Susan Granger’s review of “My Lady Jane” (Amazon Prime Video)
British Royal historians note that 16 year-old Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England and Ireland for just nine days in 1553 before she was incarcerated and executed as a heretic.
As the narrator of “My Lady Jane” notes: “History remembers her as the ultimate damsel in distress….(But) What if history were different?”
In this eight-episode dramedy, created by Gemma Burgess with showrunner Meredith Glynn – adapted from the 2016 YA novel by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows – facts are largely ignored in favor of fanciful, feminist froth.
Lady Jane’s saga begins when her father dies, leaving the family penniless. Teenage Jane (Emily Bader) is told by her imperious mother, Lady Frances Grey (Anna Chancellor), that she must wed rakish Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Blumel) to secure their status in society.
Well educated and remarkably knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, rebellious Jane refuses and tries to run away, accompanied by her maid/BFF Susannah (Mairead Tyers), but they’re quickly caught.
That’s when she discovers that Susannah is Ethian. Scorned by pureblood humans, who are called Verities, Ethians possess a supernatural power to shapeshift into animals – as Susannah soars off as a hawk.
Ethians have been banished to scavenge on the outskirts of the realm, barely able to survive. It’s obvious in the subtext that the Ethian/Verity bigotry represents the rampant Protestant/Catholic conflict. Jane was Protestant, while her successor, Queen Mary I was a devout Catholic
Credit diverse/colorblind casting as Jane’s lifelong friend/cousin, ailing King Edward VI (Jordan Peters), is introduced, along with his constant canine companion Petunia, who warns him that he’s being poisoned; she turns out to be Ethian too.
Then there’s the King’s shrill half-sister, diabolical Princess Mary (Kate O’Flynn) – who evolves into ‘Bloody Mary’- and her lover/advisor, treacherous Lord Seymour (Dominic Cooper) who seemingly leans toward S&M.
Accompanying all the 16th century Tudor twists, there’s a persistent indie-rock girl pop soundtrack, studded with songs like “Rebel Rebel,” “Kashmir,” and “Come Together.”
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “My Lady Jane” is a silly, slyly snarky 6, streaming on Amazon Prime.
