Victoria season 2: Let’s talk about Ada Lovelace, Prince Albert and the queen

Yes, Ada Lovelace met Queen Victoria in real life; the show based on the latter is accurate in that point. But let’s dive in a little more to Lady Lovelace.

Yours truly will freely admit that she was more than a little excited upon learning that Ada Lovelace would make an appearance in Victoria. And, for the most part, I enjoyed her appearance, aside from the writing using her as a plot device to fuel the main character’s jealousy. (Thankfully, our protagonist learned that she and Ada have much in common, and that it’s possible for men and women to be friends! How modern for our queen.)

But as Radio Times has pointed out, Albert and Ada might not have had any attraction — and frankly, it’s weird to read that subtext into it. Our show is from Victoria’s point of view. She’s the protagonist, and her perceptions color our perceptions. Remember: she starts to warm up to Ada when Ada mentions that children had an impact on how her life played out, which happens to be a problem that Victoria herself is struggling with this season.

In fact, as Wired recounts, Ada actually learned calculus after her third child was born. Talk about your picking up a new hobby, right? Wired also points out that the two had crossed paths before, because, as the episode itself points out, Ada’s parents were highborn — she was the daughter of George Gordon, Lord Byron. (Radio Times adds that Victoria probably knew about the Romantic connection prior to the 1840s, when this episode is set.)

It’s possible that Ada will become a recurring character, and frankly, I hope she does. Not only is it a good thing for our protagonist to have meaningful relationships with other women, but it also helps that Ada’s already been through the issues Victoria has with balancing all the things she wants to do with society’s expectations of women.

And besides, is it really enough to namedrop Byron without also mentioning that he was “mad, bad and dangerous to know“?

Next: 20 supremely cozy books and movies for hibernation season

Come on, Victoria. Just give us the one moment of levity.