Rating summary
Movie | | 5.0 |
Video | | 4.0 |
Audio | | 4.0 |
Extras | | 4.0 |
Overall | | 4.5 |
Victoria: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 15, 2018
England's Queen Victoria is the epitome of a modern woman born before her time. When she gives birth and desires to
continue her duties as Queen
instead of staying in the nursery and allowing Albert to rule in her stead, the men in her life are flabbergasted. When she
succeeds as a working
mother well before such a strenuous dual task became fashionable and, frankly, oftentimes necessary, those in her court and
by her side are left
speechless. Such is the story as presented in the PBS television show bearing her name, a show that depicts a modern woman
stuck in an antiquated
time. The show doesn't make itself overtly political, however. It simply remains true to its characters and time, revealing the
endlessly interesting life
of a woman who was a queen, a mother, a wife, her own person rather than a body in a dress, a brain under a crown, and a
title above her name.
Season two maintains the technical and narrative excellence of season one and remains one of the finer shows currently
airing on television
and releasing to Blu-ray.
Victoria's second season picks up shortly after season one’s close. The young Queen (Jenna Coleman) is returning to
work after her
confinement from the birth of her first child and must deal with the expectations of those around her who didn’t expect her to
continue as an active
monarch after giving birth. Season Two spans half a decade of Victoria’s reign and the birth of two more children. The season
focuses on a wide
variety of political and social issues as well as Victoria and Albert (Tom Hughes) continuing to balance their love affair with
their roles within the
monarchy.
While the first season focused more on the courtship between Victoria and Albert, the sophomore season tackles the couple's
newlywed years. Like all
couples, they fight and must learn to compromise and communicate, but unlike most couples, they must do so in the spotlight.
The public, personal,
and marital dynamics the couple demonstrates in communication are authentic and elevate the show beyond its position as a
period royal romance as
their relationship grows and changes with contemporarily relatable ebbs and flows. The young queen grows into a more mature
monarch and learns
how to be both a queen and a wife. Meanwhile, Albert works to both find his place in his marriage and make a place and a name for
himself in his new
country despite being relegated to a position on the sanitation committee, for example, instead of being allowed to work in
areas in which he is better
equipped to serve.
Season Two continues to develop the relationships amongst the servants working below the queen, further providing viewers
with contrasting
viewpoints from below the stairs. The insight into the servants' world helps keep the show grounded and honest, open to
differing yet still inside
perspectives, as well as offer a reprieve from the otherwise near constant focus on Victoria and Albert. These scenes add shape
to the world that
surrounds the monarchs and depth to the individuals who otherwise work largely in the shadows. Notable secondary character
additions for season two
include an Irish character whose family is impacted by the potato famine. Additional expansions include a wider range of
settings. While season one
was set almost entirely in and around Buckingham Palace, season two expands the story's scope to Germany, France,
Scotland, Ireland and Africa,
allowing for a greater exploration of the world within and around the vast British Empire during Victoria’s reign.
Jenna Coleman again shines in the title role. She realistically and seamlessly wrestles with the queen's internal and external
pressures to succeed
without losing her husband and her dual role as queen and mother. She perfectly captures the uncertainty, passion, and
jealousy of a young wife as
well as the listlessness and lack of interest hallmarking the depression she faces. Tom Hughes continues to mold a believable
Albert, a man torn
between wanting something meaningful to do with his life and position while allowing Victoria to maintain her rule. Hughes'
performance stands tall at
a critical point in the season when struggling with disturbing news from his past. David Oakes depicts the angst associated with
his character's
starrcrossed love affair, Diana Rigg adds spice to the season as a meddlesome but canny Mistress of the Robes, and Nigel
Lindsay provides a strongly
realized foil to Victoria as he leads the government and struggles with his party’s views when they go against his personal
opinions.
Victoria: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Victoria: The Complete Second Season offers a solid, enjoyable 1080p transfer that nicely accentuates the film's costumes and locations.
While it can appear a little flat in places with details a little less precise than one would want and colors a touch less robust and mildly washed out than
is ideal, the image, generally speaking, impresses in those areas. Period attire finds pleasing and often generous complexity, showcasing finer fabric
elements that reveal the density and construction of the complex wardrobes. Likewise, many of the more finely appointed interiors reveal the prolific
attention to detail the filmmakers have put into the show. Colors are nicely presented, again with a modest washed-out appearance in places but
offering a satisfying level of saturated and nuanced depth apparent on clothing, natural colors outside, and furnishings inside. Black levels could often
stand a little added depth and intensity. Flesh tones are largely fine. Light noise is present but no other maladies are of serious concern.
Victoria: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Victoria: The Complete Second Season's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack offers a reliable sound presentation. Music is spacious,
offering precise and finely detailed instrumental clarity, with lyrical refinement over the opening titles. Support elements are often commanding and
clean. Whether some scattered intensive elements or common supportive atmospherics, the track always presents its components in fine working
order. Dialogue dominates most of the show, and delivery is smooth and precise with consistent location excellence.
Victoria: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Victoria: The Complete Second Season contains a couple handfuls of short featurettes.
- An Icon For Women Today (1080p, 4:47): Series creator and writer Daisy Goodwin and actress Jenna Coleman
discuss how modern
women relate to Victoria and how she was and can be an inspiration for women, especially young women, both then and now.
- Researching Victoria (1080p, 2:05): A look at The London Library with Writer Daisy Goodwin who discusses how
the library inspires the
script by way of its collection of books and newspapers about Victoria and sources from the Victorian Era.
- The Costumes (1080p, 3:41): Costume Designer Rosalind Ebbutt discusses the costumes and how she recreated
the different famous
wardrobe selections for the show.
- The Footmen (1080p, 1:17): Actors Ed Whately Smith and Matthew Robinson discuss their roles as the footmen
and how they portray
their characters in the palace.
- The Graphics (1080p, 4:41): Florence Tasker, Graphic Designer, discusses the variety of props that had to be
created for the show --
paperwork, letters, drawings, wallpaper, etc. -- that needed to not only appear authentic but be properly utilized by the actors.
The piece also examines
how Tasker's hand doubles for Jenna Coleman's so that the handwriting on Victoria's letters appears more authentic.
- The Silent Piano (1080p, 2:34): Music Associate Tom Kelly and Actor David Oakes discuss how the musical scenes
are recreated with a
silent piano and a computer generated sound. Also covered is the process of teaching the actors to appear authentic when
playing the piano.
- Daisy & Ottilie: Writing Together (1080p, 2:48): Daisy Goodwin and Ottilie Wilford discuss writing the script
together and how they made
their writing styles mesh.
- Paget & Drummond (1080p, 2:59): Jordan Waller and Leo Sutter discuss the homosexual relationship their
characters share and the
difficulties their characters face exploring their relationship in the Victorian era.
- A Woman in a Man's World (1080p, 4:42): Actors Jenna Coleman, Alex Jennings, Diana Rigg, Tom Hughes, and
Nigel Lindsay discuss the
role of Queen Victoria, how the historical figure fought to be Queen and not just a figurehead, and how Victoria managed to
succeed in a stereotypically
male-dominant position.
Victoria: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Victoria's second season is more narratively open and geographically diverse and just as engrossing as before. It's
gorgeously assembled and
strongly performed, and it finds narrative balance and capable delivery when dealing with issues beyond the queen's life and times, such as postpartum
depression,
homosexuality, and
sylpulis with dramatic elegance. Victoria: The Complete Second Season's Blu-ray delivers stable video and audio along
with a healthy
allotment of bonus content. Highly recommended.