Review: The White Queen ‘The King is Dead’

Last time around, we saw the death of dear brother George and the destruction of yet one more threat against the crown.  Margaret may still be plotting, but there are about five bodies between her little Henry and the throne, so it’s looking unlikely.  This week, Margaret gets a wee bit closer to achieving her ambitions while things pretty much fall apart for everyone else.

This week’s episode does another leap into the future.  Little Henry is all grown up, swinging swords and ready to embrace his destiny should the moment arrive.  Everyone else is doing just fine, with Elizabeth’s children growing and yet another son to add to the line of Edward’s heirs.  Unfortunately, Edward gets sick and ends up dead.  And so Elizabeth and brother Richard must decide on how they wish to keep the old king’s legacy going.

Unfortunately, Richard being made guardian of the heir doesn’t make Elizabeth happy.  She thinks that she and her family will become victims to a power mad Richard and that almost becomes the case.  While Richard is willing to execute the ascendancy of the heir according to Edward’s wishes, the people around him (particularly Anne and her mother) poison his ear and give him dreams of grandeur.  And so he and the Queen end up in a power struggle that looks like it will inevitably lead down the path to war.

Elizabeth flees, Richard suspects people plotting against him and yet more innocent people die.  And Margaret, seeing her chance finally arriving, sits on the sideline and pits one faction against the other, creating rumors and lies to make both Elizabeth and Richard think that they are plotting against each other when, in reality, they have the same goals in mind.  In the end, Richard, at the urging of Anne, takes the throne for himself like an idiot.

I liked this week’s episode in the way that it depicted all the plotting and how much of what happened was due more to misunderstanding than actual political rivalry.  The two main players were so caught up in everyone else’s web that they failed to actually talk to each other and figure out that they were both on the same side.  My biggest beef with the show this week revolves around Richard’s acting.  The guy was fine when he was in the background, but just can’t pull off the dynamic acting required to drive the show during this point.  All-in-all, not a bad episode and I am curious to see what happens during the final two.

For a sneak peak at next week, head to the BBC site and check out the preview.

Photo Credits -           

Richard courtesy of bbc.co.uk