Victoria season 2 episode 2 review: Warp and Weft / The Sins of the Father

Victoria’s second episode of its second season improves upon the first, although these two episodes suffer from being aired together.

Victoria has, once again, a lot to contend with in its second week, both in terms of sheer storylines as well as subject material. Seriously, there are quite a few deaths, major plot developments and character work to be done in these two hours. Because these episodes do air together, they almost feel a bit rushed. Let’s start with “Warp and Weft,” shall we?

The first half of this week’s episode separates Albert and Victoria for a good part — allowing Albert to deal with how the palace operates and the queen to mostly deal with being pregnant again and trying to function despite everyone wanting her to not function (especially in the silk industry). Add in a third storyline with the decline of Lord M, and you have a fairly well-balanced episode, all in all. There’s a fourth storyline, primarily acting as a sub-story to Albert’s changes in the palace, dealing with the conflicts between Penge and Baroness Lehzen.

Victoria gets in some impressive jibes here; it’s clear she is learning more day by day, and is able to both want a ball to support local silk and snipe at Sir Robert Peel about the Corn Laws. Of course, Peel goes to Albert to try and get Victoria to call the ball off, and gets nowhere. The episode tries to make the case that even as much as she intends to help, she doesn’t quite get the problems, with scenes including Mrs. Skerrett as well as protests in Parliament as Victoria dresses in her elaborate costume.

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The show has always had sumptuous costuming, and this year’s costume ball is a distinct improvement over last season’s, even with Ernest dressed as none other than Robin Hood. He still looks good, though. Poor Ernest does get his heart broken (again) by his Harriet, and Wilhelmina Coke, who has a big crush on Ernest, also gets an emotional bruising. Things also don’t go so well for Victoria; Rufus Sewell puts in another good performance as Melbourne slowly fading even as he waltzes with the queen or meeting with Albert at Westminster Hall.

Victoria learns to distribute the leftovers of her ball to the poor, and doesn’t get the positive response she would have liked, but she does find out that she at least helped the silk makers, which is something.

The show is also doing a fairly good job at tying Peel together to Albert. It’s not quite the same as it was in season 1 between Victoria and Melbourne; Peel doesn’t provide a political education to Albert so much as a sounding board. Of course, “Warp and Weft” also blows this up a bit with Victoria’s visit to Lord M to say goodbye, as he says that she taught him something, too. This reviewer never truly shipped them together, but it’s hard not to feel for the two of them, as Sewell together with Jenna Coleman do so well.

More obvious symbolism takes over when the Prince of Wales is born and Albert’s father dies within the first five minutes of part two of this episode, “The Sins of the Father.”

The real storyline of this episode for our main character is that she is”not quite herself” after the birth of her son. The episode doesn’t say the words postpartum depression, but it does not have to. We’ve already seen her have her difficulties after Vicky’s birth, but this is a new level. Things worsen when Albert gets the news about his father’s death and thus has to leave Victoria.

And then, Albert also has to deal with his uncle possibly being his father! It is all very bonkers, really. His storyline is all about dealing with feelings of inadequacy — and in that way, it ties into Victoria’s issues with being a mother who doesn’t necessarily love her children right away.

Coleman has a lot of work in this episode, often with very little in the way of actual lines, leaving her to use her facial expressions to sell how it feels for Victoria to have to bring herself to go outside and make appearances. And she sells it, impressively. Fortunately, the show knows that Diana Rigg can deliver a good speech to a younger woman. Also, a new puppy helps.

It almost doesn’t pair well with “Warp and Weft,” which has a rather bittersweet moment of its own. “The Sins of the Father” could have used the breather of a week, because it is so heavy, emotionally speaking.

Random thoughts:

Marie Antoinette likely didn’t say “Let them eat cake.” “Intellect,” indeed, Peel.
Albert and Victoria take a field trip to Westminster Abbey, and it very definitely feels like an adult field trip.
Between Lord M returning to Brocket Hall and Victoria losing Dash, talk about some symbolism. “Everything changes, Victoria, except us,” Albert even says, to make sure that everyone gets the point.
Tom Hughes gets to sing! And it’s not bad! Ditto Jenna Coleman, also in German. (He also gets to act drunk, though.)
The entire story about the intruder news going to the papers seems fairly contrived to finally have “Mrs. Skerrett” reveal herself.

Next: Victoria is having an important conversation about motherhood

Victoria airs Sundays on PBS. Stay tuned to Culturess for all the latest recaps, reviews, and in-depth discussion.

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