I make no secret that I LOVE historical and period series, and over the last 5 years, I have watched all possible ones about different periods of the British and French monarchies, even Russian if we include The Great. I was eager to check out Mary and George, which, strangely, ended up on the most unlikely of platforms: Globoplay.

There were many reasons to want to see the series: from Julianne Moore in an antagonistic role to finally focusing on a historical period other than the Tudors or the Wars of the Roses, not even the Plantagenet, who frequent the stages and screens with various versions of their periods.

Apart from Gunpowder, recently, there haven’t been many visits to the period of the Stuarts in power, unless it was a biography of Mary Tudor, the tragic Scottish queen. Mary’s troubled son, James, became King of the United Kingdom after the death of Elizabeth I and his affairs with other men. His internal political dramas are as complex (or more so) than the Tudors but seem less appealing. Mary and George is an intensive on this historical period and, oh my, I wish I had liked it. But no…

The problem with Mary and George is the script, which wastes great performances and a fascinating story in a narrative without charm, engagement, or empathy, even though it is full of sex, nudity, betrayal, and drama. Along with The Serpent Queen, for example, it is a childish attempt to be bold and only ends up being confusing.

The story shows us how the ambitious, intelligent, and determined Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) overcame all the challenges to become an influential, rich, and noble woman, even if it meant prostituting her son, kidnapping a young woman to force her to marry another son, killing, lying, blackmailing and negotiating without shame or fear. A lesser-known character, perhaps, but defended by Julianne with great charisma.

Born “without a cradle”, which in the 17th century would be considered ostracism, Mary Villiers literally prepares and uses her second son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), to open the doors of the Court and ensure the rise of the family. George, who went down in history as one of the most handsome men of his time, became the Duke of Buckingham, the favorite of King James I and later advisor to his son, King Charles I. He was a controversial figure who navigated international politics and became a character in the saga of the Three Musketeers.

“Educated” in France, as Mary and George show, the future duke encountered competition and antagonism until he conquered James I (Tony Curran) and the series spends a good deal of time showing the ups and downs of this complex relationship of lust and love, losing pace and repeating itself, needing to step on the gas in the last episode to conclude – in a hurry – the story and leaving us quite confused (unless you know the history of the Musketeers, which helps a little).

The series is an adaptation of the best-seller The King’s Assassin, by Benjamin Woolley, which is a fascinating account of history little explored by historians. Some joke that the Villiers make the Borgias look like amateurs, and we can laugh because although it is an exaggeration, it is certainly not that far off. But, as I said, the script has no imagination or memorable dialogue, as we have seen in films like The Favourite or even the series about British queens. To make matters worse, the copy available on Globoplay is one of the worst quality, losing all the investment in photography of the production.

So is Mary and George bad? Of course not, it’s a good series, it’s just not what it seemed like at first glance. Julianne Moore, as I mentioned, is at ease as Merteiul from Dangerous Liaisons, never missing an opportunity to control the game. Nicholas Galitzine has a more challenging job because he has to start with a teenage George who matures into a bitter, complex man. He does very well, has charisma, and conveys rare empathy for such a negative character in the pages of history. He deserves praise, but it’s also where the series falters a little.

The series was made available on Globoplay about six months after it aired in the United States, with all the episodes available for binge-watching. It’s worth checking out, it’s a shame it could have been even better!

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