Reviewer Rating: 4.5/5.0
4.5
Family may be eternal, but it may also be death for some in the Snake Queen.
In “Death of a Prince,” the audience sees this emotion in action.
As new members of Catherine’s family joined, the hand holding the dagger grew larger.
However, with Queen Elizabeth now on the scene, it might be time to keep things at home.
Just three episodes later, the fire started to spread at the end of the first episode of The Serpent Queen’s second season.
The Snake Queen and her children were born with silver spoons in their mouths and daggers in their throats
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One thing that every period drama has in common, when it’s a drama that focuses on royalty, is the focus on family.
After all, that’s how monarchs keep things in their bloodline.
One royal family marries another, so everyone gets what he deserves.
What’s more, no one has to fight in the war.
However, the situation was very different when the Crown was pitted against the Church.
While The Serpent Queen may still be a few episodes away from total chaos, we can already hear the clarion calls.
The show has never been shy about showing any family or court-related infighting.
But things have grown and changed exponentially since the first episode of The Viper Queen Season 1.
Now that the kids are grown up, the writers have another chance to stir things up.
However, it looks more like they’re trying to pour the curse word over the plot.
Each episode brings one amazing moment after another.
If this continues, viewers won’t have any pearls to grab.
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From burning down churches, murdering ex-lovers, and now drowning a random religious person, this series has no intention of slowing down.
Who knew being a royal would come with so many extracurricular activities and responsibilities?
Charles and Françoise are blood brothers, from bad backgrounds but with beautiful hair.
To be fair, the Geese brothers were responsible for two-thirds of those shocking moments mentioned above.
First there was Cardinal Charles, who seemed determined to find a way to break up the royal family.
Although he and his family seemed shrewd, his verbal attacks on Anjou were clearly intended to incite the prince’s anger.
He personified the ugly side of religion.
He showed no concern for the well-being of his parishioners and was entirely focused on the power he wielded.
However, for a mother like Antionette, we can imagine that asserting and having power was a frequent topic of conversation at the breakfast table.
As bad as the Cardinal was, he was nothing compared to his brother Francois.
The Duke, played by Code Black’s Raza Jaffrey, rarely speaks or expresses much despite his deplorable behavior.
Françoise doesn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest by every horrific act he does.
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Whether out of cold calculation or a secret predilection for men over the years, the Duke has no qualms about doing what others wouldn’t dare.
For a moment, his eyes seemed to fall on Princess Margot.
While Charles wants to bulldoze his way through the family, Françoise has a cunning strategy for gliding her way through the court.
However, now that he’s essentially been arrested, those dreams are all but dashed.
The Snake Queen is keeping a close relationship with any enemy, and nothing is closer than family.
Speaking of brothers, how surprised were you when the writers included Catherine’s brother in the mix?
While it’s always nice to have more family, in The Snake Queen it might mean an extra spot at the table and another knife to cut from the same cloth.
The writers probably thought the best way to keep Catherine out of court was to throw her a curveball.
It worked.
The Queen Mother changed her priorities to investigate things that she would not have cared about if she had known what was going on at home.
When she returns to France she will have plenty of people to slap.
Adding insult to injury is Queen Elizabeth, who makes her debut in “Death of a Prince.”
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Queen Elizabeth, played by The Witcher: Bloodborne’s Minnie Driver, brings all the hidden villainy.
The last Tudor monarch is all dolled up, powdered and ready to compete for power.
Catherine is cold and calm, while Elizabeth is shrewd and strategic.
Seeing these two incredible historical figures go head to head in this fantastic series will be metal.
Blood is thicker than water and Catherine will probably spill buckets of blood when she gets home
No matter how fun and free the writers like to make this story, it wouldn’t be The Snake Queen without something truly shocking happening.
Honestly, this episode had a lot.
There are many moments where it feels like it’s building to something epic.
Little did we know that this is exactly what was happening.
Catherine’s children gave her endless headaches, and she was doomed to suffer the migraine of the century.
First, Charles decided it was time to put on his big boy pants and become king.
While it’s something worth supporting, doing it while his mother isn’t around is just stupid.
I don’t care how mature he is.
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Catherine was to put him on her knees and beat his majesty hard.
But it doesn’t stop there, as Starz wants subscribers to get their money’s worth.
Everyone is constantly speeding Anjou from scene to scene.
I actually felt sorry for the hot-headed prince and even partially understood why he reached his breaking point.
But the way he drowned that innocent man was obvious.
Of course, the man could have chosen his words more carefully when talking to Catherine’s princes and children.
Still, Anjou did not need to kill the man.
In the 16th century, a little waterboarding went a long way.
The worst part of this whole situation is what could have happened to Hercules.
I wouldn’t say he died because I already thought everyone in the church was dead.
I won’t make the same mistake again.
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That being said, I did feel like Hercule felt like cannon fodder in the middle of the episode.
I hate to say it either, but the backlash and impact of Anjou’s actions would make for good television.
It’s not a nice thing to say, but at least it’s a completely fictional account of history.
Especially since the real Hercules was only twenty-nine when he died, and not from blunt force trauma.
However, Anjou may be axed when Samantha Morton’s Catherine returns.
Mom is going home, and she wants everything in the house to be in order when she comes back.
What do you think will happen to the cardinal and the duke now that Charles is king?
Do you think Heracles is dead, or is this another misdirection like the church did?
Let us know in the comments below and join me again as I review the next episode of The Snake Queen!
