My relationship to the Starz adaptations of Philippa Gregory’s work has been a mixed one (mostly because of the source material), but of them all, The Spanish Princess has been, without a doubt, my favorite. Not only does Charlotte Hope look like a young Catherine of Aragon, but the series plays into my favorite elements of historical-ish dramas while also trying to bring some nuance to these historical women.
As we see in the trailer, Catherine will begin this series as a beloved queen, but if people know anything about Henry VIII, they know he has six wives and dear Catherine is only #1. Hints of his wandering eye (could it be Bessie Blunt?) and his unhappiness about Catherine’s inability to produce a male heir are right at the forefront.
One aspect that I think is interesting is how they are upping Catherine’s role during one of the many wars between Scotland and England. During that war, Catherine did ride north in full armor to address the troops, despite being heavily pregnant at the time, but she didn’t actually fight in the battle. They will certainly be #girlbossing that, but I’m not too mad at it because, if anything, at least she was there, and Catherine did advocate for more equality between men and women when it came to education and a woman’s right to rule.
This will be the last War of the Roses/Tudor Era period drama between Emma Frost and Matthew Graham, and hopefully, it’ll end on a high note.
“There is a sadness that’s going to be creeping into season 2 because gradually as tragedies unfold within their family, their marriage becomes under increasing strain,” Graham told EW last year. “Henry’s distrust, his fear that he has upset God, grows and grows, and that creates a madness, which becomes a wedge between them and their marriage.”
“A huge part of this season is something that’s so rarely written about or portrayed on TV, which is a woman’s struggle, or a couple’s struggle, to have a child, and the absolute anguish that can cause,” added Frost. “I’m proud of the way that we portray that and really showed the emotional toll that takes, and how it impacts a relationship.”
Often, Catherine of Aragon’s story is pushed to the side to make room for Anne Boleyn, so I’m glad that, at the very least, this series has helped to show people she was more than just the first of many tossed aside wives. I’ve also loved the series for included characters of color and I’m hoping that Lina and Oviedo will continue to prosper together as a married couple. It is a great show, despite the loosey-goosey historical choices at times, but of the three we’ve gotten, it is by far the best. and I’m looking forward to seeing how Catherine’s story ends in this series.
(via EW, image: Starz)
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