7 Reasons Why Victoria Is Worth Watching

I was lucky enough to have a day off of school this past week, and I spent most of it catching up on grading, but what made it bearable was getting to rewatch the first season of Victoria.

I remember seeing promos for the show in 2016, and putting the season premiere on my calendar in January last year. A PBS production of Victoria's life would have to at least be of decent quality, and knowing my love for The Young Victoria, I had to at least try it.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the best TV show/period drama production I've seen in years.

And that's saying something, because I watch a lot of period drama.

Here are my reasons why, in no particular order:

1. The costumes. The 1830-1840s were a beautiful time in women's fashion, and they do a fabulous job showcasing it. Victoria's outfits alone would be a reason to watch this show.

2. Jenna Coleman. Not only is she spectacularly beautiful, but she is one of the best actresses I've ever seen. I've seen her in other shows and was very impressed by her, but she takes on the role of Victoria and totally inhabits her. She is Victoria.

3. The Upstairs/Downstairs Stories. I know that the upstairs/downstairs parallel is best attributed to Downton Abbey, but I have loved getting to know the servant characters and all the intricacies of serving in a royal household, and how they interact with the queen and her companions.

4. Historical/Political Commentary. As a history nerd, I love that the show did not focus just on the relationships and family drama, but also made sure to include important historical events and how those would have affected Victoria at the time. That commentary makes this show deeper than your average period drama soap opera.

5. Rufus Sewell. Even though I don't agree with the historical accuracy of the Lord M depiction here, Rufus Sewell does such a fantastic job with the part, and its so well written, that I can suspend my criticism and just enjoy his performance.

6. Tom Hughes. Perfection. Absolute, complete, awkward, nerdy, mustachioed perfection. His Albert is so natural, viewers can see him grow with the character as the season continues.

7. The Victoria/Albert Relationship. Coleman and Hughes have fantastic chemistry on screen, and both do a wonderful job showing the progress in their relationship. The characters are also so well written! How often do we get to see what happens after a wedding, all the messy, real life bits? This couple makes it real for us.

Those are my thoughts on this series! Have you seen the show? What about season 2? What else have you been watching?

Comments

Austen Illustrations

One of my favorite nerdy Janeite things to do is to find illustrations of Jane Austen's novels, particularly ones from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. There is something so intriguing about seeing how someone else many years ago viewed a particular scene or character, yet we both read the same words on the page. I particularly love the illustrations by C.E. Brock and H.M. Brock, which were done during the 1890s and early 1900s. They were brothers who created most of the classic and beautiful illustrations. Seriously, look at the picture above. The colors and drawings are exquisite. If you want to learn more about the pair, check out this site . Hugh Thomson is another artist who did classic Jane Austen illustrations at the time as well. This one just cracks me up. C.E. Brock totally captured Mr. Collins and his horrific proposal in this drawing. He's so tall, awkward, and pompous. Elizabeth is slanted away from him and desperately doing any...

The 200th Anniversary of Emma

Romola Garai as Emma in the 2009 BBC miniseries This year marks the 200th Anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Emma . Now, its not until December 25th, but since Emma is one of my favorite novels, we are going to talk about it this week. Before she started the novel, Jane Austen said, "I'm going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." Then she proceeded to write one of the greatest novels in the English language. The first line of the novel captures that statement and sets the tone for the rest of the novel: " Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." Emma is practically perfect; her only downfall is that she knows she is perfect. Therefore, she spends the entire novel trying to arrange other peoples' lives since she ...

A Formal Introduction

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a girl in possession of a project, blog and twitter, must be in want of an audience. A little introduction about me: I'm an English and Education double major at a small college in Missouri. I watched the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice when I was 12, read the classic book immediately after, and never looked back. Now you could say I'm simply obsessed with Jane Austen. My hope for this blog is to share the genius of Jane Austen and to have fun while doing it. So, to begin this blog correctly, let's talk about Jane Austen movie adaptations. Since Valentine's Day is this next weekend, what better way to celebrate than to watch a Jane Austen adaptation? Whether it's with your significant other, or with your girlfriends, you just can't beat the wit and heart of Jane Austen and her characters. Here are three suggestions for this weekend, in no particular order: 1. Pride and Prejudice (2005): This mov...

Simply Austen

Search This Blog