#guises

I finally finished the final episode of The Serpent Queen on STARZ today. My thoughts: I ending up enjoying it more than I thought I would. The storyline was fun and entertaining. The writers were clearly going for a more comedic depiction of their characters. Almost all of them were over the top, exaggerated and slightly insane.

Minnie Driver as Elizabeth I was hilarious. There were parts of her character I didn't like but for the most part she worked. Her true personality was usually there right beneath the surface. Loved Queen Jeanne d'Albret, Henri of Navarre, and Marguerite de Valois. Most of Catherine's children came across as very sympathetic which is probably why I enjoyed Season 2 more than Season 1. No Diane de Poitiers in Season 2 either another good thing. I can't stand her lol! The Guises and the Bourbons were scheming, foolish and not very likable but entertaining to watch. I really liked Montmorency he was sympathetic right up until his end. Mary Queen of Scots was a fanatical Catholic and overly villainous. Something I haven't seen before.

I had mixed feelings about the Duke of Florence and Rahima. It seemed like they were trying to give characters of color a storyline in a historical drama, which I can appreciate but considering they weren't real people their story seemed to be shoved into the plot in a way that felt clunky. I wish the writers had tried to include black people or people of color who actually lived in France at that time. It would've been more respectful. Rahima felt a lot like Lina in The Spanish Princess. I liked her character but thought her storyline could've been handled better. Same with Sister Edith she reminded me of Anne Aschew particularly the way Anne is portrayed in Firebrand preaching to the people and stirring them up.

On 19 April a new edict banned the use of the words ‘huguenot’ and ‘papist’, thereby echoing sentiments which L'Hôpital had voiced in his opening address to the Estates-General. The right to enter houses in search of assemblies was restricted to magistrates, and the edict of 28 February was confirmed. This measure, however, far from pouring oil on troubled waters, caused more trouble, for it was sent to the local authorities without first being submitted to the parlements for registration. Catholics feared that Catherine was becoming a Protestant. Philip II warned her not to allow the ‘new ideas’ which had arisen in France to make further progress, while his ambassador, Chantonnay, watched her every move like a hawk, bombarding her with reproaches. She justified her policy of ‘clemency for past deeds’ by pointing to the need to bring peace to the kingdom and to assure it of a better future. She blamed the Guises for spreading lies about her in Spain and condemned their effort to marry their widowed niece, Mary Stuart, to Philip II’s son, Don Carlos. Such an alliance would threaten all that she was trying to achieve. She suggested her own daughter, Marguerite, as a possible bride for Carlos. Catherine also proposed a way of detaching Navarre from the Huguenot cause: let Philip give him back Spanish Navarre or some other territory in Italy, perhaps Siena or Sardinia.”