Bad Queens and Old Kings, A Retrospective: The White Queen – “The Bad Queen”

Season 1, Episode 4

Air Date: Saturday, September 7th, 9pm ET/PT on STARZ

Rating: ★★★★★

Warwick (James Frain) plays Kingmaker with Margaret of Anjou

Warwick plays Kingmaker with Margaret of Anjou

Throughout The White Queen, Margaret of Anjou (Veerle Baetens), the infamous wife of King Henry VI (David Shelley) has remained unseen, playing behind the scenes as a symbol of tyranny depending on whose side you favor: York or Lancaster. In this week’s “The Bad Queen,” Margaret of Anjou makes her debut as Warwick (James Frain) and George’s (David Oakes) ambition takes on a whole new level of betrayal.

Hands Unclean

The first scene of “The Bad Queen” takes place shortly after the events of “The Storm” with Elizabeth (Rebecca Ferguson) feeling guilt ridden over the news of Isabel Neville’s (Eleanor Tomlinson) miscarriage. As always, Jacquetta (Janet McTeer) is quick to assuage her daughter’s stress about their part in the tragic sequence of events. It’s quite odd considering Jacquetta was the first to warn Elizabeth from partaking in any magical influence in “The Storm”.

It’s strange to observe Elizabeth’s shift in tone considering her determination for revenge. Yes, Isabel was not Elizabeth’s intended mark, but she did place a curse on Warwick, Isabel’s father. Maybe this is, in large part, due to Elizabeth’s own feelings as a mother, which causes her to grieve over Isabel’s miscarriage. Still, it doesn’t make Elizabeth sympathetic enough at this stage. The events in the “The Storm” drew the line in the sand; Elizabeth’s use of magic, as a way to solve her problems, set the terrible stage for “The Bad Queen.” It is her actions as much as those of Warwick, that are to blame for what happens to Isabel.

George (David Oakes) stands and watches as the power for the throne takes an unexpected turn.

George stands and watches as the power for the throne takes an unexpected turn.

You Can’t Keep A Bad Man Down

While England is in turmoil, Warwick makes a deal with the devil by arranging for his youngest child, Anne (Faye Marsay), to wed Margaret of Anjou’s son Edward of Lancaster (Joey Batey), who happens to be the family’s sworn enemy. This puts George out of the running for king, and makes a very bad situation even worse:

Warwick: “The only way we can raise an army big enough to defeat your brother Edward now is if we join with Lancaster. Now, I have spoken with King Louis and he has agreed to support us if we make terms with Margaret of Anjou.”

George: “You are telling me, that everything I’ve done, turned against my brother, my own house, everything I have suffered has been to restore the very lunatic who started all this…”

The alliance between Edward of Lancaster and Anne is the only means of keeping the family safe, and in a less than tender moment, Anne’s mother, Lady Anne Beauchamp (Juliet Aubrey ) tells her:

“Anne, what we want, what we need, is of no importance. Soon you will understand that and realize your fate will always be in the hands of others, the better. You are a tiny piece in a much, much bigger picture. So monster or not, you must marry him. You heard your father, it is our only hope.”

The Red Queen

When the Warwick family meets Margaret of Anjou and her son Edward of Lancaster, viewers finally see the infamous Lancastrian “Red Queen”; dressed in a crimson gown, Margaret’s appearance embodies nearly the opposite of what Elizabeth exudes as Queen of England. Whereas Elizabeth is known for her fair hair and blue eyes, Margaret’s dark hair and deep brown eyes give her a menacing appearance at first glance. Beyond looks, Margaret plays her cards carefully and explains to Warwick she will agree to an alliance—but only if he can secure London. The way she conducts her authority, even though she is in exile, is something Elizabeth should learn instead of playing around with magic; this isn’t Hogwarts, and no amount of playing with a bowl will fix her problems. In fact, things are only getting worse for Elizabeth.

The White Queen S1, Ep 104 The Bad Queen - Margaret of Anjou (Veerle Baetens)

The Red Queen, Margaret of Anjou, stands proud with her son, the cruel Edward of Lancaster.

Margaret is not a beloved royal in England, but she does have an admirable amount of determination. Despite the fragile mental state of her husband, and the fight for her family’s honor against great odds, she still can raise an army, and can raise an army even though she’s in exile. The sheer tenacity of Margaret’s desires for retribution goes so far as to betroth her son to the enemy, risking her family’s line against Edward IV (Max Irons).

All For One, One For All?

The White Queen does a solid job of showing how much women suffered during this period of history, and Anne is a good example in “The Bad Queen.” The union between Anne, and Edward of Lancaster shows the brutal nature of their marriage. “I don’t know what to do…”

Anne, dressed in her nightgown, tells Edward as he approaches their wedding bed ready to consummate their marriage. He reacts by telling Anne he hates everything about her, who she is as a York. Yet, with a frightening scowl on his face, Edward viciously rapes Anne while Margaret of Anjou watches close by like a total creeper in a disturbing scene from The White Queen.

Thus far, Anne has endured not only the mistreatment from Elizabeth as her lady-in-waiting, but her marriage to Edward of Lancaster will end up defining her animosity with all Lancasters. It’s ironic how Anne appeared starry-eyed at Elizabeth and Edward IV’s love story and marriage in the beginning of The White Queen but now must suffer the reality of an unwanted marriage. It’s sad that both Isabel and Anne are suffering for their father’s ambition. Sure, one can say it’s for the greater good, but the cost so far has led to Anne’s rape by her husband and Isabel’s miscarriage. You know it’s bad when, as far as consummation scenes go, Edward is a monster compared to George.

The Old King, New King

The culmination of “The Bad Queen” takes a dramatic shift as Warwick and George take siege of London; George betrays his brother Edward once again. Through this act of deception, King Henry returns to court and the Lancasters take control once more…or do they? As the episode ends with young Henry Tudor’s (Michael Marcus) hand beingnwashed by King Henry, the scene is in direct contrast to Elizabeth giving birth to her child, the first male heir for Edward IV. Once again, this episode of The White Queen ends with suspense and wonderment over how long the renewed King Henry will last in the court of England, but also the fate of the women whose influence change the course of history.

Overall

The White Queen does not disappoint in giving its usual brand of drama. In fact, one of the better character reveals comes in the form of Amanda Hale’s performance as Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor. For instance, her conversation with her second husband, Sir Henry Stafford (Michael Maloney), when Edward IV places the guardianship of her son under one of his kinsman:

Margaret: “Do you think even if we avoid sin ourselves, we are punished for the sins of others? For the sins of our parents?”

Stafford: “If we are then Henry is safe. You are the most pious woman I have ever known.”

Margaret: “I am not speaking of Henry.”

Stafford: “Then who?”

Margaret: “My father committed a great sin. He thought he could play God. He hanged himself.”

Stafford: “And you think you will be punished for that?”

Margaret: “I already have been, I had my son taken away from me.”

Stafford: “God is not punishing you for his sins.”

Margaret: “I wish I could believe that.”

This is easily one of several powerful scenes in “The Bad Queen” since it reveals so much about Margaret’s obsessions. While the rest of the cast does the same amazing job, what makes “The Bad Queen” a bit slow are some of the extra scenes with Margaret and Henry Tudor, and the lack of scenes regarding Margaret of Anjou. She is such a powerful figure, a little more exposition into her life would have been nice. That being said, for all that has happened since “The Storm,” one expects more scenes from the home front in England. It would have been nice to see more of Elizabeth’s response to the tragedy, as well as more of Edward IV’s transition on the throne prior to George and Warwick’s invasion with the French troops.

In another great subplot, Warwick captures Jacquetta in Grafton with the charges of witchcraft. McTeer does a magnificent job of showing Jacquetta’s strength and courage under such dire circumstances. The courtroom scene is a battle of wills as Warwick has a man testify as a witness against Jacquetta. She denies knowing the man, as well as being a witch. Warwick continues to accuse Jacquetta of bewitching Edward IV, but she beats him at his own game:

Jacquetta: “I would also like to call a witness to attest to my own character.”

Warwick: “Their name?”

Jacquetta: “Margaret of Anjou, your anointed queen.”

Warwick: “What did you say?”

Jacquetta: “I think you heard me. I escorted Margaret to her wedding when she was just fifteen. I carried her train at her coronation, and I was by her side when she gave birth to her son. I was her dearest friend. If any harm comes to me, it will be your head she spikes on the city walls. I promise you that.”

Considering the serious offense of witchcraft, Jacquetta makes the best move by reminding everyone in court of the history she shares with Margaret of Anjou. Poor Warwick can add this to his list of failed plans. For a man who is known for playing Kingmaker, he definitely needs to refresh his memory. Wasn’t Warwick the first to make a jab at Jacquetta for slumming it down with Lord Rivers, a man beneath her station, when they first met? How could he have forgotten her ties to Margaret of Anjou? Perhaps, this is a slight break in continuity and an opportunity to heighten the drama by having Warwick and Jacquetta go face to face.

Anne (Faye Marsay) plays her part at a great cost to protect her family.

Anne plays her part at a great cost to protect her family.

In the end, “The Bad Queen” does a good job of responding to the events after an unsuccessful siege for the throne. It demonstrates the lengths to which Warwick and George will go to gain the advantage once more over Edward IV. Although the few scenes with Margaret of Anjou do a good job of pushing the story forward, they doesn’t provide much insight about her nature. What we do know about Margaret is how cruel she can be, like when she observes her son raping Anne. There is no regret or pity for Anne, Margaret is as cold as a block of ice.

The pacing of “The Bad Queen” is steady, but some moments are better in playing with the plot’s continuity. There are a lot of characters, but what it needs to do to keep the momentum going is narrow down certain plots. The young Henry Tudor and Margaret storyline, despite being great, could have been saved for another episode. The episode should have been fixed more on Margaret of Anjou’s plots with Warwick, Anne’s torment of adjusting to her marriage, Elizabeth’s struggle to survive, and Jacquetta’s trial. Instead, it is slow in some parts because of the many plot lines. The one silver lining in “The Bad Queen” is the hope to see how Edward IV will return to claim his throne…once again.

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