It’s the summer of romance on TV, and Prime Video’s My Lady Jane should not fall through the cracks. In just eight episodes, this historical romantasy series tells an engaging and hilarious alternative history where Lady Jane Grey and her husband, Lord Guildford Dudley, live. The fantasy twist is that some of the kingdom’s patrons, Guildford included, are Ethians, people who turn into animals, while others are Verity, humans like Jane.
The Ethians have been hit with discriminatory division laws that push them out of society and into the woods to fend for themselves, while the Verity protect, well, themselves – until Jane becomes queen after her cousin, King Edward, supposedly dies. History, fantasy, and politics collide in this delightful romp with all the energy of The Princess Bride, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Blackadder, per showrunner Gemma Burgess, via Radio Times. All the while, My Lady Jane utilizes romance tropes (arranged marriage, for one) to tell Jane and Guildford’s swoon-worthy love story.
To fast-forward to the end and ease the mind of any romance fans who wonder if My Lady Jane truly adheres to one of the genre’s most imperative conventions: Yes, there is a happy ending. Cleverly, Burgess and co-showrunner Meredith Glynn, who penned My Lady Jane 1×08, “God Save the Queen,” give Jane and Guildford their life-affirming ending while leaving the door open for more story—and romance. Most importantly, the preceding episodes earn that ending. From their banter-filled meet-cute to the angst of their brief separation and the joy of their reunion(s), My Lady Jane doesn’t just lean into Jane and Guildford’s romance; it lifts it up as an undeniable part of the show’s foundation.
The clever writing and direction, combined with Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel’s electric chemistry, create a marvelous TV romance that will have viewers glued to their screens. Audiences will cheer whenever My Lady Jane winks at and defies their short-lived real-life love story. This series charts its own path, specifically in Guildford being Ethian. The hero cannot control when he turns into a horse, leaving him a man only at night and stuck in his animal form during the day. That obstacle alone seems unsurmountable in an eight-episode season, but My Lady Jane handles it gracefully.
Because of the caliber of writing, Guildford is missed but never gone long enough for it to be an overall detriment. Instead, My Lady Jane uses Guildford’s time as a horse to find a different connection between Jane and her husband—authenticity.
That gradual acceptance of Guildford (by Jane and himself) supports a stronger love story. Those limited hours when Guildford is back in his body become cherishable; the yearning is on another level. Those scenes are Jane and Guildford’s most intimate exchanges (When Guildford tells Jane about his mother!). Meanwhile, My Lady Jane infuses an emotional, character-driven motivation into Guildford’s stunted transformation process, granting him additional and critical depth. While that may seem like a low bar to celebrate, it’s not.
Sometimes, TV romances fall into traps where one character is well-rounded, and the other falls flat. That lack of dimensionality would never be true with Jane on this show. The episodes quickly assert that it won’t be for Guildford either. My Lady Jane subverts expectations with the determination to see Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley as independently complex characters whose relationship doesn’t individually diminish them. They are stronger together, but they are not fundamentally incomplete apart.
Recognizably, My Lady Jane practices this across all of its romantic relationships, whether you root for a pairing or not. This ensemble is filled to the brim with complicated characters. Refreshingly, there’s no shortage of “perfectly imperfect” female characters. Even the show’s narrator becomes a unique voice rather than one solely relaying this new, fantastical chapter of history. All in all, this show knows how to use its eight-episode season to its characters and their relationships’ advantage.
Take, for instance, couples like Princess Mary & Lord Seymour (the definition of matching each other’s freaks) and Lord Stanley Dudley & Lady Frances Grey in My Lady Jane.
These pairings do not—and are not meant to—have the same buzz as Jane and Guildford, yet they are endlessly fascinating to watch. Mary and Frances are complex (to say the very least) figures from the beginning. Seymour’s underlying relationship with his mother and loosely defined relationship with his son make his obsession with Mary and his wish for professional fulfillment intriguing. Stan goes from a one-note, love-drunk man to a loving brother who wants to be a part of the action—and his family.
Those individual intricacies make for well-rounded characters and romances, however strange and toxic, that are anything other than flat. These relationships are irrefutable examples of romance being a main priority in My Lady Jane.
Consequently, it’s a shame when love interests for Katherine Grey and Edward are introduced so late in the season. However, even with so little time to sit with those relationships, My Lady Jane finds charm in Katherine and William passing love notes, as well as Fitz and Edward being absolutely smitten with one another. The saving grace of those late entries for what could become great love stories is that the series is self-aware of the critique that there isn’t enough of them. See My Lady Jane’s epilogue.
Jane and Guildford are alive and together. Frances and Stan are on-again-and-off-again again. Katherine and William are married. Edward and Fitz are taking their relationship to the next level. Their—love—stories aren’t over! Ultimately, if anyone is looking for another reason to watch My Lady Jane, let it be that this show celebrates romance, knows the value of a happily ever after, and still wants to follow the characters after they walk off into the sunset—or in Jane and Guildford’s case (finally!) the sunrise.
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Did you love the romance on My Lady Jane Season 1? Let us know in the comments below!
My Lady Jane Season 1 is streaming on Prime Video.
