King of the French. 

I am still not feeling it between Skerrett and the chef. Isn’t this the same storyline between them from Season 1, where Skerrett told him her work at the palace was better than anything he can offer? Also, I can buy their private kissing, but kissing in public? In 1848? Wasn’t that like having sex outdoors back then?

I was disappointed as there was so little romantic moments between Victoria and Albert. I tune into the show for their love story (and I can still feel the chemistry between them!!) but I would have liked some romance between them last night.

[TexasGal]

17 hours ago, voiceover said:

I'd watch John Sessions (Lord Russell) do...well, just about anything.  That's some right-on casting, as the seemingly-emasculated Prime Minister.  "If the Devil had a son/He would be Lord Palmerston", and you can see Laurence Fox is living up to the poem, playing the Mr "I'd hit that!" of the era.  Victoria appears to be the only woman who's immune.

I mean, he’s no Lord M.  I know nothing about the actual man - is it accurate that he was quite fond of himself?

[voiceover]

12 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I think even Lord Palmerston would stop at trying to proposition the queen, heh.

I phrased it wrong.  I meant, Victoria seems immune to Palmerston's charms.  

But -- short of propositioning their married sovereign -- I think all of V's PMs employ an element of flirtation in their dealings with her. Melbourne more than Peel, obviously.  But Victoria is not immune to charm, and I think in her younger days especially, there was an element of that to her relationships with her chief advisors.  Men/women..tale as old as time, etc.

[LiveenLetLive]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Yeah, seems unreasonable of Victoria to hold a grudge over Fedora getting married and leaving. That was to be expected.

Francatelli wants to open a hotel with a restaurant. He talked about the number of rooms in the place they looked at. Don’t blame Skerrit for not wanting to leave.

Fun fact: Palmerston was married to Lord Melbourne’s sister! And he was 64 years old in 1848...

LOL about Palmerston, the writer has chucked any pretense at realism clearly.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, voiceover said:

I phrased it wrong.  I meant, Victoria seems immune to Palmerston's charms.  

But -- short of propositioning their married sovereign -- I think all of V's PMs employ an element of flirtation in their dealings with her. Melbourne more than Peel, obviously.  But Victoria is not immune to charm, and I think in her younger days especially, there was an element of that to her relationships with her chief advisors.  Men/women..tale as old as time, etc.

Even in her older days. Disraeli was adept at using charm and flattery on the widow Victoria. 

2 minutes ago, LiveenLetLive said:

LOL about Palmerston, the writer has chucked any pretense at realism clearly.

Well, Rufus Sewell’s Lord M was younger and hotter too!

[voiceover]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Even in her older days. Disraeli was adept at using charm and flattery on the widow Victoria. 

Palmerston was a womanizer.  

Spoiler

Dizzy was a flirt.

[andromeda331]

It was weird that Victoria and Feodora's mother didn't show up at all during the episode to see Feodora. It was just as weird last season when Albert's father died and there was no mention of her either even though Albert's father was her brother.

[Nolefan]

2 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

It was weird that Victoria and Feodora's mother didn't show up at all during the episode to see Feodora. It was just as weird last season when Albert's father died and there was no mention of her either even though Albert's father was her brother.

The weirdness with Victoria’s mother was also apparent in the Christmas episode. Remember when Albert had the surprise for Victoria, and it was her mother visiting? It was like she had not seen her mother in years — her mother even asked Vicky if she remembered her. Prior to that episode Victoria had the cute bonding scene with her mom over baby Bertie (when Albert was away attending his father’s funeral) so the audience had no reason to believe there was some rift between Victoria and her mother at that point and that Victoria would be less than happy to see her at Christmas. As someone mentioned above, Victoria’s mom lives in a separate house in London, and I think the audience is just supposed to know that Victoria hates her mother and does not see her often because   she no longer has to because she is not only the Queen but now a married woman (which back in that time allowed you to get away from your mom and one of the reasons she wanted to marry Albert so quickly). The show is just doing a poor job of portraying this. The audience at least could of got a statement from Victoria about “at least my mother is not here to make my life miserable.”

[Nolefan]

5 hours ago, voiceover said:

Palmerston was a womanizer.  

  Hide contents

Dizzy was a flirt.

Lord Melbourne was a womanizer, too. The “recent” scandal he alluded to in S1 was his affair with the wife of one of his Whig colleagues that resulted in a very public court case. There is also a historcal incident that occurred prior to Victoria’s marriage to Albert that involved Lord Palmerston that I am wondering whether  will be recreated at a different time without Lord Melboure’s involvement, a la Ms. Goodwin:

Spoiler

There was an incident where Lord Palmerston “accidentally” forced his way into one of Victoria’s ladies’ bedrooms at Windsor Castle. It was unwanted by the woman, even some allegation that maybe he forced himself on the woman. Victoria was horrified and furious and wanted Lord Palmerston to be dismissed from Parliament, but Lord Melbourne (being Lord Palmerston’s brother-in-law) convinced Victoria to look the other way. I am wondering whether this will be recreated this season, with the way Lord Palmerston is eyeing Sophie. But of course since Lord Melbourne is dead at this point, his reputation will still be secure in the glow up Ms. Goodwin has provided him.

[Nolefan]

On 1/14/2019 at 12:50 AM, Zella said:

Maybe one day I'll warm to them! :) 

I am with you here. I am fine with the downstairs peoples’ interaction with Victoria and Albert, but the separate downstairs storylines is the weakest part of this show (and I keep wondering why Mr. Penge has not been fired yet), but for some bizarre reason, Ms. Goodwin just continues to double down on it. Then the powers that be will wonder why the rating go down.

[Zella]

3 hours ago, Nolefan said:

I am with you here. I am fine with the downstairs peoples’ interaction with Victoria and Albert, but the separate downstairs storylines is the weakest part of this show (and I keep wondering why Mr. Penge has not been fired yet), but for some bizarre reason, Ms. Goodwin just continues to double down on it. Then the powers that be will wonder why the rating go down.

It's always struck me that the show doesn't really have a downstairs story to tell. They just think they need one in a post-Downton Abbey world, so it always feels so ho-hum and by-the-numbers to me. I'd be the first to admit Downton had its flaws, but the downstairs staff was at least interesting (at least in the early seasons), with some intriguing characters and likable performers. I'd be hard pressed to name anyone I find likable or interesting downstairs in Victoria. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I kind of got the feeling that Francotelli figured they'd be using her money, he would cook -- er, I mean be the "chef" --  and he would be expecting her to take care of everything else associated with the hotel. If I were her, I might start to think that being in the service of the queen wasn't such a bad life. 

Did they specifically say they wanted to open a hotel? Because that's exactly what Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes aspired to do after they were married in Downton Abbey.

Quote

It's always struck me that the show doesn't really have a downstairs story to tell. They just think they need one in a post-Downton Abbey world, so it always feels so ho-hum and by-the-numbers to me. 

Exactly. It almost feels like there is a directive to include a "downstairs" story to make this show more like Downton Abbey. And that the writers aren't really interested in it, so they just sort of half-ass it. 

[Ilovepie]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

It's always struck me that the show doesn't really have a downstairs story to tell. They just think they need one in a post-Downton Abbey world, so it always feels so ho-hum and by-the-numbers to me. I'd be the first to admit Downton had its flaws, but the downstairs staff was at least interesting (at least in the early seasons), with some intriguing characters and likable performers. I'd be hard pressed to name anyone I find likable or interesting downstairs in Victoria. 

I agree with this so much. It's like they want it to be Downton Abbey, but that show was about life in the Abbey, both upstairs and downstairs. This show is called Victoria - It should be about her and the people as they interact with her. It's not "Buckingham Palace". I don't need a separate story about these fake people. There is nothing new to say there that hasn't been done better elsewhere, and it detracts from the real story of the show - Victoria herself.

I also thought that guy was Ernst. I am so confused by the rotating people - they just come and go with no reason, and with the gap in time since the last season plus a time jump in the show, I just can't keep them straight. The sister is creepy though. I think Victoria is not annoyed so much that she left her at Kensington to get married, but more that she hasn't heard from her, like ever, and now she just shows up and expects Victoria to help her.

Albert continues to be my favorite part. I liked that when challenged that he didn't know how the lower classes lived, he went and found out. I don't know if Albert was like this in real life, but TV Albert is a gem.

[chitowngirl]

TV Francatelli has more airtime than the real life one would have had. He was only Victoria’s cook for two years (1840-42). Fun random fact-his daughter was a survivor of the Titanic.

[tennisgurl]

I guess no matter the time period of social class, people have always had to deal with weird broke relatives who show up out of nowhere to crash on your coach for way too long. Creepy Feodora is one humping dog away from being the Uncle Eddie of Victorian England. 

I miss Wilhelmina and Harriet and Ernst a lot, but I like to imagine them having a grand old time off screen somewhere. I like the new Duchess though, she seems very sweet, no wonder Victoria wants to have her around, she seems very kind and rather low key, especially in times of drama. Her husband is a royal asshole though, I am fine with seeing less of his piggish ass. It sounds like his father is a "grocer", which probably means a wealthy new money businessman, and the Duke probably had the title and little money, so she got the title, and he got the money. That was a pretty common arrangement for quite awhile. 

I wonder if Victoria is more upset that Feodora never stayed in touch or came to visit after she left, than her leaving in the first place? It seems like she left her behind and never bothered to talk to her until she needed her. And did Feodora just ditch her husband and children back in revolution land? I also liked the bit where Albert was just like "she is your sister, she has to stay with us!" and Victoria reminds him that its not like with him and Ernst, who are actually close and spend time together just because they enjoy each others company. 

The downstairs stuff is alright, especially with the working class Charter people gaining power, but I mostly am interested in them in the context how Victoria and Albert. They have some good moments, and have gotten better over the seasons, but they just never spark like the Upstairs people do. 

Loved Albert reading Karl Marx. That seems like a very Albert thing to do. Also loved him going to an actual poor neighborhood to see what people are complaining about, and then calling out the rabble rousing politician for giving lots of speeches about the plight of the working and poor classes for political gain, without actually doing anything to help them. I like how he seems very worried about his family with all of these revolutionary ideas floating around (and with good reason), but also seems to understand why they're so upset, and wants to really try and address some of their problems. 

[MamaMax]

4 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

I agree with this so much. It's like they want it to be Downton Abbey, but that show was about life in the Abbey, both upstairs and downstairs. This show is called Victoria - It should be about her and the people as they interact with her. It's not "Buckingham Palace". I don't need a separate story about these fake people. There is nothing new to say there that hasn't been done better elsewhere, and it detracts from the real story of the show - Victoria herself.

I also thought that guy was Ernst. I am so confused by the rotating people - they just come and go with no reason, and with the gap in time since the last season plus a time jump in the show, I just can't keep them straight. The sister is creepy though. I think Victoria is not annoyed so much that she left her at Kensington to get married, but more that she hasn't heard from her, like ever, and now she just shows up and expects Victoria to help her.

Albert continues to be my favorite part. I liked that when challenged that he didn't know how the lower classes lived, he went and found out. I don't know if Albert was like this in real life, but TV Albert is a gem.

I also wondered about Real like Albert’s interest in/sympathy for  the poor. After the whitewashing Victoria got in regard to the great famine, I’m giving the show the side eye on that. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by MamaMax

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, Zella said:

I'd be hard pressed to name anyone I find likable or interesting downstairs in Victoria. 

Yep, no Daisy, Mrs, Hughes, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Patmore.  This group is boring and unnecessary.  Stick to Victoria and a little consistency would not be unwelcome!