First Impressions:
Some comedy, a lot of thrills, and an exceptionally clever approach to directing and writing resulted in a story about Catherine de Medici that I thoroughly enjoyed. Suffice to say, you won't find this in the history books, but many a moment was most assuredly based on what once happened.
Story Analysis:
What took me most by surprise was the modern comedy angle. It was perfectly balanced with the darker more dramatic plot threads, resulting in a series that felt fresh yet familiar.
Samantha Morton's performance as Catherine de Medici was spectacular. Much the same could be said of the artiste who played her younger version, namely Liv Hill. While the exact nature and behavior of their historical counterpart can't be verified to a fault, Samantha and Liv's acting more than breathed life into Catherine's tested humanity and apparent ruthlessness.
A rich array of characters, most of them based on actual historical figures, enriched the plot. The show captured the 16th century in a crisp and entertaining light. It was fun and games on one side, chaos and turmoil on the other.
Catherine's urgency to get pregnant and hold fast to her title and her life, especially in light of her uncle the Pope's murder/death, and with her distant cousin thwarting her every move in the French royal court, all made for exceptional entertainment.
Hair-makeup and costume design were outstanding. Sound effects and VFX were quite good. Soundtracks were noteworthy. Musical scoring was superb. Production design, art direction, and set decoration were great. Stunts and editing were clever. Writing was amazing. Direction was exemplary.
Final Notes:
Meticulous performances and savvy writing made each episode in season 1 of "The Serpent Queen" better than the last. Catherine's rise from a lowly commoner to queen-regent of France was well-dramatized and more cleverly written than I expected.
The entire season boasted a flair for entertainment more than historical truth, to be sure. But it was less about exercising total power and more about wielding timely wit. That, more than anything else, made "The Serpent Queen" season 1 feel credible and compelling.
Some comedy, a lot of thrills, and an exceptionally clever approach to directing and writing resulted in a story about Catherine de Medici that I thoroughly enjoyed. Suffice to say, you won't find this in the history books, but many a moment was most assuredly based on what once happened.
Story Analysis:
What took me most by surprise was the modern comedy angle. It was perfectly balanced with the darker more dramatic plot threads, resulting in a series that felt fresh yet familiar.
Samantha Morton's performance as Catherine de Medici was spectacular. Much the same could be said of the artiste who played her younger version, namely Liv Hill. While the exact nature and behavior of their historical counterpart can't be verified to a fault, Samantha and Liv's acting more than breathed life into Catherine's tested humanity and apparent ruthlessness.
A rich array of characters, most of them based on actual historical figures, enriched the plot. The show captured the 16th century in a crisp and entertaining light. It was fun and games on one side, chaos and turmoil on the other.
Catherine's urgency to get pregnant and hold fast to her title and her life, especially in light of her uncle the Pope's murder/death, and with her distant cousin thwarting her every move in the French royal court, all made for exceptional entertainment.
Hair-makeup and costume design were outstanding. Sound effects and VFX were quite good. Soundtracks were noteworthy. Musical scoring was superb. Production design, art direction, and set decoration were great. Stunts and editing were clever. Writing was amazing. Direction was exemplary.
Final Notes:
Meticulous performances and savvy writing made each episode in season 1 of "The Serpent Queen" better than the last. Catherine's rise from a lowly commoner to queen-regent of France was well-dramatized and more cleverly written than I expected.
The entire season boasted a flair for entertainment more than historical truth, to be sure. But it was less about exercising total power and more about wielding timely wit. That, more than anything else, made "The Serpent Queen" season 1 feel credible and compelling.