If one were to wonder what happened to create the IRA in Ireland, see this episode. The Potato Famine killed over a million people. The British loved getting their tithes and anything else, but had no trouble watching them pile up on the sides of the road. Victoria becomes aware of this and feels it is her moral duty to do something. But politics render her impotent. Peele is her friend but can't do a whole lot. She is reading reports and sees how powerless she is. Some startling scenes are the pompous upper crust meeting and stuffing their fat faces. This rift took a hundred years to resolve and, to some, it never was. An excellent portrayal of a tragic event with no sugar coating.
Add a Review
-
Hitchcoc19 February 2018
-
Laurence_the_parrot1 October 2017A truly outstanding episode about the potato famine in Ireland which started in 1846.
Around a million died and another million emigrated as a result. History brought to life.
Directed by Jim Loach, son of Ken. -
micealbolger2 October 2017Season One was highly entertaining viewing; not least because it intertwined the coming of age of the 18-year-old Victoria with the social and political events of the period. Most, if not all episodes were worth watching a second time because there was a nice blend of drama, intrigue and historical events.
However, whilst episodes 1-5 of Season Two have been rather lacklustre; Faith, Hope & Charity was an excellent episode because it presented a sympathetic and balanced view of events in Ireland in 1847. Apart from the usual sub-plots, this episode was primarily about the Irish Famine; albeit a snapshot from a small parish in West Cork.
OK, so let's not get into the complex relationship between Britain & Ireland (we're best friends today) but for the British viewer, I dare say that this episode highlights the dark period in Irish history that has too often been overlooked; especially the religious bigotry. However, to the Irish viewer , it gives us a better understanding as to why the government was reluctant to intervene, and a better understanding of Sir Robert Peel's personal struggle between his social conscience and his position as Prime Minister.
Though, let's be honest, Miss Cleary –a lowly servant –would probably not have had an impromptu private audience with the Queen on the subject of the Irish Famine; but the scene is used to good dramatic effect at the end. Otherwise, top marks for this episode. Have your hankies on the ready Míċeál Bolger (Southern Ireland) -
john-70-6902784 October 2017While the 'Victoria' series has been quite well done, it has, for me at least, lacked punch and seemed a bit pedestrian. Until this episode, that is.
"Faith, Hope and Charity" dealt with the horrors of the Irish potato famine of the 1840s and showed, with a fair degree of bluntness, how the UK government reacted. Members of Parliament were more concerned about upsetting their most powerful supporters than with helping millions of starving people and used every possible excuse for not helping, sadly a situation which still persists with most political groupings in most parts of the world today.
There was a lot of dramatic licence; for instance, I can find no evidence that Robert Traill had an audience with the Queen and for a domestic servant to interrupt the Queen in a palace corridor would have been unthinkable at the time, but the points were nonetheless well made. Robert Traill was a real person who really did do his best to help, dying of typhus fever which he most probably contracted as a result of his efforts. Some of the scenes were genuinely heart-rending, especially for anyone whose Irish ancestors were affected, and the overall story was very well handled.
This rather shocking period of British history is rarely mentioned but 'Victoria' will undoubtedly have raised its profile very significantly. "Faith, Hope and Charity" was well written, well presented, well acted, gripping and genuinely educational. Let's have more like it. -
michaelmross-662-82210818 December 2020I'm unsentimental, but I was sobbing in this episode. A lot of the power in this series comes from the creative use of history. That emotional power is channeled through Jenna Coleman's portrayal. Her compassion is the heart and soul of it. In this episode, Robert Traill is a historical actor in the events, but he never wrote a letter to the British press and never had a meeting with Victoria that led to her intervention. However, he was one link in that chain of the events. Few punches are pulled about the callous disregard of Britain, and the Irish protestants, to the famine. Nevertheless, don't confuse this portrayal for history - the truth was much worse.
-
flash-1042 February 2020Would that this episode were true. But to quote Wikipedia, "There is no evidence that she had any real compassion for the Irish people in any way." Irish clergyman Robert Traill, who wrote a letter that makes it to the newspapers, had never met Victoria."
-
bobcobb30117 August 2018The famine and struggles that plagued Europe in this time might not be as known to American viewers like me as people in that continent, but this episode highlighted how impactful it was for those that were hungry all the way up to those in government.
An interesting subject and an entertaining episode.