Here’s Everything You Need to Know About The Serpent Queen: The Mid-Season Recap
Here’s what you need to know about the world of The Serpent Queen so far… (SPOILER WARNING)
The Serpent Queen is the newest STARZ original offering a deliciously twisted tale of the warped morality and political machinations behind the rise to power of Catherine de Medici, the 16th-century Italian monarch who, against all odds, became the queen of France. With its gorgeous costumes, enticing performances and riotously funny, anachronistic tone, The Serpent Queen is a must-watch. If you’re looking to get caught up on all the drama (or if you just can’t get enough!), here’s a quick recap of everything that’s happened in The Serpent Queen so far.
Humble beginnings
The Serpent Queen opens with Catherine de Medici recounting her life thus far to her servant, Rahima. She tells Rahima of being whisked away from the orphanage where she spent her early years to be betrothed to Henri, the king’s second-eldest son. Against her better instincts, Catherine falls in love with Henri. It’s hardly a fairytale, however, because Henri is besotted with Catherine’s cousin, the older and lascivious Diane de Poitiers.
Over the next couple of episodes, Catherine finds herself navigating a thorny love triangle with Henri and Diane, suffering the consequences of her own purported dalliances with a stable boy, and encountering another formidable opponent in the form of Mary, Queen of Scots.
As she weaves her tale, Catherine teaches Rahima some tough lessons about what it takes to survive in the snakepit of life at court.
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A leap forward in time introduces us to present-day Catherine
Episode Four catapults us fifteen years in the future, and the Catherine we encounter is no longer the wide-eyed girl who came to court years ago. In her place is a regal and formidable ruler who has learned what it takes to survive in the cutthroat environment of 16th-century courtly life. And while we’ll miss Liv Hill, who was equal parts sympathetic and devious as the young Catherine, we’re always on board with more Samantha Morton on our screens.
In flashback, Catherine recounts some of the events of the past years, including but not limited to her nine (!) pregnancies, the last of which ended in a devastating stillbirth.
A queen rises to power
After a dying King Francis, her husband’s father, appoints Catherine to Henry’s privy council, Catherine hopes to find her political power cemented. But Catherine’s struggles are far from over. On the very day of her coronation she is met with a less-than-subtle message from Diane, her husband’s mistress. The years, it would seem, have done little to sway Henry’s preference for his mistress. Diane dresses Henry in her signature black-and-white colors for the coronation, while Catherine wears blue. The mismatched colors signal to the court that it is Diane, not Catherine, who truly holds sway with the newly-crowned Henry.
How will Catherine manage to climb her way back to the top? There’s only one way to find out…
If you’re not already watching The Serpent Queen, now is the perfect time to binge the first four episodes: for a limited time, you can get The STARZ App free for 7 days! Sign up for The STARZ App today and discover the world of The Serpent Queen now!
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