The Serpent Queen 1.04.
Oct. 3rd, 2022 10:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakThis episode is titled „A New Age“, as in, fifteen years time jump, from this point onwards Samantha Morton is the only Catherine. I have to say, I‘ll miss Liv Hill as teenage Catherine. She was such an expected fabulous treat. But of course Ms Morton was a big incentive to me to watch this series to begin with, so hooray for her as well.
Mind you, while they mention the fifteen years time jump, they‘re careful not to mention Catherine‘s ensuing age, because even with some trickery, Samantha Morton does not look like a woman in her early 30s, even taking all the childbirths into account. Otoh, I was deeply impressed that she plays Catherine somewhat different from how she plays her in the framing narration, when Catherine is at the height of her power. Still younger, more vulnerable, less assured, and of course with a massive post birth depression at the start of the episode after her gruesome last pregnancy. Speaking of which, speaking as someone who chose to open her story about Catherine with the horrible last birth where they had to cut one of the babies (historical Catherine had twins at her last children) out of her, I appreciate (in a „this trauma was important and says something about her“ way) the series including it, but I‘m slightly baffled why they changed two twin girls (deceased) to one boy (deceased) as the last kids(s) whose birth ended Catherine‘s childbearing years. It‘s not like it makes a difference in show!verse, since there as in reality, the surviving boys have all been born. However, I understand completely why they made the time jump from young Catherine having gained some measure of safety by finally getting pregnant (at a price) to the last pregnancy, because that‘s when she starts to get actively into politics, and the previous episode already showcased her married life with the Henri/Diane OTP and its constant humiliations to get home how it was for her. Btw, I also continue to be impressed of how the series manages the balance with Henri, keeping him just human and concerned enough for Catherine (giving the doctor the order to save her, not the baby, consoling her later, being an openly affectionate father to their children in great contrast to what both of them - i.e. Henri and Catherine - have experienced in their childhood) to justify her continued attachment despite her awareness of its hopelessness, while otoh also showing his flaws (which isn‘t his love for Diane per se but his neediness, lack of foresight and ability to be swayed by whoever has his ear).
I also love how even the minor characters get their chance to shine, in this episode, Francis I’s mistress and Eleanor of Austria, sister of Emperor Charles V. (and not just because I‘m into the Habsburg ladies of this era) and unwanted wife of Francis I. As older narrating Catherine says, on the one hand, Eleanor is an embodiment of the future which is all too likely for Catherine and which she doesn‘t want to have, but otoh the series also lets Eleanor be a person in her own right, intelligent, not malicious but not soft, either, and having a point when she tells Catherine that avoiding to fall in love with the husband who doesn‘t want you would have been the better choice. Moreover, the Eleanor & Catherine conversation later results in Catherine using the intelligence she‘s given there - Eleanor‘s observation that brother Charles will most definitely continue the feud with France - and applying it in the council. Which I thought was an excellent show, not tell way of presenting Catherine as someone who has the ability to rule not because she‘s magically born this way but because she uses what she learns, and she listens, even if she disagrees with the source.
As for Francis‘ mistress (is this still supposed to be the Duchess? No idea, because the series lets Francis survive somewhat longer than he did in rl anyway so Catherine‘s emerging from her post partum depression can coincide with his death and her political awakening): The scene between her and Francis in which she rips his self pitiying musings and rewriting of the past to shreds was great for its own sake, but she also works as a good parallel and contrast to Diane. Diane‘s certainty that her fate will never be the same is based on her correct assumption that Henri would never forsake her, that she knows him too well to ever loose her hold on him, but it overlooks a scenario like the one that will happen - Henri dying first. (Given the age gap between them, of course, Diane‘s implicit assumption she will die first is understandable.)
Meanwhile, the framing narration and Rahima gain narrative interest, too. (And also display this virtue of keeping everyone human. In this case Rahima‘s enemy, who had been introduced as an unsympathetic character belittling and hurting Rahima on a regular basis. But the series in this episode doesn‘t allow us to forget that Rahima‘s revenge literally cost the woman her eye, that this was mutiliation and a vicious act of its own. The series also showcases that Rahima isn‘t a naive listener. Yes, she uses having gained Catherine‘s favor to protect herself and to get her own back against people who think they can abuse her, but she does seem to have drawn the (correct) conclusion that completely trusting Catherine would be a mistake, as we can see by the reveal that contrary to what she told Catherine (and was that a test on Catherine’s part or wasn‘t it? I think it was), Rahima can, in fact, read.
Lastly, when narrating Catherine declared that the Bourbons and and the Guises were all wankers, she wasn‘t kidding. The series presents both sides as self important greedy jerks, which btw I strongly suspect is how historical Catherine probably saw them, too. I note, however, that Jeanne d‘Albret has yet to make an appearance, though I trust she will eventually, since the show so far has a good record of never letting Catherine be the only interesting female character but keeping all the female characters interesting. I‘m also intrigued by its positioning, in the framing narration and in the flashback, young Mary Stuart as Catherine‘s latest opponent.
Mind you, while they mention the fifteen years time jump, they‘re careful not to mention Catherine‘s ensuing age, because even with some trickery, Samantha Morton does not look like a woman in her early 30s, even taking all the childbirths into account. Otoh, I was deeply impressed that she plays Catherine somewhat different from how she plays her in the framing narration, when Catherine is at the height of her power. Still younger, more vulnerable, less assured, and of course with a massive post birth depression at the start of the episode after her gruesome last pregnancy. Speaking of which, speaking as someone who chose to open her story about Catherine with the horrible last birth where they had to cut one of the babies (historical Catherine had twins at her last children) out of her, I appreciate (in a „this trauma was important and says something about her“ way) the series including it, but I‘m slightly baffled why they changed two twin girls (deceased) to one boy (deceased) as the last kids(s) whose birth ended Catherine‘s childbearing years. It‘s not like it makes a difference in show!verse, since there as in reality, the surviving boys have all been born. However, I understand completely why they made the time jump from young Catherine having gained some measure of safety by finally getting pregnant (at a price) to the last pregnancy, because that‘s when she starts to get actively into politics, and the previous episode already showcased her married life with the Henri/Diane OTP and its constant humiliations to get home how it was for her. Btw, I also continue to be impressed of how the series manages the balance with Henri, keeping him just human and concerned enough for Catherine (giving the doctor the order to save her, not the baby, consoling her later, being an openly affectionate father to their children in great contrast to what both of them - i.e. Henri and Catherine - have experienced in their childhood) to justify her continued attachment despite her awareness of its hopelessness, while otoh also showing his flaws (which isn‘t his love for Diane per se but his neediness, lack of foresight and ability to be swayed by whoever has his ear).
I also love how even the minor characters get their chance to shine, in this episode, Francis I’s mistress and Eleanor of Austria, sister of Emperor Charles V. (and not just because I‘m into the Habsburg ladies of this era) and unwanted wife of Francis I. As older narrating Catherine says, on the one hand, Eleanor is an embodiment of the future which is all too likely for Catherine and which she doesn‘t want to have, but otoh the series also lets Eleanor be a person in her own right, intelligent, not malicious but not soft, either, and having a point when she tells Catherine that avoiding to fall in love with the husband who doesn‘t want you would have been the better choice. Moreover, the Eleanor & Catherine conversation later results in Catherine using the intelligence she‘s given there - Eleanor‘s observation that brother Charles will most definitely continue the feud with France - and applying it in the council. Which I thought was an excellent show, not tell way of presenting Catherine as someone who has the ability to rule not because she‘s magically born this way but because she uses what she learns, and she listens, even if she disagrees with the source.
As for Francis‘ mistress (is this still supposed to be the Duchess? No idea, because the series lets Francis survive somewhat longer than he did in rl anyway so Catherine‘s emerging from her post partum depression can coincide with his death and her political awakening): The scene between her and Francis in which she rips his self pitiying musings and rewriting of the past to shreds was great for its own sake, but she also works as a good parallel and contrast to Diane. Diane‘s certainty that her fate will never be the same is based on her correct assumption that Henri would never forsake her, that she knows him too well to ever loose her hold on him, but it overlooks a scenario like the one that will happen - Henri dying first. (Given the age gap between them, of course, Diane‘s implicit assumption she will die first is understandable.)
Meanwhile, the framing narration and Rahima gain narrative interest, too. (And also display this virtue of keeping everyone human. In this case Rahima‘s enemy, who had been introduced as an unsympathetic character belittling and hurting Rahima on a regular basis. But the series in this episode doesn‘t allow us to forget that Rahima‘s revenge literally cost the woman her eye, that this was mutiliation and a vicious act of its own. The series also showcases that Rahima isn‘t a naive listener. Yes, she uses having gained Catherine‘s favor to protect herself and to get her own back against people who think they can abuse her, but she does seem to have drawn the (correct) conclusion that completely trusting Catherine would be a mistake, as we can see by the reveal that contrary to what she told Catherine (and was that a test on Catherine’s part or wasn‘t it? I think it was), Rahima can, in fact, read.
Lastly, when narrating Catherine declared that the Bourbons and and the Guises were all wankers, she wasn‘t kidding. The series presents both sides as self important greedy jerks, which btw I strongly suspect is how historical Catherine probably saw them, too. I note, however, that Jeanne d‘Albret has yet to make an appearance, though I trust she will eventually, since the show so far has a good record of never letting Catherine be the only interesting female character but keeping all the female characters interesting. I‘m also intrigued by its positioning, in the framing narration and in the flashback, young Mary Stuart as Catherine‘s latest opponent.
