It’s easy to appreciate the investment of time and effort that go into constructing any period piece, a balancing act between capturing the atmosphere of a bygone age and finding a middle ground equally satisfying to both the casual viewer and the history buff. And so, brimming with more than a handful of nods to spiritual siblings “The Tudors” and “The Favourite” both in tone and ambiance, the new STARZ limited series “Mary & George” finds the right mix and a seat at the table with relative ease. Though not without its share of dialogue-heavy semi-monotony, it’s essentially a show that knows how to find itself again, whether in a line delivered as sharp as any Jacobean-era blade or a cast member acting as if this was their final performance.
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Fittingly, the show opens at the beginning of a life; Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham (Julianne Moore), has just given birth to her third son George (Nicholas Galitzine), uttering mere seconds after what should be a beautiful moment how useless a third child is to the royal hierarchy due to never possessing the ability to one day inherit a throne. A quick fast forward then takes us to the moment Villiers’ husband has now passed away. George has established himself as attention-seeking in the face of his harsh, often cruel mother, with whom it’s decided that George’s path to greatness lies in a plan to ensconce himself in the life of King James I (Tony Curran), both as a lover and trusted advisor. It’s a role that the merciless Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset (Laurie Davidson), currently holds and isn’t about to relinquish to anyone, much less the lesser George.
Throughout these first few episodes, the “Mary & George” story eases viewers in without any realization that the show has completely taken hold by the time credits roll, despite its tendency to rely heavily on scenes packed with characters exchanging barbs, quips, and witty retorts meant to be seen as clever but all of which wear out their welcome quickly. It’s no knock on the cast; Moore’s manipulative Mary sees the actress enjoying every second she inhabits her character, with flawless delivery of her British accent as she goes toe-to-toe with every person she finds herself paired. It’s a duel of words, and in nearly every instance, Mary wins so that even the few times she’s outwitted never feel like a failure, providing the fuel for whatever, and more specifically, whomever, her subsequent encounter might be.
That honor usually circles back to Galitzine’s George, holding his own as his mother berates him into carrying out her plan and executing a beautiful about-face after his memorable appearance in last year’s “Bottoms. “Seeing the rapport with his onscreen siblings is an area that deserves more attention, as watching these scenes erases the mere idea that these happen to be actors reading lines and instead conveys a sincere family dynamic.
Though the entire cast commits wholly to their respective roles, Moore and Galitzine go far above and beyond the call of duty; in portraying the show’s title characters to the degree to which they’re dedicated, the show propels along. That said, overlooking Davidson as Robert Carr would be a true omission, with his mustache-twirling performance commanding every scene with little effort on behalf of the actor; it’s clear he knows exactly what he’s doing with the role, and the show benefits greatly as a result. Though it was never in doubt that Carr wouldn’t end up carrying out the act, seeing him nearly take a cleaver to the hand of George before a room of partygoers does create a feeling that he would have gone through with it had James not intervened. It’s fleeting but effective nonetheless.
This commitment of the leads is undoubtedly refreshing as much as it is necessary; scenes tend to lose energy as the wordiness becomes overwhelming at times, but enough twists exist to recapture attention before the desire to walk away from “Mary & George” becomes necessary. A moment when Mary secretly dishes out poison isn’t hard to see coming, but nonetheless, it remains wickedly satisfying. Furthermore, by the time Carr receives his comeuppance in episode three, our investment in the story’s arc helps those scenes feel earned, instantly thrusting the show down a new path with a much-needed sense of excitement. All of these stand as evidence of how showrunner D.C. Moore and director Oliver Hermanus (“Living”) have pulled off something unique in the way with which they’ve brought this particular story to the present.
Yes, these introductory episodes do come loaded with dialogue-heavy content. Still, everyone involved in “Mary & George” helps assist the flow nicely, conjuring up a genuine curiosity about where exactly George’s execution of Mary’s plan might go next. Even if it might be tricky to remember when George fell ill with the pox or any individual scene of the young man sleeping his way to the top of the ladder, there’s still enough to consider continuing the journey into the remainder of the season; it’s a testament to all involved and their ability to make a compelling watch out of something centuries in the past draped with a peculiar contemporary feel. It’s imperfect, and yet somehow works. [B]
