Victoria Season 1, Episode 6: Tories, Trains, and Regents

This week’s episode of Victoria will involve a little technology, a little politicking, and a little bit of a problem in the form of a possible regency.

Last week’s episode of Victoria saw Her Majesty and her husband spending a lot of time in the bedroom among other pursuits. As a result, this week’s episode of Victoria will deal with what tends to happen when you spend a lot of time in the bedroom with your husband prior to the rise of birth control in the 20th century.

With the title of “The Engine of Change,” here is the official synopsis, coming via PBS:

"“With a child on the way, Victoria must choose a regent in case she dies during childbirth. The Tory party disputes her choice, but she and Albert turn the tables with the aid of the latest in 19th-century technology.”"

Presumably, she will end up choosing Albert, because that seems like the sort of thing she would do. As a result, we can see why the Tories would perhaps disagree about having a still-relatively-untested prince take over should their sovereign die.

When it comes to technology, we may very well get a lesson on the expansion of railways in Great Britain. After all, that’s what comes up in this scene posted by PBS to YouTube:

As noted by an article available on the British Parliament’s website, by 1844, there would be over 2,000 miles of track in Britain. Naturally, with expansion comes problems, and those are the problems Victoria herself discusses in the above clip. (Is anyone surprised that Albert is pro-technology? No, of course not.)

We’ll see, though, how trains may end up playing a part in Victoria getting her way once more, since that’s what the synopsis implies she’ll do.

Next: Victoria: The Art of the Trade, or, on Morganatic Marriage

Victoria airs Sundays on PBS.