Lizzie gives birth, which starts to change her dynamic with Henry. Meanwhile, Jasper meets with the Duchess of Burgundy to negotiate peace. Get a sneak peek of Sunday’s new The White Princess!
I know I’m starting to sound redundant, but I really do enjoy hearing the story of Tudor England from the perspective of the women involved. It’s so clear that the ladies are running circles around Henry and he’s, in many ways, powerless against it. I have several thoughts to share… (You can go HERE for a full recap of “Hearts and Minds”.)
In last week’s episode, despite the onset of sickness, Henry went on progress. It was so interesting to see how Lady Margaret continued to scheme to ensure her son’s place…stealing letters, plotting to make sure that Lizzie and her mother were left behind in London.
Yet, this did not stop Lizzie from exerting quite a bit of influence. Despite Cecily’s attempts to keep things from her (*RAGE*), Lizzie was able to get funds and resources to the London citizens as they were dying from sickness. (Of course this involved Lizzie threatening the Bishop Morton with killing herself and her unborn child…YIKES.)
Similarly, even though Elizabeth Woodville was locked away in a tower, she was able to plot with Francis Lovell to make an assassination attempt on Henry when he arrived in York. With that said, a clear wedge was emerging between mother and daughter. Yes Lizzie meant to be “Hidden and patient”…but she is starting to feel loyalty to the Tudors. Was murder really the only answer? What of her unborn child?
In any event, the progress was cut short as more Yorks rallied behind Young Teddy, Earl of Warwick. Henry was clearly frustrated. Why was his mother keeping things from him (like the sickness) and flirting with Uncle Jasper? How could Elizabeth Woodville still wield so much influence, despite being locked away? Would the country really support foolish, Young Teddy against him? And why wasn’t Lizzie on his side? Didn’t she have any affection for him?
Henry’s frustration with Lizzie was especially interesting when he returned to London and saw that she had made efforts to help the people and he was getting the benefits of their praise. Why did she know how to be a better ruler? Despite several suggestions otherwise, Henry refused to punish Lizzie for taking from the treasury. He was desperate for the two of them to work together and rule England. Yet, Henry lamented how she hated him.
And with this Lizzie learned how she would gain leverage to free Teddy and her mother. If Henry wanted her affection, she could influence him. And at the end of the episode was one of my favorite moments, when Lizzie let Henry feel their child kicking. So sweet! Of course Lady Margaret interrupted the intimate moment. But before Lizzie left for her confinement, she made it very clear that she would welcome Henry’s company.
“Hidden and patient…” and maybe the hope for a real Lizzie/Henry romance.
This Sunday’s episode explores England’s conflict with Burgundy. Recall that at the end of last week, Henry sent Uncle Jasper as part of a peace envoy to negotiate a stop their looting of English commercial ships.
In “Burgundy” (written by Emma Frost, directed by Jamie Payne):
Elizabeth struggles through her labor while King Henry’s envoys embark on a diplomatic mission to Burgundy. Negotiations are jeopardized by a twist of fate, and Elizabeth begins to find she has more in common with her husband than she first imagined. (via STARZ)
Marie Claire has a sneak peek of the upcoming show, which will feature Lizzie giving birth to her son, Arthur. They have a clip of a very sweet moment where Henry meets Arthur for the first time and is literally in awe of Lizzie. Go HERE to watch it and swoon over the potential of a true Lizzie/Henry romance!
Check out 5+ images, plus the trailer from “Burgundy” and make sure to live tweet with us this Sunday at 8:00pm ET|PT on STARZ.
