35 replies to this topic

[Trini Girl]

Wife of Conrad Grayson, mother to Daniel and Charlotte, former lover of David Clarke.

Discuss!

[RachelKM]

Victoria Grayson, the matriarch of the Grayson clan and Monarch of the Hamptons with an affinity for lavish parties and bandage dresses.

She can burn you with a glare or freeze you with a smile. And she will stash your barely 9-year-old butt in an institution if her plan requires it.


Madeline Stowe is magnificent in this part. She is not particularly sympathetic, and yet I root for her in against everyone except Emanda.

I'm looking forward to finding out more regarding her background. The hints have been interesting since they are so different from the persona she has built as Victoria Grayson.

[RachelKM]

Ooops. Must have gone up while I was typing.

[Spartan Girl]

So, we're going for this one as the official thread?

Victoria is a fun villainess. Yet try as the writers or viewers might to make her sympathetic, I cannot bring myself to feel sorry for her. At the end of the day, she sold out her "true love" and ruined a child's life to save her own ass and stay in a marriage to a guy who is a dog. Yes, she did it because she was threatened with losing Daniel...but couldn't she and David have just gone to the authorities first. I'm sure they would have gotten Victoria some kind of immunity for her testimony against Conrad, so she might have been allowed to keep Daniel.

[Bella]

RachelKM:

Victoria Grayson, the matriarch of the Grayson clan and Monarch of the Hamptons with an affinity for lavish parties and bandage dresses.

She can burn you with a glare or freeze you with a smile. And she will stash your barely 9-year-old butt in an institution if her plan requires it.

Madeline Stowe is magnificent in this part. She is not particularly sympathetic, and yet I root for her in against everyone except Emanda.

I'm looking forward to finding out more regarding her background. The hints have been interesting since they are so different from the persona she has built as Victoria Grayson.

Madeline Stowe is so perfect for this role. I cannot think of another actress that could pull this off as well.

[BBDi]

I was thinking the other day about when exactly during the pilot that I knew that I was hooked. I realized that it was the moment that Emanda was walking through the party-yacht and looked through the window at QV and caught her eye, and neither one looked away. Those two strong women--messed up, sure, but strong. They got me right there--it's really when I knew it wasn't just a 'fun' show but something even better.

[NicoleMN6]

I could see Marcia Cross in this role... She's got that same Botox look and ability to play sympathetic cruelty. They should cast her next season as a Queen V type in Manhattan (perhaps a Martha Stewarty character up in the 'burbs), who is secretly Tyler's mom!

Edited by NicoleMN6, Jan 18, 2012 @ 8:39 PM.

[Magsi2]

Just watched Jimmy Kimmel show. I was hoping for some Revenge spoiler or hints, but alas....there were none. She did look great in the black dress though.

[Titus]

I read somewhere that Sharon Stone was also considered for the role but I love Madeline Stowe as QV. Her iciness is awesome to behold yet other than the Amanda thing, I feel a lot of sympathy towards her.

[callietwo]

I am typically focused on her wonky eye, so much so that I often miss some of her dialog and have to rewind.

That said, I love the character, and I really do like MS in the role. And I love her wardrobe!

I'm confused by the conflicting backstory tidbits that've been dropped though. At one point she talked about riding horses (polo?) at boarding school abroad, but then Conrad talks about her past in a way that makes it sound like she was a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks that married up.

[Trini Girl]

She probably did "marry up", but I don't think she was as poor as Conrad says. (Since he's always belittling her now, anyways.) Compared to Conrad she might have been "poor".

[Princess Aldrea]

So why are Conrad and Victoria getting a divorce, anyway? It seems like they jumped right from Victoria being upset about the continued affair with Lydia and asking him to leave and then BOOM! divorce.

[quangtran]

The episode with their 25th anniversary highlighted that theirs was a sham marriage, and that Vic always loved David Clarke more. That was when they officially went from quietly resenting each-other to openly despising each-other.

[Frenchy68]

I normally like a good villain, but I think they should have chosen a less serious setup point than going for terrorism. It hits too close to home and isn't like normal soap opera villainy, e.g., sleeping with someone else's spouse or stealing someone's company.

Conrad financially supported terrorists who brought down a plane. Victoria framed David for that. Regardless of everything else, she let Conrad off for the one of the most horrible acts I can think of.

I'm worried that Stowe's performance will convince the writers to try and redeem her. If Emily doesn't succeed in destroying the Graysons and bringing Conrad to justice, I think this show will be a huge fail.

[Bkwrm]

But the crime had to be BIG. It had to be something that "justified" (for lack of a better word) the total destruction of David and his daughter. Conrad and Victoria and the rest had to be afraid of a revelation that could destroy them utterly.

Besides, Edmond Dantes was arrested for treason.

I understand the worry about Victoria and redemption; Stowe is so great in this part that a lot of viewers still try to find some way to excuse her or find a good motive for her actions.

Victoria, like a lot of "evil" people, is not the kind of person who tortures puppies and such. She's the type who usually does the right thing when it's easy and costs her nothing. When tested, she covers her own ass.

[Princess Aldrea]

I understand the worry about Victoria and redemption; Stowe is so great in this part that a lot of viewers still try to find some way to excuse her or find a good motive for her actions.

Oh, I really hope she doesn't. There's just something so very unlikable about her and I can't put my finger on it.

[insanityproject]

I adore MS in this role. When she was in her thirties, she was IMO the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. She's had a good career but not as great a career as could have due to most films of the last few decades being male-centric. It's a lucky thing for her (and us) that tv has gotten so good and that (perhaps not coincidentally) there are so many good parts for women in tv. This is perfect time & place for MS.

I don't think the show is going to redeem QV by explaining away her evil. That would ruin Emanda's purpose. I do think though that it is possible for characters to change. QV could evolve into a better person -- she could also become more evil. That's part of what makes the character so much fun to watch. She's complicated, she's a monster, she's passionate, she's sorry, she's vengeful, and so on. QV is like a Shakespearian villain -- equal parts awful and compelling.

[tina roars]

I hate it that MS is so good in this role that I can't help but root for QV a little bit. While I agree that the show shouldn't go overboard with her redemption, I still like to see that bit of humanization once in a while. I like my villians not so over the top and mustache-twirling, Tyler, I'm looking at you! Right now they've given her a nice balance. Just when I was starting to feel a tinge of sadness for her in the scene with Charlotte where for the first time, Victoria actually showed motherly concern towards her daughter, she tosses all that sympathy out the window with the rape lie. More Emanda and QV scenes please.

Agree that television seems to be the place now for strong female roles. I hope that come Emmy time, the voters can get over their stigma of this being a soapy show to toss some love MS's way. I used to think that Heather Locklear was good during her Melrose days, but now I see that this is how you bring complexity to a villainess character.

[BBDi]

I hate it that MS is so good in this role that I can't help but root for QV a little bit. While I agree that the show shouldn't go overboard with her redemption, I still like to see that bit of humanization once in a while.

Even though I always think that QV is a horrible person, there are little glimmers of things that make her just a tiny bit relatable. I guess because no matter how powerful she is (or was), she still has a husband who cheated on her with her best friend, her kids are growing up and growing away from her, and she's at the age where she must look around and wonder why she made the choices she made. MS plays her so well that she is not merely a caricature of evil, she's a person.

[darkestboy]

I think Victoria is probably the strongest character on the show apart from Emily and Nolan. I like her, despite her actions being horrifying but MS generates some warmth and intrigue to the cold and calculated moments with Victoria, so for those reasons alone, she's alright with me.

[corvus13]

I wonder if we will get a reaction from her to her thug's beating Jack. Will she care?

[angelita100]

I wouldn't necessarily classify Nolan and Amanda as strong but I do think Victoria is. Warm and Victoria don't really go together that much for me yet but she is intriguing, cold and calculating. People are her possessions so I'm never sure if she is playing a game with the person or being real.I do know that she looks out mostly for herself and and will do anything to protect the litttle image she has created for herself.

[Princess Aldrea]

I wonder if we will get a reaction from her to her thug's beating Jack. Will she care?

I doubt it. Jack's not dead, after all, and it didn't even seem to do any permanent damage. Add that to the fact she's met him only a handful of times at once and why would she?

[Midru]

I can't say I ever root for her, but I'm always fascinated by what she does.

The parallels between her and the real Amanda are amazing. You could totally see her as a poorer version of young Amanda, scheming her way to marrying Conrad. In another world, couldn't you see Amanda doing the same things?

Funny to think where Amanda might be at her age. You would like to think Amanda will get her revenge and then change gears into a genuine loving person for a happily ever after with Jack. But there's no way Amanda will stop her devious ways. Like Victoria I think, she will also end up lying all the time about everything, dealing time after time with the consequences of her devious ways.

I bet a 50 year old Amanda would be even more evil, or at least more bitter, than Victoria!

Edited by Midru, Feb 18, 2012 @ 5:32 AM.

[Bkwrm]

Emily/Amanda isn't scheming to get a rich husband. She wants revenge and justice for her father. She's not in it out of greed.


EVERYTHING Victoria has done has been for herself, to get what she wants. The ladies are both ruthless, but they're not alike.

[ribboninthesky1]

The ladies are both ruthless, but they're not alike.

Their motivations are very different, but otherwise, they seem pretty similar to me. No one forced either of them to be ruthless, manipulative, and self-absorbed. That's the path they chose, and Victoria being greedy doesn't really negate who Amanda chose to become.

[Princess Aldrea]

Their motivations are very different, but otherwise, they seem pretty similar to me. No one forced either of them to be ruthless, manipulative, and self-absorbed. That's the path they chose, and Victoria being greedy doesn't really negate who Amanda chose to become.

No but I think their motives being so extremely different makes them completely different. Maybe they are both willing to use people and go to extremes to get what they want but Emanda had far more provocation than Victoria from what we've seen so far.

[Midru]

But once you start a pattern it's difficult to stop.

Victoria married her multimillionaire a long time ago. She could have relaxed and stop scheming right then and had a great life. But she can't stop, the die is cast.

Same thing with Emily, I fear. What happens if/when she finally gets her revenge and gets to sail off into the sunset with Jack? Do you really think she would stop lying, scheming, and manipulating? That's how she relates to people!

Edited by Midru, Feb 19, 2012 @ 9:21 AM.

[Princess Aldrea]

Victoria married her multimillionaire a long time ago. She could have relaxed and stop scheming right then and had a great life. But she can't stop, the die is cast.

I don't know that she was necessarily scheming all this time. There was some scheming regarding the coverup but that was a necessity to survive and now she's started scheming again because Amanda is back and she's going through a bitter divorce.

[sweetpd7]

don't know that she was necessarily scheming all this time. There was some scheming regarding the coverup but that was a necessity to survive and now she's started scheming again because Amanda is back and she's going through a bitter divorc

She was a pretty, poor girl who wanted to move up in the world. She had an affair with Conrad, then he divorced his first wife for her. I'd say some definite scheming went on here. She probably was never really in love with Conrad, since her affair with David happened early in their marriage. I also think she plotted and clawed her way up to be the Queen Bee of Hampton Society, even if being Mrs. Grayson gave her a big boost up. I'd doubt she ever stopped scheming, it's a second nature to her. Just like revenge motivates Emily.