Susan Granger’s review of “The Serpent Queen” (Starz Original Series)
The two seasons of Starz’ soapy historical drama “The Serpent Queen” focus on Catherine de Medici (Samantha Morton), who breaks through the fourth wall, explaining how and why she ruthlessly exerts her enormous power to rule France for 15 years.
Set in the 16th century, the first season begins as Catherine (Samantha Morton) strategically recounts her youth in flashbacks to her young protégé Rahima (Sennia Nanua), cautioning her repeatedly to “trust no one.” By the second season, Rahima (Emma McDonald) has become an adult.
Orphaned as an infant in Florence, Italy, young Catherine (Liv Hill) was raised in convents until she was rescued by her uncle, Pope Clement VII (Charles Dance), and dispatched to marry Prince Henri of France (Alex Heath), who was infatuated with Catherine’s older cousin, Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier), his maternal mistress.
After years of frustrating sterility, Catherine bears 10 children before King Henry II, dies, along with her eldest son, Francis, leaving her as Regent for her second son, 10 year-old Charles IX. Problem is: Francis’ widow, pious Mary Queen of Scots (Antonia Clarke), has become her formidable adversary.
Traditionally Catholic France is undergoing a strong Protestant uprising, protected by Catherine’s longtime advisor Montmarcy (Alexandre Willaume), forcing conspiratorial Catherine to tread a thin line to preserve peace, particularly when England’s conniving Elizabeth I (Minnie Driver) uses sex to ensnare Protestant Louis de Bourbon (Danny Kirrane), leading to a climactic confrontation.
Adding to the intrigue, superstitious Catherine consults her infamous astrological advisor Ruggieri (Enzo Cilenti), who may be based on Nostradamus, claiming to predict the future, plus the unexpected appearance of her Black half-brother, Alessandro de Medici (Ashley Thomas).
Refusing to judge his aristocratic heroine harshly, showrunner Justin Haythe, working from Lennie Freida’s biography “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France,” has created a provocative tagline, as Catherine repeatedly asks viewers: “What would you have done differently?”
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Serpent Queen” is a scheming, spicy, satirical 7 – a guilty pleasure – streaming on Starz, accessible on Hulu.
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