News of Richard York’s return rejuvenates Elizabeth Woodville’s plotting. What does this mean for Lizzie and Arthur? Get a sneak peek of this week’s The White Princess.
One of the best parts of last week’s The White Princess is watching Henry and Lizzie finally come together in their little family. From (literally) the beginning of the episode, it’s clear that there’s an attraction between them (*cough* no thanks to Lady Margaret for interrupting the slightly awkward, but sweet sexy times). But the challenges to Henry’s reign make the possibility of trust so difficult.
The Duchess of Burgundy has a young boy pretending to be Teddy Plantagenet, leading soldiers to battle. When the real Teddy is brought out of prison to join Cecily’s wedding procession (as proof that Henry has things well in hand), things go horribly wrong several “well-wishers” start calling for King Warwick (also, the result of Lady Margaret’s scheming). At the same time, Elizabeth Woodville continues to plot against Henry from Bermondsey Abbey.
Things take an interesting turn when, after a (not so) secret trip to the Abbey, Lizzie realizes her mother no longer trusts her with plans for the York cause. In fact Elizabeth realizes this before Lizzie does: Arthur puts Lizzie solidly in the Tudor camp because she would never work to remove her son’s birthright. In one of Cecily’s less self-obsessed moments, she encourages her older sister to ignore their mother and focus on supporting Arthur and seeing him to the throne.
It seems that Henry finally begins to believe in Lizzie, which results in a series of wonderful moments. Before Henry rides out to face the Burgundy forces, Lizzie begs him to stay safe and gives him a lock of Arthur’s hair as a token. When Henry refuses to execute faux-Teddy and Elizabeth for treason, Lizzie publicly thanks him for the mercy. And when Henry finally removes Lady Margaret from the Queen’s rooms, which he gives to Lizzie, they share the sweetest kiss. *SWOONY SIGH*
However, when news gets out about this boy who claims to be Lizzie’s brother Richard, who knows how long this detente will last!
Finally, I just need to say one more thing: I’m so glad that Maggie is married to a kind man! Sir Richard Pole is gentle, he understands Maggie’s concern for her brother, and he’s not afraid to openly call for mercy (as he does when he’s the only person to say that Henry shouldn’t kill faux-Teddy or Elizabeth Woodville).
(For more, check out our full recap of “The Pretender” HERE.)
In Sunday’s episode “Traitors” (written by Loren McLaughlan and Amy Roberts, directed by Alex Kalymnios):
Elizabeth’s mother fiercely defends the York cause, while the appearance of a young prince abroad threatens to further destabilize King Henry’s rule. Lady Margaret Beaufort faces the consequences of a disturbing secret. (via STARZ)
Yep, this boy claiming he’s Richard is going to cause a lot of trouble.
Take a look at two clips from the upcoming show. In the first, Lizzie goes to her mother, who has news from Burgundy. And in the second clip, Elizabeth shares news of Richard’s return with Lady Margaret.
Is anyone else concerned about Elizabeth being ill? Even sick, she’s still fierce as hell, perhaps rejuvenated by reports of her son being alive and well. It’s interesting to see Lizzie’s reaction. Yes there’s doubt because of the faux-Teddy debacle, but at the same time, there’s resentment. If Richard becomes king, that means Lizzie is no longer queen and Arthur loses his claim. Dilemma!
Second, I am HERE for the Elizabeth vs. Margaret knock-down-drag-out. And Margaret does seem afraid.
Take a look at eight images from The White Princess and make sure to live tweet “Traitors” with @WeSoNerdy on Sunday, May 14 at 8:00pm ET on STARZ!
