Terry and Joe check out the premiere of Starz’s new historical sex comedy, Mary & George.
Spoilers follow for the first episode…
S01E01 “The Second Son”: Determined to reclaim her family’s former glory, Mary Villiers urges her son George to embark on a risky endeavor.
JOE
We’ve been looking forward to this one ever since we saw the first trailer, Terry. It’s a historical period piece based on Benjamin Woolley’s 2017 novel The King’s Assassin, but this isn’t your mother’s series: it’s falling somewhere between the sexiness of Outlander and the bitchiness of The Gilded Age and (at least in the first episode) it’s quite an entertaining hoot.
The drama opens in 1592 as Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) gives birth to her second son George, who is immediately dropped on his head. No one seems to care, because – as the titular second son – he has no worth. Unlike his older brother John, George will not inherit, so he’s basically a dud (the modern day equivalent would be Prince Harry, the “spare”).
The narrative then jumps ahead twenty years as Mary discovers the hanged body of George (played as an adult by Red, White and Royal Blue’s Nicholas Galitzine) in the woods. He’s not dead, so she takes the opportunity to chastise him for not having the gumption to die by suicide.
See: Mary wants to send her second son to France so he can learn how to be a gentleman. He doesn’t want to go because he’s in love with serving girl Jenny, much to his mother’s chagrin and despite Jenny’s questions about his possible bisexuality.
“The Second Son” does a decent job of balancing its character introductions with some soapy developments. There are flashbacks to Mary’s marriage with former husband Sir George (Simon Russell Beale), who abused her and George, but also paid to forge a fake identity for Mary to elevate her out of the working class.
When Mary (not so) accidentally kills George, her scheming mentality comes into full force. Turns out the family’s in financial trouble, so Mary mourns for two weeks (instead of the traditional six) before marrying Sir Thomas Compton (Sean Gilder) in order to secure the funds to send George off.
Her ambition for her second son is very clearly not altruistic. When George arrives in France, he’s tutored by Jean (Khalil Ben Gharbia) in more than just fencing and dance; the sexual implications are immediately clear when Jean shows off couples fornicating on both routes to George’s chambers.
The fact that Jean and his lower class servant Vincent (Dimitri Gripari, who, yes, hangs dong) eventually invite George into their bed is something of a given. It’s pretty clear that Mary didn’t just send George to France to become a gentleman; he’s getting a sexual education, as well.
Back in the UK, Mary demands her new husband “bring her into the light” by getting her an audience with King James (Tony Curran), England’s queer ruler, who travels with his possessive boyfriend Robert Carr, the 1st Duke of Sommerset (Laurie Davidson), as well as his level headed advisor Sir Graham (Angus Wright), and a “well hung” crew of Scottish boys who spend their time in the King’s bedchamber.
Obviously we all know where this is headed, but despite anticipating nearly every major plot point of the episode, I still enjoyed the hell out of it. That’s largely thanks to the dialogue, which is *so* delicious. A lot of credit goes to Moore, who is having an absolute ball as a gold-digging socialite who is more than willing to prostitute both George and herself in order to secure her position.
The most delicious exchange has to be Mary’s late night drink/scheming session with Sir Graham. The King’s advisor complains about the company the king is keeping, particularly “That surly sodomite Somerset and his Scottish semen guzzlers”, which prompts Mary to counter: “So you would prefer we were ruled by our own plucky home-grown sodomites?” The fact that she includes her own son in this company is telling, though it’s hardly surprising given her lack of compassion and empathy when she found him hanging at the top of the episode.
And yet, Terry, Mary isn’t a total ice queen, as evidenced by the final scene of the episode when George returns from his failed effort to impress the “cock-struck” King. What do you make of the (possibly incestuous) mother/son relationship? Did the flashbacks to Mary and Sir George’s marriage work for you? Were you happy with the amount of boy flesh we get in this first episode? And did Mary & George do enough to hook you for the rest of the seven episode limited series?
TERRY
We’ve covered some heavy shows in our time writing together, Joe. From creative missteps like The Changeling to dour – and very serious – queer dramas like Fellow Travelers. And while we’ve evened it out with some cutesy queer comedies like Love, Victor, a lot of the shows we’ve covered are oftentimes prestigious and sometimes a little too self-serious.
So it’s quite a delight to start a show that, as you suggest, mixes tart and sassy dialogue with a deliciously cunning Julianne Moore in a period drama.
The fact it’s queer is just a cherry on top.
Let’s start answering your questions at the beginning. The serving women’s cry of “oh shit” that followed the thunk of baby George hitting the floor starts us off on the right foot. And the fact that Mary not only wants to cut the umbilical cord herself, but also wants to keep George connected to her a bit longer suggests, at the very least, an intimate relationship between mother and son. You’re right in suggesting an incestuous relationship based on the way in which they can’t be a part of each other.
But it also screams of co-dependence. While George claims he doesn’t want to go to France because of Jenny, the serving girl, the truth is he doesn’t want to be away from his mother. He basically has a panic attack as the carriage takes him to the ship and he begs Mary to wait until he’s older to send him off.
The truth is, he’s scared of facing the world without his mother by his side.
Mary, for her part, suggests later in the episode that her overbearing husband kept them under lock and key. Her new husband calls them “provincial” as an insult, but Mary agrees because of how closed off her family has been. She’s ready to take on the world in any way possible. Her husband’s death is a transformative, coming out of the cocoon moment and Mary is desperate not to let the opportunity fall.
“The Second Son” also uses visual language to suggest that George and Mary are the same; the way in which scenes are repeated blurs that line of intimacy between them. At one point, Mary floats around her dark home with a candle to catch King John in flagrante with the Earl of Somerset.
The door to the King’s room opens, spilling out the Earl without his shirt. And then the King proceeds to compare their trysts to pup play, makes out with him and then tells him to get back to the kennels, all in front of Mary.
This sequence is contrasted a little later with George’s late night walk through the French manor. Like his mother, he carries a candle. Like his mother, he spies Jean with another man. Unlike his mother, he joins in on the fun. It’s moments like these that showcase the twin journeys mother and son are about to partake in. She’ll work from the shadows, observing and plotting, while George uses his beautiful looks and toned body to win over the King.
“The Second Son” is a perfect introduction to the characters and the arcs that will presumably continue through the rest of the series.
As a criticism, though, the brief flashbacks weren’t really needed. Again, the visual language did everything that was needed. I loved George using the fact his father still clings to life as a reason not to go to France and how that is immediately followed by a smash cut to his father’s untimely demise. That was enough to tell me that Mary, who always gets her way, probably ended his life. Sure, the abuse further cemented the fact that the family is in dire straits, but it wasn’t really needed.
That was the only sore spot in the episode for me. Sure, I would have liked a bit more skin, but what was here suggested Mary & George is going to be a very horny show. And with all the discussions surrounding sex (and whether it is “needed” in media) that seem to be happening right now, I think a silly, quippy and sexy show is the perfect antidote. I’m very excited to see where the show will take us next.
Mary & George airs Tuesdays on Starz (in the US) and Fridays on Crave (in Canada)