Review: "Mary & George"
Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine are a dynamite pair in this steamy, bitingly funny miniseries.
After The Great and The Favourite comes Oliver Hermanus’ Mary & George, another worthy entry in the canon of seriocomic documentations of a real-life story involving scheming within a monarchy. Based on the non-fiction novel The King’s Assassin by Benjamin Woolley, Mary & George is an erotically charged account of an affair between King James I of England and his scheming consort that rocked the British court bolstered by its biting dark humor and dual central performances.
Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine as Mary and George Villiers in the new Starz miniseries “Mary & George.” (Photo courtesy of STARZ)
Left penniless after her husband’s death, Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) maneuvers a plan for her son, George (a spell-binding Nicholas Galitzine), to seduce King James I (Tony Curran) to ease their way into aristocracy. A man who, in Mary’s own words, is “so cock-struck it’s like a curse.” Despite George’s initial hesitance and general disdain towards his mother, he proceeds, thrusting himself into a web of double-crossing and tense social climbing as he plots to thrust himself on the king’s bed.
Of the two projects mentioned in the beginning, it’s The Favourite where the most comparisons will be drawn as it allows its central queer characters to be messy double-crossers, between George’s planned affair and Mary striking a romance with sex worker Sandie (the always-reliable Niamh Algar). However, one thing that sets it apart other than the fact that it has a young male eyeing a role as the monarch’s consort, as opposed to the heavily female-centric narrative of the Oscar-winning masterpiece, is the staging of its sex scenes.
When George makes a pivotal trip to France in the pilot episode, his brief entanglement with nobleman Jean (Khalil Ben Gharbia) as he begins his journey of sexual exploration is presented as blissful and amicable. But as George ingrains himself further into the court, the screen becomes steamier as one gets a deeper glimpse of James’ secret orgies.
Of course, while the sex is indeed aesthetically pleasing, and does serve the storyline, it’s not all that makes Mary & George worthwhile. There is both Mary & George themselves. After doing career-best work in May December, Julianne Moore tackles another scheming villainous role only this time, she trades the lisp for a posh British accent. Moore is a marvel to watch on screen in a way one can expect from an acting wonder such as herself as a guileful embodiment of monstrous motherhood whose line readings cut sharp like a butcher knife.
Matching Moore line-for-line is lead actor Nicholas Galitzine. Last year, Galitzine charmed the daylights off viewers as a dashing British prince in Red, White & Royal Blue. Now, in Mary & George, he’s the one who gets to say, “F*ck the monarchy” in the literal sense. Compared to the more open-hearted Henry from the winning Amazon rom-com, George slyly uses his swoony cherub-like face as a tool for emotional manipulation. As George gazes at James with blissfully hungry eyes, whenever James turns away, George swiftly conveys a scheming glance that stresses his ulterior motives. Also, Galitzine’s often deadpan banter with Moore proves he’s got a slight penchant for comedic timing.
Besides Niamh Algar as Sandie, the standouts from the supporting cast are Tony Curran, who exudes flamboyance and slight sincerity as the cock-struck King James I, and Laurie Davidson as the Earl of Somerset, George’s biggest rival for the title of King James’ favourite.
Given its similarly darkly comedic tone and historical storyline involving a sinister ascent into the British monarchy, some may view Mary & George as a story that borrows too much from the Favourite playbook. Even my mind couldn’t help but think of The Favourite while watching. Yet, when the central acting duo is so engaging to watch, and it’s both so unapologetically steamy and indeed cuttingly funny in just the first three episodes being reviewed, it’s easy to be taken along this show’s crazy ride.
Grade: B+
Mary & George begins airing on Starz on Friday, April 5th.