Victoria Series 1 (2016) - Review
Starring: Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes & Rufus Sewell
Written By: Daisy Goodwin & Guy Andrews
Directed By: Tom Vaughan, Sandra Goldbacher & Olly Blackburn
Certificate: 12
I'm
not sure what it is with dramas about the monarchy, but they seem to
be in demand at the moment. One of the biggest hits of the year has
been Netflix's The Crown,
while recently concluded royal dramas such as Wolf Hall
have also found critical
success, and with Downton Abbey now
at an end, ITV has a gap to fill in their schedules. Despite this,
there's something about a great many TV period dramas that don't seem
to do much for me – it might be that they're a bit too … proper
and stuffy. Yet Victoria proved
an exception to the rule, and maybe it's because of the number of
Doctor Who cast
members here, or perhaps it's because there's something more that
sets it apart...
Series
1 of Victoria begins
with the death of William IV of England, leaving his niece, eighteen
year-old Victoria next in line to the throne. The series follows
Victoria's early years as Queen, including her political struggles
and duties, her close friendship with Prime Minister Lord Melbourne,
her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert, and the birth of their
first child. As the new Queen establishes her rule, she must also
resist the attempts of those around her to control her and limit her
power.
As
you'd expect, Victoria depends a lot on the lead
performance from Jenna Coleman as the titular character, and there's
no denying just how brilliant an acting talent she is. Jenna Coleman
has already recently proven herself in other works, and here she
gives a dignified yet sympathetic performance. The role demands a lot
and there's many different sides to the character that have to be
balanced, all of which are put across fantastically. The young
Victoria's youth and inexperience, brought about from her sheltered
upbringing, are put across clearly, but balanced with that is a clear
strength and desire for independence. Victoria is certainly a complex
and multi-layered character, and it's great to see her progress over
the course of the series, and break through the attempts of everyone
around her to either limit her or use her for their own means.
Victoria
is
a series that also comes with a surprising amount of plentiful
meaning, especially to an audience that are watching events that took
place nearly a hundred and fifty years ago. The most striking of
these to me was the importance that it puts on self-worth and the
importance of individual thought. Victoria is a woman that has to
resist so much going on around her, and there are times when it can
become similar to the amount of stuff that tries to control us in our
own lives. Couple this with the sympathetic performance that Jenna
Coleman provides, and you've instantly got the audience invested and
in support of her. Victoria may
even be interpreted as a feminist piece (an excellent one at that),
as when it comes down to it, it's telling a story that should feel
very familiar today – the rise of women to positions of power, and
how that can threaten and intimidate a select number of their male
counterparts.
The
original teasers and trailers for Victoria
promised
a beautiful-looking series, and it certainly delivers. The series
shows off its estimated £10m budget all over the screen, and if you
watch any of the behind the scenes features, you'll know that it
pulls a lot of tricks and cost-cutting techniques to make the
production seem even more expensive than that. You can tell that ITV
have really invested a lot in this show, and the result is something
that wouldn't feel out of place in cinemas. The sets and costume
design are stunning, both in the upper-class manors and palaces, as
well as places such as the kitchens and outdoor areas. The lighting
is appropriately used throughout, and the music, particularly the
piece that plays during the opening titles, is well-made and sounds
beautiful. For me, the two standout moments on a technical level, are
easily Victoria's coronation, and her wedding to Albert. Both scenes
are immaculate, and should serve as an example as to what strength
can be achieved when different technical aspects of a production can
cross over and work together.
Being
a historical drama, as well as a biopic of a historical figure,
something that was likely going to attract controversy was historical
accuracy. Impressively, it does for the most part manage to stay
historically accurate. Many of the events that take place during the
series are documented and are known to have happened, such as the
Bedchamber Crisis and the Newport Rising. If you don't know about
either of these, there's no need to worry – before watching, I
didn't either, but the series does an admirable job easing us into
some real history. That isn't to say it's 100% accurate – Lord
Melbourne wasn't quite the dashing figure he's made out to be, and I
don't think the young Victoria ever publicly broke out in hysteria
after seeing some rats. However, I always say that if you're looking
for total accuracy, then it's better to watch a documentary, as shows
like this are inevitably going to exaggerate certain things and take
some liberties to keep the drama fresh and the audience more engaged.
Something
I'm not as willing to less pass by so easily, is some inconsistency
early on with the character of Prince Albert. Albert shows up about
midway through the series, and writer Daisy Goodwin takes us on a
tour of their early relationship before their marriage. While I know
that the two didn't exactly see eye to eye when they first met, the
version of Prince Albert that we see early on, can be almost
difficult to watch and there are times where he feels very
inconsistent. It's fine to introduce us to Albert when he's more cold
and withdrawn, and sometimes he can even be described here as being a
bit emo. However, when he starts coming across as genuinely
unlikeable, and going out of his way to do so, it's difficult for us
to want to see him and Victoria fall in love. The problems continue
when he does start to fall for Victoria, as one minute it seems like
we're making progress, in the next we seem to take a step back.
Thankfully, once the two agree to marry, these problems fade and
we're left with a pretty strong romance story, thanks in no small
part to the chemistry between Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes. I also
began to like Albert a lot more once he started using his time and
influence to help halt the slave trade, and I admire the series for
touching on this. To be honest, Victoria is
great for character relationships all round, with one of the best
being an almost parental-like and sweet relationship between Lord
Melbourne and Victoria herself – a relationship that comes to a
truly heartbreaking close.
There
are also a number of subplots going on throughout the series that are
somewhat less focused on the new Queen. However, these can be a bit
of a mixed bag. On the bright side, it is admittedly enjoyable to see
the staff and characters like Brodie, Penge or Mrs Jenkins going
about their work, such as converting the palace from candlelight to
gas lighting, or discovering an infestation of rats. However,
sometimes a little too much focus is put here, particularly when it
comes to the romance between Miss Skerrett and the chef. These
segments did little more than make me want to switch focus back to
Victoria, as they really are very forgettable, and even writing this
now, I'm struggling to remember what actually happened between them.
But
even though Victoria may
have a couple of problems, that doesn't stop it from being a very
solid series, and a suitable replacement for Downton
Abbey.
Given the viewing figures, public interest and the fact that the
first series only covers the first three years of Victoria's
sixty-three year reign, there's a lot of future potential here.
There's a lot more story to be told, and while I doubt Jenna Coleman
will be able to stay in the lead role for all of it, ITV have got a
winner on their hands.
Victoria
8/10