Home US Is this the raunchiest royal drama yet? Critics are captivated by Julianne Moore’s hit film Mary & George, about the 17th-century countess who groomed her son to seduce King James I, complete with a ménage-a-six, full-frontal nudity and lesbian affairs. .

Is this the raunchiest royal drama yet? Critics are captivated by Julianne Moore’s hit film Mary & George, about the 17th-century countess who groomed her son to seduce King James I, complete with a ménage-a-six, full-frontal nudity and lesbian affairs. .

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Critics have been captivated by one of the raunchiest royal dramas to date - about a 17th-century countess who molded her son to seduce King James I (pictured by Nicholas Galitzine and Tony Curran in the programme).

Critics have been captivated by one of the raunchiest royal dramas to date: about a 17th-century countess who molded her son to seduce King James I.

Sky’s Mary & George, which aired this week, is inspired by the scandalous true story of Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore), who taught her beautiful and charismatic son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England. (Tony Curran) and become her all-powerful lover.

Through scandalous intrigue, the couple rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors.

Fans have praised the raunchy bonk hunter for its mix of “costumes, plots and sex”, while critics have called it “ridiculously good fun” and a “real game of sex and intrigue”.

The show also looks at early 18th century England and its place on the world stage under the threat of a Spanish invasion and the rioters who took to the streets to denounce the King.

Critics have been captivated by one of the raunchiest royal dramas to date - about a 17th-century countess who molded her son to seduce King James I (pictured by Nicholas Galitzine and Tony Curran in the programme).

Critics have been captivated by one of the raunchiest royal dramas to date – about a 17th-century countess who molded her son to seduce King James I (pictured by Nicholas Galitzine and Tony Curran in the programme).

Sky's Mary & George, which aired this week, is inspired by the scandalous true story of Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore), who taught her beautiful and charismatic son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England. (Tony Curran) and become his almighty

Sky's Mary & George, which aired this week, is inspired by the scandalous true story of Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore), who taught her beautiful and charismatic son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England. (Tony Curran) and become his almighty

Sky’s Mary & George, which aired this week, is inspired by the scandalous true story of Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore), who taught her beautiful and charismatic son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England. (Tony Curran) and become his almighty

The show also looks at early 18th century England and its place on the world stage under the threat of a Spanish invasion and the rioters who took to the streets to denounce the King.

The show also looks at early 18th century England and its place on the world stage under the threat of a Spanish invasion and the rioters who took to the streets to denounce the King.

The show also looks at early 18th century England and its place on the world stage under the threat of a Spanish invasion and the rioters who took to the streets to denounce the King.

Julianne Moore has been praised for her role on the show.

Julianne Moore has been praised for her role on the show.

Julianne Moore has been praised for her role on the show.

Willing to stop at nothing and armed with her ruthless political steel, Mary married her way up the ranks, bribed politicians, colluded with criminals and fought her way to the heart of the establishment, making it her own.

And the daring historical psychodrama about a treacherous mother and son who plotted, seduced and killed to conquer the Court of England and the bed of its King has become an instant hit.

The Guardian she praised him as “magnificent” and drew attention to: “prune poisonings, lesbian affairs, murders, orgies, and a family so monstrous they make the Borgias look like the Waltons.”

In a five-star review, they added: “Moore is bright, cool, intelligent and always brilliant, and seems to be having the time of her life.”

The times He gave the show four stars and compared the film to 2018’s The Favorite, with “colorful cursing, moments of off-kilter humor, and games of go-go.”

“The more sexual fluidity, the better,” the reviewer wrote.

‘Here the candlelight couplings are explicit (and everything else), although they look like a work of art. In episode three, a regally gay ménage-a-six (or “concert of the flesh”) looks like a previously censored Caravaggio painting come to life.

The daring historical psychodrama about a treacherous mother and son who plotted, seduced and killed to conquer the Court of England and the bed of its King has become an instant hit.

The daring historical psychodrama about a treacherous mother and son who plotted, seduced and killed to conquer the Court of England and the bed of its King has become an instant hit.

The daring historical psychodrama about a treacherous mother and son who plotted, seduced and killed to conquer the Court of England and the bed of its King has become an instant hit.

Critics have been captivated by Galitzine's performance and her looks.

Critics have been captivated by Galitzine's performance and her looks.

Critics have been captivated by Galitzine’s performance and her looks.

The series is written by DC Moore (Killing Eve, Temple), inspired by Benjamin Woolley's non-fiction book The King's Assassin.

The series is written by DC Moore (Killing Eve, Temple), inspired by Benjamin Woolley's non-fiction book The King's Assassin.

The series is written by DC Moore (Killing Eve, Temple), inspired by Benjamin Woolley’s non-fiction book The King’s Assassin.

The raunchy and lavish 17th-century period drama Mary & George (Sky Atlantic) follows the boy as he rises to claim a dukedom.

The raunchy and lavish 17th-century period drama Mary & George (Sky Atlantic) follows the boy as he rises to claim a dukedom.

The raunchy and lavish 17th-century period drama Mary & George (Sky Atlantic) follows the boy as he rises to claim a dukedom.

Mary & George is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios and will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW on March 5.

Mary & George is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios and will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW on March 5.

Mary & George is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios and will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW on March 5.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

THE GUARDIAN: ‘The stakes increase with each episode as the family ascends the social and court ladder and everything remains tremendous. Propulsive but grounded. Plotted but never messy. Lush and sumptuous without being bananas.’

Classification:

THE TIMES: ‘This is all built on some tremendous performances: Moore is fiercely steely, though not without vulnerabilities, while, as James I, Tony Curran has fun with a glass of wine in hand (“so crazy, it’s like a curse “)’

Classification:

THE IRISH TIMES: ‘The atmosphere at Mary & George is that of an artistic Renaissance set with security closure. In that sense, it’s part of a micro-environment of candlelit capers that includes Olivia Colman’s Oscar-winning The Favorite and the atrocious St. Petersburg-set comedy-drama The Great, which casts a supposedly comedic look at the conquests of Catherine the Great.

THE TELEGRAPH: ‘A look at the reign of James I is welcome; Aside from the Gunpowder Plot, this isn’t a period in history that gets much attention, but a lot of what happens is pure guesswork. A drama with style, but little substance’

Classification:

THE DAILY MAIL: ‘The next scenes become a soft-porn coming-of-age fantasy, complete with fencing matches, dance lessons and stable hands, until they’re almost Fifty Shades of Bridgerton. But the story becomes clearer when George returns to England and gets a job as the king’s waiter at banquets.

Classification:

The I: “It’s a dazzling story, sensationally told and joyfully directed by Julianne Moore as Mary, a self-made social climber whose ruthless ambition comes from knowing that womanhood in early 17th century England was a rotten bunch.”

Classification:

THE INDEPENDENT: ‘There is a lot of skin visible and a lot of pushing, both of hips and opinions. A few years ago, this would have seemed a radical way to approach period drama, invoking its misery and vulgarity with sharp, vulgar language. But this kind of iconoclasm no longer seems recent; in fact, The Great (a foul-mouthed, bawdy show about Catherine, Empress of Russia, scripted by The Favorite writer Tony McNamara) has already lived and died on our television schedules.’

Classification:

Mary is described as “a mother from hell and a social climber extraordinaire.”

Society bible Tatler also compared the program to The Favourite.

‘Judging by episode one, it’s a perfect, gender-swapped version of that particular story. As an examination of the use of sexuality as power within the realms of British nobility, Mary & George is fast-paced and delightfully dry,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, Irish times he called it “dimly lit, misanthropic and wallpapered with naked flesh.”

“The quantity is indisputable: there is an inexhaustible supply of punches and backstabbing.”

The Telegraph He said George, played by Nicholas Galitzine, looked like he came “straight off a catwalk.”

Mary, described as “one hell of a mother and a social climber extraordinaire”

Tony Curran as King James VI of Scotland and I of England, center

Tony Curran as King James VI of Scotland and I of England, center

Tony Curran as King James VI of Scotland and I of England, center

“You don’t look at his performance, you just look at his cheekbones.” they wrote.

The Daily Mail said: “This raunchy and lavish 17th-century period drama Mary & George (Sky Atlantic) follows the boy as he rises to claim a dukedom, as second sons sometimes do.” The serials of this era follow two patterns, the literary or the lascivious, Wolf Hall or The Tudors.

“This definitely falls into the latter camp, and if you like smutty, slutty, filthy stories, it’s a lot of fun.”

Mary & George is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios and will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

The series is written by DC Moore (Killing Eve, Temple), inspired by Benjamin Woolley’s non-fiction book The King’s Assassin.

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