Francis: “What happens when being a good king
means being a bad husband?”
I think this episode was about relationships. All the couples were under magnifying glass this week. Between them I'd say they covered pretty much everything from disgust to love with genuine concern, care, respect, suspicion, doubt, humiliation and sacrifice in between. Someone got 'tied up' and someone got 'locked up'. With so many couples getting together and breaking up or just arguing the state affairs were shifted to the background and I honestly couldn't tell you exactly why Mary had to go to Scotland or why the Pope's new envoy came to French court. I mean I could, but what the fun in that? Let's talk about love.
This whole trouble in royal
paradise is not gonna go away anytime soon, isn’t it? Francis and Mary are
still arguing about the same thing – France vs. Scotland. Whatever the subject of
conversation is, it always ends up being about their respective countries. Francis' arguments were totally reasonable whereas Mary sounded like a broken record. That
can’t end well. While I do understand why Mary is so urgently needed in Scotland, I’m
with Francis on this subject. It was reckless and not smart to risk her life like that, and it felt as if Mary was just trying to prove a point. Locking Mary up in
a tower however might be a bit extreme, but to be completely honest, what other choice
did he have? If he put her in her chambers she’d be gone before he closed the
door. It was a right thing to do, to stop her from a voyage that most probably
would have cost Mary her life, but it will certainly have consequences. Can’t
wait!
Moving on to the next couple. Lola and Lord Julien got married and did seem very much happy right
up until the point where he slips and mentions Lola’s dowry which makes her suspicious. Was I too quick in the last
review with my happy dance for Lola? Is Lord Julien too good to be true? It
looks like he was smitten alright, not with Lola tough, but with her money.
Thank God this girl has a head on her shoulders. She even stayed strong after
all these nice words he said to her. I guess when you are given a fake jewelry and asked how quickly you can give your money away an alarm sounds in your head and
it is quite difficult to shut it down. So what exactly is he guilty off? Whittling away his [wives'] fortune? He told us that both of his wives died at childbirth, so I don’t think he killed them, but the money part sure as hell sounds suspicious. Then again Lola is with a 'baggage' of her own.
Next couple. Nostradamus and
Olivia have broken up after being together for like literally five minutes. Her
departure and his broken heart would have been more affecting had we spent a
little bit more time with those two. I didn’t feel invested enough in this
couple to feel sorry for this unfortunate situation and the choice Nostradamus
had to make. I’m also confused, because I don’t really see the point. Was it all
done to just get rid of Olivia? She had so little screen time, it wouldn’t matter if
she stayed. Plus if Nostradamus saw her dead in his vision, wouldn’t it mean
that she could still die? The fact that he sent her to Trinidad, doesn’t mean
she will be any safer there than in France. Or was all this meant
to convey and clarify Nostradamus relationship with Catherine? He considers her
a friend [silly, silly Nostradamus], while she obviously considers him as a useful
instrument in her toolbox. It will be interesting to see how their dynamic changes and what will become of their relationship from now onward.
As a result of fake intervention organized by
Catherine and Kenna, another 'couple' split. Penelope's royal time came to an end and she was sent back
to kitchen. How very generous on the part of Catherine to not to kill her. But with Penelope gone who
will be distracting the King? Someone has to, because he’s getting crazier by
the minute. And who the
hell is that guy with a tennis racquet that Henry keeps seeing?
Another couple who finished
an episode on a bright side was Kenna and Bash, who shared their first kiss. That’s
all I’m gonna say about it, since it was a bit too fast for my liking. Him
giving her his grandmother's ring was a nice gesture, and it was nice to see that
Kenna was sensitive enough to get it back from Penelope at the end. The kiss however was too
soon.
Historical bits
Real tennis was one of several games sometimes called
"the sport of kings", it is the original racquet sport the
modern game of lawn tennis is descended. Henry II was an excellent player and
continued this royal French tradition after his father. Also, two French kings
died from tennis-related episodes.
Francis: “Don't
you see? I need you here with me, safe by my side, while France is in
peril, and whilst we're trying to have a child.”
Mary: “An
heir. For France,
of course. Stability... for France.
A handy queen consort for the pleasure of the next king... of France.”
Francis: “I
don't just think of my country's needs. I think of my wife's needs as well, but
Scotland...
“
Mary: “Is
one and the same. My country and I are one and the same. Forget that, and
you've forgotten who I am.”
She is
starting to sound like a broken record.
Francis: “Mary
knew that you could promise her something that I never could, something that I
warned her from the start. You could put her first, always.”
Bash: “Isn't
that what love is?”
Francis: “To
anyone but a king.”
Sol’s
rating: 2 out of 5
No comments:
Post a Comment