Victoria 1.4 "A Clockwork Prince" Review

                                           
Victoria (Jenna Coleman) finishes playing her piano piece and and acknowledges Albert (Tom Hughes) by his name.  Then Ernest (David Oakes)  Albert's brother greets her, with Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) watching all the while.  This ep was all about Victoria and Albert and how their marriage came about.  As Victoria and Albert find themselves at loggerheads with their indifference. He hates how she knows nothing about art, or any other painters, like Reubens, but does impress him when she mentions Rembrandt and later she tells Melbourne that Albert is "a prig."  He never smiles, compared to Earnest who is so carefree.  Maybe he would make a better match as Albert also tells him.  But he's not the one destined to be king, her uncle Leopold (Alex Jennings) tells Albert.  Well he didn't become king.  As Albert replies, she is the queen.  He also finds it distasteful how he sees children begging in the streets and nothing is done about it.  Thinking Victoria doesn't really know what's happening.

Victoria however, plans a dance for the princes, not another ball as she tells Melbourne, but just a small dance and she also invites him, as she invites him to dinner too.  Where she sits and cuts meat for Dash and then leaves her food, cue plates being removed and Albert saying he hasn't finished, "but the queen has."  He talks with Melbourne about the Houses of Parliament, he would like to visit there.  Melbourne advises he must come incognito as many Tories despise the Germans and wouldn't want him in the House.  Melbourne suggests they join the ladies and doesn't reply to Albert when he asks how he feels about the Germans.

Of course Earnest is the more unruly brother and is taken aback by the ladies' of England.  He can't wait to get back to Coburg, but he can see that Melbourne has an eye for Victoria as she invites Melbourne to play cards with her.  Albert doesn't play cards and Earnest joins them.  He thinks they should pay a duet, as Albert takes over the piano and starts playing.  He'd like to hear Schubert, which she plays with Albert and one that involves a lot of touching of hands on the keyboard.  As Earnest watches Melbourne, who appears to be forever entranced by her.  Albert went to he the National Gallery with Earnest and looked at the paintings, but not at Victoria's portrait.

Albert is more emotional about the squalor he sees and asks Melbourne why he doesn't like Dickens as he accurately depicts what is happening to her subjects.  Melbourne counters he's been in power for ten years, so he knows.  Victoria invites Melbourne to the dance and dances with Earnest, as he tells her Albert prefers the waltz, as does he and she should dance with him.  Victoria wears the gardenia corsage Melbourne sent her.  Lady Emma (Anna Wilson-Jones) tells Melbourne how Victoria gets on well with Earnest.  As Albert is uncomfortable in his attire, undoing his buttons.  As Melbourne is pleased about her wearing the flowers from Brocket Hall, he is interrupted by Albert asking Victoria to dance as Melbourne was going to do the same.

Knew we'd get some sort of scene where they cut out the music a little and go all slow motion.  He notices the flower and asks for her forgiveness since his mother used to wear those in her hair when she used to say goodnight to him.  He's also noticed she doesn't care much for her own mother when they went strolling in the garden.  He prefers forests.  He takes out a knife from his boot and cuts his shirt where he places the flower she's given to him on the dancefloor and says he will hold it there, close to his heart.  Of course we're led to believe Melbourne has regrets and obviously the two are envious of each other.  Albert says he was nervous at making a fool of himself on the dancefloor. Well he needn't have worried cos he did have Victoria eating out of his hand.

Victoria decides she's going to Windsor, on a "Wednesday" as the staff and Melbourne say,  since he's brought dispatches from the situation in Afghanistan.  She asks him to come down too.  Her uncle getting impetuous and restless as to why Albert's made no headway with Victoria, as she hasn't asked him to marry her.  At Windsor Penge (Adrian Schiller) brings out the uniforms George III had made and Earnest comments if he made them before he went mad.  Her uncle is surprised to see Melbourne there and would've thought he was too busy.  You don't refuse the queen of course.  Once again Albert is jealous of his presence and that she greets Melbourne before him.

Next day they go riding and Earnest asks to be taken back when Albert shows up.  He's not like him, but he likes the forest and she tells him of the oldest oak in the forest.  They both run carefree and Victoria drops her hat.  He prefers her without it since she 's now a woman and not a queen.  He's impressed when she repeats what he calls the forest in German, being at one with it.  As he sweeps her hair back and sweeps Victoria off her feet too.  Well she was expecting him to kiss her.  He's not the cousin she recalls when she last saw him.  As the moment is spoiled by Dash's cries.  He's broken his leg and Albert puts it in a splint.  However they have a falling out when he says she should marry Melbourne.  Even if Earnest describes him as being old enough to be her father."  Oh yes Albert, once more with the knife!  Ha.  As he now tears his shirt sleeve to bandage Dash's leg.  She does ask him about his mother who ran away with her equerry when he was five (the story of these royals, hey?!) Which is why he doesn't like the way Victoria treats her own mother and as he tells her at the dance, he doesn't have one.

They leave Windsor and his uncle is perturbed there's no proposal, adding Earnest would've "had her in bed by now."  Victoria tells her uncle she doesn't know if he will accept her proposal and his answer is that if she doesn't ask, she won't know since he's heading back home.  His one stop being the Houses of Parliament where he questions Melbourne about Victoria and Melbourne says he won't always have his ministry and is thinking of retiring.  Especially since Victoria doesn't need him anymore with Albert around.  Victoria also mentioning to Melbourne that he will not marry her.  His reply to himself is that "only a fool would turn you away, ma'am."  Referring to himself cos he knew he had to do the right thing.  There; many hearts breaking right here all over again!

Victoria wears gardenias in her hair which Skerrett (Nell Hudson) had managed to get and Victoria couldn't ask Melbourne for them, as she summons Albert before her.  She has a question for him and asks if he, "would do me the honour..." which doesn't sound right to her.  Thought she'd have said,
"do us the honour."  She just asks, "will you marry me?"  He will answer if he can kiss her first and after not much hesitation, he agrees to marry her, cue endless kisses.

Elsewhere the staff have to deal with Albert and Earnest's valet, Lohlein (Basil Eidenbenz) who doesn't speak English and Lehzen (Daniela Holtz) and he are pretty free speaking German in front of the staff.  Saying they don't like Germans.  However Penge surprises everyone after Lohlein calls the porridge disgusting when he speaks German, showing he knew it all along.  How'd he know German. We find out that Skerrett isn't really Eliza but Nancy, as her sister, Eliza (Samantha Colley) comes to the palace asking for help with money.  Skerrett won't steal and gives her the lace collar she wears. She does take one of Victoria's diamond pins and changes her mind later when she suggests Victoria should wear the pins in her hair to make it look more elegant.  Skerrett visit Eliza with more collars as Victoria allowed her to have them, when she saw hers was missing.  Eliza says the job should've been hers but she didn't want to leave her daughter.  Skerrett adding they're just like women when she brushes Victoria's hair.  That's the secret she's been hiding.

Plenty going on in this episode, least of which was Victoria's growing fondness and feelings towards Albert.  As he tells her, "this will not be a marriage of convenience."
Victoria: It will be a marriage of inconvenience."  Well he seemed relieved after Melbourne's words of "the queen must marry soon...then she will look to her husband, not to me."  Once again reinforcing the feelings he had for Victoria (at least for our purposes in this drama.)  I mean not too long again she was telling Melbourne she'd rather marry Peel than even consider the prig Albert!    It would be very inconvenient if Albert gets through tearing/ripping every shirt he's wearing!  Think she was swayed by his naked chest!  Ha.  Melbourne being the one to refer to Albert as a "clockwork."

A marriage of inconvenience, the title of a series 2 The Musketeers ep! I just posted last month!

The Musketeers 2.9 "The Accused" Review

                                        
As Rochefort (Marc Warren) sports his new eye patch he is visited by Milady (Maimie McCoy) who tries to subtly let drop she knows who he really is and that his eye patch isn't very fashionable.  He grabs her neck and threatens to strangle her then and there unless she begs for his forgiveness and mercy, clearly a nasty piece of work, mad and a misogynist too, as his plan to oust the king and get Anne (Alexandra Dowling) for himself is still unfolding.  Milady heads to the garrison and tells them she will let them know about Rochefort, Treville (Hugo Speer) assuring her she will be paid.  That he's a Spanish agent.  However they need proof of this.  Marguerite (Charlotte Salt) still has to help Rochefort and he won't let her go.  As Lemay (Ed Stoppard) prescribes some medicine for Louis's (Ryan Gage) headache, he's still at a dilemma of what to do with Anne.  He thinks he should see her and forgive her, but is dissuaded by Rochefort.  Who later brings in another bottle and substitutes it for the one Louis was prescribed, as Marguerite still does nothing and even lets Louis drink it.  He ends up poisoned by him and is saved by Rochefort.

Rochefort accuses Lemay of being behind the plot and of Constance (Tamla Kari) helping him too. However he states he only administered a slight opiate for the headache.  Marguerite lies saying he and Constance were both intimate and planned this together.  As Rochefort sentences them to death. He forces Constance to watch Lemay being killed and says she will have until dawn to think of this and to help him.  Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) tells the others of his great transgression with Anne, well, Athos (Tom Burke) speaks for him and up pops the treason again.  It is shocking for them to think that his son is the future king of France.  Aramis telling Porthos (Howard Charles) he didn't want him to be a part of it so he didn't tell him.

They fear Anne is in danger and take her out of the palace to the convent, where they decide what they will do.  Catherine (Marianne Oldman) makes an appearance at last and follows Milady in the marketplace, finally taking her to an abandoned building in the market.  Knew Milady already sensed she was around, suppose they had to take care of that business somehow, but it just didn't seem to fit in, how for one did they know Catherine was around.  She asks about Thomas and Milady tells her he really did force himself on her, as she stares at the noose she has waiting for her.  Athos may have let her go, but she won't, as he enters to save her.  She asks if he felt anything at all for her and doesn't answer.
As Athos and Milady break into Rochefort's office to find proof of his treason and lies.  They find nothing and are almost caught as she hides them in the cardinal's secret bookcase.  Where they passionately kiss, as they can't get beyond that, and their past, no matter how many times they say it. Rochefort senses something amiss as the candle still smokes but they are saved when he hears cries from Louis.

As they leave, Athos takes Rochfort's seal and rides out to the convent.  They hatch a plan whereby Vargas will be tricked into coming out into the open and into France, where they can use him for their own purposes.  But they can't forge his writing.  However Sister Teresa (Hara Yannas) helps them as she's been reproducing copies of the texts.  Porthos will ride alone to deliver the message and has a shoot out with Vargas, until the others arrive to take him back.  At the palace Rochefort orders everyone to leave and convinces Louis to sign a death warrant for Anne, it's the only way he can be free of her and after the letters that she wrote to Phillip asking for help.  As he refuses to believe it was when he was lost and presumably dead, she wrote them to save the dauphin.  To which Constance also agreed.

At the convent Aramis is told that Anne regrets nothing of that time here, but she also wants to return to Paris and convince Louis.  As she does she, Athos tells D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) to see Constance whilst he still can and he speaks to her through the bars, telling each other they love one another and D'Artagnan is beaten for his troubles.  Aramis is arrested by Rochefort for treason and as he whispers to him about sleeping with Anne, whilst his guards can overhear him, he was just uptight cos he wasn't the one who got Anne and she wanted and wants nothing to do with him.

Rochefort rising in the ranks and using any and every means open to him, including people easily disposable, blinded by love and deceit on the other side.  Withe Marguerite as his tool who was so willingly able to help him, forget about his threats, but it seemed at times she was doing this out of being scorned and spurned by Aramis, declaring her love for him, when he was just using her to see the dauphin.  Yet she too easily plummets the depths of despair as she can't find a way out of it and instead of coming clean, which would've been too easy, all she does is warn Aramis to save himself, something he won't do and won't leave Anne in danger again.  Rochefort: "I am your god now."  As deluded as ever and proved even more dangerous than the cardinal.

Milady expressing some more home truths to Athos about not lying to him about his brother and she couldn't tell him who she really was or he wouldn't have married her, so she became the cardinal's paid assassin cos she had nothing else to live for.  "Why not become the woman you believed me to be."  Lots going on to provide an explosive series 2 finale.

Victoria 1.3 "Brocket Hall" Review

                                         
This episode highlighted the romance between Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) but of course we know it was fictional.  It was none the less compelling viewing, as the search was on to find a husband for Victoria to calm her down and as her uncle, King Leopold of Belgium put it, to slow down her giddiness.  But as we know Victoria only had eyes for Melbourne and as he said, she must give her heart to someone worthy.  She however replying she has already given it.

The episode opened with Leopold (Alex Jennings) arriving and telling Victoria that at least she inherited her posture from their side of the family, even if not her height and also how he would be living at the palace had his daughter Charlotte survived child birth.  Also telling her, well demanding or ordering, that she should marry her cousin, Prince Albert, his nephew.  Who is like him, but she didn't get on with him last time and recalls him as the boy he was.  Her mother, Duchess of Kent (Catherine Flemming) tells Leopold that she doesn't like Conroy (Paul Rhys) and won't listen to him.  Asking Leopold for money since she's living like a pauper and needs new clothes.

There's also trouble in Newport as the Chartists are in uproar and march, as Victoria rides in her carriage for the ceremony, we see the soldiers open fire on them and shoot.  The Duchess of Cumberland (Nichola McAuliffe) suggests that Cumberland (Peter Firth) should put forward his nephew, Prince George (Nicholas Agnew) into the running as a suitor for Victoria, especially as they learn of Albert (Tom Hughes) and also of Prince Alexander of Russia.  It would make a very English marriage as Melbourne advised her she needs.  Victoria also wondering if Elizabeth I was happy as she didn't marry.  He tells her of her many companions.  Victoria thinks she too can have companions and doesn't want to marry yet.

She attends an unveiling for her father's charitable pursuits and both George and Alexander are eager to win her hand, though Alexander more so than George, who as Victoria tells Melbourne, was rather pleased with himself.  Victoria ponders her choices at the opera as they watch Lucia and Leopold watches Victoria watching Melbourne in her box and he at her.  As he tells Conroy she has "an obstacle" in her way which must be removed before she considers Albert.  Or rather before Albert was thrown at her.  They think Albert will be able to control her and if she ash children then she'll be kept busy.  Of course we know that wasn't the case and not only did Albert not control her, but he was just a consort with no power at all.

She finds out that Melbourne hasn't arrived as he's at Brocket Hall and she travels incognito in Emma's (Anna Wilson-Jones) carriage, after viewing the night sky through the telescope Melbourne gave her for her birthday.  He welcomes her to the Hall and she talks of her heart being taken already, as he tells her about the rooks, known as a parliament and much more humanized that their human counterparts.  As well as saying rooks mate for life and build their nests full of sparkle.  That perhaps he should have done the same for his wife.  Victoria being adamant she'd never have left him, or would leave him.  He taking her hand during all this and with the nation on their edge of their seats willing for them to kiss!  So much chemistry between them there and indeed throughout the entire episode.  However he lets her down gently, as gently as he could by saying he too mates for life, like the rook.  She walks away having received her answer, heartbroken.  Melbourne: "I believe when you give your heart it will be without hesitation."  Yeah she gave it as soon as she met him actually!

However she does put on a brave face for the dance, yes another one, this time for Leopold.  Emma tells Victoria she has orchids and they must be from Melbourne.  They're very hard to grow and he stopped growing them after his wife, so he must have grown them especially for her.  At the dance, Victoria dresses like Elizabeth I.   As she dances with Alexander, he knows he isn't the one for her. Neither is George who calls her a "midget!"  He's not really interested in her as a person and only there cos of his uncle.  Melbourne arrives and he also dances with Victoria.  He comes as Leicester, Elizabeth's companion.  He didn't have a wife either but they didn't marry, yet he was one of her companions.  Leopold talks with Melbourne and basically asks if he let her down gently.  Adding that Albert is on his way here.  Without Victoria's permission, adds Melbourne.

Mrs Jenkins (Eve Myles) receives a letter from her sister and after keeping it to herself she finally tells Skerrett (Nell Hudson) about it.  Her nephew is to be hung, drawn and quartered for being a traitor and part of the Chartists, but he's just a foolish boy.  Skerrett is also bothered by Francatelli (Ferdinand Kingsley) who finally gets the news she only worked at the laundry of Ma Fletcher's place.  He commenting on how she washed the clothes of tarts and then came here.  She doesn't want her business known and he just wants to be her friend.  The staff also wager on whom Victoria will marry, started by Penge (Adrian Schiller). Skerrett tells Victoria of the men waiting to be hanged and of the people not being happy.  She summons Melbourne and wants to sign the bishops' petition to stop this.  She wants her reign to be "merciful" and Melbourne informs her she can commute their sentences and send them to Australia.

Victoria sends away Conroy giving him an Irish title and a £1,000, increasing her mother's allowance.  She tells her mother she knows how hard it is to lose someone you love and cries.  Adding that Conroy wanted to leave.  As the others watch and listen to Victoria playing piano, Albert arrives and turns over the music sheet for her.  Well she got the surprise of her life, or should that be shock!  That coupled with Alexander's parting gift of a box carved with the initials of V&A was timely, though     the A was more appropriate for Albert.  

Yes, heard the hearts of many breaking when they found we will not go the whole hog with dramatic licence and they will both have to keep stiff upper lips (and to themselves! ha) as there'll be no more romance between them, no matter how many glances Victoria and Melbourne steal towards one another.  Nor any secret assignations or late night meetings.  Still good to see her maintain her position on marriage and firmly controlling her life and her regency, running things as she wants them still.  Without any influences from meddling relatives, no matter who they are.  After all Belgium is just a small, poor nation and Victoria will reign just as she wants to over hers.

Did anyone manage to keep a straight face when Penge was naming the contenders, The British bulldog or the German sausage (some innuendo there no doubt!  Especially when he said the same at the end about the sausage getting the queen!)  Upon writing Lord M is trending on Twitter.  Maybe they need a spin off all about Lord M with Rufus in the title role again!!  With Jenna as Lady Caroline and this time round she can break his heart all over again!!  Seriously good idea!

The Musketeers 2.8 "The Prodigal Father" Review

                                           
Porthos (Howard Charles) learns of his father from Treville (Hugo Speer) and ends up going to see him.  Here he reveals himself with Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) and they find two girls being beaten relentlessly by a man by a gate.  He says Belgard (Liam Cunningham) doesn't see anyone but Porthos enters anyway.  He says he's his son and he finally gets to see him.  Telling him that it was de Foix and Treville who lied and took Porthos from him.  Belgard introduces Porthos to his half sister, Eleanor (Emma Hamilton) and her husband Anton (Steven Cree) who are both perturbed by him being here just for his inheritance.  At dinner he accuses him of being a blackman out for wealth and Porthos is spat at by him too and he fights him, beating him down.  Aramis asks about the girls but doesn't get much out of them.

Eleanor tells him the dead girl was struck by a horse and he doesn't believe her, she'll send her back to her parents.  Aramis then follows the other girl to a large house and gets in, saying he's here early for the entertainment.  She doesn't want to leave with him and Eleanor gets back anyway, saying he can't afford the entry of 20 livres.  He returns to the garrison and tells the others of what's happening here and he sends in Athos (Tom Burke) and D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) as potential clients, as girls are paraded for the highest bidder.  Athos says he bids "nothing."  Then gets the girls to leave as a fight ensues and they manage to leave.  She tells them what they've done and they think maybe Belgard might be involved too.

Belgard is glad that he finally has a son who will defend him against his son in law and daughter and he shows him a photo of his mother, who he says was beautiful.  She was a servant and he married her but his father objected, and Treville and de Foix were colluding with him, taking them both away from him.  Porthos asks Treville what happened and he says Belgard isn't being honest with him. Porthos hands him his Musketeer sleeve and leaves.  At the house he noses around and doesn't find anything and then hears knocking outside.  Here he finds a chained girl and Belgard tells him Anton is nothing but a pimp and needs to be taken care of.  As the others arrive in time to help Porthos with him and Eleanor.

Porthos tells Belgard he knows he's lying cos that woman isn't his mother, he recalls his mother's face even though he was young and he can't believe him.  Treville said they swear on a blood oath but he thought he had to keep it, they took him and his mother and left them at the court of miracles, but later he went back to find them and he was gone.  When he did find him, he made him a Musketeer. As they leave Belgard alone, Porthos tells Athos his place is much bigger than his.  As Aramis hands him back his Musketeer sleeve.  Doubt Porthos would've wanted to be a part of that family and his Musketeer family is all he needs, no backstabbing and fighting there to get one better over each other.

Constance (Tamla Kari) mourns Bonacieux and tells D'Artagnan she's not ready for him yet.  He tells her to decide quickly or she'll find he's no longer around.  Though he was unable to understand that she could be in mourning especially since she'd decided she wanted to leave him, but he remarkably wasn't very comforting towards her.  No matter what he thought of him, or she of Bonacieux too, he was her husband for a number of years and wasn't really a wife beater until that one moment in the last ep.  She did have a good life with him.  As she said maybe she shouldn't have married him.  Le May (Ed Stoppard) offers a marriage proposal to her since she intrigued him and he was impressed withe her resolve and attitude in general.  However she tells him she loves another and with some convincing from Anne (Alexandra Dowling) who tells her true love is very hard to find and she can be with D'Artagnan, she can even arrange for them to be at court.  As Constance goes off to change her clothes and ended up dressing like Alice in Wonderland, at least I thought so!

Rochefort (Marc Warren) in his madness and stupidity confronts Anne about the cross that he gave her when he was her tutor and expected some sort of feelings from her in return.  She replies she was only 14 and he tells her she gave it away to another man and to Aramis.  She tells him to leave but he doesn't and instead he forces himself on her, as she tries to resist him, Constance enters before he stops and Anne stabs him with her hair pin, taking out his eye, for which he now has to wear a blindfold.  It's easy to understand with his actions how Milady (Maimie McCoy) claimed that Thomas also tried to force himself on her, if such a vile man can try to take advantage of none other than the queen, so shamelessly.

Milady searches for Athos and tells him for a price, she'll reveal information about Rochefort which will help them.  He says she should tell him anyway for France and have his respect, as well as being able to redeem herself a little.  Of course she doesn't tell him since she needs some way to make a living.   Constance finally tells D'Artagnan he's the only one for her and that she loves him, before he tells her to shut up and kiss him.

Victoria 1.2 "Ladies In Waiting" Review

                                                         
No sooner had the series opener ended, ITV was back with Part 2 for the Bank Holiday and this didn't disappoint, though it seemed a little slow in places.  Such as the downstairs staff getting up to their usual shenanigans to earn an extra shilling or two.  Especially with Penge (Adrian Schiller) seeing it as another money making opportunity when the gas instalment doesn't go according to plan.  Especially when rats fall from the walls and obviously Victoria (Jenna Coleman) hates rats.  Inadvertently this was fodder for Cumberland (Peter Firth) and Conroy (Paul Rhys) to plot some more to have her certified and for a royal regent as Cumberland hastens to add, to be appointed. Things almost go that way when Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) informs Victoria of a vote in Parliament to end slavery in Jamaica, with Victoria thinking slavery had been abolished.

Even though the Whigs win, narrowly, with the Tories still advocating for slavery to remain otherwise the economy will suffer, Melbourne is adamant he will lose next time and thus he resigns as her PM.  She takes this very hard and to heart and thrashes about in the rain with her umbrella, with her mother telling her she should look to Conroy at every opportunity.  But she refuses.  She thinks the Duke of Wellington (Peter Bowles) should be PM but he refuses on the grounds of age. However he puts forward Robert Peel (Nigel Lindsay).  A man she instantly dislikes, as Wellington says later, he doesn't have the charm of Melbourne.  Wellington even advises Peel to flirt with her when Victoria refuses him in wanting to appoint at least one or two Tory ladies in waiting.

Victoria puts her foot down, as she will have no friends and doesn't want spies.  He wants her to show no favouritism towards her government, whichever party they're from and maintain a distinction between crown and parliament.  However she thinks if she holds out long enough, she will get back her confidante and friend, Melbourne.  He advises her the same in that she cannot refuse Peel and his wishes as he has every right to ask her to meet that request.  Lady Emma Portman (Anna Wilson-Jones) offers to leave but Victoria insists her plan will work.  As she also sits for a royal portrait for her birthday.

Penge decides the gas must go and uses the rat infestation in the most heinous way possible by telling the Baroness (Daniela Holtz) it will cost to get a rat catcher and that there's no use meddling in the 'natural order' and the gas needs to go.  Mrs Jenkins (Eve Myles) burns her hand whilst attempting to light a lamp and Francatelli  (Ferdinand Kingsley) gives Miss Skerrett (Nell Hudson) some ice for her hand, there's an ice room in the palace.  He also is intrigued by where she goes at night and follows her, pretty sure he's seen her face before.  When she's accosted he realizes she's from Ma Fletcher's nunnery, a place of ill reputation and wonders how someone like her could've gotten work at the place.  Francatelli "never forgets a face" and one would ask why he's so well informed of such a place.  Creep!

Cumberland and Conroy feel they have a case against Victoria after she screams in hysterics when she spies rats on her birthday cake.  Cumberland adding his grandfather had hallucinations.  Her reaction was OTT as Conroy tells him.  She informs her physician she is fine and summons Melbourne to court.  However he still refuses to form a ministry for her as he must do what is right and uphold the constitution, which he so vehemently believes in.  Victoria still has problems with her mother, Duchess of Kent (Catherine Flemming) undermining her and wanting Conroy to help her. Since he is the only one she has.  Of course, adding Victoria doesn't love her.  "Who's fault is that?" Victoria replies.  Her mother giving her a copy of Shakespeare's King Lear with the passage about an ungrateful child underlined.

Wellington informs Melbourne of Cumberland and Conroy's plan and tells him he's the only one who can act since she won't accept a government headed by anyone else.  As she attempts to unveil her portrait, the rope gets stuck and she can't do it.  Melbourne helps her saying he will form a ministry if she asks him too.  Leaving viewers to watch Melbourne some more.  Baroness Lehzen decides not to have gas installed and the staff get their way.  But Melbourne broke her heart and as she said also forsaking her when he practically walked out as her PM.  I mean it was barbaric in leaving her to fend for herself when vultures were swarming overhead ever since she became queen.
It was a little funny when she complained of her chin on the coin (Doctor Eleven (Matt Smith) in Doctor Who was always getting comments and criticisms about his chin! ha)  Another tantrum to add to her list of many.  Liked her purple dress though!

Victoria 1.1 "Doll No 123" Review

                                           
Victoria was a lavish production and an opener which is sure to bring back many viewers for the remainder of the episodes.  It wasn't filmed or written in a way that was boring or tedious but kept up the right amount of info to make it watchable and wasn't loaded with historical facts to make it a documentary rather than a drama.  As you know any production has its fair share of dramatic licence to make it more interesting.

From the news of William IV's death, which seemed to be relished by all at Kensington Place, even a smile on the 18 year old Victoria's (Jenna Coleman) face, as she realizes she is now queen.  Though she knew she would be Queen one day, hence doll 123, as she later tells Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) whom she affectionately calls "Lord M." Doll 123 was the one that she crowned when she found out the news.  However as I was saying, she wasn't groomed for the part of being queen and educated in that extent.  No protocols or royal rules, seems her mother, Duchess of Kent (Catherine Flemming) and Sir John Conroy (Paul Rhys) wanted her to be a 'puppet' queen, with them ruling the roost and telling her what to do.  As will be seen in part 2, as they advocate for a regency by making her out to be 'unwell' in the head (putting it mildly) and unfit to rule. Mad like George III, whose son was regent due to his incapacity.

However she did show herself to be more independent, if naive and inexperienced in matters of court, state, decorum and diplomacy.  Also falling and being enamoured of Melbourne, as really he was her first encounter with a man, she would be infatuated by him, having lived such a sheltered life.  He who was married to Lady Caroline Lamb of Lord Byron fame.

Scandals at court with thinking Lady Flora Hastings (Alice Orr-Ewing) was with child and going ahead and getting her examined, more her heart desires, in hoping she could get rid of Conroy and convince her mother to do the same; rather than thinking with her head and again demonstrated her inexperience and not listening to Melbourne, even though she made him her private secretary.  But at every turn she was under scrutiny and the move to Buckingham Home (as it was then called) still didn't help. Seems her 18 years should have been in preparation for this moment, as I said and yet there was always the doubt that others tried to place on her in preventing her from her own style of monarchy.  Like changing her name to Elizabeth as Alexandrina wouldn't do.  However Victoria was a typically English name.

At least we got a reprieve from the tension during the ads with the Sainsbury's 'ads', I mean the one with placing peaches on pizza, wouldn't do it myself, but it was probably peachy keen that they had a line about peaches in this episode too, where Victoria asks a dying Lay Flora if she'd like some peaches.  "I am beyond peaches!"

Jenna Coleman was at her best with a mix of adolescent immaturity, to wanting power, but in the sense of doing things her way and perhaps learning from her mistakes, finally and to succeed on her own and desperately wanting her mother away from here, taking Conroy with her.  Conroy was menacing as he lurked in every possible nook and cranny, as was the drama in the "downstairs" staff, selling off items from the palace, including her old gloves.  The chemistry between Victoria and Melbourne was apparent, but of course we know from history this went nowhere.  It was rather more an on screen chemistry here between Jenna and Rufus, who looked nowhere near like the real Melbourne.  Also being let loose on the champagne at the coronation ball, choosing her own ladies in waiting, which have nothing to do with her height and finally learning how to salute the Household Cavalry.  Hiding the pain and keeping a face of dignity in public.

Victoria was drama at its best and easily made up for the loss of Downton Abbey which we'd be getting pretty soon if it was still around!  At least Melbourne got a city named after him in Victoria, Australia, now there's some sort of ironic connection there!  Ha.  So he wasn't as redundant as some people made him out to be.  Don't you think the Whigs should've kept that party name?  They had much more success with it back then.  More so than the Liberals they became.

My sister mentioned how Jenna should've played Victoria in Doctor Who and that would've been the icing on the cake.  Having a Clara in a different dimension who was such royalty, as Jenna once again hows she was not only superb as Clara Oswald, but excels as Victoria.  We are amused..!  Wonder how ratings will fare when Victoria goes up against the return of Poldark next Sunday.

The Musketeers 2.7 "A Marriage of Inconvenience" Review

                                              
As the Musketeers escort Princess Louise (Perdita Weeks) Louis' (Ryan Gage) cousin to Paris for her wedding to the Prince of Sweden, thus forging an alliance with France and Sweden she is attacked en route and Porthos (Howard Charles) finds Spanish coins.  The Musketeers bring her to the garrison before they take her to the Archbishop Jacqueme (Laurence Kennedy).  Treville (Hugo Speer) is told of their plans. Whilst she is at prayer with the archbishop, she is attacked again by someone with an arrow and as D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) is unable to catch him, he escapes.  Well there's only a few people who could've been the assailant and that had to be Francecso (Ben Starr) her bodyguard.  Louise was coincidentally lucky as she trips whilst greeting the Archbishop, so he's killed instead.  Again she didn't strike me at all as clumsy and the Musketeers are to told to bring her to the Louvre by Rochefort (Marc Warren).

Still up to his conniving ways he tells Marguerite (Charlotte Salt) to bring the cross that Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) wears to him and he also tells her to spy on them.  She thinks he and Anne (Alexandra Dowling) are close and he threatens to tell her father of her liaison with Aramis, which she says would kill him.  Also making sure she doesn't find a suitable match for herself which is why she's at court.  She meets with Aramis who can't stop with those glances at Anne and vice versa, being very obvious with each other and Marguerite tells him if it's over he should tell her now.  He calls it a fling and nothing more, as she asks him for one final embrace and removes the necklace from him.  He didn't feel the weight of it gone form his neck!  He later tells her he's misplaced it, after he preens his moustache in the mirror (see 3.1.)

D'Artagnan is tasked with looking after Louise and she sees him with Constance (Tamla Kari) who tells him she's going to tell Bonacieux (Bohdan Poraj) about them and will leave him.  However when she does this, he slaps her and orders her home.  D'Artagnan notices and says he will kill him and Constance stops him.  Louis is angry with Milady (Maimie McCoy) and has her leave and as she does so, Rochefort stops her and takes away the necklace he gave her, saying she'll leave with what she came.  Athos (Tom Burke) is there and tells her to leave Paris after giving her his money, it's all he has.  It's a gift but she calls it charity and refuses to take it.  Of course she can make her own way.

Louis refuses to leave his chambers out of fear and won't let Anne in, she asks Rochefort to go to him and he tells him he doesn't want to see Louise, but Rochefort convinces him to meet with his chancellor, who is on his way to see him.  Anne tells the courtiers Louis is unwell and asks Rochefort to get the present for Louise but he hands Treville with the task instead.  A mundane task he's not happy with and thinks he should've accepted the post of minister when he was offered it.  A new captain will be named soon and he thinks it should be Athos.  Athos tells him to take the gift straight to the queen and show her his loyalty.

As he arrives at the house, he is watched by Francesco and Milady sees him too, but doesn't stop him from shooting Treville.  Constance tells Aramis and he has to help him, but says they need doctor Lemay (Ed Stoppard). Aramis removes the musket round but he can't do anything further, as the doctor bleeds his lungs of fluid.  Marguerite fives Rochefort the cross and he talks of how Anne promised she'd always keep it, so that was his cross she gave her, which she gave to Aramis and not one of her own, strange she shouldn't give him something belonging to her, but what was given to her by another man!  He tells her to give it back to Aramis and to still continue spying on them, she has no choice.  She returns it to Aramis saying she found it in the corridor.  Otherwise think of the trouble it would've stirred up. Which he doesn't really get.

The Musketeers question a man who manufactures such weapons and he tells them the weapons were taken and the Red Guards have them now.  They convey this to Rochefort who isn't convinced they have a traitor in their midst, he is the traitor of course so he wouldn't want anything found out or to investigate further.  Rochefort relieves D'Artagnan of his post in guarding Louise and enters her room with a case, containing another bow.  She is the assassin and she must kill the chancellor. Athos and Porthos search the house where Treville was headed and find the painter dead and the painting which was to be a gift, missing.  Athos tells them to look for the sketches and find the woman in them doesn't resemble Louise at all, so she's an imposter and chancellor Dupre (Tony Guilfoyle) is in danger.

Bonacieux arrives to take Constance with him and Louise tells him she's gone home cos of the way he commanded her.  He leaves and she gets ready with Francesco to kill.  As Aramis and D'Artagnan wait for him to arrive, Bonacieux returns for his hat and is killed by her, she hates wife beaters, adding to her earlier comment of how she'd kill him for Constance, so she could be with D'Artagnan. Porthos and Athos arrive in time as they protect the chancellor and D'Artagnan arrives to see her skirts flowing behind the wall.  She ends up behind bars and says it's over, also mentioning she left him in the state room and did him a favour, she can't get out as Aramis and Athos are on the other side, as Porthos fights Francesco.  He stabs himself with his sword.

D'Artagnan rushed to find him there and pauses for a moment before he decides to help him, but it's too late.  D'Artagnan wants to tell Constance himself as he has his blood on his hands.  He tells him Treville will be fine.  Louise is imprisoned but is paid a visit by Milady who tells her she'll release her if she tells her who was behind the attempt.  She says it was Rochefort, he's a Spanish spy and is killed anyway.  Rochefort taking care of everyone in his path and working his way to the top.  As Louis tells Rochefort how he's pleased with him and is the only one he can rely on, he makes him first minister and gives him the ring.  As he walks past the courtiers and the Musketeers, he was really expecting them to bow before him too, don't think so!

Treville tells Porthos when he's better he will tell him the truth.  Well can't wait for Rochefort to be found out but he's going to plunge them into a war with Spain since his new position will enable him much greater influence with the council, but also to do whatever he wants and get away with it, not that he hasn't bee doing that already.  At least this leaves the way open for D'Artagnan and Constance to be together now, even if it isn't how either one of them would've expected it to happen.  Obviously Milady will use that information she knows as leverage against Rochefort.  But as I said, Aramis is rather careless in his glances at Anne and now Rochefort is convinced of this, he'll have to watch out for him too.

The Whispers 1.13 "Game Over" Review

                                            
As children are rounded up as they believe Drill is actually in one of them, Claire (Lily Rabe) is the one who's tasked to communicate with Cassandra (Kayden Magnuson) as he's inhabiting her body now and completely taken over like he did with Elliott and so Cassandra is no more.  But still they didn't get it, the subtle clues were there underlying the story in every episode, as Drill says here, the adults leave their children alone, they play games and watch TV, yet still they don't interact with their children.  In short they're not parents and there is a message here that they didn't deserve their children either. Drill sent the message but it doesn't really tell them why.  They call it an invasion but that's not what he'd call it.  He disintegrates but Wes (Sloane) asks why Drill would kill itself and why now.  Sean (Milo Ventimiglia) calls Claire and tells her if it's the last day then she needs to be with her family together.

As Sean thinks he and Ron (John Billingsley) can find a way to decipher the first message that was sent in 1982 and maybe send one back, satellite detects a mass of rock heading towards earth. Henry (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf) and Minx (Kylie Rogers) are together and  she asks him to teach her sign language and how to say she hopes that whoever did this to her mother pays for it.  She wishes she didn't become Drill's friend then her mother would still be here, as her head falls and so do the heads of other children, they're not free of Drill and that's what Maria must've found out when she was killed.  That the part remaining in their brain was probably just a dormant piece of Drill waiting to become active when the time was right.

Frommer (David Andrews) prepares for weapons to be fired at the incoming rocks.  As Clarie goes she sees the children and when she goes after them, it's the adults who come after her and abduct her. Again they didn't get it, they found this happened in 1982 but they didn't ask what happened to other children who presumably would've been affected in the same way as their own children and what happened to them now, it didn't begin or end with just Thomas and Elliott.  Sean is also taken, as he tries to work out the signal recalling the 11215 number since it's one of his tattoos.  A brief mention of his tats too and that he has them all over his body but not much more significance than that.  Was this a date, the date that the aliens would get here, looks like a date, 2/11/15 or 11/2/15.

Jessup (Derek Webster) gets a visit from his ex wife, wanting to be with him and he actually goes with her.  Then sees Harper (Abby Ryder Fortson) at the bus stop with a woman who's not her mother.  As he talks to her she tells him she wishes he didn't see her and he finds himself locked in     the boot.  Wes finds Minx and Henry gone along with Sean and he tracks Jessup after he calls him, bringing along the journal and the computer.

The woman tells Claire and Sean that they were children when it happened and as Wes finds Jessup, he also takes a photo of a map.  He shoots his ex on the arm and Sean gets free of his ropes, as Wes shoots the woman and saves Claire.  The FBI has Henry cos they recognized him and at the office Claire asks him what's happening.  Frommer gives the go ahead for the weapons to be fired and they think it's a success.  Claire communicates to Henry with sign language and he tells them they're still here. Wes recalls the map and it forms the same symbol that the rocks were gathered in formation in, which was obvious from the map and Sean draws the x marking the spot on the screen.  Claire asks Henry if he knows where Minx is and as they rush to get there, it's revealed they are after their children, not the planet.  Again it was obvious, they're the only ones being communicated with, so why would they want the adults, they can't and don't want to invade them, but the children.  Was it their way of saving them.  Especially since once more this is the game they were playing.

Lights shine out over the city as the children are taken and Claire saves Henry by pushing him out of the way, but doesn't get out of the way herself.  Wes is too late to save Minx.  Well at least she was there and they were there as a family in the final moments.  Which did end on a cliffhanger note and left hanging too.  No great explanations or thrilling either as to what was happening and neglected children was just too flimsy a response, considering these children all had parents, two or one at least and weren't really juvenile delinquents in the system, didn't the aliens consider them.  They were all from families.  Nor was there anything on where the main adults, Sean, Clarie, Wes, Lena, were back in 1982, they too had to have been children but weren't affected or picked on by the first Drill.

There was a mention of sacrifice, Drill telling Claire through Cassandra that if they had engaged in   the concept and sacrificed the one child, he would've been weakened, probably died and wouldn't have been able to send the message back.  However here Claire learns the full meaning of sacrifice as she saves Henry and is taken instead, well here's a nice word to use, 'taken.'  That could be seen as an ultimate sacrifice after telling Henry she loves him.  We get a reversal from the pilot ep, whereas Henry was coping with losing his father, he now has lost his mother and gained his father, though in contrast Wes has lost all his family.  In some ways was that karmic comeuppance for what Lena did in shooting Thomas, she was killed herself and Minx was taken and especially after he was instrumental in getting the children into quarantine.  He loses Minx twice over.  It certainly was game over and season over too!

Think where this lost some momentum was when Sean got his memory back, it was too soon.  He was the one who had plenty to do in regaining his memories and in putting the clues and his tattoos together.  After he fell back into being a father and husband, lost his hair and beard, it just became routine for him to be a secondary character and mostly in the shadows, tasked with looking after Henry and Minx, when Claire and Wes were doing most of the work.  He had been through it all, had communication with Drill, but that was wasted in the rest of the show.  If he had retained his amnesia for longer maybe the show would've headed in a different direction and many of the eps would've been more engaging and interesting.  But you can't fault Milo in anything he appears in, he's always great to watch in any character he plays.  Sadly Sean should've remained the strong character he started out as early on!

The Musketeers 2.6 "Through A Glass Darkly" Review

                                               
As an astronomer, Marmion (Leo Gregory) prepares an instrument for viewing the eclipse, with masked men wearing doctor's masks, well that was a clue when they arrived there, but no one blinked twice or thought of it, thinking it was just a charade, especially since they wear the masks that doctors would wear when treating the plague and would burn herbs in it so they wouldn't have to inhale the smell.  Louis (Ryan Gage) partakes in a play explaining what happens when the moon overshadows the earth, with Milady (Maimie McCoy) playing the moon and Anne (Alexandra Dowling) the earth.  Athos (Tom Burke) says he can't be there and rides back to the garrison.  They ride out to the place with the Musketeers and Rochefort (Marc Warren).

Witnessing the eclipse, they are then held captives and there is nothing they can do.  Even when they fight Marmion and Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) asks for his compassion in sending out the women and the dauphin, Marmion is far from charitable and asks him what he said.  He shows his compassion by pushing Aramis out of the window and as they fight, Porthos (Howard Charles) and Rochefort are chained  together.  As D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) is chained to Constance (Tamla Kari) when she tells Marmion that she cares about him and he's her friend.

Marmion tells Louis to play his game and to pick a side of the coin, heads or tails, but he refuses to play.   Milady says she will cos she'd rather die than continue listening to his babble.  She picks heads and is allowed to leave when she gets it right and rides straight for the garrison.  When she arrives Athos tells Treville (Hugo Speer) they don't have to believe her, but they must ride out and she goes with them cos she knows the way in.  If they see the Musketeers there they'll kill everyone.  Which was going to happen anyway.
Athos: "She is a liar and a cheat, why should we trust her?"
Milady:" Aramis is dead.  The king is in terrible danger, but by all means, let's discuss my moral character, we have all day."  That's something they always do in here, have discussions when they shouldn't be.  But what has Aramis being dead got to do with it, the others were still there.  Seems Athos always gets the line about her being a liar and a cheat, even next series.  Though he tells her she has his respect for what she did.  But respect doesn't pay her and it's not really her world.

Two courtiers also pick heads cos of Milady and are subsequently dispatched with when he gets it wrong.  Marmion orders Anne, Marguerite (Charlotte Salt) and the dauphin to be taken away and are locked in a room, as the other courtiers are locked in another room.  Louis pleading for their release. Porthos can't get out of his chains or reach the metal hook hanging on the wall and Rochefort tells him he w as held prisoner for five years by the Spanish and he must've enjoyed every single one of them.  He says the love of a woman kept him going, but they didn't get together as she's married.  Oh enough of the small talk already.

Aramis wakes on the roof of a window and climbs back into the house, as Robert (Nathan Wright) gets the servants and other people to pack up their belongings since they'll be leaving here.  Marmion tells Louis to pick a number and D'Artagnan tells him not to indulge him and choose.  He finally picks the number 1 and his man kills the courtiers, with Aramis unable to save them, but he does save Anne.  As Marguerite watches them as she thanks him and he looks at the dauphin, she suspects something but Anne says how he has his saviour once again and he takes them out of the room. Louis wants to know who he killed and D'Artagnan tells him not to keep him in turmoil.  Anne and his son are still alive and Robert, his brother tells him he wasn't going to kill anyone.  He then tells them about his little town which had an outbreak of the plague.  They were cut off and had no food so everyone died, not of the plague but starvation.  Louis didn't send them food and he says they had to be cut off to save the other people.

Marmion had to watch his wife die, then had to choose which one of his sons would have food, so he tossed a coin and let fate decide, but he too was dead within a week.  Now it's Louis's choice, as he must pick a side again.  D'Artagnan tells him not to, but he picks anyway and Constance is his next target.  D'Artagnan pleads with him to let her go and he'll take his place cos all he wants is a life for a life.  She asks him what his wife and family would think of what he's doing and wants him to look her in the eyes before he shoots.  Porthos tells Rochefort to reach for the hook no matter what and dislocates his shoulder in the process.  Well maybe he should've been the one to suffer for a change.
Athos: "that was either a wounded bull, or Porthos."

The others arrive and Aramis takes Anne out, with Athos telling him to come straight back.  As Marmion is about to shoot D'Artagnan, Robert takes the bullet for him, with Marmion trying to escape.  Rochefort goes after him and shoots him.  Louis once again being more grateful to him, yeah cos he saved the day didn't he as per usual.  As they wait for Constance in the carriage, she kisses D'Artagnan and Louis asks if they're together.  As he also said Milady deserted him, he doesn't want to see her again.  An episode where once again it's Musketeers to the rescue, really don't know what Louis would do without them, so much for Rochefort and the Red Guard.  As Constance reveals her feelings, Anne is suspected of hers for Aramis and Athos doesn't want anything to do with Milady.