Queen Charlotte — A Movie Review

“Come, hide from the heavens with me.”

I have been silent on this matter, not for lack of what to say, but I have been overwhelmed by how best to interpret what I felt while I watched “Queen Charlotte”.

If you have not already seen it, well, sorry and well done for not succumbing to peer pressure. Except you are not a fan of romance movies then shoo.

Historical dramas have a way of eliciting a ton of emotion in viewers for obvious reasons. Since life was more difficult back then, honour, and responsibility were given a lot more consideration. If we come across a beautiful love story in the middle of that, we can be sure the love is genuine. This is one of the most beautiful stories that has been told in this series, and what is even better is that it is the true story of King George III and his wife, that governed the United Kingdom from 1760–1820.

Charlotte and George’s story reminded me that love is as much a choice as it is a feeling. Here are two people that never met, did not know each other but trusted to walk a path together after a conversation. They married within minutes of meeting, and at first, it looked like a love-hate union. George seemed uninterested in being with her and focused on his astronomy and demanded that they live apart. As she eventually comes to believe that he doesn’t want to be around her, Charlotte feels abandoned and enraged.

As episode four progresses, we learn the true reason behind his actions and are given more information about the mental illness that oddly strikes him. To earn the right to be with her, he endures horrendous medical treatment. The treatment was extremely cruel, yet, he remained steadfastly committed to improving himself to honour his marriage to her.

Let’s talk about their chemistry for a minute.

Whew!

I was engrossed in my screen because I am a person who is highly moved by deep connection.

The Queen’s resolve to stay after learning the truth, uhm.

The yearning sighs of recognition whenever he comes back to himself.

One scene that in my opinion was so understated yet so powerfully expressed love was the moment she entered the room to halt the doctor’s treatment. Even though he was sick in that scene, as soon as he was freed, he went straight to her and collapsed in her arms. His affection for her ran deep.

The following scene where he commanded her to leave him was another breaking point.

“You stay away because you love me and do not believe that I could love you. Do you love me?”

He says, “I am a madman. I am a danger. In my mind, different words are creeping in. The heavens and the earth collide. I do not know where I am.”

She screams, “Do you love me?!”

“You do not wish a life with me for yourself no one wishes that.”

“I will stand with you between the heavens and the earth. I will tell you where you are.”

Oh my God!

I held my blanket tighter around myself because what kind of love is this?

All through the show, you could see the great love displayed by both partners and the Queen meeting him wherever he was: as Just George/Farmer George and as a madman.

Let’s step away from their story and talk about other themes for a bit;

• The “Great experiment”: This experiment was quickly done to create less backlash on the colour of the Queen’s skin. It was the struggle for equality between Lords of tons and White Lords, what they were entitled to and the reality of the vast social difference, even as they were of the same status. It was beautiful to see the difference broken down.
• Queen Charlotte is depicted as a strong independent leader in place of her husband, with a clear vision to empower everyone, lead her people and love her husband. It was a remarkable representation. We also saw how consumed and frozen in time she was due to George’s illness and how her choice impacted her children. The female children were never “out” as in their context of seeking suitors, and the men fathered children outside marriage out of fear of not being loved as much as their parents did each other. There is always a price to pay for the choices we make, good or bad. We have to accept the reality of it.
• Land Danbury’s show of perseverance and fight through a loveless marriage. The way she negotiated her husband into all of the power they had and how she secured her home in his demise will not go unmentioned. It was how she silently made everything possible for her husband, and the foolish man had no inkling. A woman will do anything to secure her place, and let’s not forget, a woman will do anything to avoid terrible sex. It was great to see her back story.
• There was Brimsley and Reynolds. Their love was equally powerful, and quite as important in showcasing the difficulty in loving regardless of class. It was difficult for them to navigate being dutiful and in love, yet it was beautiful to see their love bloom. I am left wondering what happened to Reynolds in their last scene which showed the young couple dancing, then ended with only an older Brimsley. I hope that we get to find out in the coming shows.
• Another great thing that was talked about is the fear of societal judgement with finding love as a widow. Happy that Lady Danbury got that feeling of love with Violet’s father, but my main focus here is Violet Bridgeton. They are finally going to give us this story. What? About damn time! I always wondered what she would look like in love again, given her love history and her children’s love dramas (I read all the Bridgerton books). I wish her garden is hoed or pruned as much as she desires.

Overall, it was one of the best of the season (I am still in love with Daphne and Simone’s story). The costumes in this season had more modernity to them than the previous two and a lot more attention to detail both for the men’s and women’s attire. The casting was so beautifully done. The young female characters all had seeming resemblances to the adult women, I was blown away. All the actors were exceptional. I would call this an absolute masterpiece.

This show made me think about the first boy I said “I love you” to after being cajoled, and clearly why it ended abruptly because neither of us understood what it truly meant to be in love. It made me think about how many times I’ve based love on how a person made me feel, and the moment it gets difficult, I want to run away. I thought about how a partner being confined to a bed has made several men and women discard the love they so professed. How quickly we give and take back our love.

I once told a love interest in my first year in the University that I thought I could do an arranged marriage and I would truly thrive in it. The reason was that I didn’t believe people knew what love meant. So if I met a person and our values aligned and he respected me as an individual, why the heck not? Nonetheless, I believed it could work only if both partners were committed to choosing each other daily.

I often wonder, like my young self, if many who go into marriages today truly love their partners and see love as a choice to keep standing between them and whatever battles they fight.

The show reminded me how much I love love. How much I love chemistry. How much I love a good talk, and how much I want to soak myself in the beauty of it all. I wish for deep, deep love for all of us.

Yeh!

I almost forgot, do not overlook that some men are actual devils. As you seek love, keep a set of binoculars around you because they can use rubbish, unromantic, but funny words to shift your pants, still use that love to break you into a thousand pieces and still rub pepper for your eyes.

Stay alert!

Maranatha Abutu