Written by John Edward Betancourt
Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Seven of ‘The Serpent Queen’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
We like to believe that evil is nothing more than chaos personified. That it wants to impart harm with a devilish glee that we don’t understand in the slightest and fear every step of the way and it makes sense as to why we hold to that. Because our interactions with it via the six o’clock news or atrocities around the world… showcase nothing less. For what happened what happened on 9/11 was horrifying and chaotic madness. Not to mention what occurred on January 6, was pure lunacy since no one ever expected to see American citizens calling to hang the Vice President of the United States because their horse lost the race. But what is truly fascinating about this belief is that it is wholly incorrect. For evil knows exactly what it is doing when it starts its machinations, mainly because it never sees itself as the villain. Osama bin Laden for instance genuinely thought he was fighting a great evil when he was doing nothing more than committing murder in the name of an extremist ideal, and he deserved a far darker fate than the one he received and the ‘Patriots’ that stormed the capitol somehow thought they were fighting for freedom and saving a nation. When in fact, they were just suckered into violence by the promises of a frightened little man that craved power and lied to them to garner their support. If anything, the strange logic that evil uses to justify its actions and see itself in a positive light, and fool us in the process, is top of mind today, simply because we saw it on display in the next episode of The Serpent Queen on STARZ. For ‘An Attack on the King’ is a story that saw France dealing with more dark and turbulent times. For the King was badly wounded from the joust and no one knew whether or not he would survive such a wound. For the joust had partially plunged into his eye and unfortunately, while Diane fretted in isolation over this and Catherine stayed by his side, nefarious forces were working to create another power play. One that would see France and the Holy Roman Emperor’s lands combine to become a force to be reckoned with. To the point where everything was going to change in France, including which religion would rule the day, alongside a secondary plan to usurp the power of England. But alas, once the King finally passed into the great beyond from his wounds… those plans were put in a precarious place. 
Because these forces, ones that included Catherine’s own son, didn’t count on the Queen’s desire to stop them, and once she finally dealt with Diane in a subtle and satisfying manner, by banishing her and removing her from the spotlight, she turned her attention to a noble cause. In that, she could not let Mary and her ultra-religious lackeys transform this nation into a hardcore Catholic haven. Nor could she allow for the alliance to take place. For the people would suffer badly through such moves and many would lose their lives by denying Catholicism in the slightest, and that pushed her to make some unexpected alliances of her own and put plans in motion to keep the country safe. Which are acts that did not sound evil in the slightest. In fact, they sounded downright heroic.
But alas, in order to completely and properly execute this plan, her son would have to come to harm. For he was the lynchpin in this operation and had all the power as King and wouldn’t you know it? The Serpent Queen crossed that line and well… to hurt one’s flesh and blood is quite villainous and evil for certain and that made it clear that everything we saw here… was an act of evil believing it was doing the right thing. For she did all of this in the name of noble France and its people… but let’s be honest, it wasn’t about that. It was about power, agency, and fear. Because she couldn’t bear the thought of relinquishing all that she worked for in this life and hiding behind a noble cause to do horrible things to maintain power, in a calculated manner, is about as evil and misguided as it gets. Which means that it was here that the Serpent Queen was truly born and now that she is unleashed, it is obvious she has more plans up her sleeve in the name of her power and her agency that are hidden behind the guise of the good of France and that made for one stunning episode for certain. One that gave us great insight into how evil works and thinks and how terrifying those thoughts actually are when one reflects upon the end result. And now that we’ve reached the point where the dark queen has been brought to life… it would seem that her final acts in gaining complete power await us. For the finale of this powerful journey awaits us and it will be fascinating to see what Queen Catherine de’ Medici has planned to solidify her grip on the power and notoriety she has always craved. Until next time.
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