#Anyway the insight into some of the difficult emotions and questions Clara is wrangling with under the surface in S3E4 was so good

[hephaestuscrew]

Lady Miss Clara Entwhistle

'Miss Entwhistle' or 'Miss Clara Entwhistle' is said 93 times across Seasons 1 and 2 of Victoriocity. 'Lady [Clara] Entwhistle' is never said until S3E4. I'm obsessed with the fact that every time Clara has introduced herself or been referred to by name - every time she's been 'Miss' rather than 'Lady' - it's been a symbol for her of how she's building her own life, separate from her family and their expectations for her. She could have adopted a whole new name if she wanted to entirely disguise her aristocratic family ties, but she choose a more subtle shift.

Before she came to London, how many times had she walked into rooms she didn't want to be in and been announced as 'Lady Clara Entwhistle'? Did it feel strange to her at first, the switch to introducing herself without any hint at her father's Earldom? Or did it just feel right, her name finally able to stand on its own, like she was trying to? 

How many situations has Clara been in since moving to London where her title would have commanded respect and made things easier? How many people has she met who would have been impressed that she was a member of the aristocracy, who might have cooperated more quickly or revealed information more easily had they known? In the confrontation with Merrick in the House of Commons, for example, would there have been quite so much jeering and disbelief from the benches at the words of an Earl's daughter, as opposed to a random unmarried female journalist? But she's never played that card - it's never felt worth it to her.

When we first meet Clara as she enters London, she says "Well, my mother's occupation is... Lady, I suppose. And I am a journalist." Lady is a role which defines her mother, who is appalled by the idea of having an occupation. "Why couldn’t you just have married a duke, moved to Saxony and died of scarlet fever like your sister?" is funny in its ridiculousness, but it's also horrifying; Clara's mother would prefer a dead daughter than a daughter who is living the life Clara wants. That's something that must weigh on her, even when the ties are cut. Coming from an environment like that, it's no wonder if she sees a life of autonomy and independence as inherently incompatible with any acknowledgement of the role in society she was born into. So she goes by 'Miss', and she doesn't seem to talk about her aristocratic heritage, and still she's asking herself "what it means to be free, for birds or people"...

#Victoriocity #Victoriocity spoilers #Clara Entwhistle #I don't know why I've barely posted about Victoriocity Season 3 #Don't worry I am going insane about it... #Until the last ep it hadn't occurred to me that her mother being 'Lady Lucretia' might mean Clara would have a title other than 'Miss' #which I guess speaks to how she distances herself from that #as well as my ignorance of the structure of the aristocracy #Tbf according to my research if Clara's father had been a viscount or a baron #her mother would had the title 'Lady' but Clara wouldn't have #The daughters of viscounts and barons are referred to as 'The Honourable' #and daughters of baronets or knights are simply called 'Miss' #Anyway the insight into some of the difficult emotions and questions Clara is wrangling with under the surface in S3E4 was so good #I hope we get to dig into this a little more