Power Plays
Back for its penultimate episode on Starz, The Spanish Princess returns for another dramatic episode this week, continuing our characters’ push toward next week’s finale. We begin with Catherine saying goodbye to Rosa who is going back to Spain. At this point, she also meets with her people who are worried about her safety. Having seen this, Catherine decides to write to her Dad, asking for her dowry again and suggesting they have a double wedding with Princess Mary and Queen Joanna’s son, Prince Charles. This later prompts her to go and see Lady Margaret who reveals that Prince Harry will be marrying Queen Joanna’s daughter, Eleanor. She also tells her that Harry is already in Spain and that there’s no reason for her to remain in England. Elsewhere, Oviedo proposes to Lina, explaining that he now earns money by working for Lady Margaret. After accepting Oviedo’s proposal, Lina reveals to Catherine that she doesn’t think Harry has left for Spain as no ships have left apart from a merchant vessel. This is then confirmed when we cut back to Margaret meeting Harry in the chapel, where he has been praying and thinking about his and England’s future. Lady Margaret then meets with Ovedio in the garden and also sees him praying. Realizing that he is actually a Muslim, she decides to give him a bible instead, instructing him to intercept all the letters going in and out of the country. After realising she has nothing left back home, Maggie meets with her cousin George who wants her to join him to go against the Tudors. However, she’s not interested; she just wants help with her children as she is worried about their safety. Princess Catherine then receives a letter from her Father revealing that her sister’s husband Philip is dead and that he had to lock Joanna up as she’s lost her mind. As a result, he is now King of Spain and decides to make Catherine Spain’s Ambassador in England. He also finally agrees to release her dowry. Given this dramatic turn of events, she later relays all the recent developments to King Henry, the council and to a furious Lady Margaret. After leaving her younger son with the monks, Maggie changes her mind and writes to her cousin Edmund instead; she’s decided to pledge her alliance to him and bring an end to the Tudors. She meets with the York supporters and tells them that Edmund wants them to strike and that the time has come for the Yorks to reclaim the throne. Lady Margaret explains to the Princess that, now she is the Ambassador, she will have to help out with Princess Mary’s betrothal ceremony to Prince Charles. She thinks that will make Catherine accept the alliance and make her realise she is not needed. The Princess wittily responds, telling her that, thanks to her lineage, Lady Margaret has a bigger claim to the throne than her Son or Grandson but determines that it would be treason. Back in the London streets, on their way to meet Edmund, the supporters and Maggie are unfortunately caught by the King’s soldiers where we leave the episode hanging in the balance. The penultimate episode continues in the same vein as the previous ones. There’s enough political layers, drama and romance to make it an enjoyable watch despite it bending the true story slightly to fit with the melodramatic notes of the series. There are some really nicely worked dialogues here though, especially between Lady Margaret and the Princess which helps keep this one dramatic. With Catherine finally being told of Harry’s whereabouts and with Maggie’s arrest earlier in the episode, The Spanish Princess ends on a tense note and one that’ll definitely keep us hanging on for next week’s finale.
