The White Princess Season 1 Episode 1
In Bed With the Enemy (SPOILER ALERT) The White Princess is off to a wonderful start. Showrunner Emma Frost has built a world rich in detail. The production filmed at several historical sites, which really enhances the feel of the show. Even with the sets, the attention to detail is high.
Jodie Comer's Lizzie is now facing marriage and becoming Queen, something that would empower her under normal circumstances. But she's still the girl who lived a good chunk of her life hiding in sanctuary at Westminster Abbey and has just lost her first love. She's having to decide how she's going to handle things, and her reactions feel authentic. The way she dealt with Henry's assault highlighted both her strength and her fragility.
Lizzie's not the only one struggling. Henry's a complicated character, although we've only started to see that. As much as Lizzie rails against her fated husband, there's little evidence that he's quite as bad she complains he is. If I were her, I'd be more concerned about his weird relationship with his mother and that little stunt backdating his reign than the fact that he killed my uncle/loved. Jacob Collins-Levy and Emma Frost give us just enough of a sense of Henry to want more. He's such a contrast in decisive force and bewildered naivete. For all that he's a leader on the battlefield, he's alarmingly easy to lead at court. His personal interactions with Lizzie remind me of a frustrating high school crush a total posturing asshole most of the time, but then, when you least expect it, surprisingly gentle.
As dynamic as Lizzie and Harry are to watch, I'm still stuck on the frenemy drama between Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Woodville. It's a holdover from The White Queen, and one of the few things that wasn't adequately explained for newcomers. If you're new to the world of Philippa Gregory's Cousins War, there's no indication that Margaret was once a trusted counselor to Elizabeth. In short, Margaret was present at the birth of Prince Richard, which did not go smoothly. She was credited for willing him to live and made his nurse. She used that position to later play Elizabeth and Richard against each other. She is also the person who actually arranged for the murder of the Princes in the Tower.
The transition from The White Queen's Elizabeth to The White Princess' Elizabeth is jarring only for a moment, and only if you've been marathoning a rewatch. The shock of sudden aging quickly passes, and I keep forgetting that Essie Davis and Rebecca Ferguson are different people. Elizabeth has rather suddenly matured into a less vengeful character or so it seemed until the last act. For fans of the prequel, Elizabeth suddenly having to take on the role her mother played for her keeps the character fresh. For newcomers, it highlights even more what she is willing to do for her children. Although the series is focused on Lizzie and Henry and their burgeoning dynasty, the fate of Prince Richard is a major plot point, and really serves to complicate our relationship with Elizabeth. For all that she disdains the York cousins for bowing to Henry, she is playing both sides of the game and putting her daughter in an untenable position.
I absolutely adored the scene where Elizabeth counseled Lizzie about her pregnancy and the moment she doubted her own magic. It's a bit of a meta moment the audience must ask themselves the same question that Elizabeth asks herself. The way that Frost approaches Gregory's use of magic in the books is one of my favorite things about the show. The Rivers women certainly believe in their own magic, but should the audience? The parallels between the magic of Elizabeth Woodville and the Catholic faith of Margaret Beaufort are sometimes subtle but important for a true comparison of the women. In a world where women do not easily hold power when their value lies in dowries and sons, these are ways to convince oneself to exercise influence.
As a new generation takes reign, I look forward to both the emergence of new power players and in how the mothers handle their increasing insignificance. Margaret and Elizabeth have both spent decades fighting to put their men on the throne, and that drive doesn't just disappear. Lizzie's relationship with sister Cecily and cousin Maggie also holds great promise. I confess an inclination to sweet, quiet Maggie for now. The poor girl wants nothing more than to protect her little brother, which seems like a job and a half.
Cecily's jealousy and lack of loyalty to Lizzie have made her persona non grata in my book, but I'm going to try and stay open to her growth. It's just a little disconcerting to see how gentle and kind she and Lizzie both are with the little girls, and then to have her trying to seduce Henry to undermine her sister. I am curious to see how Frost and her team resolve Cecily's marriage to Margaret's half-brother, John Welles. Welles was killed on The White Queen when he betrayed the Lancastrian forces he had joined at his sister's behest to warn Cecily's father, Edward IV. I'm just dying to know what they have planned for her instead. Things are only going to become more complex as Lizzie gives birth to Arthur, and a young man claiming to be her brother returns to England.
