my lady jane watch party - 1.07 'another girl, another planet' (dir. stefan schwartz)
a little late to the watch party again because I keep sleeping in (trying out this """weekends""" things) but here we go! the best of schwartz's episodes! not even a contest.
+ we really start out this episode with it looking like jane is about to straight up be killed. but there's one for english rule of law - they have to remove her from the throne legally.
+ guildford watching from the forest, arriving just too late, is...very satisfying.
+ I almost think that jane is more upset about mary - who killed edward - getting the crown than losing it herself
+ katherine starts crying at the thought of jane being executed, which is a good detail, but I do want more scenes between them to explore their sisterhood.
+ frances isn't even willing to admit the possibility of jane dying yet. "there is always a way out if you know how to play the game. and luckily for us, gamesmanship is my second-best skill." combined with her panic over guildford-as-horse at the end, I know frances has vested all of her hopes in her eldest daughter. that explains so much.
+ edward doesn't have a shred of proof that he is who he says he is, and the only people who might recognize him either a) want him dead, b) are about to be executed themselves, or c) are powerless. he needs a plan (jane is good at plans, actually).
+ I do love that even with her execution looming, the servants in her childhood home are still standing by jane
+ mary is just so fixated on jane's execution! this isn't about gamesmanship, it's about the fact that jane was queen before her.
+ that said, frances yelling at her 10 year old daughter and kicking her out is not okay! and I think this may really be the last straw for katherine. after all, it's one thing if your mother does horrible things to you, it's another when she does it to your younger sister.
+ speaking of crumbs in this episode, at least norfolk argues for a trial for jane. a sham trial, for appearance's sake, but it at least buys jane time. but these comments about anne boelyn really do make bess commit to jane in a real way <333 and she takes the real risk of telling petunia to run after her failed stabbing attempt!
+ respect for guildford for refusing to give up on jane <3 he won't leave her, he won't abandon her, even if he's the only one! and that makes all the difference!
+ jane prepping for the trial is such a delight: she's got her books, she has a plan! and to be fair, she actually makes quite a good argument. it would have saved her life too, if guildford hadn't been caught.
+ fitz 10000% calls edward "your majesty" during sex, absolutely.
+ "you can't ban people, no matter how hard you try." excellent.
+ and we're at the guildford-sneaks-in sequence! it is great how he sneaks in and climbs the wall and, if jane had gone with him, I'm pretty sure they could have escaped. but she won't leave her family. this show definitely makes me think about family as a form of bondage.
+ "it's all my mother's fault" / "isn't everything?" :D
+ three cheers for the reunion! and guildford does try to stay focused on the escape, and to his credit, he does succeed in getting in! if he wasn't alone, maybe he wouldn't have been caught leaving :/
+ this is definitely my fave of the two intimacy scenes, and I am also delighted at how they have sex on top of all of jane's books. every detail of this scene is done well :D it's all been said before, so I'll just say: 13/10, fantastic choices all around
+ guildford really does seem to have this dissociative vibe after sex both times, until he's pulled back to jane. I'm sure there's something something peak happiness and then thinking about how he doesn't deserve happiness, etc etc.
+ jane's curls in the conversation about his first change look so great
+ "even if I don't prove my innocence, you can live. my family can live. this is what I shall think about if...I shall think about you." jane's whole expression during this scene! guildford's expression at the thought of jane dying! I'm here for it! suffering (TM)
+ poor charles being totally shocked that edward is alive <333 that's fair. I love that edward, fitz, and charles team up to try to save jane, though.
+ stan has such an evolution over this season, to the point that he is almost unrecognizable as the man we first meet by the riverbank. he's still a fop, but a dedicated fop willing to help guildford save jane who convinces his dad to do the same.
+ but by the time jane is heading to london, back at the family estate, guildford has already been discovered :(
+ fitz, you do know jane ;) you met her at her wedding! but he's still not obligated to save her. he's got to get his sister out from the zoo.
+ go bess! speak up for jane! sucks to be mary with everyone cheering for jane in the throne room.
+ and now jane knows edward is alive! it was almost a really great day for jane and charles
+ it's nice that edward wants to rescue jane by walking into the throne room and declaring himself, but jane is right. he needs power behind him to do so. and when edward leaves, he leaves to the sounds of cheering, thinking jane is safe - and runs straight into fitz trying to make things right <3
+ and oh man, here we go! just when jane thinks things will be okay, it's about to get much, much worse! this whole scene with frances screaming "that is a horse!", desperate to stop things before the reveal - it's so much!
+ lastly, this final shot of jane and guildford looking at each other, knowing the doom upon them: my heart!!! they deserve snuggles, not struggles!