‘Becoming Elizabeth’ S1 on STARZ Review

Starz has always had some solid shows, especially in the historical drama department. Even though Becoming Elizabeth is not a direct adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s work, it is based on it’s instalments. First we had The White Queen (Elizabeth Woodville), The White Princess (Elizabeth of York), The Spanish Princess (Catherine of Aragon) and now the tale follows Elizabeth Woodville’s great granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth I played by Alicia von Rittberg.

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The show opens with the death of King Henry VIII and his son Edward, being crowned King. The series takes us through Elizabeth’s life as we’re given a look into the girl that she was and the woman she will become. The performances are outstanding. Most notably, Romola Garai (Princess Mary), John Heffernan (Edward Seymour) and von Rittberg. I think she was the perfect choice to play Elizabeth. She portrays intelligence, cunning, modesty and is particularly good at unarming even the most stalwart or scheming of men.

Thomas Seymour (Tom Cullen) on the other hand, is a class A predator. He’s charming and manipulative. But it’s his ambition that makes him dangerous. Let’s ignore for a minute the age gap between him and Elizabeth, the relation is equally as disgusting. She’s the sister of his nephew, the son of his sister Jane Seymour. While this may not have been particularly unheard of during this time, it still did raise a few eyebrows given the fact his new wife was the final wife of the late King. Elizabeth’s father. He uses her innocence and naiveté in a way only predators do.

Elizabeth is in a very precarious position. As a princess of England she’s not allowed the luxury of love. She understands the power she holds is in her perceived docility and her words and with them, she out maneuvers many an opponent. If this is what she’s like at 15/16, I can truly understand why she was known as a formidable woman. Her sister Mary is formidable in her own right but far too rigid and it’s her unwillingness to compromise that sets them apart. To be sure it makes her a more volatile opponent but Elizabeth is truly the one to fear.

This season focused as much on the relationship between the siblings as it did the womanhood of Elizabeth. The girl we get towards the end of the season is no longer the doe eyed girl we are introduced to. From Elizabeth to Mary to Jane Grey (Bella Ramsey), we’re shown over and over that women during this time were allowed very few freedoms over their own lives no matter what bloodline they came from. As close blood relatives of the King, their lives would be mapped out for them as King and council saw fit. Unlike the princesses, Jane seemed content to do as she was told despite any misgivings she may have had.

We’re also given insight into the relationship between King and council. While Edward is technically King, due to his age he must rely on the advice of his councillors. These advisors occupied the most powerful and dangerous positions at court. They would turn the siblings against each other for their own personal gain. All jockeying and positioning themselves to find favour with the eventual winner. I really enjoyed the dialogue. It’s not only witty and authentic but full of the intrigue we’d expect of a show set in English court during the Renaissance.

The costumes and set are historically accurate and the soundtrack used inspires the time. Religion plays a crucial role in this story as it was Henry the VIII who began the English reformation and the subsequent upheaval between the Catholics and Protestants after his death. Elizabeth’s birth marked a new age. King Edward seeks to solidify his father’s new Anglican faith while princess Mary his heir, would return the country to Catholicism in the faith of her mother, Catherine of Aragon.

Edward’s reign was a very uneasy time with Catholics and Protestants murdering each other in the streets, the country was quite literally being ripped apart and battle lines were drawn. With Edward’s mysterious illness looming, the stage for Season 2 is set to play out the incident of “The Nine Days Queen” and the rule of Mary. Elizabeth will be plunged into an even more uncomfortable situation and I’m eager to watch her maneuver her way out of it.

‘Becoming Elizabeth’ Rating – 4/5

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