Rufus Sewell leaving Victoria amidst Lord Melbourne tragedy
Melbourne’s death was interpreted within the scope of the series tonight, but how Daisy Goodwin and her team chose to play that story was rather interesting. It was a little more subtle than you would imagine and not entirely as dramatic as it could have been. You can actually make the case that it wasn’t even the most dramatic death over the course of the episode!
So why did Victoria choose to carve out the departure of Sewell, an important player from the first season, in such a way? Much of that is probably due to the fact that this is a story told mostly from the perspective of the Royal Family and those directly connected to it. Having the departure of Melbourne play in this way was mostly effective in that it allowed you to see it from Victoria’s eyes. You feel how she feels, especially in terms of how difficult it is for her to actually grieve given everything that is actually going on within her reign. It’s a struggle for her just as it’s also a struggle for her.
Related – Read our review for the first hour of tonight’s Victoria from the UK airing
Ultimately, Sewell had a nice run and likely realized at some point during the process that this was not going to be a permanent gig for him. After all, Melbourne died at a certain point in Victoria’s life and there are only so many different ways in which you can paint this picture before going down this road. The remainder of the series becomes how Victoria has to find more of the inner courage and strength within herself. She also has to find some other people to rely on given that Melbourne was for a time one of her closest key advisers.
What do you think about the way in which Victoria chose to handle what transpired with the character Lord Melbourne tonight? Share in the comments below!
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