‘The Serpent Queen’ Recap: ‘A House Divided’

8/24/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Minnie Driver and Samantha Morton as Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici in Episode 207 of ‘The Serpent Queen’ – ‘A House Divided’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 207 of ‘The Serpent Queen’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

A single moment. That is what so many people believe brings about great change in a person’s life, and it makes sense as to why. Because truly, the winds of fate can change a person’s life in a singular moment. Because tragedy can strike just like that, and our lives are forever altered or the simple decision to buy a lotto ticket on our lunch break could bring about great fortune and positive change. But while there is a touch of merit to that line of thinking, we need to hold to it less and less. Simply because, those moments are rare and the vast majority of the time… great change comes forth in our life through a series of progressive moments. The kind that culminates with a singular moment that inspires us to move toward great change.

If anything, this aspect of change is top of mind today… simply because we were able to see it in action, in the next episode of The Serpent Queen on STARZ. For ‘A House Divided’ saw the court basically fall to pieces in this tale. After all, news came forth that the King was in fact, dying. For he had consumption, which ran in the family, and it was only a matter of time now, and forces were indeed working against Catherine de Medici to further loosen her already shaky grip on power. For the church was making moves to seize power through marriage, and Edith was becoming quite the influential leader amongst the people. To the point where she could easily convert folks with a simple, threatening glare.

Not to mention, Rahima and Alessandro began to consummate their relationship, only adding to the divide in court and well… that left Catherine lost and unsure of what lie ahead. Because she was out of ideas and exhausted, and at her lowest because all those years of planning to seize power seemed wasted. Not to mention, she had cast off the one person that cared about her future. Making it seem as though… the Serpent Queen was nothing more than an ironic moniker. One wasted upon a downfall. But there was in fact, a singular moment that motivated Catherine de Medici, to take all the anger and pain, and conniving potential she had barely tapped into… and unleash it upon the world, and it came forth by way of the last person one would think would motivate such horrors. But Queen Elizabeth I turned out to be quite useful in such matters.

Alexandre Willaume, Isobel Jesper Jones, Danny Kirrane, and Amrita Acharia as Montmorency, Edith, Louis de Bourbon, and Abais in Episode 207 of ‘The Serpent Queen’ – ‘A House Divided’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Because shortly after Anjou exposed his sexual appetites to a pair of Queens, after a last-ditch effort from Catherine to marry him off to find peace, the Queen of England decided it was high time to leave. For she had accomplished her personal mission, and chaos was all she wanted, and that led to a moment of respectful confrontation between them. Wherein Catherine was reminded of her potential and that if she wanted to maintain power, the only thing holding her back, was herself. For she was the Queen Regent, the smartest and most cunning person in the land, and she didn’t reach this role by being seen and not heard. She earned it, fought for it, and that epiphany… helped Catherine to find focus at last and put in the work to live up to her incredible and unsettling nickname.

So, the first move in becoming the Serpent Queen, was to of course… instill terror into the hearts of the Bourbon family, which happened fast since they ran to Edith the instant, they realized they’d been played by Elizabeth and exposed. Since she did supply the signed trade agreement to Catherine, and once that was done… a quick visit to Ruggieri helped her think about how best to get her house in order and bring power back into her hands, and then she launched… a bold plan. One that saw her make nice with Anjou and demand he be himself at last, to be free of the plan, before letting Charles be baptized as a protestant. For she planted seeds regarding that, all of which were grounded in notions about how he could bring peace and appear to be a great leader in his waning days. All so she could get close to Edith and entice her with power untold and the voice she’s so badly wanted. All to play her enemies akin to a fiddle.

Thankfully, these were moves that worked in her favor. Giving rise to the birth of the Serpent Queen and in the end, what an amazing episode this turned out to be. Since it truly did explore how a single moment brings about that final push that shoves someone in the direction they’ve wanted to go all along, all while giving us a juicy and engaging story to enjoy. One that featured more incredible work from Samantha Morton, who put every emotion on display in this tale that exists, sometimes in a single moment, because of the emotional wringer Catherine went through in this tale. All of which, has us eager for next week’s season two finale. To see how Catherine will bring this dastardly plan together and make so many pay for underestimating her, before taking full control at last. Until next time.

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