10/10
Starz winning in material already well covered
20 June 2022
So far (ep 2) this might be the best medieval drama I have seen. That would be maybe a dozen, including ones with this series' setting, 1572 England.

The young king Edward VI is well cast & acted, and written, given his father was Henry VIII, whose death starts this. All the dialogue is succint and dramatic, and generally not so accented as to be muddled. That and the solid logic are not assured in English productions, but B. E. comes through for this American.

The faces of the romantic leads are quite expressive but still believable. This might be the major difference in this version of the events depicted. The actors do not get that many words to work with, so must emote.

The suggestion is made that Mary queen of Scots could/should have been prevented from fleeing to France. That makes a big what-if. She's not in this though. In general, the world the characters inhabit is fairly small, and the Elizabeth character bemoans this. As do I as the show's biggest flaw. Politics & such are present only as they affect the given characters. There was one not-bad war scene.

Modern sensabilities exist in such as 1.5 characters made black and Eliz. Killing a deer. This is amusingly almost addressed in the dialogue though, so is easily forgivable.

There is an edgy tone throughout that might annoy smoe. The music is simple but uses modern instruments.

Very promising.
30 out of 47 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed