When it comes to historical dramas, this writer has watched her share of them. They are always the same old thing – an expansion upon history, told the same way and to be honest, I think we all go in with the same expectations. It’s a beautiful way of retelling history.
But The Serpent Queen is nothing like what was expected. Sure, it’s this look at history, but it’s totally not what you expect. At least it wasn’t anything like I expected.
With the title of this show being The Serpent Queen, it wasn’t as if I was expecting snakes and darkness. I wasn’t. But I wasn’t expecting duel timelines, as well as breaking the fourth wall. I wasn’t expecting a show where I actually felt for Catherine de Medici in conflicting ways. Feeling sorrow and fear at the same time for someone is a new experience.
From beautiful gowns, beautiful castles, to ehhh scenery, The Serpent Queen was shot beautifully. But hey, what you expect from that era is beauty and opulence. Yet for the first time in a long time of watching shows like this, that’s definitely not what pulls you in.
What pulls you in is trying to figure out just who the fuck Catherine de Medici is – in both timelines.
We start at an older Catherine, looking for a maid to help her leading up to her sons wedding. Everyone is in fear of the Queen. So many stories have been told about her, that most live in fear of her. Yet, there is always that one person that will not be afraid.
That one person that will trust.
And for the Queen, it’s Rahima. Rahima is a servant, who the Queen asks to sit, and tells her the story of how she came to France, asking Rahima a simple, but complicated question, what would she have done if she was in her place?
See, you’re never going to be the one to answer that question, because anything that you say that is different than what a Queen would do, is as if you are telling the Queen that they are wrong.
And that’s definitely a road that no one wants to travel down in my opinion. Rahima should have never let her guard down, but she did, by sitting down and listening to the Queens story. Again though, it’s one of those what can you really do when you’re told to do something.
Catherine de Medici is a master of manipulation and is a Queen after all. When she wants to tell you a story, you do as told and you listen.
She’s considered an average looking girl – nothing special to look at. One can say that she’s bad luck, as everything around her seems to always go wrong. Her parents died when she was a baby, her Grandmother died in her sleep while caring for her, and well, she was shipped off to a convent.
Her Uncle is the Pope. I imagine that is a level of status then, but I have to admit, as stupid as this will sound, until seeing this, I have never thought about the Pope in any time having family. Sure, I know that everyone comes from somewhere, but this is the Pope. You just don’t think of it.
At least I don’t.
The convent that she is living in is stormed by soldiers and Catherine is taken prisoner. Even with her family dead, the de Medici name has some pull. One of the nuns had directed the soldiers to where she was, and they had dragged her out of the convent. That nun is going to burn in hell.
Catherine had thought that she was alone, with no family, until such time as the Pope comes to pay for her and free her. He’s arranged her marriage to some Prince in France. He’s trying to save his own life (though he claims its for both of them). I am fully aware that one of the commandments is thou shall not lie, but the Pope could have been kinder in telling Catherine that he wasn’t special to look at. He also could have had the abscess on his ass drained in private, cause that was something I never wanted to see.
The Pope attempts to get Catherine ready for marriage, but even she knows that she needs more. She asserts her voice and tells them exactly what she needs. She may not be royal, but she needs to be showcased like she is. With the Popes blessing and his support (which I would say he gives reluctantly) she finds herself becoming someone that she’s not, in order to get herself hitched.
When arriving in France, Catherine knows that she is alone and unloved. This motivates her even more to make sure that she is accepted as a bride for the Prince. When the king looks as though he’s about to pass, she ups the dowry and there is no choice but for France to accept.
Catherines fatal mistake though would be falling in love at first sight. When her marriage is accepted, she finds herself meeting Charles and falling for him at first sight. One has to wonder why, because he’s an idiot. A really big blundering idiot.
He doesn’t say much, because he knows his place. He can’t bring himself to say marriage to her, instead saying that this is a treaty that has been forged. Not romantic at all. Hell, it’s unpleasant. But Catherine finds herself continuing to fall, regardless of what Charles does.
And before they know it, the two are married.
Wedding night comes around and I would just like to say – AWKWARD. Imagine having to have sex on your wedding night in front of a crowd, that includes family? Fuck that. That’s the most awkward shit I have seen. Not to mention your husband laying there like a dead fish and you having to do all the work? Hard no. Hard pass. And no people, I am not talking about his penis here.
The whole situation is just a no. But him getting mad when it’s all over and yelling at Catherine to get out? I would have slapped him into the middle of the next century, insulted the size of his penis, and then been like it’s fine, execute me bitch. Would have been better than having to deal with the mediocracy of the sex.
It’s different times though and Catherine does as she’s told. She does manage to find her voice though, and it’s minutes before she heads back to his room to tell him like it is, only to find him sucking at her cousin Diana’s breasts. Yes, the perfectly normal reaction is to wanna vomit. I did.
Diana is Catherine de Medici’s older cousin. Diane de Poitiers is creepy. She’s twice Charle’s age and she knows that he’s got Mommy issues. She doesn’t care though. She enjoys him in bed. So when Catherine walks in and sees them together, she just looks at her like ha, ha cousin. Catherine doesn’t say anything though, she just turns and walks out.
It’s these moments that Catherine infers made her who she is. Now, the whole question of what, if anything, anyone would have done differently, it’s too soon to tell.
But as Catherine tells Rahima this story, she tells her this taught her never to trust anyone, as she throws her tray to the ground. She has Rahima thrown into the tower, which doesn’t seem to bother Rahima at all.
Though The Serpent Queen is told in duel storylines, it is Samantha Morton‘s show. She captivates you on the screen, bringing alive de Medici’s IDGAF attitude with such grace and bitchiness, that you actually really find yourself afraid and yet wanting to bow at her feet. Morton is fucking fantastic.
The Serpent Queen is unlike anything that I have seen and it’s a great thing. I am hooked. It’s Medici’s world, and we’re just lucky enough to be living in a time where we get to watch it all unfold on our screens.
Watch it. You won’t be sorry.
