Category: Royalty

20th Century, Recap, Royalty, Series

The Crown: Act of God

Previously on The Crown: Elizabeth came to the throne and almost immediately found herself browbeaten and bullied by, well, everyone.

It’s a fine, clear day, but trouble’s a-brewing. At the Meteorological Society, some disturbing results are being uncovered and, in a bid to cover various asses, a report is sent to the PM’s office. There’s an anti-cyclone forming, which is bad, because a similar weather event in the US some years before trapped toxic fumes from a nearby factory close to the ground, poisoning a lot of people. And London’s power stations have a LOT of toxic fumes to trap.

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20th Century, Recap, Royalty, Series

The Crown: Wolferton Splash

Netflix has really pushed the boat out with this one. Everyone buzzed about that massive budget, and I will say: it was well spent. This is beautiful to look at, and it boasts a really top-notch cast. Even the one-liners are people you recognise. And that top-notch cast gives some wonderful performances. I’m going to particularly call out Jared Harris as George VI. He may not have George’s handsomeness, but he does convey his quick temper, brought on by endless frustration and stress, his tender side, and the naked fear of a suffering man who clearly wants his misery to end, but knows that having it over with also means saddling his fairly young daughter with serious responsibilities she may not be ready for. And he’s trying to hide all that because he’s a king, and a father, and he doesn’t want to alarm anyone. Can’t alarm anyone. This is a country and a family still trying to dig its way out of a devastating war, after all.

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Miniseries, Recap, Royalty, Tudor Period

Wolf Hall: Shut up, shut up, shut up!

Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn in Wolf HallPreviously on Wolf Hall: Anne miscarried again, so Henry told Cromwell to find a way to get rid of her, so he can move on to Jane Seymour.

Cromwell’s having a dinner with an extremely unlikely guest list. The Pole and Courtenay women are there, as is Norfolk, who’s demanding his food. Cromwell calls it forward, and as the plates are placed on the table, he sees Anne coming towards him, dragged by ropes over the dishes, dressed in her coronation gown. Oh, dream sequence. That makes sense. Anne looks up at Cromwell and smiles creepily. He stands and lifts a dagger over her heart, plunges it down…

…and comes back to himself at breakfast, with his family. So, it was kind of a waking dream/fantasy then? Odd. He eats, rather mechanically.

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Miniseries, Recap, Royalty, Tudor Period

Wolf Hall: Crows

a5df290c-fac4-462c-884b-188856cedd69-1020x612Previously on Wolf Hall: More was put to death for refusing to acknowledge Henry as head of the church, Anne failed to produce a son, and Cromwell found himself drawn to Jane Seymour.

The intro tells us that the Holy Roman Emperor and his ambassador, Chapuys, refuse to acknowledge Henry’s new title or his new queen, Anne.

We pick up a minute before we left off last week, with Henry and his entourage arriving at Wolf Hall, the Seymour home. Everyone sits down to dinner, with Henry at the head of the table, of course. I’ve only just realized that the actor playing Edward Seymour, the eldest of the Seymour brothers, is the same guy who played Jimmy on Downton Abbey. Small acting world. Everyone suddenly notices that Henry’s dropped off to sleep. None of the men are willing to go wake him up, so Jane finally does it by gently laying a hand on his arm. He wakes with a start and says he was just resting his eyes. Has anybody actually ever said that, for real? Jane returns to her place and dinner continues.

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Miniseries, Recap, Royalty, Tudor Period

Wolf Hall: No More

Ep4 Television Wolf HallPreviously on Wolf Hall: Henry broke from the Catholic church so he could finally be with Anne. Cromwell continued his incredible climb, and More began his inevitable fall.

Anne, as we know, has borne a daughter. Henry, trying to hide his disappointment, decides she’ll be named Elizabeth, after both his and Anne’s mothers. He cancels the celebratory jousts, though. Cranmer notes that Henry didn’t ask how Anne was doing and someone else comments that it hardly matters.

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Royalty

Trivia Tuesday: Weapons of War

This Week’s Question: Which weapon’s superiority over the crossbow was proven at the Battle of Crecy in 1346? Last Week’s Question: The scandalous marriage of Maria Walpole to the Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh led to the passage of what piece of royal legislation? Answer: Maria’s marriage (as well as that of the Duke of Cumberland, Gloucester’s older brother) led to the passing of the Royal … Continue reading Trivia Tuesday: Weapons of War

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Restoration Period, Royalty

Monmouth’s Rebellion

On July 15, 1685, Monmouth’s Rebellion ended when James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and illegitimate son of Charles II, was executed in London for attempting to depose his uncle, James II, and seize the throne for himself. Monmouth was Charles’s eldest child and was born in Rotterdam in April 1649 while Charles was exiled during the Protectorate. He was handed over to William Crofts, 1st … Continue reading Monmouth’s Rebellion

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Middle Ages, Royalty

A King’s Ransom

On 13 July 1174, King William I of Scotland, known as William the Lion, was captured by Henry II’s troops during the Battle of Alnwick, an engagement during the Revolt of 1173-4. William, whose nickname suggests some amount of badassary but was actually just a reference to the lion on his royal standard, joined the revolt in the hope of wresting control of Northumbria away … Continue reading A King’s Ransom

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Miniseries, Recap, Royalty

The White Queen: Brother Against Brother

34498Previously on The White Queen: Elizabeth cursed George, who subsequently lost his firstborn son. Richard married Anne Neville, Margaret married a Yorkist and became one of Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting, and Elizabeth lost both a son and her mother.

Elizabeth’s preggo again, no surprise there. And while she cradles her swelling belly, Edward entertains himself with an orgy, creepily watched by both his brothers. I can’t help but find it kind of hilarious that George is sitting there stroking a whippet like he’s Dr Evil or something. Stanley is on  hand to smilingly offer Edward wine and to join in the toast Edward offers to Elizabeth, who’s apparently in labour as we speak. And if you think that mentioning one’s pregnant wife would be a buzzkill to the ladies, well, you haven’t experienced a York orgy.

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