#not because the dialogue around edmund's death was particularly poignant but how conspicuously quiet and swift the whole affair was as
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What hasn’t already been said: The Spanish Princess 2
Episode 2: SOdden (or Sod ‘Em depending on your persuasion)
(Dont know how long I’ll be able to keep these puns up)
Catherine, like this woman, does not really fit into this era. But while this woman seems dropdead cool and at least looks the part, Catherine just...
To all those of you keen enough to have come back for another segment of ‘what hasn’t already been said: TSP’, as opposed to have just been scrolling when you see this - welcome back! (Scrollers you too <3)
To anyone who’s seeing this for the first time: what this is a list of observations, jokes, reactions and criticism which occur to me upon a rewatch. I wait every week until Saturday to do this so that I have had my fill of scrolling through the tag and aggregating what has already been said. I tried doing a whole spoof (here where I gave up 10% in) but tbh a) I don’t know the history well enough b) it’s more time consuming than I thought and c) this series is just not as funny or as crazy as TWQ, so it’s untenable. Having said that: This is not a hatepost. I’m not hatewatching this series and nitpicking on purpose but expressing my honest views and trying to find the good in it as well as the bad.
Without further ado...
First Scenes:
The baby cloth lifting into the ceiling of the chapel had nice ‘myth of the demon countess of Anjou (ancestress of the Plantagenets)’ vibes. I am 100% that was unintentional. I get this impression by the cringiness of the baby’s screams (what’s up with those sound effects? It sounded like a zipper).
Henry gives me such softboi vibes? It’s pleasing to me because it’s making me attracted to him as a viewer, but no good in convincing me this is Henry VIII.
I think Catherine’s exposition about how she feels is pretty ok actually, it’s fitting that she would feel anger.
CHARLES’ FATHER IS NOT MAXIMILIAN, IT’S PHILIP (or rather it was). ~~ A quick wiki search guyz, a quick wiki search. Ughh
Again with the whole everyone acting like Catherine is Queen. Can they cut it out? Also while we’re at it, what was Catherine’s attendance in councils even like?
The music was nice
Post Child announcement phase:
Oof I hate to say it but I lowkey wanted de la Pole back in this mother. Mainly because it would mean more Margaret Pole and by this point I am scared her storyline will fade in prominence now that there’s no longer a Yorkist subplot (showhorned as it was, it was the crowning glory of last season tied with Arthur x Catherine).
More x Maggie Pole and all of it over Seneca and learning :’). I already know this will be the best part of the episode.
‘We certainly know stoicism in our family’ ~ I guess she’s referring to Reggie? Because our boi Clarence was no poster boy for stoicism. Though could she be making an ironic reference to her father~?
Edmund de la Pole Debacle:
Well this convo at least passed the bechdel test.
Maggie and Edmund’s interactions here are touching. I know this plotline was rushed but I think it was just right to bring us back here for 5 min as a mournful throwback to the bygone era to which Maggie Pope belongs to and now continues to do so alone. It is emotionless and you can just feel how the York cause was hanging on by a tired old threat by that point.
Maggie Pole is becoming matronly now and I like this transition.
What bothers me about a lot of fans of Margaret Pole is that what they don’t realise is that she wasn’t all like ‘I want nothing to do with my family I’ll stay low and obscure’. While far more cautious than the likes of her ancestors, she did engage in land disputes with Henry VIII and was an outspoken supporter of Catherine and Catholic. Having her be a woman woth dubious loyalties towards the Tudors is accurate.
Scotland with Meg and Jammes:
LMFAO it’s like they read my mind when I spoke of how much I laughed when Meg was like ‘Alexander Steward you pig!1!!’ last episode.
Nice reference to Aulde Alliance
I like James.
Henry and Catherine on the balcony:
Was she commander of the forces? Was Howard appointed that? Regent she was, ok.
Charlotte Hope’s new hairstyles really suit her!
‘Will you please stop cursing’ agahsjdk ahah
No offence to women (of which I am one) but this comparison between childbirth and war is just... wrong. I know Starz think they are being smart but childbirth is far less impressive than winning or surviving a battle - comparing the two diminishes the bravery of soldiers. YET ,having said that, childbirth is necessary for our society whereas war is almost always futile and by comparing them, it wrongly represents violence as something inherently as natural to us as birth and continuing of civilisation. overall not a smart, respectful or accurate parrallel to make.
Meg and prep for invasion + Catherine in her weird armour:
So Margaret dreams that her husband is dead and bloody in her bed. Ughh show you neeed to get more creative. But I did like the whole ‘dreams are how our ancestors talk to us’ line from Angus Douglas.
Re: Meg in her beret... Why is Meg dressed like me going to the London shops in October? Digging the aesthetic but not sure about the accuracy.
Rich of Catherine to bring up Edmund.
Why is Ursula Pole crying??? What is all this to her really?
Did Howard just call the guard... sonny?? Is this some WW2 crossover?
Catherine - James and the tent parlay:
Did Catherine just insult Meg’s intelligence??
Also lmao I’m going to miss James.
Re: Howard saying ‘I’m not going to get insulted by a man wearing a dress’ .. UMMM Starz, you do know that just thirty years ago men were prancing about in dresses and leggings (essentially). From around the middle of the 14th century to the beggining of 16th century (if not earlier), Englishmen were also essentially prancing about in ‘skirts’.
Am I getting a weird cooperation-partnership vibe between Meg and James?
The Battle:
Charlotte Hope looks so good with the helmet, she’d really suit an english hood! Such a shame they won’t give her one!
Ewwww he’s eating mud, why?
Just standard battle scene. They are all the same to me no matter which movie.
Aftermath:
Jesus, I find the whole Meg crying over James IV so heartfelt ‘you arrogant bastard’ for some reason just came out so full of emotion. Can someone please explain why the hell I ship them more than Henry x Catherine?? Like how ??
Awwww Linna is sooooo adorable ughhh. Also this whole Catherine going into armour among all the women crooning over the children gives this adorable sense of Catherine boyish and bloodying herself out to protect their peace, idk. All I have to say is that these series is less eager to pitt women against each other than the previous. I think that’s a step forwards.
Also, good to see Catherine being modest about her victory so Henry can save face. Finally starting to seem like the real Catherine.
‘Go on you dog’ arghh ahah he sounds like some public school rugby lad egging his mate on.
Re: Wolsey cock-blocker; the real Catherine would know it was uncatholic to have sex when you were pregnant. Also Catherine is not technically speaking in confinement if she’s wandering about.
It’s nice to see Catherine sticking up for Howard, she at least learned to respect him during the battle.
I foresee Oviedo having enough of this Christian stuff and wanting to return to the berber domains (I suppose Spain is out of the question)
Knighting Ceremony:
Apparently Margaret Pole herself was made Countess of Salisbury during this same ceremony... right? @houseofclarence
Also Maggie Pole being like: “being a rebel is in my blood, or so they tell me”... gahhh what’s with these shows and the Clarence erasure? Can’t they make one bloody reference to her dad or grandad Warwick? Ugh. Especially with lines like this. Actually? You know what? Ignore my previous comment about the stoic remark and it being an ironic reference to Clarence. I put such subtlety above this show’s writers.
Catherine has a habit of going to the coldest places possible to lose her children...
Haha @ Henry asking Bessie Blount (of all people) where Catherine is.
Conclusion:
6/10
What I’m happiest about is that Flodden got dealt with in one episode because warrior xena Catherine is not what interests me most about this show. Having said that, it was a true shame that James IV died because his were some of the best scenes. This whole show is starting to feel so historical fantasy-ish because the aesthetics are so confused. Granted it’s still pretty (not eyesore like Reign) but it doesn’t penetrate.
I am as always invested in the Poles (and More) but am also starting to get attached to Princess Mary whose actress exudes plenty of charm. This show remains confused with its feminist message because while it shows women being proactive there is so much emphasis on babies that what remains with the mind after watching is this womanish birthdrama, as opposed to a show about struggles which affect both genders.
You might tut at me and say I’m being ridiculous and that it is historically accurate to put so much emphasis on women’s babies and I say that’s swell. I would happily watch a show where that element is strong (most pre 1995 historical dramas are like that with traditionally feminine characters and I gulp them up like sustenance), but if a show promises feminism and women-men being partners I want it to deliver that properly. As I said in my previous post, why do we keep trying to make women engage in acts like war as if such an abhorrent act is the only way to take them seriously? I await the day where cunning, rationality and cool-headedness will be the traits portrayed as feminist ones.
There is nothing else to really comment on... the only potentially deeper message in this is the gender discourse. I am unsure about the accuracy so I can’t speak of the historical value of the interpretation. But what I will say is that though I remain excited for each new episode... I’m just not as invested as I was in TWQ (rewatch every year dont @ me) or TWP despite their many flaws. Some characters pull me in eg Maggie Pole (Carmichael is a bae), Thomas More etc but not the whole cast like TWQ. Anyway... would be interesting to see if anything happens with Lina and Oviedo tommorow as their storyline is conspicuously slow.
#the spanish princess#the spanish princess 2#fool if you thought I wouldn't jump on the whole 'being a rebel is in my blood' opportunity to bring up Clarence#I was delighted last time when people left comments and stuff#rofl#so yeah#Please please I love discussions and do not think twice before sending me an ask or commenting !#lady plantagenet's series reviews#the dialogue remains a bit trite#the sugared grape counterpart for this episode was edmund's death and the whole ironic reference to Senenca and stoicism#not because the dialogue around edmund's death was particularly poignant but how conspicuously quiet and swift the whole affair was as#...as compared to previous york pretender plotlines left a mournful note#basically I feel like I keep focusing on stuff the show doesn't want me to focus on#and am projecting therefore
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