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T10 WHATS UP! February 11 - 17, 2018 sense of maturity and resolve, Queen Victoria now finds her- self a match and a king. Season 2 of "Victoria" begins a month after the birth of her first child, and as Victoria dis- covers all that has been kept from her while she has been in recovery from childbirth. Eager to regain control, she takes the necessary steps to reassert power while reintroducing her- self to the British people. As the season progresses, each pass- ing moment seems to empha- size the growing weight of roy- al and motherly responsibili- ties, as Victoria juggles family and political matters. In a "Masterpiece" PBS fea- turette leading up to the pre- miere of season 2, Coleman dis- cussed these developments. For the still relatively fresh Queen, the "honeymoon period is now over," and Victoria's life is now comprised of "balancing motherhood, marriage, work, job [and] baby." A month away from her regal duties finds Vic- toria battling with "a bit of jeal- ousy and ... quite a bit of insecu- rity" with regard to Albert's as- sertion of leadership in her ab- sence. Their relationship con- tinues to be tested and often strained, as both Victoria and Albert delve into parenthood and continually attempt to re- negotiate their roles as both spouses and monarchs. Historically accurate, visual- ly elaborate productions of Great Britain's regal history seem to endlessly captivate au- diences. Creator and writer Daisy Goodwin's "Victoria" now joins the ranks of works by Michael Hirst ("Elizabeth," 1998) and, more recently, Peter Morgan ("The Crown"). This is by no means the first depiction of Queen Victoria on the small or large screen, however. The Queen's first foray onto the big screen came through Rose Ta- pley's portrayal in the silent short "The Victoria Cross," which dates back to 1912. Small-screen depictions began much later, with the first of these occurring in 1951 in an episode of the American series "Robert Montgomery Pres- ents" called "Victoria Regina," in which the queen is played by Helen Hayes. The most successful film and television adaptations of royal- ty achieve greatness largely due to their carefully crafted narratives, which oh so ele- gantly dance over the bound- ary between fact and fiction. Goodwin addresses this dance in a Masterpiece Studio pod- cast episode, along with "Fact or Fiction: Inside Episode" posts on PBS's website. These posts examine pivotal mo- ments from the noted episode, with Goodwin either empha- sizing the historical signifi- cance or justifying the ficti- tious indulgences portrayed. What Goodwin wisely notes while discussing season 2 on the podcast is the challenge of navigating and maintaining this balance, so that the result is a "show that is ... compulsively watchable, entertaining, funny ... that you will learn something from ... [that] will also make you feel emotionally involved." Subtle flourishes of fiction or factual exaggerations often make for a far more entertain- ing series, but, in order to have lasting resonance, a story grounded in truth can amplify the legacy of an already formi- dable historical figure. Rufus Sewell as seen in "Victoria" continued from page T2 Defining an age: Fact flirts with fiction in 'Victoria' on PBS Leaf Guard 5 x 5 TV FEATURE LeafGuard is the ONLY one-piece seamless debris-shedding gutter 1-800-LEAFGUARD or 479-221-9516 leafguardandmore.com