As Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and Albert (Tom Hughes) refuse to speak with one another, they pass messages via the staff which becomes hilarious. Think of the paper and ink they could've saved. Sure they did this before when they asked the staff to relay messages verbally. Anyhoo he's off to Cambridge to become Chancellor of the university much to the annoyance of Victoria who has to deal with the cholera epidemic on her own. Not wanting Albert's help. Same at the uni for him as they refuse to accept he wants the sciences to play a core part in the university. However they are livid that he believes they should be teaching the theories of Charles Lyell who did not believe the world was created in seven days. Also Lord Powis (Julian Firth) now stands against him for the post. Which Albert finds humiliating. As they don't want "foreigners" around and a German at that. Since they don't want what he was taught at Bonn University to become the norm here.
Palmerston (Laurence Fox) also telling Albert he was a fellow at Cambridge too but Albert can't recall what college he was at. Which Russell (John Sessions) says he ought to know. Victoria has 'foreign' guests who bring gifts of jewellery for the newly born Princess. Where Albert has to accompany her. A doctor tries to find the origins of the outbreak as the guests settle down to listen to some opera singer and Russell gets a note informing of the outbreak not being limited to Soho where they thought they could contain it. And also by moving the bodies to the country where they will be buried. Victoria is concerned about her guests not hearing; lest they find out how dirty her country really is!
The doctors arrive at the Place with their own view points and a Dr Snow (Sam Swainsbury) with a stammer, can't tell her what's happening until he has proof. As he traces back the outbreaks and where it's spreading to by asking patients questions. Skerrett (Nell Hudson) visits an apothecary for some medicine and obviously that is contaminated from the water used in it. When finding out she's pregnant. Francatelli (Ferdinand Kingsley) has the hotel opened and she breaks the news to him.
Victoria asks Palmerston to arrange a visit to the hospital to check out the patients and meets Florence Nightingale (Laura Morgan) who also tells her about Dr Snow being the only one who visits here. He finds the outbreak leads to a dirty water tap and tells this to Victoria. As Brodie (Tommie Knight) overhears this, he asks who the apothecary is and Victoria goes to Skerrett. Alas it's too late since Victoria tells her it's a good thing she's done opening the place, her own palace and there's nothing she can do for her.
Palmerston votes for Albert in the chancellor election and obviously he must've had some of the others voting too for Albert to have won. But he says he can't accept the position. Palmerston says he agrees with him but only as far as the cholera issue goes. ALbert returns home to Victoria and they make their peace. As Victoria opens Skerrett's letter where she tells her she must follow her heart and leave her. She regrets not opening it sooner. Feo (Kate Fleetwood) being livid her plan of dividing them didn't work.
Joseph (David Burnett) is still enamoured with Sophie (Lily Travers) and the Duke (Nicholas Audsley) wants her to return home. Joseph tells her to refuse him as the palace is safer. The Duke tells him it's a command so she can't refuse him. However she later tells Joseph that he can't refuse the Queen's command. As Penge (Adrian Schiller) watches them. So they killed off Skerrett, which wasn't really expected. There didn't seem to be that much they could have done with her and Francatelli and getting them married kind of left them at loose ends, since this was about Victoria and not them.
Apparently Victoria had Dr Snow's help in real life; giving her chloroform during the birth of her seventh child, but he didn't really find the cause of the cholera until later on in. She didn't meet Florence until the Crimean War either. Albert accepted the position of Chancellor not realizing it was just a position of honour and he wasn't meant to be so vocal about it or to do anything.
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