Victoria (2016-2019) [TV-PG] *****

 A review by Martin Liebman for blu-ray.com on Mar. 4, 2017.

Queen Victoria. Just the title and name seem to ooze history, and rightly so. She was one of the most prominent and iconic monarchs in English history, one whose very name defines a legacy of culture, architecture, clothing, and sentimentalities of a bygone era. But beyond her place in the common vernacular, who was she? Who was the woman behind the crown and behind the connections for which she is so well known today? Filmed entertainment has explored her life and reign before, notably in the relatively recent film The Young Victoria, but the succinctly titled Victoria, through the eight episodes of Season One, aims to, and does, provide a more expansive and more in-depth view of her life, her politics, and British history and culture in the mid-1800s.

The show opens with the young Alexandrina Victoria (Jenna Coleman) learning that the king has died. At the young age of 18, she is now queen. The show progresses through her monarchy, depicting her rise to power at the head of the most powerful realm in world while asserting her independence from her mother. Season one covers only a brief three-year timeframe of her monarchy, but it does so in manner that introduces and defines key events surrounding her monarchy: her relationship with her future spouse, the push to produce an heir, and England's role in the world.

Victoria blends politics, family drama, and romance, an effortless marriage of story arcs and character movements that aim to attract a wider range of audiences than other tales of European monarchs past, even those that strive to transform them into more agreeably contemporary productions, such as Marie Antoinette. Character complexities and how they fit into the story are carefully defined and well performed, each actor understanding the story's wider berth and their varied places in it. The show proves an immense success at not simply telling Victoria's story, but defining her era as it was though her interactions with key figures around her and their own separate wants, schemes, and maneuverings through relationships, politics, and business. The show is much more grounded than many of its contemporaries, too, shying away from sordid excesses and offering a more thoughtful, character-driven tale that proves rich in its own way without going out of its way to lure audiences with needless escapades that distract from the show's, and the period's, and the characters', points of interest.

The show's diverse character roster offers incredible insight into the world as it was in Victorian England. The conflicted Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) has dueling roles as Victoria's private secretary and advisor and Prime Minster. Through him, viewers will occasionally become privy to British politics and the house's inner workings. Outsider Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) has both industrial interests and curiosities about the British political system, offering insights into the parliament, social advocacy, and then-modern industry. These characters keep the story focused on the critical narrative devices, keeping the show from devolving into a simple exploration of the era's frivolity that would lessen the story's dramatic impact. Further, and in a change of pace from the focus of many similar stories, Victoria looks at the power beneath the stairs as Baroness Lehzen (Daniela Holtz) wrests control of the household away from the people placed in power by Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent (Catherine Fleming). Meanwhile, Miss Skerrett's (Nell Hudson) character adds intrigue as a member of the royal household with secrets that would see her fired should they come to light.

Production design -- sets and wardrobes -- does a remarkable job of transporting the audience into 1837 England. Viewers both familiar with Victorian furniture design and architecture or simply enjoying the luxuries the show has to offer are given a visual feast in the furnishings and rooms in Kensington, Windsor and Buckingham palaces, and Westminster Abbey which serve as believable stand-ins for their famous counterparts, even as the show wasn't filmed on location, as were portions of Marie Antoinette. The clothing of the various characters accurately fit the times, revealing the splendid opulence of the British court contrasted with the more utilitarian attire worn by commoners both in the castle and on the streets. Further, the show is splendidly composed and scored, both amazingly complimentary to every scene's mood, the characters' dynamics, and the story's flow.

But Victoria's true strength is neither the clothing nor scenery but rather the cast. Jenna Coleman does a masterful job as the sometimes brash and sometimes uncertain queen, particularly considering her burgeoning relationships with Lord Melbourne and Prince Albert. Her fluctuations between self-assured monarch and clueless and spoiled yet innocent child whose only real friend is her canine companion, Dash, lend the series and the character credibility and help bring her to life as a young woman instead of the older version of Queen Victoria more often depicted in film. Tom Hughes likewise impresses at presenting Albert not as the most well-known character but as the young Prince living out-of-place as he attempts to court the queen. The couple makes the uneasy transition from strangers to lovers believable, and their love story satisfies. [Rating: ***** out of 5 stars]

Labels: biography, drama, history, romance, rom-drama-faves
IMDb 82/100
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=87, viewers=83)
Blu-ray Season 1
Blu-ray Season 2
Blu-ray Season 3