‘Victoria’ Season 2: “The King Over the Water” Recap
Previously on Victoria: The queen learns about the devastating potato famine in Ireland, but thanks to the cynical machinations of her own government her ability to help is fairly limited. After meeting an Irish doctor and hearing a personal story from one of her own dressers, Victoria leans on Sir Robert Peel to speak out for the Irish in Parliament. Elsewhere, Alfred successfully has functional toilets installed in the servants’ quarters and Ernest learns his playboy ways have landed him with a case of syphilis. The timing on this diagnosis couldn’t be worse, since Harriet’s husband just died in a freak hunting accident. If you need them, more details can be found in our full recap of “Faith, Hope and Charity.”
Once again, Victoria follows up a heavy emotional episode with a more light-hearted hour, sending our royal couple off on a trip to the painfully beautiful wilderness of Scotland. This episode has the benefit of being fluffy, romantic and fun, as well as serving as a much-needed break from all the death and suffering that comprised the bulk of last week’s episode. There’s little narrative point to this story, other than to remind us all that Victoria rules over a nation that doesn’t always look like London, but it hits some interesting emotional beats about how heavy a toll the crown takes on those who wear it.
Sure, on some level Victoria would never be able to survive the rustic, private life she’s so admiring. She doesn’t know how to perform basic household tasks, is accustomed to certain luxuries and has never gone without anything. But it’s nevertheless a nice reminder that the queen is still a person underneath the crown, one whose entire life has virtually never belonged to her for a single moment. (Remember, her mother wouldn’t even let her sleep alone as a child.) It’s easy to understand how the smallest kind of freedom could feel intoxicating and desirable, even if there’s no possible way the queen could really understand the life that comes with it.
