S03.E07: A Public Inconvenience

[Kohola3]

The reputations of Albert and Palmerston are tested; Victoria must decide where to put her allegiance.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Kohola3
incorrect week

[Sew Sumi]

I know we all want this season to be put out of its misery, but I think this is E07.

[Kohola3]

5 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

I know we all want this season to be put out of its misery, but I think this is E07.

Yep, you are correct - on both counts.

[Bunnyto4]

Agreed. We are not (very) amused. 

[Kohola3]

Well, things are certainly looking dire for Sophie.  Duke Snidely can now turn his attention to punishing the uppity foot,am and then torturing his kid.

[Morlock]

This season really is boring. Anyone else sick of that little prat Bertie? And who didn't see Theodora as being some source of trouble from the first second they saw her?!

[LittleIggy]

Albert being Commander in Chief of the Army? I’m sure that would have been popular with the British public - a civilian foreigner in charge of the military.

Laurence Fox’s Lord Pam is the saving grace of this season.

[twoods]

I really miss season one and two. The kids are brats, the footman is creepy as hell, and I miss the cute Victoria and Albert scenes. I agree that Lord Palm is the saving grace of this season, and I’m still bitter they killed off Skeritt and now we have her annoying friend as a substitute. 

[Morlock]

11 minutes ago, twoods said:

I really miss season one and two. The kids are brats, the footman is creepy as hell, and I miss the cute Victoria and Albert scenes. I agree that Lord Palm is the saving grace of this season, and I’m still bitter they killed off Skeritt and now we have her annoying friend as a substitute. 

The footman in real life would have already been taken out back and flogged on suspicions alone! I do wonder what his plan is asides from the obvious. Seems like a hopeless future. 

Lord P is interesting as he does not care about anything around him although that chat his wife had with the Queen was unlikely. Talking about swinging with someone you just met and her being a Queen as well?!

I liked Skeritt she seemed different but maybe the actress wanted to leave. It seemed she was written out in a rush.

[Morlock]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Albert being Commander in Chief of the Army? I’m sure that would have been popular with the British public - a civilian foreigner in charge of the military.

Laurence Fox’s Lord Pam is the saving grace of this season.

I guess but the Queen herself is also a foreigner. It is strange that in a time of patriotism that the country puts a crown on outsiders.

Albert is so hopelessly bored. I get a chuckle out of how naive he is too. Anyone who appears to know what they are saying, any new idea and it is all so "fascinating" to him. I think he would allow someone to perform electric shock treatment on his kids if they sold the idea well enough!

[magdalene]

I wonder if the Duchess will think it was worth having an affair with the footman when she is forced into the loony bin - which was a horrible thing that was indeed done back then by powerful men to their powerless wives when those wives had "erred", or simply become "inconvenient".  And the sad irony being that the footman had seduced another duchess previously. 

Every woman should have kept in mind that they didn't even have the legal right to their own children. IMO, a woman of means was better off back then to stay unmarried instead of becoming the legal possession of a man.

I think the only rescue for the duchess can be the Queen being Deux Ex Machina for her - even a duke cannot go against the Queen.

Albert was right about the exhibition.  That's one of the things I actually know about Prince Albert - 

Spoiler

that Exhibition is very famous and was his crowning glory, it excited the public and did a lot of good for England.

Edited February 25, 2019 by magdalene

[freddi]

Were Victoria and the Duke of Wellington saying farewell forever?  I did not understand that conversation about “now I know how it feels to lose a father.”  Him [paraphrased]:  “ Let’s not get sentimental about this.” 

[voiceover]

Ugh.  Conflict, I get it.  Some of this season feels like the Screenwriting 101 course I teach.

Pure spec: since Penge is shown mulling it all, he may end up doing the right thing.  That seems to be the series' m.o. -- the bad guy/gal has a change of heart at the 11th hour.  (If I had the energy, I'd make a list proving my theory.  Maybe during hiatus.)

Taking my weekly Ernst-mourning moment to point out that the Coburg Bros are ***wayyyy more entertaining (and sexy) than Vicky's side of the family.  Writers: take note!

I did enjoy the playfulness at the end.  I presume this means Baby 8 is on the horizon.  And that reunion in the rain made me think of Season 2 of Sex and the City, when the ladies mocked that romcom trope.  Congrats to Tom Hughes: those bangs stayed adorably floppy (UO, I know), even drenched.

[floridamom]

The Queen's  ladies in waiting, which included her dresser would all have been on high birth. Abigail wound never have been taken on in Skerritt's place. Perhaps she would have been hired downstairs, laundering the Queen's underthings. This is so unreal.

[Bunnyto4]

8 hours ago, Morlock said:

This season really is boring. Anyone else sick of that little prat Bertie? And who didn't see Theodora as being some source of trouble from the first second they saw her?!

And he grew to be a great big prat! Before last nights episode I watched an episode of “Downton Abbey”. The difference between between DG and Julian Fellowes’ abilities is stunning. It feels like she got bored with V&A in the middle of writing this series. I’m sorry about this too-I really enjoyed the first two seasons.

[BusyOctober]

So now that V & A have resumed "relations", baby Leopold will be showing up in the beginning of next season I guess.  I'm not loving this season as much as the others.  I am sick of seeing V & A at odds in every episode.  Unless they are making babies, they don't seem to even like each other in this series. At least there's just one more baby to go after Little Leo.  Per this series, that means shortly after Leopold is born, V & A will have another fight, which leads to Baby Beatrice.  I wonder how all the kids would feel if they'd known most of them were born as the result of make up sex?

I want Feodora gone, post haste, but now her daughter has shown up, so I'm guessing we'll be stuck with them both next season as well....unless there is some unfortunate 'accident' in finale next week (fingers crossed).  While I don't know the real history of half sister Feodora, I have read that she never lived with the Queen, so all this manufactured drama is a fever dream made up by the writer.  If she is staying on, I wish they'd throw us a bone and give even a half-assed explanation of why she is still hanging around.  If her country is "unsafe" for her, then why is her family still there (minus the newly imported daughter)?  Is her husband as sick of Feo as most of us (and Victoria) are, and happy to have her out of the house?  She certainly isn't beloved by Victoria nor a necessary member of her staff.  What is she anyway?? A glorified governess to Vicky & Bertie?  Isn't she some kind of "royal" in her homeland? Or is her country war-torn, has her husband been ousted from power?  Gimme something to make sense of why this square headed, frying pan faced, trouble maker has to been part of the cast!

And if Feodora is sent packing (pleasepleaseplease), can Victoria send Skeritt's replacement with her as a consolation prize?  The new dresser (Abby??) just doesn't fit in.  The actress just comes across too modern.  I see an actress from 2017 dressed in 19th century clothes.  Plus, as others have mentioned, a young woman like her would never have been employed as Victoria's dresser.  Those close, intimate jobs were given to women of higher birth, not some rando seamstress friend of the staff.

Albert's floppy hair needs its own line in the credits.  I don't write fan-fic, but if I did, I'd devise a way for both it & Feodora to come to an end. Maybe she's accidentally but mortally wounded in some barbershop mishap?  She accompanies Albert as he is getting a haircut and royal barber has a seizure...scissors fly across the room, a woman's high pitched scream!  Albert yells, "Mein Gott!" aaaand....fade to black.  The camera pans across a funeral procession returning from Feodora's (closed casket) service, and out of habit, Albert swipes his hand to push back the forelock that is no longer there. There's a tear slowly rolling down his cheek....CUT & SCENE!

[Morlock]

14 hours ago, Bunnyto4 said:

And he grew to be a great big prat! Before last nights episode I watched an episode of “Downton Abbey”. The difference between between DG and Julian Fellowes’ abilities is stunning. It feels like she got bored with V&A in the middle of writing this series. I’m sorry about this too-I really enjoyed the first two seasons.

I am having trouble working out how much fact and how much fiction they are throwing into the story. I know Bertie isn't the greatest growing up but I doubt he ever ran around yelling "England doesn't have Kings it has Queens!" the PC nuttery is really disrupting any merit it might have. 

14 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

So now that V & A have resumed "relations", baby Leopold will be showing up in the beginning of next season I guess.  I'm not loving this season as much as the others.  I am sick of seeing V & A at odds in every episode.  Unless they are making babies, they don't seem to even like each other in this series. At least there's just one more baby to go after Little Leo.  Per this series, that means shortly after Leopold is born, V & A will have another fight, which leads to Baby Beatrice.  I wonder how all the kids would feel if they'd known most of them were born as the result of make up sex?

I want Feodora gone, post haste, but now her daughter has shown up, so I'm guessing we'll be stuck with them both next season as well....unless there is some unfortunate 'accident' in finale next week (fingers crossed).  While I don't know the real history of half sister Feodora, I have read that she never lived with the Queen, so all this manufactured drama is a fever dream made up by the writer.  If she is staying on, I wish they'd throw us a bone and give even a half-assed explanation of why she is still hanging around.  If her country is "unsafe" for her, then why is her family still there (minus the newly imported daughter)?  Is her husband as sick of Feo as most of us (and Victoria) are, and happy to have her out of the house?  She certainly isn't beloved by Victoria nor a necessary member of her staff.  What is she anyway?? A glorified governess to Vicky & Bertie?  Isn't she some kind of "royal" in her homeland? Or is her country war-torn, has her husband been ousted from power?  Gimme something to make sense of why this square headed, frying pan faced, trouble maker has to been part of the cast!

And if Feodora is sent packing (pleasepleaseplease), can Victoria send Skeritt's replacement with her as a consolation prize?  The new dresser (Abby??) just doesn't fit in.  The actress just comes across too modern.  I see an actress from 2017 dressed in 19th century clothes.  Plus, as others have mentioned, a young woman like her would never have been employed as Victoria's dresser.  Those close, intimate jobs were given to women of higher birth, not some rando seamstress friend of the staff.

Albert's floppy hair needs its own line in the credits.  I don't write fan-fic, but if I did, I'd devise a way for both it & Feodora to come to an end. Maybe she's accidentally but mortally wounded in some barbershop mishap?  She accompanies Albert as he is getting a haircut and royal barber has a seizure...scissors fly across the room, a woman's high pitched scream!  Albert yells, "Mein Gott!" aaaand....fade to black.  The camera pans across a funeral procession returning from Feodora's (closed casket) service, and out of habit, Albert swipes his hand to push back the forelock that is no longer there. There's a tear slowly rolling down his cheek....CUT & SCENE!

I hate Feodora. I actually thought she might be someone pretending to be what she isn't when she first turned up but sadly she seems the real deal. No less nasty though. 

I don't like the new dresser either. Skerritt had femininity and some class about her despite being working class Abby if that is her name just comes across as more of a tavern wench. And I don't think Abby has the affection for the Queen that Skerritt did. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by Morlock

[Pickles]

Why is the Sophie and the servant affair a storyline? I don’t care about either of them. He is totally unappealing. Just like a giant hulk. She is dim. She thinks she can run off to California with him? She hardly sees her son now. She would be cut off forever then. What would they do for money? How are they having trysts all over the place? I think we could have done without all of these characters—the servant, Sophie, the evil husband. Who cares?

[Brn2bwild]

3 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

So now that V & A have resumed "relations", baby Leopold will be showing up in the beginning of next season I guess. 

Along with an overly dramatic storyline featuring 

Spoiler

"Oh my God, why won't he stop bleeding?!" 

There will probably be a scene where Victoria herself picks up a young Leopold and runs with him in her arms to the nearest doctor.  "Please save my boy!"

At least Vicky would be 12-13 by Leopold's birth, and Bertie a year younger, so they would be played by different actors.

[Razzberry]

The scenes with Bertie annoy me because they always show Victoria being an affectionate mother when in reality she couldn't stand his presence and made no bones about it. 

Sophie played with fire and lost.  She could have left with Joseph and had a good but middle class life, albeit without her son, but it was too easy for a man to have his wife declared a "lunatic" in those days and they should've seen that coming.

Feodora seemed unaware that everyone calls her daughter Heidi, which adds to the imposter theory.  Why wouldn't Victoria notice though?

[LiveenLetLive]

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

Why is the Sophie and the servant affair a storyline? I don’t care about either of them. He is totally unappealing. Just like a giant hulk. She is dim

YES! I don't even understand the casting of that Dude to play the footman (I guess most footmen had to be tall? he exudes zero chemistry.) This episode was particularly ridiculous IMO, and the footman and the Duchess screwing in various places in the palace? yeah I believe that, hahaha.

[LittleIggy]

10 hours ago, Morlock said:

I guess but the Queen herself is also a foreigner. It is strange that in a time of patriotism that the country puts a crown on outsiders.

Victoria wasn’t a foreigner. Her ancestry was Germanic, but she was British born and bred. She was born at Kensington Palace.

[3 is enough]

I thought this episode was a bit better.  I liked seeing Albert excited about the exhibition.

Joseph the serial duchess seducer speculating that the sale of Sophie's necklace could support them for quite a while?  Good luck getting a buyer buddy.  How stupid of them to think that no one would notice them sneaking off together in broad daylight.  There were no secrets in the palace.  I did get the impression that Penge was disappointed in the money the duke gave him though.  It did not look like a large sum to me, although admittedly a pound in 1850 was the equivalent of 125 pounds today. But the pound coins (sovereigns) were gold, and the coins shown looked silver to me.

[iMonrey]

They have certainly made some odd choices this season. I can understand if David Oakes was not available but if that's not the case it made no sense to eliminate a fan favorite like Ernst. 

The only real emotional punch of the season was the death of Skerrett, which was done rather well. Unfortunately none of the new characters they introduced were the least bit interesting. I get that they're going for a Lady Sybil and the Chauffeur storyline with the Duchess and the Footman but they never fleshed out these characters or made us care about them. The reveal that Joseph had been paid off by some other Duke for the same indiscretion was probably the most interesting thing about the story, but even if he turns out to be a villain I still don't care about Sophie.

The worst decision was this fictional drama with Feodora because it makes everyone look bad. It makes the writers look bad because they seem to understand this story would never have gotten off the ground if Victoria's mother was still around, so they simply ignored her existence and refused to address it. It also made Albert look like an insufferable idiot because he spent the whole season dismissive of his wife and letting this rather obviously sketchy woman get into his head. 

I don't know how they course correct going forward but dumping Feodora would be the most important first step. They also need to stop relying so much on Victoria and Albert squabbling for the sake of drama because it's gotten to the point where we don't even like these characters anymore. 

I guess the only good thing about this episode was that they finally made up at the end. Let's hope it sticks.

[missbonnie]

11 hours ago, voiceover said:

Taking my weekly Ernst-mourning moment to point out that the Coburg Bros are ***wayyyy more entertaining (and sexy) than Vicky's side ....... Congrats to Tom Hughes: those bangs stayed adorably floppy (UO, I know), even drenched.

Not so UO, I personally think that Tom Hughes has a glorious head of hair. I am really missing Ernst as well. I haven't hated the season, but I concur that the first two were better and I am bummed that next week is the last episode for season three.  Does anyone know if there is going.to be a fourth?

[Morlock]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

They have certainly made some odd choices this season. I can understand if David Oakes was not available but if that's not the case it made no sense to eliminate a fan favorite like Ernst. 

The only real emotional punch of the season was the death of Skerrett, which was done rather well. Unfortunately none of the new characters they introduced were the least bit interesting. I get that they're going for a Lady Sybil and the Chauffeur storyline with the Duchess and the Footman but they never fleshed out these characters or made us care about them. The reveal that Joseph had been paid off by some other Duke for the same indiscretion was probably the most interesting thing about the story, but even if he turns out to be a villain I still don't care about Sophie.

The worst decision was this fictional drama with Feodora because it makes everyone look bad. It makes the writers look bad because they seem to understand this story would never have gotten off the ground if Victoria's mother was still around, so they simply ignored her existence and refused to address it. It also made Albert look like an insufferable idiot because he spent the whole season dismissive of his wife and letting this rather obviously sketchy woman get into his head. 

I don't know how they course correct going forward but dumping Feodora would be the most important first step. They also need to stop relying so much on Victoria and Albert squabbling for the sake of drama because it's gotten to the point where we don't even like these characters anymore. 

I guess the only good thing about this episode was that they finally made up at the end. Let's hope it sticks.

There are just too many characters perhaps? We don't get to see enough of some of them to have any time to care because the focus then shifts to someone else? I'm not sure but I do agree, I don't care about the footman and the Duchess is attractive but that is where my interest ends. 

I think they ruined the Skerritt story as soon as they hooked her up with the chef. I think more could have been done with her. 

Feodora is annoying and serves no real purpose other than to generate more pointless drama. 

Victoria and Albert squabbling, that is the odd part for me as we know in real life Victoria mourned him until her own death. She was obviously very much in love with him but in the show it is like they are room mates at best and yet the kids keep coming. I think they need to correct this at some point otherwise, if the show lasts Albert will die as he did in real life and if they want to be accurate Victoria will go into deep mourning and yet based on what we have seen the question will be "Why does she care so much about him now?"

[Kaiju Ballet]

15 hours ago, freddi said:

Were Victoria and the Duke of Wellington saying farewell forever?  I did not understand that conversation about “now I know how it feels to lose a father.”  Him [paraphrased]:  “ Let’s not get sentimental about this.” 

I initially took it that way. Or at least that the intention was to make it a poignant scene about how people that Victoria learns to count on for support and counsel leave her in some shape or form. I have no idea if that scene had any factual basis (did Victoria think of Wellington as a father figure?) but the lines were well written IMO. Something about how when you reach his age you learn not to invest too much sentiment in farewells. Given how Victoria has already outlived/been mysteriously left by/outlasted so many major characters in her life to date, it was a nice foreshadowing of how that advice would serve her well as more prime ministers, counselors and made up characters would enter her life.

And then, Wellington turns his back on the Queen and walks out, which kind of made me question how I was supposed to take his goodbye. I thought you were never supposed to turn your back on the Queen?  So was it like an "FU" kind of "I quit?" I also tried to remember if Wellington always did have Victoria's back as he claimed, but that just invites comparison to the vastly superior first season.

Are we also meant to think that young Bertie is smitten with his cousin Heidi? Or is she just the next young blond woman who'll provide a sex scandal now that the Duchess's beyond-stupid storyline has run out?

I get so frustrated every time Feo shows up on screen and Victoria says again how it's time for her to gtfo. Victoria seems to forget she's the godsdamn Queen when it's convenient to the plot. The only reason given for her inaction is that it gives Albert another scene where he says something cutting/diminishing/contemptuous to her, when she's clearly capable (and does) make other decisions against his wishes with far more consequences.

And nothing against the actor, but the PM's role this season is just to be a foil for Pam. Even the Lady in Waiting Whose Name I Never Learned's character has been given more nuance.

It was also weird to me that with Albert's great vision of the international commerce aspect of the Expo, Pam was never asked to comment from the perspective of the Foreign Secretary. I mean, wouldn't he play a role? Other than have another passive aggro exchange with Albert. That said, I thought the explanation of the greenhouse and the inspiration from an Amazonian Lily named after the Queen was really interesting, and wished that part was given more time than the whole Duchess/Footman storyline.

The Duchess recovered really quickly from the soap opera reveal of the Footman's past, but then again, everything else about that storyline is unbelievable AND boring. Which is kind of a feat in an of itself.

[magdalene]

I suspect that Ernst and David Oakes were not present this season so we could spend all this time with the great romance of the duchess and the footman. Isn't that wonderful? (Sarcasm)

Whatever my opinion of these characters I do not like that Penge ratted them out.  Fire the the footman, yes, there were plenty of grounds for his dismissal.  But sell them out for a few pieces of silver - shame on Penge.  And he should have long known that discretion would be part of his job.

[HouseofBeck]

I don't think Penge did rat them out. I think (I hope) his contemplation with the coins was over his conscience, not the amount, and that when he told the Duke (offscreen) that he couldn't find any evidence / didn't want to be part of it, the Duke jumped to Husband Plan B: Commit to Asylum. 

Since we have Joseph, I hope he gets the Duchess out. Otherwise, what an unappealing guy and plot.

I'm so sick of Albert. I was yelling at him to hurry up and die if he couldn't bring himself to treat his wife with any respect. But then I felt so bad for the queen, especially with her sad face and posture. Jenna did those scenes so well. 

[TigerLynx]

Oh great.  So Victoria gives Albert and Feo what they want, and that's the resolution of their problems.  Until the next time they get to emotionally blackmail her.  {face palm}

I did find it amusing Victoria and Feo found common ground over lamenting the way their mother treated them.

WTH were Palmerston and the Prime Minister talking about England having had no revolutions?  England had a serious of minor and not so minor revolutions that resulted in the current constitutional monarchy they are part of where the royals were figureheads, and didn't have that much power.

Quote

Every woman should have kept in mind that they didn't even have the legal right to their own children. IMO, a woman of means was better off back then to stay unmarried instead of becoming the legal possession of a man.

Quite often they weren't allowed to stay unmarried.

Edited February 26, 2019 by TigerLynx

[iMonrey]

It also looks like we're going to get to the end of this season without ever finding out what the hell happened to Lord Alfred and Wilhelmina. They were engaged at the end of last season and there's been nary a mention nor a sighting of her this season. Not even at the ball in last week's episode, where Lord Alfred was clearly in attendance. WTF? 

I get that sometimes actors aren't available and have moved on but at least explain where the hell their characters went. It's one thing to have someone like Ernst MIA - he's a busy guy with his own Duchy to run back home. But Wilhelmina has just dropped off the face of the earth.

[Morlock]

18 hours ago, magdalene said:

I wonder if the Duchess will think it was worth having an affair with the footman when she is forced into the loony bin - which was a horrible thing that was indeed done back then by powerful men to their powerless wives when those wives had "erred", or simply become "inconvenient".  And the sad irony being that the footman had seduced another duchess previously. 

I would almost get the risk if they were in love but I am not getting that impression from either one of them. I think he is an opportunist and apparently good at seducing the aristocracy and she is bored and attention starved. 

[Nolefan]

1 hour ago, TigerLynx said:

Oh great.  So Victoria gives Albert and Feo what they want, and that's the resolution of their problems.  Until the next time they get to emotionally blackmail her.  {face palm}

I did find it amusing Victoria and Feo found common ground over lamenting the way their mother treated them.

I keep thinking that we could have been spared all this stupid Feodora s&@t if Victoria had just bought Feodora a couple of new dresses in Episode 1. Still don’t understand why Victoria was so cold to Feodora when Feodora showed up wearing rags. After the first episode, Victoria never again mentioned the whole Feodora “left her” to get married lame explanation for the initial hostility Victoria had towards Feodora. I know I’m in the minority, but Albert was right — Victoria (the richest woman in the world) was acting like a stingy child in regard to Feodora. But, I really don’t care because it was ALL MADE UP. Why can’t the writers stick closer to real history??? It is so much better than this crap they make up!!

Edited February 26, 2019 by Nolefan

[Nolefan]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

It also looks like we're going to get to the end of this season without ever finding out what the hell happened to Lord Alfred and Wilhelmina. They were engaged at the end of last season and there's been nary a mention nor a sighting of her this season. Not even at the ball in last week's episode, where Lord Alfred was clearly in attendance. WTF? 

I get that sometimes actors aren't available and have moved on but at least explain where the hell their characters went. It's one thing to have someone like Ernst MIA - he's a busy guy with his own Duchy to run back home. But Wilhelmina has just dropped off the face of the earth.

My guess is that the show was short on cash after paying the salaries of the new actors playing Lord Palmerston, Feodora, and Lord Russell.

[Nolefan]

4 hours ago, Kaiju Ballet said:

It was also weird to me that with Albert's great vision of the international commerce aspect of the Expo, Pam was never asked to comment from the perspective of the Foreign Secretary. I mean, wouldn't he play a role? Other than have another passive aggro exchange with Albert. That said, I thought the explanation of the greenhouse and the inspiration from an Amazonian Lily named after the Queen was really interesting, and wished that part was given more time than the whole Duchess/Footman storyline

Lord Palmerston specifically stated that he was opposed to the Great Exhibition and thought it was a horrible idea and tried to capitalize on Victoria’s fears of a revolution to convince Victoria at the end of the episode to cancel the whole thing. Victoria refused and told him Albert had a better way of supporting Britain then instigating wars like Palmerston.

[MadyGirl1987]

11 hours ago, Razzberry said:

The scenes with Bertie annoy me because they always show Victoria being an affectionate mother when in reality she couldn't stand his presence and made no bones about it.

From what I've read, I kinda understood that to be more the case after Albert's death. That's not to say she was the perfect mother who was close to him. Victoria and Albert worried about his character and he didn't live up to their high expectations, but the rift between her and Bertie really seemed to come after Albert's death. She blamed him and his sexual shenanigans in the military for Albert's death. I believe she felt the shock and stress hurt his health.

I don't know what Daisy Goodwin's problem with Albert is but it's clear she doesn't like him. His death so affected Victoria, her extreme, reclusiveness, depression and mourning afterwards put her reign in trouble. People started to think she wasn't fit to rule. You wouldn't get that from how they've been portrayed this season.

Well, the story of "The Duchess and the Footman" continues to play like a bad romance novel. We are now at the part where the lovers have to overcome adversity to be together; here in the form of her loutish husband sending her to a madhouse. Once her lover heroically rescues her, and the evil husband is out of the way, they will go off to live happily ever after together. I think I found the cover of it.... 

Edited February 26, 2019 by MadyGirl1987

[twoods]

Yep. I can’t understand why the writers hate Albert so much. He was pretty stiff and awkward at times, but wasn’t as insufferable as he is this season. He seemed level headed and reasonable, and was pretty supportive of Victoria. When she was going through post-partum depression he was there for her, and was calm when she would lash out at him or throw a brush at his head. This season’s Albert is unrecognizable. I doubt he was this much of a douchebag, because he really did seem to care about the people of England, his children and his wife. He was also one of the only noble men who did not keep a mistress. I wonder what Tom Hughes thinks of how Albert has been written this season.

Edited February 26, 2019 by twoods

[Nolefan]

7 hours ago, twoods said:

Yep. I can’t understand why the writers hate Albert so much. He was pretty stiff and awkward at times, but wasn’t as insufferable as he is this season. He seemed level headed and reasonable, and was pretty supportive of Victoria. When she was going through post-partum depression he was there for her, and was calm when she would lash out at him or throw a brush at his head. This season’s Albert is unrecognizable. I doubt he was this much of a douchebag, because he really did seem to care about the people of England, his children and his wife. He was also one of the only noble men who did not keep a mistress. I wonder what Tom Hughes thinks of how Albert has been written this season.

Totally agree. At every turn, the show never misses an opportunity to kick the man. Another prime example from this episode was how the episode portrayed Victoria asking Wellington to make Albert the head of the military. So, the show is portraying the offer as some pity prize that Victoria used her power as Queen to bestow on her husband. In real life, Wellington was the one who suggested Albert for the post. This shows: (1) one of the greatest generals in history admired Prince Albert enough to recommend him for the post; (2) Wellington initially disliked Albert but his initial dislike of Albert was for superficial reasons - that he was a foreign, poor prince — but Wellington’s opinion of Albert changed once he got to know the man; and (3) in real life Albert turned down the position because he did not think it was proper for the Queen’s husband to head the military (he saw a real separation of power problem), which in my opinion undermines a lot of the commentary about Albert just being some power hungry man trying to steal Victoria’s power (if that was the case, wouldn’t he have leaped at this position??). Really unbelievable to me.

[CCTC]

I laughed when the Duchess was dragged off and I almost expected the husband to do a maniacal laughter as if he was a villain in a Marvel movie.  That was probably not the reaction they wanted.  It is not that the Duchess and Joseph are poorly drawn, the little glimpses they have shown of their personality is not good.  They don't really come off as likable people where you want them to have a happy ending or care if they have a tragic star-crossed lover ending.  

When I saw Feodora and Victoria by the pond, the first thing I thought was, are they going to have them do a Dynasty Alexis-Krystal lily pond fight reenactment.  I really did not think they would go there, but it would not have shocked me.   I did want Victoria to push Feodora in the pond when she made the "I bet you don't even know her name" crack, and perhaps leave with a comment, at least I am not a Mother who has abandoned her children for over a year, because she wants to nurse a 20 year old grudge.   Plus, Victoria actually called her by the name she liked to be called.  Initially, when Heidi showed up with the blonde curls, being Feodora's daughter I thought she might be the Nellie Olson to her Mother's Harriet.  When she addressed the kids warmly, I wondered if she is the one who forces her mother to end her scheming or exposes her.

I agree it seems like the writers simply don't like Albert his season and he is being written differently that the first two seasons, although he was better the second half of the episode and the finale

Spoiler

is his big accomplishment.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, CCTC said:

[The duchess and Joseph] don't really come off as likable people where you want them to have a happy ending or care if they have a tragic star-crossed lover ending.  

They really don't. Both of them have been so unbelievably naive. I sort of buy it from the duchess, who had no experience of the aristocracy until she married into it, but Joseph should have been a lot more savvy.

[Nolefan]

1 hour ago, CCTC said:

When I saw Feodora and Victoria by the pond, the first thing I thought was, are they going to have them do a Dynasty Alexis-Krystal lily pond fight reenactment.  I really did not think they would go there, but it would not have shocked me. 

LOL. After the almost wig snatching that went on last episode, I am kinda shocked the show didn’t go there. Especially, with this show *supposedly* supporting feminism, because nothing says feminism more than the stereotype of two women getting into a cat fight because they are jealous of each other and are fighting over a man. Right, ladies?

[Driad]

In the awful "Duchess and Joseph" plot, the only person I might feel for is the Duchess's son. He spends his time between a (likely torturous) school and a cruel father, sees his mother dragged away, and when he grows up he will have to deal with everyone "knowing" that his mother was insane.

[iMonrey]

Quote

My guess is that the show was short on cash after paying the salaries of the new actors playing Lord Palmerston, Feodora, and Lord Russell.

Even if that were the case there is no excuse for the writers to not explain where these missing characters are. It doesn't cost them anything to write a few lines of dialogue to explain why Victoria's mother is MIA or what happened to Wilhelmina. Bad writing isn't cheaper than good writing, unless of course they hired new writers this season and paid them less.

[andromeda331]

12 hours ago, twoods said:

Yep. I can’t understand why the writers hate Albert so much. He was pretty stiff and awkward at times, but wasn’t as insufferable as he is this season. He seemed level headed and reasonable, and was pretty supportive of Victoria. When she was going through post-partum depression he was there for her, and was calm when she would lash out at him or throw a brush at his head. This season’s Albert is unrecognizable. I doubt he was this much of a douchebag, because he really did seem to care about the people of England, his children and his wife. He was also one of the only noble men who did not keep a mistress. I wonder what Tom Hughes thinks of how Albert has been written this season.

I don't either. They've written him so horrible the season and why? Its same with Victoria ending up being right or fixing everything. They don't need to destroy his character to prop up Victoria.  

[Morlock]

5 hours ago, Nolefan said:

Totally agree. At every turn, the show never misses an opportunity to kick the man. Another prime example from this episode was how the episode portrayed Victoria asking Wellington to make Albert the head of the military. So, the show is portraying the offer as some pity prize that Victoria used her power as Queen to bestow on her husband. In real life, Wellington was the one who suggested Albert for the post. This shows: (1) one of the greatest generals in history admired Prince Albert enough to recommend him for the post; (2) Wellington initially disliked Albert but his initial dislike of Albert was for superficial reasons - that he was a foreign, poor prince — but Wellington’s opinion of Albert changed once he got to know the man; and (3) in real life Albert turned down the position because he did not think it was proper for the Queen’s husband to head the military (he saw a real separation of power problem), which in my opinion undermines a lot of the commentary about Albert just being some power hungry man trying to steal Victoria’s power (if that was the case, wouldn’t he have leaped at this position??). Really unbelievable to me.

If I recall correctly the offer of leading the Army was also to distract him from the exhibition he was planning because the press was mocking him. In other words they just wanted him to do something else even if he had no interest or knowledge in it. 

I have noticed lots of feminist propaganda throughout the series. Especially in Season 1 where they portrayed her as some kind of helpless damsel surrounded by power hungry men keen to use her. I don't think it would have been all that different for a young King to be honest. Look at how Albert is treated at times he is also approached by many people hoping to gain his interest. 

I realize this is a soap opera but it is based on real events and people I wish they would drop with the modern politics and morality and just tell us the real stories. 

[Popples]

5 hours ago, Driad said:

In the awful "Duchess and Joseph" plot, the only person I might feel for is the Duchess's son. He spends his time between a (likely torturous) school and a cruel father, sees his mother dragged away, and when he grows up he will have to deal with everyone "knowing" that his mother was insane.

When the Duchess received the letter that he would be coming home from school earlier than expected, I thought it would turn out to be a ruse to get her away from the palace. I didn't expect for the son to actually be home and to only be able to catch a glimpse of his mother while he was dragged off to the nursery. The Duke is an incredibly cold bastard.

Other than that, I have such a hard time caring about the plotline.

[Bunnyette]

More Feodora mythology, her daughter “Heidi” was actually being pursued by Napoleon III when she was 16 until Auntie Victoria put a stop to it.  No way would she have been creeping into England.   Now that relationship would be interesting.   I wish the lusty Duchess and hunky footman would flee to the goldfields already.  Would the Queen not notice her lady in waiting sneaking off all the time?

[TexasGal]

On 2/25/2019 at 12:17 AM, magdalene said:

I think the only rescue for the duchess can be the Queen being Deux Ex Machina for her - even a duke cannot go against the Queen.

I assume that in real actual life (not made up Victoria life), a monarch would have had the ability to override a man's treatment of his wife?  I also assume that most monarchs would not exercise such power but this being the imaginary Victoria show I agree that is probably where we'll end up.

[andromeda331]

3 minutes ago, Bunnyette said:

More Feodora mythology, her daughter “Heidi” was actually being pursued by Napoleon III when she was 16 until Auntie Victoria put a stop to it.  No way would she have been creeping into England.   Now that relationship would be interesting.   I wish the lusty Duchess and hunky footman would flee to the goldfields already.  Would the Queen not notice her lady in waiting sneaking off all the time?

In this show its amazing Feodora didn't marry her daughter of to Napoleon III who then invades England so Feodora can bump off her sister and become Queen and finally have her revenge.

[JenMD]

21 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

Well, the story of "The Duchess and the Footman" continues to play like a bad romance novel. We are now at the part where the lovers have to overcome adversity to be together; here in the form of her loutish husband sending her to a madhouse. Once her lover heroically rescues her, and the evil husband is out of the way, they will go off to live happily ever after together. I think I found the cover of it.... 

Sophie and Joseph should be so lucky as to be in a Tessa Dare novel.  They'd certainly be much better written.