TV Review: "Mary and George" Serve Up a Sexy Good Time

No bond is greater than that of a baby gay and Julianne Moore.By: Christopher James

It’s once again the age of the nefarious bisexual twink and his domineering mother.

Starz’s latest prestige limited series, Mary and George, is not your average historical period piece. It’s a sensational tale of sex and deception woven by the most nefarious queer mother-son pairing this side of the English Channel. Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine sink their teeth into all complicated aspects of their titular characters. All seven episodes of creator D.C. Cooper’s drama fly by with gusto and ease. It’s hard not to get caught up in the intoxicating machinations of Mary and George’s rise to power. Still, underneath all the meme-ifying and actress-sexual worshiping, the show presents us with two fully dimensional characters we can empathize with as they claw forward against a harsh world...

Words and bodies are weaponized as Mary (Moore) and George (Galitzine) infiltrate the court of King James I (Tony Curran).In seventeenth century England, a common woman named Mary Villners (Julianne Moore) finds herself widowed and left nothing from her husband. She quickly remarries so that she can send her son George (Nicholas Galitzine) to France to be properly groomed to enter into high society. It’s in France that George explores his sexuality, making him the perfect mark to seduce King James I (Tony Curran), whose voracious sexual appetite for men is known far and wide. Mary schemes with George to infiltrate the King’s inner circle so that both of them can become rich and influential within the palace. 

The show wastes no time establishing the venomous symbiotic relationship between mother and son in Mary and George. After giving birth to George (who’s dropped by his delivery nurse), Mary screams for everyone to leave. She’ll cut the umbilical cord herself, though she’ll wait a little bit to do so. Smash cut to decades later, a bemused Mary cuts down George hanging himself from a tree, not for one moment thinking that this stunt was anything more for attention. Creator D.C. Moore quickly builds a convincing and unique relationship that serves as the dramatic engine for plenty of palace intrigue and sexual social climbing. Mary sees George as just another tool that she can use to obtain power and influence. Meanwhile, George is the character with the arc, going from wide-eyed sex idiot to a wheeler and dealer in the Royal Court, comfortably wielding the power his Mother has lusted for all this time.

Julianne Moore gives an Emmy-worthy performance in Starz's miniseries, Mary and George.It also helps when you have an actress as powerful and commanding as Julianne Moore behind your titular character. She relishes every bitchy barb that Mary throws out, often not concealing her thirst and her venom. It’s a real treat to see Moore able to unleash her anger with such an unapologetic character, something she has specialized in dating all the way back to her barnburning monologue in Magnolia. Thankfully, Mary isn’t all thorns. She gets her own romance with a brash prostitute, Sandi (Niamh Algar), who becomes her accomplice in all things poison and scheming.

The past few years have seen the quick rise of Nicholas Galitzine, coincidentally mirroring George’s own quick rise to prominence. Admittedly, Galitzine’s work so far has personally ranged from grating (Purple Hearts; Red, White & Royal Blue) to serviceable (Bottoms). Thus, it was surprising to see how well he equips himself as the seductively sneaky George. His doe-eyed gaze conveys a sort of moldability that King James (and Mary) can control, while his strength provides just enough of danger and intrigue to make him an interesting character in his own right. Galitzine stretches his range as he morphs George from a naive, seductive twink to a powerful, commanding presence in the Royal Court. 

The line between sex and romance blurs in interesting ways throughout the course of Mary and George.All the bed-hopping, beheadings and banishments pile up at a deceptively quick speed. Mary and George prioritizes entertainment value over coherency, which sometimes does not give much room for the supporting cast to shine. However, there’s plenty of eye candy to make audiences tune in week after week. Yes, the costumes are grand and the production design is top notch. What’s likely to grab headlines and stick in people’s minds is the sheer amount of sexy fun throughout the show. It’s not long before one is treated to a palace orgy or a strategically calculated tryst, all of which moves the literal story forward as well as demonstrating the characters social standing. Other shows can often make these scenes gluttonous or something to frown upon, but Mary and George doesn’t succumb to these easy cliches. Despite all the calculations, both characters contain the capacity to love.

These complicated interpersonal emotions are the driving force for later episodes. Once we get footholds of power, do we hold onto it for ourselves or do we use it to elevate those around us? Both characters find their allegiances consistently tested - their allegiance to each other and their allegiance to their King and country. The tone may not be as sharp and incisive as the similarly smarmy and sexy film “The Favourite.” Yet, it makes up for that with a great deal of heart below its fair bit of smut. B+

Mary and George premieres on Starz on Friday, April 5th, with new episodes airing weekly.

Comments

[Joe G.]

I'm looking forward to this one. It's great to see Julianne Moore in a big budget production with her as the lead. It will also be fun to see her be mean and chew the scenery a bit. I tend to think of her as a subtle actress (outside of Magnolia and A Single Man), and I don't think we've had the chance to see her let loose in this way, and on this scale, in quite a while.

[jules]

This sounds good, possibly worth a temporary Starz subscription. I was curious, as I've been disappointed by so many limited series starring great actresses recently (hello, Expats, Capote/Swans, and Apples Never Fall). Julianne Moore is a treasure, so I'm glad she's finding projects worthy of her talents.

[Pam]

@Jules I was very disappointed. Like the ones you named, and The Regime, I was not a fan. But I guess Julianne and the others are having fun trying new stuff.

[Sun Flower]

This is such a creative and informative article. I must say our very creative!

[jules]

Thanks, Pam. I completely forgot about The Regime, which says something!

But on the plus side, Palm Royale is a lot of fun. And I'm suprised by how much I love Manhunt, though the only famous actress in that is Lili Taylor, and she's only in it sparingly. So Apple Plus is killing it.

[Frank Zappa]

Thus, it was surprising to see how well he equips himself …

Acquits himself, no?

Anyway, three episodes in and I can’t stop thinking about Savage Grace, which I watched recently…