‘Becoming Elizabeth’ Recap: ‘To Death We Must Stoop’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season finale of ‘Becoming Elizabeth’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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We spend a great deal of our youth… searching. Searching for meaning in this life, searching for purpose and our way forward, and of course… searching for an understanding of who we are and who we want to be. And we spend so much time on that search, simply because we know in our core that it is critical to figure that out, so we can head into adulthood with a good head on our shoulders and an understanding of how navigate life. All so, we can enjoy peace, prosperity, and a calm that we simply don’t know in our youth. Of course, we eventually get there and enjoy those very things, but what’s fascinating about the end of that journey, is that we rarely think of the moment that we finally chose our path in life. 
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Likely because of the fact, that after years of learning and observing, we simply knew in the back our minds that we were ready to walk our path and we simply made a momentary choice to do so and never looked back. But it does leave one to wonder, what it was that finally pushed us to make that decision. Because it would be nice to revisit that critical moment and reflect upon its power and its wonder. But now and again, that moment is indeed recognized, and for historical figures whose lives are poured over… it’s easier to find, since their lives and decisions mean the world to us and we can roughly pinpoint it, and really… that moment is top of mind today, because it was featured in the season one finale of Becoming Elizabeth on STARZ.

For ‘To Death We Must Stoop’ explored the exact moment when Princess Elizabeth Tudor grew into the woman that we would later see become one of the finest rulers to ever sit upon the English throne and as it turned out… that moment was born out of more chaos in Great Britain. For when we catch up with the Tudor family in this tale… King Edward VI was growing sicker by the minute. Because whatever nasty bug was raging through this system, left him weak an incommunicado and well… everyone more or less expected to hear the news soon that the King had passed into the great beyond. Which meant that another changing of the guard was on the books for this country and with Princess Mary Tudor next in the rightful line of succession for the throne, she was likely to be England’s new queen.

A reality that was posing to be a worrisome problem for John Dudley. For he came to understand to that his desire to hand the King all of his wishes on the silver platter, would come back to haunt him. For Mary had curried favor with the many Catholics in this nation and would find immediate support in bringing harm to those who brought harm to that religion. And of course, her desire to punish heathens in the name of the Lord, would make John an immediate target, one that would teach those would stand against God a powerful lesson through his undoubtedly violent passing. And that in turn… prompted him to begin to do what the men of the world did best back in this time… scheme and plot his way toward survival, regardless of the cost. 

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Which of course, brought him to Princess Elizabeth Tudor. To plead his case and demand her help in perhaps maneuvering about Mary and her team so that Elizabeth could instead sit upon the throne and rule in her stead… allowing for John to enjoy a little more life in peace and comfort and well… this put Elizabeth at quite the unique crossroads. Simply because, this was her chance. For a grand push on her part to acquiesce to John’s wishes would indeed make her Queen and give her a chance to cement her legacy in this world and potentially do some wonders for the people. All it would cost her, would be a touch of morality and perhaps her conscience and well… that led to quite the powerful decision on Elizabeth’s part.
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For despite having been pushed about by people for some time now, and often seen in a negative light by her sister and others for being played like a fiddle by Thomas Seymour… taking charge of the game playing that she had seen on display for ages, left a bad taste in her mouth. Because to do so would plunge her into a never-ending cycle of madness that seemed to permeate the court and its denizens, at a time where perhaps someone could present a better path forward. One that spoke to what the court and the throne should stand for… honor, and nobility, and hope. Which led her to inform dear John that while she was indeed interested in being Queen, she didn’t want to assume that title under uncomfortable pretenses or through traditionally shady means, and in that moment, Queen Elizabeth I was born.

Because that is the line of thinking of a great ruler. One that understands the greater good and the bigger picture and what the title means to the people and what they expect, and she held to these high morals to the bitter end of this fight, one that ended… in a surprising manner. For just when it appeared as though John Dudley was heading to the chopping block at the behest of a new Queen… the King recovered. And with his fever broken and his rule restored, the former Duke of Somerset paid the price for this latest attempt at seizing power, even though such a decision was a petty act, and for a time… it appeared as though business as usual was about to return to court. But alas, being decent an indecent time means little to those who thirst for power and live in fear of losing it, and that is why… John Dudley inspired the King, as to how perhaps, power can stay out Elizabeth and Mary’s hands.

A move that nullifies any good that Elizabeth offered up in this moment and forces her to continue to play the games that await instead of end them, and it is a move that would indeed bring forth more strife from a historical standpoint. But alas, that, and the resolution of that horrible image of the King expelling blood… will have to wait for another time. For what matters more in this instant, is that Elizabeth finally found her way forward and decided upon the person she wanted to be, and that’s huge. Because that’s what we tuned in for, to see Elizabeth, become Elizabeth, and it was fascinating to watch her learn in a difficult manner what it means to be good and just and wondrous and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this first leg of the journey, all we can do is quietly hope for more. For as of press time this series has not received a second season order. But hopefully it does. For this is indeed a refreshing and human take on the Tudor saga and it deserves to be told to its completion, so we can properly bask in the wonder of the once and future Queen’s powerful and moving journey. One that formed a great leader, who left a lasting impact upon generations of mankind.  

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