16 Times Victoria Made Us Wish History Didn’t Happen

Photo: ITV

Sometimes You Just Want Some Angst

Let’s be real: Sometimes watching something you know out of the gate is going to break your heart can be fun. Sometimes you need a good cry. Or you want to yell into the void about the unfairness of the universe. It’s cathartic, when you’re in the mood for it. And if you’re a fan of period dramas, you’re probably already into the certain flavor of heartbreak these shows do so well.

Victoria knows this, as evidenced in the tortured scene wherein the queen confesses her feelings for her Prime Minister, only to have Melbourne embrace his duty and turn her away. That he does this despite the many, many previous indications that he himself feels exactly the same way she does is what makes it hurt in the absolute best possible way. It’s the kind of tortured romance used to great effect in classics like Jane Eyre Washington Square or Wuthering Heights. Or even Downton Abbey, if you think about that time when Matthew breaks up with Mary because he didn’t want her to marry a cripple and we all cried. In short: Generally, we love this stuff.

But…we love this stuff because we know that – for the most part, the pain isn’t permanent. The part that’s extra frustrating here is the fact that – ugh – history is real. We all know that the second part of this pattern, where everyone suffers prettily for a bit but is eventually reunited with the person of their choice won’t happen. Albert is here, and for all that this show is willing to stretch the bonds of historical accuracy pretty far, we know it’s not going to break them entirely. As much as we wish history didn’t happen, it’s going to happen.

On some level, maybe the foreknowledge makes the Victoria/Melbourne relationship that much more bittersweet. After all, we know they could probably be happy together, but they won’t be because of fate or timing or whatever. Maybe this knowledge makes their backhanded way of talking about how they feel about one another even more affecting, in the end. (That scene where they admit they’ve been happy together? Just leave me to die, okay?)

Or maybe someone should just let me borrow a TARDIS.