Victoria season 2 episode 2 spoilers: Lord Melbourne returns

With Victoria season 2 episode 2 airing on ITV this weekend, there are a few different things to note. First and foremost, you do have the return of Lord Melbourne. Even if this is not a man who was present within the premiere episode, he returns in the sneak peek below via the Express — and in the process, he works to make an impact on the queen rather quickly. The history between these two parties is at the moment fairly clear.

Also, one other thing that seems to be is precisely how Albert feels about Melbourne being around — he’s not thrilled, though that shouldn’t be a surprise. Why would he want him there? We’re just glad that he’s around for the sake of shaking things up and challenging Albert — even if these challenges are coming more on an unconscious level.

What’s the problem? Well, apparently Albert is still going to be distracted elsewhere, and this time it is because of a famed mathematician of the time in Ada Lovelace. We told you recently that Call the Midwife star Emerald Fennell is playing the character; now, take a look at some additional details via the full ITV synopsis for the episode:

“Having resumed her royal duties, Victoria is disconcerted when Albert appears to be drawn to erudite female mathematician, Ada Lovelace, who is working with the acclaimed Charles Babbage. Victoria arranges a cultural evening to meet the pair, but starts to fear that she is losing her husband’s attention.

“Realising that she is pregnant again, Victoria is thrown into further turmoil, fearing she is once again destined to be relegated to the nursery. With tensions between her and Albert at breaking point, how will she reveal the happy news to him?

“The mood below stairs is equally unsettled as the servants begin to notice items mysteriously disappearing. Timid new dresser Cleary fears that the palace is haunted, but Brodie discovers the real culprit.”

Be honest — who out there immediately thought of Downton Abbey when you start hearing about servants downstairs? That’s a part of our identity that probably isn’t going to go away as a British TV viewer.

Beyond just Ava’s appearance, one of the big storylines in this hour certainly seems to be her pregnancy and what could come as a result of that. She wants to be a Queen, but if she is seen only as a mother and not a ruler, this distorts her overall legacy. The treatment of Victoria at times is not going to be fair, but no one can be altogether surprised by that. Sexism and gender roles were around long before she took the throne, and they’ll be around after the fact, regrettably.

What do you want to see on Victoria season 2 episode 2? Let us know some of your expectations in the comments below. (Photo: ITV.)