Is there really anything else that television can say about the Tudors? 16th-century British royalty has inspired elegant installments of Masterpiece Theatre, a tawdry Showtime soap opera, and all sorts of adaptations of Philippa Gregory's best-selling women-centric historical novels. For nearly a decade, Gregory's books have served as the backbone of Starz's historical romance slate: The White Queen, The White Princess and two seasons of The Spanish Princess traced the line of succession from Elizabeth Woodville's reign in the height of the War of the Roses to the marriage of Catalina Aragón with a young Henry VIII.
Now Starz is changing gears, but not order of succession, with Becoming Elizabeth. The tagline for the series is “The queen you know. The girl who doesn't. Tudor stalwarts like yours may disagree with the sentiment because we like to think we already know it all. However, Starz's latest female-centric costume drama excels at showing audiences that the formidable Queen Elizabeth wasn't the only extraordinary woman vying for power. The best part of Becoming Elizabeth might not be what it tells us about the legendary ruler, but how it allows the complex women in her orbit to shine.
Stars: Jamie Parker, George Baker, Sinna Mogul
Becoming Elizabeth was created by playwright and television writer Anya Reiss. The series thus marks a major stylistic break from Philippa Gregory's past adaptations of showrunner Emma Frost. While those previous series built their complex court dramas around central romances, the first few episodes of Becoming Elizabeth Season 1 revolve around the abusive relationship between underage Elizabeth and her charming guardian. Thomas Seymour (Tom Cullen). Headstrong and clever Elizabeth might think she's embarking on consensual flirtation, but that's because she's still too young and sheltered to see the big picture. It's an unsettling seduction to watch, especially since Thomas Seymour had infamously eloped with Elizabeth's stepmother, Henry VIII's last wife, Catherine Parr (Jessica Raine). In the power vacuum of Henry's death, Thomas's intentions seem suspicious, to say the least.
As mentioned, Elizabeth isn't the only character trying to navigate this dangerous court. Catherine Parr is refreshingly depicted as she was, an intelligent politician and a brilliant woman. Her Achilles heel is her love for the unpredictable Thomas Seymour, whom she hastily marries. This puts her at odds with other players at court, and even with her beloved stepdaughter Elizabeth.
Similarly, Elizabeth's older half-sister, Mary Tudor, is given a much more nuanced portrayal than other adaptations of Elizabeth's life have afforded. Mary cares for her sister, but she understands that any sign of weakness, even a brother's love, could lead to her own death. Mary is torn in three directions: between her loyalty to her family, her faith in the Catholic Church, and her own political ambitions. She's a refreshing take on a character usually only shown at the end of her disastrous reign, dying of likely uterine cancer and saddled with the hideous nickname "Bloody Mary."
Although Becoming Elizabeth technically follows The White Queen, White Princess, and Spanish Princess in orderly generational succession, it's hard to confuse Reiss's approach to Tudor history with Frost's. Those earlier shows portrayed the English court as a place of opulence, the shows' heroines being medieval chieftains who used their wits and cunning to narrowly survive a grim fate. Becoming Elizabeth turns this very scenario into a horror movie. The show takes advantage of low ceilings and shade, putting the characters in the dark, both figuratively and literally. Elizabeth and the other women do not strut around the court, but seem constantly cornered.