Reviewer Rating: 5/5.0
5
Man, it’s fair to say that the Serpent Queen is taking off her gloves and getting ready for some dirty deeds.
The aptly titled “Time with Family” perfectly embodies the straight-to-the-core writing style that the series is known for.
Then again, “Snake Queen” does receive a perfect score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
So it’s no surprise that each episode of the series is filled with one thrilling moment after another.
People sometimes forget that the craziest parts of historical retellings are the ones based on what actually happened.
The Snake Queen serves the audience better by responding to these events with a firm yet shaky grip.
The Snake Queen is mother first, queen second, and an all-around force of nature
No one has more control over what happens in this series than Catherine.
The Queen Mother is at the mercy of other people’s agendas and conspirators.
Angelica is on the Queen’s shit list, so to speak, which is really just a hit list. We don’t blame her.
It’s a triumph of talent that Samantha Morton is able to say so much without saying it with subtle expression.
Her level of self-control as Catherine, without rolling her eyes and then breaking the fourth wall, is a perfect example of genius writing meeting extraordinary craftsmanship.
What’s more, Samantha Morton’s Catherine is doing what snakes do best: spinning.
As usual, the Snake Queen was ten steps ahead of everyone else and devised her own strategy. It’s not her fault that everyone gets frustrated trying to catch up.
Did you see how quickly she turned the tables when her son Charles wanted to play the Great King?
Catherine basically said, “Do you want the kingdom? It’s all yours. I’m going back to be a mother.”
If we learned anything from this series, you don’t have to be a queen to be one hell of a mother.
No matter what, these disguises will fascinate you
Since the first episode of The Snake Queen season 2, Antionette has been proving that she doesn’t need a crown to rule. She played around with her sons like chess pieces in the courtroom.
But make no mistake – she’ll still get what she deserves. In this case, that person appears to be Antoine.
The perfect scene with Antione and Antione deserves credit to the writers.
It’s a superb performance between dialogue and physical comedy. This Starz series made me laugh so hard.
It gave Antoinette a bird’s eye view of Françoise and Princess Margot. To everyone’s shock, Françoise showed for the first time an ounce of concern.
Considering the Duke’s cold and calculating nature, it’s almost out of character for him to be so protective of Margot in front of his mother.
This may have more to do with Antionette than Margot, though.
If the Duke’s mother should have been worried about anything, though, it would have been her other son, the Cardinal.
Take the Snake Queen to church because she might be the only one who can stop the madness
Charles, the pastor, was not doing well. Throughout the episode, he looks like he just finished drinking.
He is facing a mid-life crisis, a crisis of faith and a crisis of survival at the same time.
You know it’s bad when Anjou scolds you for looking like a mess. The last thing anyone wants is to be scolded by a typical child for having a tantrum.
The greatest irony is that this led him to turn to religion in a tangible way for the first time in his life.
As great as this is, we hardly think Edith should be his spiritual guide. The girl began to read the Old Testament with great fanfare.
At first, she mostly talked about love and faith, but things changed. She was well aware of the power she now held.
Seriously, this is shaping up to be Game of Thrones Season 5.
Soon, her actions will shift from protecting the innocent to punishing the guilty.
Though Edith may have fewer powers and allies to support her than she thinks.
Like I said, Katherine was always ten steps ahead of everyone else.
The Snake Queen is a mother who will love you until you hate her
The Snake Queen is a cold-blooded woman when necessary. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Catherine now needs to maintain a level of discord among her children. Sadly, the one who was easiest to manipulate died an episode ago.
However, Catherine didn’t lose her stride and continued to slide into the other children’s ears.
In The Snake Queen Season 1 Episode 4, Catherine uses her knowledge of Charles’ unnatural feelings for Margot to her own advantage.
Admittedly, this plan more or less failed before the Queen Mother. But she shows that she lives in the gray areas of life, much further than both the characters and the audience imagined.
Then there’s Elizabeth, who in a few scenes transforms from reading disabled Philip into his full-fledged wife.
Before anyone in Parliament or the palace could fully wake up, the Queen sent the happy couple away in her car.
But when Catherine reveals the ace up her sleeve, everyone sobers up like they’ve taken a cold shower.
How iconic is it that Queen Elizabeth steps out of her carriage and greets the royal punks in Minnie Driver (The Witcher: Bloodlines)?
Minnie Driver must be having fun playing the “Virgin Queen”. The actress has been chewing every scene.
I get excited every time she comes into the picture.
The writers had a great time with this character and I couldn’t agree more.
Between Minnie Driver’s sharp dialogue and pitch-perfect performance, the character could have her own spin-off.
This is not surprising at all as all the characters are well written.
While this isn’t unusual for shows based on books, The Snake Queen still paves a sharp path.
Regardless, the series continues to deliver one great episode after another.
It just goes to show that you don’t need dragons to create an exciting and interesting story.
What kind of drama do you think Queen Elizabeth will cause?
How did Edith survive all these attempts on her life?
Let us know in the comments below and join me again as I review the next episode of The Snake Queen!
