The Spanish Princess - General Discussion

[brisbydog]

12 hours ago, Carolina Girl said:

If you can ever get a chance to see it, check out Annette Crosbie’s Catherine of Aragon opposite Keith Michell’s Henry VIII  in the old PBS series “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” from the early 70’s.  Even though she was a little long in the tooth to play the young Catherine, you don’t care.  Historically accurate and wonderful. 

the casting for that entire show was brilliant, particularly Annette Crosbie as Catherine and Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn and of course Keith Michell is the definitive Henry VIII

[Carolina Girl]

14 minutes ago, brisbydog said:

the casting for that entire show was brilliant, particularly Annette Crosbie as Catherine and Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn and of course Keith Michell is the definitive Henry VIII

I was quite amazed how much the actors cast matched the known portraits of their historical counterparts.  Michell to me is THE definitive  Henry VIII. The only flaw I could find is that Thomas More never appears.  

[brisbydog]

1 minute ago, Carolina Girl said:

I was quite amazed how much the actors cast matched the known portraits of their historical counterparts.  Michell to me is THE definitive  Henry VIII. The only flaw I could find is that Thomas More never appears.  

And their Cranmer is like he walked off the portrait! Uncanny

[Carolina Girl]

23 hours ago, brisbydog said:

And their Cranmer is like he walked off the portrait! Uncanny

And their  Cromwell and Norfolk as well.

[brisbydog]

50 minutes ago, Carolina Girl said:

And their  Cromwell and Norfolk as well.

When I was about ten I got to go to a showing of the costumes in Windsor, for a low budget show they got everything right with casting, costuming, writing. I love their kind of evil take on Catherine Howard 

[CountryGirl]

While this season was decidedly darker and progressively sad as we see the demise of Henry and Katherine's marriage and all those lost babies, I will be said to see the series end. I loved that we got to see at least some of Henry and Katherine's early years of marriage, as well as her time with Arthur and the aftermath of his death, and yes, I loved that we got a red-headed Henry and Katherine. 

I do so love all things British Royal History, but I don't know that they can improve on the Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) films. 

Who am I kidding Of course, I will be watching because I just cannot get my fill, apparently.

ITA with those who picked The White Queen as their favorite series. I loved all the main players, including the deliciously evil George, Duke of Clarence (again, MH's ancestor). 

Back to this series, I got caught up on the last 3 episodes and obviously remembered that MH's ancestors also included Stafford Sr as the father-in-law of his so many great grandmothers Ursula Pole. Also, I am surprised they didn't include more about the fact that Stafford who had a better claim to the throne because of his Plantangenet (through Edward III) heritage and Henry was threatened by that.  It also struck me that Henry, whose grandmother, Elizabeth Woodville, was the sister of Stafford's mother, Katherine Woodville was Stafford's cousin  once-removed.

On a shallow note, there is something about an eye-patch wearing hottie. See also Alan Van Spring's Sir Francis Bryan from The Tudors.

I also want to say how much I appreciated the sets and OMG, the costumes for this series. I am a huge Jude Deveraux fan and love her Montgomery novels and now, I can finally get a good feel for the attire she describes in the Velvet series. 

And they were so spot-on with Katherine's black dress with the famous gabled hood vs the RL portrait:

 

[CountryGirl]

I feel like the Anne scenes with Henry (and I highly doubt she stripped naked from him in the courtyard) were totally unnecessary. And they obviously skipped over his fling with Mary, with whom it's rumored he fathered 1-2 children.

[rhygirl720]

1 hour ago, CountryGirl said:

I feel like the Anne scenes with Henry (and I highly doubt she stripped naked from him in the courtyard) were totally unnecessary. And they obviously skipped over his fling with Mary, with whom it's rumored he fathered 1-2 children.

one of which is one of my ancestors.

Have always been fascinated by Tudor history not realizing I had direct ancestry to major players...yikes

[Haleth]

2 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

with those who picked The White Queen as their favorite series. I loved all the main players, including the deliciously evil George, Duke of Clarence (again, MH's ancestor). 

Who doesn’t love David Oakes?  He (almost) always plays deliciously evil bad guys. 

[Scarlett45]

I found info about the costumes Here.

 

But guess what friends- Starz is going to adapt some of Alison Weir’s books about Eleanor of Aquitaine!!!!!! This should be good!! I’m so excited. I want a young Eleanor, and a sexy Henry II way before the Lion in Winter years. 

[Haleth]

That will be really interesting. Eleanor was a fascinating woman. 

[AryasMum]

On 12/2/2020 at 11:17 AM, brisbydog said:

When I was about ten I got to go to a showing of the costumes in Windsor, for a low budget show they got everything right with casting, costuming, writing. I love their kind of evil take on Catherine Howard 

I’ve always felt sorry for Catherine Howard. She had a disinterested guardian in a home with very little rules. She became sexually active at a young age, and I can’t help but think she was preyed on by older men in that house.  Then to be married at seventeen to fat, festering leg wound, probably impotent, unbalanced Henry.  She was probably grateful to be yet another victim of beheading by Henry. 

[qtpye]

On 12/2/2020 at 2:33 PM, CountryGirl said:

While this season was decidedly darker and progressively sad as we see the demise of Henry and Katherine's marriage and all those lost babies, I will be said to see the series end. I loved that we got to see at least some of Henry and Katherine's early years of marriage, as well as her time with Arthur and the aftermath of his death, and yes, I loved that we got a red-headed Henry and Katherine. 

I do so love all things British Royal History, but I don't know that they can improve on the Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) films. 

Who am I kidding Of course, I will be watching because I just cannot get my fill, apparently.

ITA with those who picked The White Queen as their favorite series. I loved all the main players, including the deliciously evil George, Duke of Clarence (again, MH's ancestor). 

Back to this series, I got caught up on the last 3 episodes and obviously remembered that MH's ancestors also included Stafford Sr as the father-in-law of his so many great grandmothers Ursula Pole. Also, I am surprised they didn't include more about the fact that Stafford who had a better claim to the throne because of his Plantangenet (through Edward III) heritage and Henry was threatened by that.  It also struck me that Henry, whose grandmother, Elizabeth Woodville, was the sister of Stafford's mother, Katherine Woodville was Stafford's cousin  once-removed.

On a shallow note, there is something about an eye-patch wearing hottie. See also Alan Van Spring's Sir Francis Bryan from The Tudors.

I also want to say how much I appreciated the sets and OMG, the costumes for this series. I am a huge Jude Deveraux fan and love her Montgomery novels and now, I can finally get a good feel for the attire she describes in the Velvet series. 

And they were so spot-on with Katherine's black dress with the famous gabled hood vs the RL portrait:

 

This is amazing...thank you for the pictures!

[Carolina Girl]

On 12/3/2020 at 7:03 AM, Scarlett45 said:

Starz is going to adapt some of Alison Weir’s books about Eleanor of Aquitaine!

This should be GREAT!  All some people know about the remarkable Eleanor of Aquitaine is Katharine Hepburn in "The Lion in Winter."

[Scarlett45]

20 minutes ago, Carolina Girl said:

This should be GREAT!  All some people know about the remarkable Eleanor of Aquitaine is Katharine Hepburn in "The Lion in Winter."

Yes. And I really liked both of Alison Weir’s books about her (the biography and the historical fiction novel). We need a tall sexy Henry II. 

[Scarlett45]

I know theres a lot of holiday stuff on now, but since the Spanish Princess is over, would anyone be up for a rewatch of The White Queen? Or maybe next month?

[CountryGirl]

I would be up for a re-watch.

[Scarlett45]

3 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

I would be up for a re-watch.

Would you wanna start in January?

[Haleth]

I just cancelled Starz until something I want to watch is on. (Anyone know when Outlander is back?)

[CountryGirl]

4 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Would you wanna start in January?

Sure!

[Scarlett45]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

I just cancelled Starz until something I want to watch is on. (Anyone know when Outlander is back?)

Might not be until 2022. They haven’t started filming again yet. 

[Carolina Girl]

On 12/4/2020 at 1:47 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I know theres a lot of holiday stuff on now, but since the Spanish Princess is over, would anyone be up for a rewatch of The White Queen? Or maybe next month?

I wanted to watch it this week but noticed that STARZ didn't have ALL the episodes available On Demand.  Could have something to do with the "freeviews" they've been having.  I know HBO withholds "Game of Thrones" seasons during their freeviews.

They were missing episodes 8 and 9 - hopefully the complete series will be back in January.

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, Carolina Girl said:

I wanted to watch it this week but noticed that STARZ didn't have ALL the episodes available On Demand.  Could have something to do with the "freeviews" they've been having.  I know HBO withholds "Game of Thrones" seasons during their freeviews.

They were missing episodes 8 and 9 - hopefully the complete series will be back in January.

Thanks for the heads up.

[libgirl2]

On 12/1/2020 at 9:09 AM, brisbydog said:

the casting for that entire show was brilliant, particularly Annette Crosbie as Catherine and Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn and of course Keith Michell is the definitive Henry VIII

that is the series that got me started on my interest in him and Elizabeth. Keith Michell was fantastic. 

On 12/2/2020 at 9:26 AM, Carolina Girl said:

And their  Cromwell and Norfolk as well.

My gosh, yes! 

On 12/1/2020 at 9:28 AM, brisbydog said:

And their Cranmer is like he walked off the portrait! Uncanny

another yes! 

[Carolina Girl]

21 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

that is the series that got me started on my interest in him and Elizabeth. Keith Michell was fantastic. 

Yep - That was the series that started me on my lifelong career of being a Tudor history junkie.  I originally watched it when CBS broadcast it in the summer as an hour-long series.  The PBS version, which aired a year later, had the full version of 1.5 hours and was followed up with "Elizabeth R".  Then it was off to the bookstore ("Waldenbooks" was still around then) to buy every bio I could find that I could afford.

[libgirl2]

19 hours ago, Carolina Girl said:

Yep - That was the series that started me on my lifelong career of being a Tudor history junkie.  I originally watched it when CBS broadcast it in the summer as an hour-long series.  The PBS version, which aired a year later, had the full version of 1.5 hours and was followed up with "Elizabeth R".  Then it was off to the bookstore ("Waldenbooks" was still around then) to buy every bio I could find that I could afford.

I loved Elizabeth R! I loved Glenda Jackson. Did you ever see Mary Queen of Scots with Vanessa Redgrave? Glenda Jackson was also in that, though we know their meeting never happened. 

[AryasMum]

29 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I loved Elizabeth R! I loved Glenda Jackson. Did you ever see Mary Queen of Scots with Vanessa Redgrave? Glenda Jackson was also in that, though we know their meeting never happened. 

They got that aspect wrong in the recent rendition also. Also inaccurate in the recent, Mary most likely had a French accent, rather than Scottish, as she was raised in France. They also call her the Queen of Scotland, when the title was Queen of Scots. 

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, AryasMum said:

They got that aspect wrong in the recent rendition also. Also inaccurate in the recent, Mary most likely had a French accent, rather than Scottish, as she was raised in France. They also call her the Queen of Scotland, when the title was Queen of Scots. 

I didn't see the newest one yet. I probably will one day, but I'm not rushing. I also saw they had her have a Scottish accent. 

[libgirl2]

57 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I didn't see the newest one yet. I probably will one day, but I'm not rushing. I also saw they had her have a Scottish accent. 

I also think Saoirse Ronan should have played Elizabeth. She has that "I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a King of England too" look to her.

[blackwing]

I just discovered that the first season of this show is on Amazon Prime for free until 12/31, so started watching.  I think Philippa Gregory is a hack, which is fine, as long as she considers herself an author as opposed to a historian.  Sometimes I've seen interviews with her where I get the sense that she thinks she is a historian.  Just finished the first episode and I will enjoy catching up on all the commentary posted here.

Since it's Gregory, she obviously takes lots of liberties with history, such as having the future Henry VIII look to be about 18 when Arthur weds.  The scene of Catherine arriving in England and meeting Harry and his best friend "Charlie Brandon" (yeah right) like they were the welcoming committee of "Gossip Girl" was laughable.  But I guess as with the other two series, I will just have to ignore the hack job on history and enjoy the show as entertainment.

I was amused to see that the actor who plays "The Crown's" snooty Prince Edward is playing Prince Arthur and plays him like a total drip.  The hair alone is ridiculous.

And speaking of "The Crown" and all the flap about whether it needs to add a disclaimer that it is a fictional show, I thought it interesting to see that there is a disclaimer that pops up just as the credits roll on "Spanish Princess", which given that it's Hack Gregory, is entirely appropriate.

During my Amazon Prime search, I discovered all these other shows/documentaries about English royals, for example "Edward and Mary: The Unknown Tudors".  Are any of these worth watching?  I'm particularly interested in "The Winter King" about Henry VII based on the book by Thomas Penn because I actually have that book, just haven't gotten around to reading it.

[Carolina Girl]

On 12/9/2020 at 12:57 PM, libgirl2 said:

I'm not rushing.

The minute she spoke with a Scots accent, I changed the channel.

 

49 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I just discovered that the first season of this show is on Amazon Prime for free until 12/31, so started watching.  I think Philippa Gregory is a hack, which is fine, as long as she considers herself an author as opposed to a historian.  Sometimes I've seen interviews with her where I get the sense that she thinks she is a historian.  Just finished the first episode and I will enjoy catching up on all the commentary posted here.

Since it's Gregory, she obviously takes lots of liberties with history, such as having the future Henry VIII look to be about 18 when Arthur weds.  The scene of Catherine arriving in England and meeting Harry and his best friend "Charlie Brandon" (yeah right) like they were the welcoming committee of "Gossip Girl" was laughable.  But I guess as with the other two series, I will just have to ignore the hack job on history and enjoy the show as entertainment.

I was amused to see that the actor who plays "The Crown's" snooty Prince Edward is playing Prince Arthur and plays him like a total drip.  The hair alone is ridiculous.

And speaking of "The Crown" and all the flap about whether it needs to add a disclaimer that it is a fictional show, I thought it interesting to see that there is a disclaimer that pops up just as the credits roll on "Spanish Princess", which given that it's Hack Gregory, is entirely appropriate.

During my Amazon Prime search, I discovered all these other shows/documentaries about English royals, for example "Edward and Mary: The Unknown Tudors".  Are any of these worth watching?  I'm particularly interested in "The Winter King" about Henry VII based on the book by Thomas Penn because I actually have that book, just haven't gotten around to reading it.

Both are excellent.  Highly recommended.

[Scarlett45]

17 minutes ago, Carolina Girl said:

During my Amazon Prime search, I discovered all these other shows/documentaries about English royals, for example "Edward and Mary: The Unknown Tudors".  Are any of these worth watching?  I'm particularly interested in "The Winter King" about Henry VII based on the book by Thomas Penn because I actually have that book, just haven't gotten around to reading it.

These are good- I recommend. 
 

Gregory is an author(not an historian), but Starz takes even more liberties with her source material. As a series though they’ve made it entertaining to watch. Again I’m so happy Lina and Oviedo got a happy ending. 

[Bill1978]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

I was amused to see that the actor who plays "The Crown's" snooty Prince Edward is playing Prince Arthur and plays him like a total drip.  The hair alone is ridiculous.

I am convinced the only reason why production decided to replicate Arthur's original hair cut was to make Henry more appealing to the audience..er I mean Catherine. It was ridiculous the way those episodes presented Arthur as a nerdy, unattractive drip while Henry was paraded around as the most handsomest man in Christendom. I'm surprised the show didn't attach a neon sign to Henry say 'I'm so hot, I'm the only man for Catherine' But maybe I'm bitter cause I was hoping for more of Arthur's story than 2 episodes.

[qtpye]

1 minute ago, Bill1978 said:

I am convinced the only reason why production decided to replicate Arthur's original hair cut was to make Henry more appealing to the audience..er I mean Catherine. It was ridiculous the way those episodes presented Arthur as a nerdy, unattractive drip while Henry was paraded around as the most handsomest man in Christendom. I'm surprised the show didn't attach a neon sign to Henry say 'I'm so hot, I'm the only man for Catherine' But maybe I'm bitter cause I was hoping for more of Arthur's story than 2 episodes.

They were definitely trying to paint Henry as the handsome jock and Arthur as the dweeby nerd.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Bill1978 said:

I am convinced the only reason why production decided to replicate Arthur's original hair cut was to make Henry more appealing to the audience..er I mean Catherine. It was ridiculous the way those episodes presented Arthur as a nerdy, unattractive drip while Henry was paraded around as the most handsomest man in Christendom. I'm surprised the show didn't attach a neon sign to Henry say 'I'm so hot, I'm the only man for Catherine' But maybe I'm bitter cause I was hoping for more of Arthur's story than 2 episodes.

Well Henry was considered that if I remember correctly. 

I got flamed on a FB page recently. There was an announcement on who will be playing Elizabeth I on the new Starz miniseries. She is a German actress who just doesn't seem "Elizabeth" enough for me. I said how I am very defensive of the Tudors, especially her (I have a hard time watching Blackadder). . Someone was angry with me and told me not to watch it! Okay, relax. I'll probably watch it and hopefully won't cringe too much. 

[CountryGirl]

I checked out the actress and while she doesn’t scream Elizabeth to me, her eyes are quite striking and have that Anne Boleyn vibe (Elizabeth having her mother’s eyes). I’ll reserve judgment until I see her in action. I am interested to see Elizabeth’s younger years, although I would have loved a series which showed the intervening years after Henry VIII’s death with Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary I. 

[blackwing]

Finished two episodes so far and much of my dislike is reserved for Margaret "Maggie" Pole.  I am tired of hearing about Teddy and I think it's unfortunate that this part is played by Laura Carmichael.  I disliked Lady Edith on "Downton Abbey" and I'm afraid that dislike is carrying over here.  Whenever she goes on about injustice and Teddy, all I'm hearing is sad sack Edith complaining about her life and how things are always so unfair for her.  Ugh.

1 hour ago, CountryGirl said:

I checked out the actress and while she doesn’t scream Elizabeth to me, her eyes are quite striking and have that Anne Boleyn vibe (Elizabeth having her mother’s eyes). I’ll reserve judgment until I see her in action. I am interested to see Elizabeth’s younger years, although I would have loved a series which showed the intervening years after Henry VIII’s death with Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary I. 

Yes, I agree.  Henry VIII and Elizabeth have been done time and time again.  I would love a proper historical drama which focuses on Edward VI and Mary.  Mary always gets the shaft when it comes to historical dramas.  She's usually portrayed as a disappointment in Henry VIII's story or someone dying and on her way out in Elizabeth's.  I'd love to see a series where she for once is the focus.  

 

[Bill1978]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

I would love a proper historical drama which focuses on Edward VI and Mary.  Mary always gets the shaft when it comes to historical dramas.  She's usually portrayed as a disappointment in Henry VIII's story or someone dying and on her way out in Elizabeth's.  I'd love to see a series where she for once is the focus.  

Gregory wrote a book of their reign through the eyes of the court fool in the book called 'The Queen's Fool. Adapt that into a series called The Forgotten Tudors focusing on Eddie, Janey and Mary. And then move onto Elizabeth - who while exciting in historial terms has become quite boring in terms of Hollywood.

[libgirl2]

9 hours ago, blackwing said:

Finished two episodes so far and much of my dislike is reserved for Margaret "Maggie" Pole.  I am tired of hearing about Teddy and I think it's unfortunate that this part is played by Laura Carmichael.  I disliked Lady Edith on "Downton Abbey" and I'm afraid that dislike is carrying over here.  Whenever she goes on about injustice and Teddy, all I'm hearing is sad sack Edith complaining about her life and how things are always so unfair for her.  Ugh.

Yes, I agree.  Henry VIII and Elizabeth have been done time and time again.  I would love a proper historical drama which focuses on Edward VI and Mary.  Mary always gets the shaft when it comes to historical dramas.  She's usually portrayed as a disappointment in Henry VIII's story or someone dying and on her way out in Elizabeth's.  I'd love to see a series where she for once is the focus.  

 

I would love something that focuses on Mary. I agree, she always gets the shaft.... she is shown as an embittered old woman full of jealousy and anger, then she dies. It would be interesting to show her younger years and not just the usual portrayal. 

[blackwing]

49 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I would love something that focuses on Mary. I agree, she always gets the shaft.... she is shown as an embittered old woman full of jealousy and anger, then she dies. It would be interesting to show her younger years and not just the usual portrayal. 

Yes!  The portrayal of Princess Mary by Sarah Bolger in “The Tudors” was the only positive portrayal (those of any significance and not just a very minor role) that I have seen.  I remember we talked about how we hoped they would continue the series with Edward and her, but I guess they weren’t interested.  I think that was a mistake.  

I guess the producers thought that once Jonathan Rhys Meyers died that people wouldn’t watch.  I think the success of the White Queen franchise shows that people will watch a series about English royalty even when the historical characters and the actors are less well known.

[AryasMum]

I’m irritated that Henry calls Maggie “Aunt”, when she’s actually his mother’s cousin. He actually had many true aunts, and I wonder if this is historically accurate. 

On 12/11/2020 at 12:25 PM, blackwing said:

I just discovered that the first season of this show is on Amazon Prime for free until 12/31, so started watching.  I think Philippa Gregory is a hack, which is fine, as long as she considers herself an author as opposed to a historian.  Sometimes I've seen interviews with her where I get the sense that she thinks she is a historian.  Just finished the first episode and I will enjoy catching up on all the commentary posted here.

Since it's Gregory, she obviously takes lots of liberties with history, such as having the future Henry VIII look to be about 18 when Arthur weds.  The scene of Catherine arriving in England and meeting Harry and his best friend "Charlie Brandon" (yeah right) like they were the welcoming committee of "Gossip Girl" was laughable.  But I guess as with the other two series, I will just have to ignore the hack job on history and enjoy the show as entertainment.

I was amused to see that the actor who plays "The Crown's" snooty Prince Edward is playing Prince Arthur and plays him like a total drip.  The hair alone is ridiculous.

And speaking of "The Crown" and all the flap about whether it needs to add a disclaimer that it is a fictional show, I thought it interesting to see that there is a disclaimer that pops up just as the credits roll on "Spanish Princess", which given that it's Hack Gregory, is entirely appropriate.

During my Amazon Prime search, I discovered all these other shows/documentaries about English royals, for example "Edward and Mary: The Unknown Tudors".  Are any of these worth watching?  I'm particularly interested in "The Winter King" about Henry VII based on the book by Thomas Penn because I actually have that book, just haven't gotten around to reading it.

Oh, I think Gregory views herself very much as an historian.  In her portrayal of Elizabeth of York having a love affair with her uncle, Richard III, her “proof” is that Richard once denied the accusation, therefore it must be a FACT that they had a sexual relationship. 

22 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

I am convinced the only reason why production decided to replicate Arthur's original hair cut was to make Henry more appealing to the audience..er I mean Catherine. It was ridiculous the way those episodes presented Arthur as a nerdy, unattractive drip while Henry was paraded around as the most handsomest man in Christendom. I'm surprised the show didn't attach a neon sign to Henry say 'I'm so hot, I'm the only man for Catherine' But maybe I'm bitter cause I was hoping for more of Arthur's story than 2 episodes.

The whole thing is ridiculous when considering that Catherine was 16 when she married Arthur, making Henry just 10 when they met. 

[Carolina Girl]

On 12/12/2020 at 11:29 AM, AryasMum said:

I’m irritated that Henry calls Maggie “Aunt”, when she’s actually his mother’s cousin. He actually had many true aunts, and I wonder if this is historically accurate. 

Oh, I think Gregory views herself very much as an historian.  In her portrayal of Elizabeth of York having a love affair with her uncle, Richard III, her “proof” is that Richard once denied the accusation, therefore it must be a FACT that they had a sexual relationship. 

The whole thing is ridiculous when considering that Catherine was 16 when she married Arthur, making Henry just 10 when they met. 

Indeed.  The BBC "Six Wives of Henry VIII" shows Henry as he really was at the time of Arthur's death - a chubby readheaded kid of 10 or 11.  But after "The Tudors" I realize there are no limited to the "poetic license" they'll take.  Had a great weelemd with the "Tudor History" set ordered from Amazon - "The Shadow of the Tower", "Six Wives of Henry VIII" and "Elizabeth R".  A two-pound box of See's candy. a rainy weekend and hot cocoa.  I think my "quarantine 15" just hit "quarantine "eleventeen".  

[Scarlett45]

On 12/11/2020 at 8:49 PM, CountryGirl said:

I checked out the actress and while she doesn’t scream Elizabeth to me, her eyes are quite striking and have that Anne Boleyn vibe (Elizabeth having her mother’s eyes). I’ll reserve judgment until I see her in action. I am interested to see Elizabeth’s younger years, although I would have loved a series which showed the intervening years after Henry VIII’s death with Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary I. 

I agree with you. However I think the series could be really good if they cast a compelling Thomas Seymour AND Catherine Parr. If the creators have any sense they would make Lady Jane Grey a big presence as she and Elizabeth lived with Catherine Parr for a time. Is this one based on The Lady Elizabeth by Allison Weir?

[CountryGirl]

I don't believe it will be based on Weir's book.

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a34508811/becoming-elizabeth-news/

From the article:

"The series, which was created by playwright Anya Reiss, serves as a coming-of-age story for Queen Elizabeth.

Reiss will serve as an executive producer on the project as will George Ormond and George Faber. Deadline also notes that the show will have an all-women writing team, which, in addition to Reiss, will include Emily Ballou, Anna Jordan, and Suhayla El- Bushra."

[blackwing]

I just finished Season One, and I guess after seeing Elizabeth of York sleep with her uncle Richard III in "The White Queen", I shouldn't have put anything past that hack Philippa Gregory.  I think it's great that there is a book and TV show about Catherine of Aragon, one of history's truly wronged queens.  I laughed when I saw the disclaimer at the end something like "some events have been altered for dramatic purposes".  How about "MOST EVERYTHING has been altered"?

Did Margaret Beaufort wrong one of Gregory's ancestors?  All three incarnations of the woman were portrayed as her being an interfering harpy.  I suppose I can kind of understand her in "The White Queen".  She was devoutly religious and truly believed that her son Henry had a God-given right to the throne.  She did everything she could to get him on that throne.  But once he got there, I don't believe she was the ultimate power and controlling harridan and murderer that we saw.  I especially don't understand the depiction in "The Spanish Princess".  At this point, Henry is a grown ass man.  She got what she wanted, he's been on the throne for years.  I supposed there needed to be an antagonist, and someone to be opposed to Catherine.

I also truly hated Gregory's writing of Elizabeth of York's "prophecy/vision/gift/curse" that Henry and Catherine wouldn't have any sons.  Hated the depiction of Lizzie in this series.  She went from a strong and resourceful Jodie Comer (who tracked down the soldiers in the woods and spoke to them convincingly, with her heaving breastesses) into this pathetic and paranoid and delusional aged queen.

Don't understand the inclusion of the character of (as far as I can tell, completely fictional) Rosa.  That stupid woman got everything she deserved, and I am annoyed that time was wasted on her "sad" story.  I truly didn't care about her and her baby.

Wish we could have seen more of Harry's relationship with his sisters Margaret and Mary.

[libgirl2]

On 12/20/2020 at 10:03 AM, blackwing said:

 

Wish we could have seen more of Harry's relationship with his sisters Margaret and Mary.

I least he had two sisters in this series. 

[Scarlett45]

Confirming a rewatch of The White Queen starting tomorrow🥰. I’ll be talking about it in that thread. 

[sas616]

On 12/4/2020 at 10:22 PM, Scarlett45 said:

On 12/4/2020 at 6:19 PM, Haleth said:

I just cancelled Starz until something I want to watch is on. (Anyone know when Outlander is back?)

Might not be until 2022. They haven’t started filming again yet. 

They are supposed to start filming this month.  Don't know if that will still hold with the virus ramping up everywhere.  But there won't be any Outlander this year, unfortunately.   However, Men In Kilts starts 2/14, so there's that little nugget to look forward to.  By the looks of the promo, it should be a hoot.

[Haleth]

It seems the next series will be about Catherine de Medici.

[Scarlett45]

6 hours ago, Haleth said:

It seems the next series will be about Catherine de Medici.

This is exciting! She's another fav of mine.