S01.E01: Stand And Unfold Yourself

[formerlyfreedom]

After the sudden death of their older brother and heir to the throne, Prince Liam and Princess Eleanor have a hard time with their new roles; Queen Helena tries to maintain the family's image; King Simon questions the monarchy's future.

 

 

[Primetimer]

E! takes a stab at scripted drama, but will it reign supreme?

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[dr pepper]

It has only been, what-- three years? since someone else did almost exactly this show. And it was soapy and cheesy and i liked it. I'll probably like this one too, but i don't expect much from it.

[beesknees]

OMG I HATE the opening music (that fucking screeching thing). Yikes. The Sex Pistols this band is not. Uggh, I fell asleep the other night in front of the TV. About 2 a.m. the commercial for this show came on, "music" full-blast, and needless to say I jumped about 9 ft. in the air. Make the theme song go AWAY !!! Obnoxious and annoying to the NTH DEGREE.

[venusnv80]

Soo...I really wanted to like this show because of many reasons and I was eagerly awaiting it's premiere (I mean, as much as I possibly could) and it fell so flat to me. There were multiple issues that I had with the premiere and I guess the overall storyline. 

 

1. The lack of chemistry between well...most of the cast: I didn't feel like they were a family per se. There was no sense of love or compassion for each other. I was just underwhelmed. The central couple, which I presume is the spare prince and the 'commoner' lack chemistry, so that's not good if that's supposed to be a HUGE storyline for this show. 

 

2. The actors and actresses: I don't think they picked relatively good younger actors and actresses. The spare prince and his Ophelia are not exactly that great. The wild child princess is pretty good, but only minimally. 

 

3. The characters: I don't like Ophelia like at all. She's supposed to have spunk, but I'm just like...whatever...I hope she turns out to be a gold digger, but I don't see me liking her commoner or not and if they are going to make her American, why not break the mold and make her a result of the melting pot of America...whatevs. The Queen? I think they went a tad too far with her and her lack of humanity. Her reaction to her son's death was the most understated reaction I have ever witnessed on television. I kept waiting for a private moment when she broke down and it was...NOTHING. I don't even hate her, I'm just meh about her after all of that. Also the cousins, why do they resemble Cinderella's evil step sisters? That turned this into a spoof if anything. The men? The king? Eh. The uncle (the original spare)? Mustache twirling. The head of security? Best character on the show. I'm more interested in Dead Robert than Liam. 

 

4. The storyline: Abolishing the monarchy because if it stays everyone is in danger? Umm...ok...that would perhaps work if I believed it. It's not going to happen, so just a waste of a storyline. The rest? Prince dating a commoner, the Queen hating it, drugged out princess and conniving uncle. Bah. 

 

They have ONE more episode to grab me, but I doubt anything will change by the previews. I expected good soapy trash and it wasn't even that. 

Edited March 16, 2015 by venusnv80

[portfino]

I felt very Ehhh about it too.

 

My biggest problem is that everyone's too black and white. Either evil villain or virtuous hero. I was hoping to have the brother kill King Simon to have that piece of the chessboard.

 

Also, the abolishing monarchy plot is a non-starter. And prince/commoner is so cliched that I rolled my eyes every time Ophelia was onscreen.

[venusnv80]

I felt very Ehhh about it too.

 

My biggest problem is that everyone's too black and white. Either evil villain or virtuous hero. I was hoping to have the brother kill King Simon to have that piece of the chessboard.

 

Also, the abolishing monarchy plot is a non-starter. And prince/commoner is so cliched that I rolled my eyes every time Ophelia was onscreen.

I wouldn't have an issue with the prince and commoner if it was a new kind of commoner (maybe a women of color or something, that's new) or someone who the ACTUAL actor had chemistry with. There are plenty of ways to tell the same story, you just have to put a twist on it and this was not it--it looks like they were trying to get someone who looks similar to Kate, I guess...who knows. 

 

LOL! I don't know if I would have been down for the Uncle killing the King in this episode, but I think that will be coming down the road. 

 

E! needs to try again. 

[Amelie06]

 

I wouldn't have an issue with the prince and commoner if it was a new kind of commoner (maybe a women of color or something, that's new) or someone who the ACTUAL actor had chemistry with. There are plenty of ways to tell the same story, you just have to put a twist on it and this was not it--it looks like they were trying to get someone who looks similar to Kate, I guess...who knows.

I agree. I was bored with this storyline. She is just so boring! Why was she in the mix so much? Every time you turned around, she was hanging out with the family.  I must have missed the explanation as to why she was American.

 

 

This show was hilariously  bad. I had trouble following it because the editing was such a joke. For the first 20 minutes I was convinced that they were jumping around in time because Liam's hair kept changing. Sometimes it would be short with his face clean shaven. Other times it would be long and he would have a useless scruffy blond almost beard. There were obviously re-shoots, but they did a shit job at integrating the new scenes. I mean Liam would have long hair standing outside the room and then short hair when he entered. Did anyone actually watch this before putting it on the air?

 

I'm not a cop, but if the princess was drugged, doesn't that mean the security guy raped her? That is a weird way for them to start the show with her character. Especially since it seems like they aren't going to acknowledge the true nature of what he did.

 

I'm already over the Uncle. I think his two funny-looking and vapid daughters are a pretty spiteful portrayal of Princess Eugenie and her sister.

 

The King seems sincere but naive. Incredibly naive. He needs to only look at the Hilton's to know that the problems plaguing his family won't end just because he abolishes the monarchy.

[venusnv80]

She was American because her mother was, I believe? And she was raised in America. That was what I gathered. I have no idea and don't remember if the father had a British accent or not. Also, standing on the steps with the family when the casket was on display? For what? Who is she but the head of security's daughter. It was weird. 

 

You are right about the princess and her security. So weird that they are not calling it what it is. 

Edited March 16, 2015 by venusnv80

[catray]

I have had a crush on William Mosley since the Chronicles of Narnia, but I'm not convinced this what I want to watch him in. There were a few things I liked: King Simon and Princess Eleanor in the kitchen, and Prince Liam and with his bodyguard in the pub... but most it, yikes. Not great. I thought maybe the cousins would be some nice comic relief, but they're almost too stupid to live.

 

Overall, I'll give this time but it's so all over the place. It seems to want to be a serious drama but descends into utter ridiculousness most of the time. I feel like if they wanted it have a show about the actual Royals they could have done some more research. Ophelia and her "I'm not impressed" attitude irk me-- even if Queen Helena isn't the nicest person, she's still due some respect just based on her title and position (regardless of your opinion on the monarchy). Actually, Ophelia in general is kind of meh-- I get that she's supposed to be like Kate, but man, yawn.

[Artsda]

I was expecting more from all the hype and praise from the tv media. I was impressed by how much it tried to imitate the reality. Oldest brother was the William, the wild child brother was the Harry who now has to be responsible, the 2 dumb cousins are Fergie's  girls. 

 

Did they say at all what killed the oldest Prince? That was annoying they weren't saying. 

 

Does the uncle really intend to kill the entire line of succession in front of him? May be he killed Robert?

[eelpout]

Hey E!! The CW called. They want their show back... so they can cancel it.

[GaT]

"Just a vaggie virgin, not a blowie or a handie"

I want the cousins on every week.

[eXiled]

One and done.

 

I so wanted this to work out. I'm marathon-streaming Downtown Abbey (yeah, late to that party!)  and giggling like a crazy person every Wednesday because whatever Empire's Cookie Lyon does tickles me. For some reason I thought this show might become the third leg of my favorite soap triad. It is not to be.

 

With the other two shows, I'm always surprised at how quickly the episodes move.

 

As I watched The Royals this morning, I kept checking the clock. The extra 15 minutes may as well have been an extra hour. Long, insufferable, and not entertaining at all.

[absnow54]

I had not realized this was a Mark Schwahn show until I saw his name in the opening credits, but it became apparent almost immediately when the first 20 minutes of the show was drowned out by an overbearing soundtrack. I only watched for William Moseley and because I'm a sucker for overplayed tropes, but Liam and Ophelia are dull and the "hurdles" in the way of their relationship are boring.

 

Alexandra Park is a freaking Elizabeth Hurley clone. The resemblance, at times, made it hard to tell the characters apart. Great casting though!

 

I may try this show for one more episode, but the pilot wasn't even guilty pleasure bad. It was just bad. Although there was one piece of clunky dialogue that was unintentionally hilarious, when Ophelia was explaining to her dad that she was off with Liam the night before, she was going on about how they had sex and then added "but protection was used" and my husband read it as "butt protection was used" which I guess is also a valid form of birth control (*insert PSA about protections from sexually transmitted infections here*)

[Avaleigh]

My comments and complaints are going to be as jumbled as this show is. 

 

I may try this show for one more episode, but the pilot wasn't even guilty pleasure bad. It was just bad. 

 

I agree. I too wanted to like this and I think the only reason I got through it is because I happen to be in between shows lol. 

 

I feel like Elizabeth Hurley is the only actor in the cast who seems to understand what kind of show she signed on for. At least she seems to get that this is meant to be campy fun. The actress playing the wild princess also seems to get it in certain scenes and I think I find her to easily be the most interesting of the younger characters. Crazy how much she looks like she could be Elizabeth Hurley's daughter.

 

I already can't stand the Ophelia character and it isn't anything about the actress who seems capable and pretty. I feel like the showrunners decided to put an American in the role of love interest because they somehow thought that this would be more appealing to American female viewers. I know I'm only judging this on one episode so I'm probably being unfair but this silly romance basically makes the real life romance of Edward and Wallis seem like the Greatest Love Story of All Time and it *so* was not lol at least IMO. Too true that there was no reason for her to be standing there with the family. It was nothing more than an opportunity to show the actress wearing a fascinator. 

 

I'm amused by the Beatrice and Eugenie inspired twins in a way but also think the portrayal seems pretty harsh. I know this is for entertainment but they seem like sweet and harmless girls at the end of the day so I wish the comparison hadn't been quite so blatant. Maybe at least make them blonde? 

 

The prince seems to be a William/Harry hybrid. The romance with Ophelia is supposed to be reminiscent of William/Kate and then with the college scenes it's almost like they're trying to imagine how it would have been in Harry had gone to St. Andrews.

 

I think it might have been helpful to have another royal sibling as a character even if they hadn't been introduced this season. In fact, If it had been up to me I would have had four royal children to start the series. Have Robert die in the middle or the end of season one so that we have a better sense of what the dynamic was with the family when he was still alive. Have a bitchy older sister who is engaged to a Duke or something so that we have another stately location to visit that way production could alternate between that house and Blenheim.

 

This show needs to decide what it wants to be. It feels like an average CW show in all of the scene with Ophelia. To me they either need to crank up the camp and comedic factors or it needs to be a more risque drama that should feel like it belongs on F/X or even AMC.

 

I also feel like it would be helpful to have some sort of consultant about royal life because even if I cut them slack for not caring about superficial details in the way that Downton Abbey does, I still find the general portrayal of royals to be completely ridiculous. Little things like Helena loudly declaring to her secretary that she's the "Queen of England", the servants not being dressed properly modern times or not, palace gender roles being disregarded,, the princess hanging out at the gates with the memorial flowers for her brother and there's no concern whatsoever about any press and she only has one guard, family rooms not being used so that we constantly see them using/going by the throne room, etc. (The reasons for this last one I guess are fair enough since the Spencer Churchills probably aren't going to hand over their own family rooms for production to take advantage of but surely they could deal with something like this in a London studio?)

 

I was excited to read that they'd be shooting at Blenheim Palace and it feels like production was kept on a very, very tight leash because we basically see the same small portion of rooms over and over again and this is the pilot where they're supposed to really be bringing it. (Again though, I suppose this is understandable--if I were lucky enough for a house like that to be in my family's possession I probably wouldn't be wild at the idea of a camera crew wreaking havoc for x amount of months/weeks per year.) 

 

I'll probably watch the next couple of episodes but it'll have to do something to capture my interest if I'm going to continue to DVR it once Mad Men and Game of Thrones start.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Avaleigh

[absnow54]

I think it might have been helpful to have another royal sibling as a character even if they hadn't been introduced this season. In fact, If it had been up to me I would have had four royal children to start the series. Have Robert die in the middle or the end of season one so that we have a better sense of what the dynamic was with the family when he was still alive. Have the bitchy older sister who is engaged to a Duke or something so that we have another stately location to visit that way production could alternate between that house and Blenheim.

I think Robert shouldn't have been killed off until the end of the episode. 30 seconds of establishing the family dynamic wasn't enough to sell the cataclysmic shift that Robert's death was supposed to cause. Throw in some flashbacks or something. Make us care about this faceless character, since obviously no one in the family does. His death was treated with the weight of being out of milk and having to run to the store before you can eat your cereal. 

[portfino]

Hey E!! The CW called. They want their show back... so they can cancel it.

I think this is very right. Schwan did not make the successful transition from teen soap to primetime soap. It's all about parent/child disputes and "finding your path"  which belongs on the old WB. They should have put this in a fictionalized country where the monarchy is still powerful. Maybe not an absolute one but more than just figureheads.

 

The one good twist was that the bumbling bodyguard was really a snake. We, the audience, should have known that for a few episodes before Princess Eleanor.

 

There are enough pieces here - the setting, Hurley, Moseley, Princess Eleanor, even the evil uncle and his comic relief daughters are salvageable. The actor playing the bodyguard was good at bumbling and evil so he can stay. We only need one good guy (King Simon), one reformer (Eleanor), and a pawn (Liam) everyone else needs to be bad but in a sympathetic way we want to watch. Ophelia and her dad can join Robert in the Hereafter.

[psychoticstate]

I watched a fair portion of this last night before I fell asleep.  I thought it would be good, campy fun.  Parts of it were.

 

I do agree with other posters though that it was a mistake, a big mistake, to not introduce us to Prince Robert and have him die at the end of the first episode.  I'd like to know what the dynamics were in the family while he was alive.  Was he a responsible king-to-be?  Was his accident a result of his recklessness?  And if he was reckless, was it because he truly didn't want the "top job?" 

 

I also cannot stand the character of Ophelia.  Mistake.  I think if Prince Liam is supposed to be like Prince Harry (and Prince Andrew before him), he should have been shown with a variety of different women.  Because that would certainly have to change if Liam is now going to be the next king. 

 

No way, no way, no way would Ophelia EVER have been permitted to stand up with the royal family in any official capacity if she were not married or engaged to Liam, much less the funeral of Prince Robert.  Please. 

 

I did think the cousins modeled after Beatrice and Eugenie were funny, although making them resemble B & E was a bit cruel.  I also thought it was a cruel dig at Sarah Ferguson to have the line to the uncle about the ex-wife suffering with syphilis and the cousins were the result.

 

Repeating but the casting of Princess Eleanor was terrific.  She looks so much like Elizabeth Hurley it's frightening.

 

I like King Simon and I think Hurley was well cast as she can do campy very well. 

 

I may try to catch a repeat to view the parts of the episode I missed.  Not sure if this is a must-see or not.

[Ariah]

I was actually expecting something far worse...

It wasn't great, but it was not terrible. It tried to be bold at times, but remained medicore at best. But I'll check the second episode.

 

Things I liked:

- the cousins - great casting job. They actually looked like members of the royal family look. No glamour, a lot of makeup.

- the twist with the bodyguard. I doubt they actually slept together, he may be bluffing.

- Prince Liam - he's cute, what can I say?

- "It's good to be the king..."

 

Things I didn't like:

- the cliches:

-- if we have a princess, she's a rebelious party girl who seems to be smart, but will not use her intelligence in everyday life. What a waste.

-- if we have a king, he'll be good hearted and naive. A Mufasa.

-- if the said king has a brother, he'll be a total power-hungry sexomaniac. A Scar.

-- if the prince falls in love with a commoner, she'll be american. Too bad she's not named Wallis.

- the limited sets -> too bad the royals put their coffins in the same spot they take walks and intoxicate themselves.

 

What I expect:

- the song "We could be Royals" played at least once.

- more members of the royal family being killed in "accidents"

- the queen to have an affair (or to have had an affair in the past), alternatively... the king to have had an affair in the past. Probably with Ophelia's mother.

[CaughtOnTape]

I was expecting more from all the hype and praise from the tv media. I was impressed by how much it tried to imitate the reality. Oldest brother was the William, the wild child brother was the Harry who now has to be responsible, the 2 dumb cousins are Fergie's  girls. 

 

Did they say at all what killed the oldest Prince? That was annoying they weren't saying. 

 

Does the uncle really intend to kill the entire line of succession in front of him? May be he killed Robert?

 

Liam and Eleanor made a point of asking their mother about it in the limo on the way to the funeral.  They said they were told it had something to do with the military but that's all they were told and they think there's more to it.  The King and the Queen also discussed his death in their bed and eluded to "something" having happened that shouldn't have.  

 

I don't think Liam is the white hat Prince just yet.  It's clear he sleeps around and the previews show that his relationship with Ophelia doesn't end that just yet.  He's a womanizer and seemingly will find that hard to give up just because he's got a thing for her.

 

I'm hoping Eleanor's cliche will end soon in an effort to make her a little less annoying.  

 

Something, I don't remember what, also eluded to the fact that the twins could be illegitimate.  Meaning they aren't the King's.

Edited March 16, 2015 by CaughtOnTape

[njbchlover]

Liam and Eleanor made a point of asking their mother about it in the limo on the way to the funeral.  They said they were told it had something to do with the military but that's all they were told and they think there's more to it.  The King and the Queen also discussed his death in their bed and eluded to "something" having happened that shouldn't have.  

 

I don't think Liam is the white hat Prince just yet.  It's clear he sleeps around and the previews show that his relationship with Ophelia doesn't end that just yet.  He's a womanizer and seemingly will find that hard to give up just because he's got a thing for her.

 

I'm hoping Eleanor's cliche will end soon in an effort to make her a little less annoying.  

 

Something, I don't remember what, also eluded to the fact that the twins could be illegitimate.  Meaning they aren't the King's.

 

The twins aren't children of the King - they are the children of the King's brother.  The princess made a comment about their mother having an STD.

 

I kind of liked this show - it was kind of campy and over the top, but I wonder if that was what they were trying to achieve.  

 

I saw Elizabeth Hurley on a talk show last week, and they showed a clip that Joan Colliins will be appearing as her mother, or the "Queen Mum", I guess?  I have a question, though, maybe someone here will know.  Can't there only be EITHER a Queen or King of England?  I mean, right now, there is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - not King Philip.  

Edited March 16, 2015 by njbchlover

[AdorkableWitch]

I grew up in the era of Falcon Crest, Dynasty and Dallas - and this is like the CW does 80's night soaps. If the actors would just give in to this, this would be amazing. 

 

Things I liked:

The Beatrice/Eugenie rip off cousins. "They can't make us Canadian, can they Daddy?"

Elizabeth Hurley - I love it. Just love it. I feel like she is very Dynasty does Dianna.

The Throne Room

 

Things I want:

Jewelry. I never get to see enough on real royals, so give me MORE.

[AdorkableWitch]

I saw Elizabeth Hurley on a talk show last week, and they showed a clip that Joan Colliins will be appearing as her mother, or the "Queen Mum", I guess?  I have a question, though, maybe someone here will know.  Can't there only be EITHER a Queen or King of England?  I mean, right now, there is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - not King Philip.  

 

The King outranks a Queen, so if there is a Ruling (aka by birth) Queen, like Elizabeth, then their husband is usually given a title, usually a Duke. With Prince Phillip, he was born a prince, so he can retain that title. A King's wife would be known as a queen. The "Queen Mum" is the Dowager Queen, aka the mother of the current monarch. 

[Avaleigh]

The twins aren't children of the King - they are the children of the King's brother.  The princess made a comment about their mother having an STD.

 

I kind of liked this show - it was kind of campy and over the top, but I wonder if that was what they were trying to achieve.  

 

I saw Elizabeth Hurley on a talk show last week, and they showed a clip that Joan Colliins will be appearing as her mother, or the "Queen Mum", I guess?  I have a question, though, maybe someone here will know.  Can't there only be EITHER a Queen or King of England?  I mean, right now, there is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - not King Philip.  

There is typically only one monarch and the person who is married to the monarch becomes their consort. The only exception I can think of to this is with William III and Mary II who were both technically sovereigns in their own right. Prince Philip is the Queen's consort and Camilla will either be Queen or Princess Consort likely depending on what everyone involved thinks will be best received by the public. (At this point though I don't think there's much doubt that Camilla be queen one day since she doesn't seem as unpopular with the public as she once was.)

 

I do agree with other posters though that it was a mistake, a big mistake, to not introduce us to Prince Robert and have him die at the end of the first episode.  I'd like to know what the dynamics were in the family while he was alive.  Was he a responsible king-to-be?  Was his accident a result of his recklessness?  And if he was reckless, was it because he truly didn't want the "top job?"

 

 

I guess one episode would be better than nothing but I would have liked to have had this character in at least half of the season in order to better establish what the dynamic would be. I also think if they'd had a second daughter that there could have been an interesting rivalry there with Princess Eleanor as opposed her rivals being these Cinderella inspired cousins who can't be taken all that seriously.  

 

If they wanted to start with a death they could have started with the death of the previous monarch. Have the villainous uncle feeling all resentful that he finally has to bow dow to his brother. As for the twins, rather than having their mother be a clone of Fergie I feel like it would be interesting if the uncle character had married a foreign princess in contrast to his brothers. Have some of the girls' snobbishness extend from some shit like that. Have a couple of jokes about the girls being inbred because their parents are cousins on both sides. IDK I feel like there's more that they could have done here.

 

The best thing I can say about this show is that it's better than Reign. I only made it through the pilot episode on that show. Crazy that a show like that can get a third season but something better made like The White Queen gets capped off at one.

[portfino]

You can tell this was edited and scenes were added from haircuts and Liam's facial hair. The problem is that two scenes I think were added were the Liam/King and Eleanor/Ophelia conversations, which were boring. And from his interview in EW, Schwahn seems to say that the sexy, fun stuff is just for the promos and we'll be getting more of the "family dynamics." So I'm not optimistic about the show's direction. 

[catray]

If they wanted to start with a death they could have started with the death of the previous monarch. Have the villainous uncle feeling all resentful that he finally has to bow dow to his brother. As for the twins, rather than having their mother be a clone of Fergie I feel like it would be interesting if the uncle character had married a foreign princess in contrast to his brothers. Have some of the girls' snobbishness extend from some shit like that. Have a couple of jokes about the girls being inbred because their parents are cousins on both sides. IDK I feel like there's more that they could have done here.

 

This would have been brilliant. I feel like the show has already shot itself in the foot by not showing us Robert or anything before his death. It would have been interesting to see the family dynamic with him alive

 

My main problem with the titles last night was that I didn't know if King Simon was actually the ruling King (I guess that should have been obvious, given that King trumps Queen in this instance) but given how fast and loose the show plays with the rules (and how they pumped up Elizabeth Hurley as Queen) I wasn't sure who was actually the appointed sovereign.

[Dejana]

I didn't go into this expecting anything too true to life, considering that the premise had the heir going off into apparently dangerous combat while the spares party hardy (there's a reason why Prince Harry was the one who went to Afghanistan and Prince Andrew went to the Falklands, not their older bothers) and a future King of England naming his son "Liam". Or a Queen of England in supertight, lowcut dresses. However, the central couple is just too boring and the uncle just needs a mustache to twirl to make his charaterization complete. The only thing mildly interesting about Ophelia is the mother's death being related to the royal family in some way. I suspect the writers felt the viewers needed an American girl to "relate to" and a frivolous show like this wouldn't dare tackle racial issues, so she's white. But she's kind of British and wears a fascinator well, so besides the other girls in Liam's life and his mother not approving, her background isn't that much of an obstacle. How long are we supposed to root for their star-crossed love? I'm already yawning. 

 

I was surprised not to see a breakdown from Helena but maybe she really has botoxed those tear ducts (or...perhaps sobbing isn't quite in Liz Hurley's repertoire as an actress).

 

The twins aren't children of the King - they are the children of the King's brother.  The princess made a comment about their mother having an STD.

 

I kind of liked this show - it was kind of campy and over the top, but I wonder if that was what they were trying to achieve.  

 

I saw Elizabeth Hurley on a talk show last week, and they showed a clip that Joan Colliins will be appearing as her mother, or the "Queen Mum", I guess?  I have a question, though, maybe someone here will know.  Can't there only be EITHER a Queen or King of England?  I mean, right now, there is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - not King Philip.  

 

Liam and Eleanor are twins, both 21 years old. They've both been brought up as "spares" (not Robert the heir) and probably acted in a more carefree/lenient manner as a result. The Beatrice and Eugenie stand-ins, I think they just dress/act similarly.

 

The way it goes now with the British royals is that if the Queen is the monarch, her husband is a prince consort so he won't outrank her (think of a deck of cards). If the King is the monarch, his wife gets to be a queen. Joan Collins is playing the mother of Elizabeth Hurley's queen character, but isn't the "Queen Mother" as such. "Queen Mother" (or Dowager Queen) is just what people call the widow of a king after his death. On this show, Simon is the one who inherited the throne; Joan Collins is just playing his mother-in-law.

 

From what I'm understanding, the Joan Collins character (info that's in articles about the show but hasn't been introduced onscreen)

has a title (Grand Duchess of Oxford), meaning that Helena came from nobility and married into the royal family--like Diana IRL, who was the daughter of an earl and Lady Diana before she married Prince Charles. Kate Middleton, meanwhile, comes from self-made millionaire parents, but her family doesn't have a title, hence all the talk (especially from British tabloids) of her being a "commoner" and "middle class".

Edited March 17, 2015 by Dejana

[Avaleigh]

I am curious about Helena's background. She doesn't particularly come across as upper class to me so it'll be interesting to see how she hooked up with the King presumably back when he was the Prince of Wales.

It seems the Joan Collins character is going to be Helena's mother and she's listed a Grand Duchess so we'll see.

 

And since I'm being nitpicky as hell about this show, can I just say that I have issues with some of the character names? King Simon doesn't sound right to me. Also, while Robert is a suitable enough name for prince of the UK it certainly wouldn't be given to a firstborn son IMO. And Prince "Liam" I mean, come on, I hope it's at least established that this is a nickname. I suppose I should be thankful that we didn't get a Princess Lola. Ophelia? I guess.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Avaleigh

[Avaleigh]

I didn't go into this expecting anything too true to life, considering that the premise had the heir going off into apparently dangerous combat while the spares party hardy (there's a reason why Prince Harry was the one who went to Afghanistan and Prince Andrew went to the Falklands, not their older bothers) and a future King of England naming his son "Liam". Or a Queen of England in supertight, lowcut dresses. However, the central couple is just too boring and the uncle just needs a mustache to twirl to make his charaterization complete. The only thing mildly interesting about Ophelia is the mother's death being related to the royal family in some way. I suspect the writers felt the viewers needed an American girl to "relate to" and a frivolous show like this wouldn't dare tackle racial issues, so she's white. But she's kind of British and wears a fascinator well, so besides the other girls in Liam's life and his mother not approving, her background isn't that much of an obstacle. How long are we supposed to root for their star-crossed love? I'm already yawning. 

 

I was surprised not to see a breakdown from Helena but maybe she really has botoxed those tear ducts (or...perhaps sobbing isn't quite in Liz Hurley's repertoire as an actress).

 

 

Liam and Eleanor are twins, both 21 years old. They've been been brought up as "spares" (not Robert the heir) and probably acted in a more carefree/lenient manner as a result. The Beatrice and Eugenie stand-ins, I think they just dress/act similarly.

 

The way it goes now with the British royals is that if the Queen is the monarch, her husband is a prince consort so he won't outrank her (think of a deck of cards). If the King is the monarch, his wife gets to be a queen. Joan Collins is playing the mother of Elizabeth Hurley's queen character, but isn't the "Queen Mother" as such. "Queen Mother" (or Dowager Queen) is just what people call the widow of a king after his death. On this show, Simon is the one who inherited the throne; Joan Collins is just playing his mother-in-law.

 

From what I'm understanding, the Joan Collins character (info that's in articles about the show but hasn't been introduced onscreen)

has a title (Grand Duchess of Oxford), meaning that Helena came from nobility and married into the royal family--like Diana IRL, who was the daughter of an earl and Lady Diana before she married Prince Charles. Kate Middleton, meanwhile, comes from self-made millionaire parents, but her family doesn't have a title, hence all the talk (especially from British tabloids) of her being a "commoner" and "middle class".

I'm confused about Helena's mother. 

 

First--I don't think that there are any "grand duke/duchess" titles in the British peerage. They have dukes and duchesses but grand dukes were/are typically austrian, russian, german, etc. My guess right now is that Helena's mother remarried at some point. If Helena is in fact the daughter of this fictional grand duke then I wonder where they're supposed to hail from originally? Could Helena's family maybe have noble German or Russian blood? Furthermore, is there any money there or did she hit the jackpot by marrying into the royal family? I feel like this could be relevant because it could influence the directions she'll want to steer to two remaining kids.

[Dejana]

I am curious about Helena's background. She doesn't particularly come across as upper class to me so it'll be interesting to see how she hooked up with the King presumably back when he was the Prince of Wales.

It seems the Joan Collins character is going to be Helena's mother and she's listed a Grand Duchess so we'll see.

 

And since I'm being nitpicky as hell about this show, can I just say that I have issues with some of the character names? King Simon doesn't sound right to me. Also, while Robert is a suitable enough name for prince of the UK it certainly wouldn't be given to a firstborn son IMO. And Prince "Liam" I mean, come on, I hope it's at least established that this is a nickname. I suppose I should be thankful that we didn't get a Princess Lola. Ophelia? I guess.

 

1. The show's been paired with Keeping with the Kardashians in the lineup. Maybe E! figures Elizabeth Hurley only has to seem "upper class" compared to Kim and Khloe. Or (speculation based on unaired but reported info)

Joan Collins is Grand Duchess because she married a grand duke later in life, or after Helena was born.

 

2. Another thing I handwave as the creators/E! figuring the bulk of the audience won't care, and wanting to avoid the names of the real, recent British royals. There's a reason why everyone bets on William and Kate naming their kids George, Victoria, Mary, Philip, very traditional names that have a long history in the family. But on American TV, you can have Prince Liam and King Simon and Prince Cyrus with his daughters Penelope and Maribel (IRL, it was widely reported that Prince Andrew and Fergie wanted to use Annabel for their firstborn, but the Queen vetoed it for being too yuppie and that's how they ended up with Beatrice).

 

 

I'm confused about Helena's mother. 

 

First--I don't think that there are any "grand duke/duchess" titles in the British peerage. They have dukes and duchesses but grand dukes were/are typically austrian, russian, german, etc. My guess right now is that Helena's mother remarried at some point. If Helena is in fact the daughter of this fictional grand duke then I wonder where they're supposed to hail from originally? Could Helena's family maybe have noble German or Russian blood? Furthermore, is there any money there or did she hit the jackpot by marrying into the royal family? I feel like this could be relevant because it could influence the directions she'll want to steer to two remaining kids.

 

That's a good point, though at the moment, It's hard to know if this is a show where the showrunners just think,

"It's Joan Collins: she's not a regular old duchess, she's a Grand Duchess!" and figure that most people watching will think it sounds suitably "royal" to them, so who cares if Britain doesn't really have grand dukes? It's on E! from the guy who brought you One Tree Hill; I'm not sure how much accuracy figures into the storytelling. But perhaps Helena or her mother really have ties to present/past nobility from another country.

I suppose all will be revealed in time. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by Dejana

[2AT]

If they wanted to start with a death they could have started with the death of the previous monarch. Have the villainous uncle feeling all resentful that he finally has to bow dow to his brother. As for the twins, rather than having their mother be a clone of Fergie I feel like it would be interesting if the uncle character had married a foreign princess in contrast to his brothers. Have some of the girls' snobbishness extend from some shit like that. Have a couple of jokes about the girls being inbred because their parents are cousins on both sides. IDK I feel like there's more that they could have done here.

THIS all day! This show is a victim of poor writing choices. I agree with all the folks who thought that Robert's death should have occurred at the end of the episode or within the season. To me, the villainous uncle's villainy is wasted because, unless he is working with a group of terrorists, he is too far back in the line of succession for all this mustache twirling. The Prince/commoner story needed a new twist, either a woman of color or make her gold digger of the year. With the amount substances coursing through her system, why did the security guy even have to drug Princess Die? Another poor writing choice! What do they mean by Ophelia's (Are they foreshadowing with that name?) mother died because of the King? With all of this "choose love" talk, why do I feel like the King and Ophelia's mom had something going on?

I will wait for the arrival of my spirit animal Joan Collins, but this needs a LOT of work!

[Dejana]

What do they mean by Ophelia's (Are they foreshadowing with that name?) mother died because of the King? With all of this "choose love" talk, why do I feel like the King and Ophelia's mom had something going on?

 

 

On the show's E! home page, there's a cast picture you can click on each character to find out more info about each character. For Ophelia's father (Ted), here's the blurb (is it really a spoiler if it's on the show's home page? But it wasn't quite explained on the show, so):

 

As Head of Palace Security, Ted is responsible for the safety of the Royal Family. His wife, Ophelia's mother, was shot and killed while Ted was protecting His Majesty, the King.

 

So, perhaps the security situation around the faux royal family isn't quite as good as it is with the Windsors these days, and Cyrus only has to engineer another "accident" or two before the title is all his mwahahahaha!

 

 

There was a UK show about a faux royal family called The Palace a few years back, and it also started with the death of the royal in the first five minutes of the episode. In this case, the young prince became king and had to deal with a scheming sibling vying for the crown. Perhaps the writers here were inspired by it.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Dejana

[Shugardrawers]

The twins aren't children of the King - they are the children of the King's brother.  The princess made a comment about their mother having an STD.

 

I kind of liked this show - it was kind of campy and over the top, but I wonder if that was what they were trying to achieve.  

 

I saw Elizabeth Hurley on a talk show last week, and they showed a clip that Joan Colliins will be appearing as her mother, or the "Queen Mum", I guess?  I have a question, though, maybe someone here will know.  Can't there only be EITHER a Queen or King of England?  I mean, right now, there is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - not King Philip.  

 

I thought it was Prince Simon who made the remark about drugs and syphilis killing the Princess so he wouldn't have to? And someone else answered the question about kings, queens, consorts and their proper titles.  

The King outranks a Queen, so if there is a Ruling (aka by birth) Queen, like Elizabeth, then their husband is usually given a title, usually a Duke. With Prince Phillip, he was born a prince, so he can retain that title. A King's wife would be known as a queen. The "Queen Mum" is the Dowager Queen, aka the mother of the current monarch. 

Back in the days of Queen Mary I (elder daughter of Henry VIII) her husband, Phillip of Spain was given the title of king but it was in name only.  He had no real power.

 

I am far from an expert or scholar on royalty but I have studied the ruling houses of Europe for years and quite a few things bothered me.  The casket of Prince Robert was draped in a Union Jack.  All royal caskets are draped in the Royal Standard NOT the Union Jack.  They could have come up with something resembling it without copying it.  Royal etiquette apparently means nothing here.  The King/Queen is addressed the first time you see them for the day as Your Majesty and thereafter as Sir or Ma'am.  NO MALE member of the household would DARE enter the private bedroom of the King and Queen (and generally they aren't still sharing one at this point in their marriage) unless he'd had permission to enter by a valet or someone already in the room.  And the Queen would not be undressing herself.  A lady in waiting would be present to attend to her clothing and jewelry.  Seriously?  NO ONE was on duty in either the wine cellar OR the palace kitchens? There is ALWAYS someone on duty should a member of the family require anything at any time day or night.  The Prince's bodyguard declines a drink from the Prince himself because he's on duty then turns around and orders one himself?  THE HELL?  If there were an incident and alcohol were found in his bloodstream he'd be on the street before he could sober up!

[justawatcher]

Awful lot of talk about "we just hooked up" and "we used protection". So I guess we're gonna see Ophelia as the prince's babymomma/wife fairly soon.

[Puffaroo]

 

Repeating but the casting of Princess Eleanor was terrific.  She looks so much like Elizabeth Hurley it's frightening.

 

Too much, IMNSFHO -- the queen doesn't look very queenly.  All the women have short-short skirts, long-long hair extensions; the only thing they're missing are big-big boobs, and that's probably only because they're mostly British.

 

I had to resort to eye color/makeup and slight variations in hair color to tell them apart.

[HeySandyStrange]

 

The Prince/commoner story needed a new twist, either a woman of color or make her gold digger of the year.

 

That would have been interesting, but I suspect the show didn't want to deal with the potential problem of the race aspect if Ophelia was multiracial with the Queen not liking her and all. If they could make her a gold digger that we could actually sympathize with I would be impressed, that might be out of range for this show and the actress, however. I'll bet, more likely, they will go for the trope that her extended family (possibly the American side) is somehow rich/prestigious and maybe she didn't even know.

 

Was I the only one distracted about how frozen and/or unemotional Liz Hurley's face seemed?

Edited March 17, 2015 by HeySandyStrange

[apgold]

There were parts of this I enjoyed (the cousins!) but overall it was a little flat, mostly due to plotting and too many shifts in tone (Send up? Family drama? Fun romp? - this show can't decide what it is and doesn't blend these three things well)

 

I also didn't understand King Simon's wanting to abolish the monarchy b/c his son died in the military and it's tradition.  So break the tradition without breaking the monarchy.  Besides he doesn't have any political power, the Prime Minister does.  I assume we will have someone in that role?

 

I don't mind Ophelia (except her name) - she seems to be the character who is most grounded in reality and I assume is supposed to be the audience surrogate (similar to how Dan was in Gossip Girl).   

[Constantinople]

This was do dull I stopped watching about 2/3 of the way through.

 

It's one thing for the media, whether in the real world or the show, to refer to the King and Queen of England, but I'd like to think that the fictional royal family understands that there is no King and Queen of England.  Of course, that's probably too much to ask when the Queen refers to the monarchy as being thousands of years old.

 

As others have noted, the idea that any of their sons would be named Liam is ludicrous.

 

The King is going to propose a referendum to abolish the monarchy?  Good one.  They should have aired this on April Fools Day.

 

 

[seacliffsal]

They gave Ophelia a bogus title like Artist in Residence to justify her being able to walk through the palace at her own whim.  She's the character I most resent.  She totally knew who Liam was when she slept with him-it's not like she harbored a crush, etc.  And she knew it would create a problem for her father.  I also didn't understand her anger at her father over her mother's death as she seemed to state earlier in the episode that she lived in America with her mother which made it seem like her mother and father were either separated or divorced.  I know I'm probably supposed to like her because (to quote Lou Grant) she's "got spunk."  I liked the cousins and King Simon.  Hopefully they'll figure out what kind of story they want to tell and tighten up the characterizations and storylines.  I want to like this so much and had been looking forward to it.

[Mari]

I'm not a cop, but if the princess was drugged, doesn't that mean the security guy raped her? That is a weird way for them to start the show with her character. Especially since it seems like they aren't going to acknowledge the true nature of what he did.

In some cases, probably.  I'm not sure this is one of those cases.  Based on her reaction the next morning, she consented to the sex.  She intoxicated herself on purpose, and judging on the opening scene, comments made throughout the episode, and her behavior until he mentions he's got a tape and will keep his job, it's pretty regular behavior for her to get drunk/stoned and seek out people she finds attractive--decisions she's comfortable with, and would make again.  That's not rape.  That's her thinking "I like to be high/drunk/stoned and I like to have sex.  I'm going to do this again sometime in the next 4 days."

 

Some poor person accidentally drinking too much, or drinking a drugged drink and not consenting is different than a person who starts out the evening planning to drink/drug and then have sex.  Eleanor seemed to be a person who starts out the evening planning to drink/drug and then have sex.

 

The power-dynamic flip here was actually the most interesting thing about the show.  Until that last moment, she was actually pretty abusive with him.  Eleanor made it pretty obvious that she was going to do things she wasn't supposed to do, and blame it on him.  She was pretty blunt at least twice in the episode about getting him fired--and her first set of comments the next morning indicate she thinks she's succeeded.  Getting him fired was entertainment. 

 

If genders were flipped, Eleanor comes across pretty badly.  A man in a position of power who tells his new female underling that he's going to do things that he will blame on her and get her fired?    Who then proceeds to get drunk/high  and seduce her and at least one other man, and then follows up the next morning with mocking comments about how forgettable she was and enjoy her new, unemployed life?  Adding in that the underling is not sure how ugly things will be if she refuses to have sex with the powerful person?

 

That man would be pretty scummy, and would rightfully be excoriated. 

 

Now, if I watch next week--and I don't think I will--I'd expect Liam to be a pretty amoral, possibly evil character.  But this week?  In that one scene?  It came across less as "skeevy blackmailer"  and more as "underling has fangs, too."

Edited March 18, 2015 by Mari

[Avaleigh]

Well, the White Queen is dealing with a specific period of real history.  It would be continued in an adaptation of a book about what happens next.   That series was great, IMO. 

 

At the risk of going OT for a moment---I think the first season of The White Queen could easily have been spread across two seasons considering how many years they burned through in just 10 episodes. Have the first season end with Edward's death, have the second end with Richard's and have the third and final season based on the stories of Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor plus their kids.

 

This was do dull I stopped watching about 2/3 of the way through.

 

It's one thing for the media, whether in the real world or the show, to refer to the King and Queen of England, but I'd like to think that the fictional royal family understands that there is no King and Queen of England.  Of course, that's probably too much to ask when the Queen refers to the monarchy as being thousands of years old.

 

As others have noted, the idea that any of their sons would be named Liam is ludicrous.

 

The King is going to propose a referendum to abolish the monarchy?  Good one.  They should have aired this on April Fools Day.

Thank you!

 

I think what really bothers me about stuff like this is that it would be so easy to pay someone to just help them get the basics right. Helena could have simply said, "I am the Queen."  

 

Going back to the episode--when I consider how crazy intrusive the media was after Diana's death and this is back in 1997 before most everyone had a mobile capable of capturing any image--can anyone imagine even for a solitary second that the media wouldn't have instantly captured William or Harry lying outside of the gates of Kensington Palace with the flowers left in tribute for their mother the way that Eleanor was if they'd chosen to do something like that? I found that small moment to be one of the most ridiculous in the entire episode. There isn't one single flash of a camera while she's doing that it's just her and her bodyguard as if they have all the privacy in the world. Made absolutely no sense.

[dr pepper]

"Just a vaggie virgin, not a blowie or a handie"

I want the cousins on every week.

 

Saddest kind. She does the work, the other party gets the orgasms.

[dr pepper]

The twins aren't children of the King - they are the children of the King's brother.  The princess made a comment about their mother having an STD.

 

I kind of liked this show - it was kind of campy and over the top, but I wonder if that was what they were trying to achieve.  

 

I saw Elizabeth Hurley on a talk show last week, and they showed a clip that Joan Colliins will be appearing as her mother, or the "Queen Mum", I guess?  I have a question, though, maybe someone here will know.  Can't there only be EITHER a Queen or King of England?  I mean, right now, there is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - not King Philip.  

 

When a man is king in his own right, his wife is usually called queen. But due the integral sexism of the system, when a woman is queen in her own right, her husband is often denied the title of king to emphasize that he is not the born ruler. The last man to be a king consort was, i think Phillip of Spain, husband of Mary Tudor. And he bitched about not being made the ruler.

[88Keys]

In some cases, probably.  I'm not sure this is one of those cases.  Based on her reaction the next morning, she consented to the sex.  She intoxicated herself on purpose, and judging on the opening scene, comments made throughout the episode, and her behavior until he mentions he's got a tape and will keep his job, it's pretty regular behavior for her to get drunk/stoned and seek out people she finds attractive--decisions she's comfortable with, and would make again.  That's not rape.  That's her thinking "I like to be high/drunk/stoned and I like to have sex.  I'm going to do this again sometime in the next 4 days."

 

 

The guy admitted that he slipped something in her drink.  If he drugged her, then she can't consent and it's rape.  I also highly doubt that she consented to being recorded.

 

With that said, her dad is the king- can't he just have the guy fired or executed or something? 

[dr pepper]

I am curious about Helena's background. She doesn't particularly come across as upper class to me so it'll be interesting to see how she hooked up with the King presumably back when he was the Prince of Wales.

It seems the Joan Collins character is going to be Helena's mother and she's listed a Grand Duchess so we'll see.

 

And since I'm being nitpicky as hell about this show, can I just say that I have issues with some of the character names? King Simon doesn't sound right to me. Also, while Robert is a suitable enough name for prince of the UK it certainly wouldn't be given to a firstborn son IMO. And Prince "Liam" I mean, come on, I hope it's at least established that this is a nickname. I suppose I should be thankful that we didn't get a Princess Lola. Ophelia? I guess.

 

Upper aristocracy tend to have lots of names so he's probably Richard William Henry Liam George, or somesuch. And it would make sense for the least common name to be the one they normally called him by so as to avoid confusion.

[Mari]

The guy admitted that he slipped something in her drink.  If he drugged her, then she can't consent and it's rape.  I also highly doubt that she consented to being recorded.

 

With that said, her dad is the king- can't he just have the guy fired or executed or something? 

The way I saw her body language during the drugs/tape reveal, I had the understanding that the drugs he slipped into her drink with her knowledge or direction.  It's entirely possible I'm mistaken about that.  The recording?  No, she most likely wouldn't have consented to that.

 

However, her dad being the king who could just have the guy fired?  That would be one of the things that made their power dynamic in the episode more interesting than just "Guy drugs girl and rapes her." and would give him motive to tape their evening. 

 

But the few scenes they had together, she wasn't treating him like a person.  She was treating him like a toy.  It's an uncomfortable reality that people aren't toys, and this one bit back. 

 

If she was drugged without her consent and raped?  That's absolutely wrong.    But so is taking wine you aren't supposed to and blaming it on someone who'll get fired, just because you don't want to be yelled at and find his dilemma entertaining.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Mari

[Dejana]

Upper aristocracy tend to have lots of names so he's probably Richard William Henry Liam George, or somesuch. And it would make sense for the least common name to be the one they normally called him by so as to avoid confusion.

 

The character was born to a reigning British monarch, or the next in line at the time. He could have been given twenty names, but none would have been Liam, any more than William and Kate are going to drop Padraig or Seamus or Topher anywhere into their next kid's name. Further down the line is where you get Zara and Savannah and Mia, the less staid and traditional names.

 

I find the blatantly incorrect details here more amusing than anything else; should you really expect more from a One Tree Hill take on royalty brought to you on the network that long ago hitched their wagons to the Kardashians? I'm not sure how much of a problem it will be with in terms of a broader audience, but a show like this does attract an audience who actually follows real royalty enough to know right away what aspects they're getting blatantly wrong, and some will be irked to distraction, rather than rolling with it.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Dejana

[beesknees]

Highly unbelievable show.  I'm all for artistic license and all but puh-leez.  My eyes were rolling out of my head the entire hour.  I can't see this show being picked up for a second season.  I couldn't get behind any of these characters at.all.   The twin princesses were mildly amusing though.

[redsox7819]

Highly unbelievable show.  I'm all for artistic license and all but puh-leez.  My eyes were rolling out of my head the entire hour.  I can't see this show being picked up for a second season.  I couldn't get behind any of these characters at.all.   The twin princesses were mildly amusing though.

 

E! already picked it up for a second season. Before the first episode even aired.

Edited March 19, 2015 by redsox7819