Becca Burrington

I really enjoyed this show. It was a lovely romp through pre-Elizabethan England. They had such a good balance of humor and drama. In spite of the fantasy aspects, I think this show ended up being much more realistic than a drama or a comedy would be- because life isn't only serious and it's not just laugh tracks like a sitcom. I really appreciated the changes the show made from the original material. I endorse almost all of them, though it moves the plot even further away from history (the book wasn't very close anyways, so not a major shift). Adding in Lord Seymour and giving Lord Dudley more facets was a fantastic move and I think it paid huge dividends. I love when a villain gets a redemption moment (not all of the villains in a story though- that's too much). I think the expansion of Guildford's talents and making Jane's reading habits and knowledge a little more realistic were beautiful choices. They seem much better matched as a couple than in the book- much better set up to have some iron sharpening iron moments in future seasons (I hope Amazon will see reason). I think the herb and medicine interest of Jane's gave the audience a better idea of what life could look like for Guildford and Jane if they had to leave royal life behind versus the book where the characters had little in the way of practical skills. In the hopes that Amazon will rethink making a second and third season to finish out the story- I hope in the future we'll start seeing the sisters put more firm boundaries in what they are willing to allow regarding their relationship with Lady Frances. I'm tired of this oft repeated fallacy of needing to forgive and forget whatever your mother does because she's your mother. In this story, Lady Frances has done some truly immoral acts and (spolier alert) attempted murder. Forgiveness doesn't mean you continue to have a relationship with someone. Forgiveness doesn't mean you continue to allow someone the means and opportunity to hurt you over and over. You can forgive someone but still press charges or see them put in jail. Sometimes that's even the most loving thing you can do for someone- hold them accountable. Lady Frances is definitely a rich character that gives the writers some great scenes. She's shrewd and resourceful enough I'm sure she'll continue to have adventures on the screen even if the writers allow her daughters to make some healthier choices for themselves about the status of their relationship with their mother. So far, every time the girls have tried to go against Lady Frances wishes, it's been played off as angsty teenager behavior, not a rational decision to not engage with a dangerous and harmful person. On a more overarching aspect of the story, I appreciate how the show has expanded the Verity vs Ethian allegory to not only representing the Protestant/Catholic fight but also to give commentary to the straight-cis/LGBTQ+ conflicts. It's lended itself to some very satisfying word-play with poignant remarks.