‘The Serpent Queen’ Recap: ‘Grand Tour’

7/13/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Samantha Morton as Catherine de Medici in Episode 201 of ‘The Serpent Queen’ – ‘Grand Tour’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘The Serpent Queen’. To revisit the Season One Finale, click here.

When we last left Catherine de Medici in the hit STARZ series, The Serpent Queen, it seemed as though she was on top of the world. After all, she had survived a harrowing youth and a harrowing marriage that was rocky and frustrating, to become the regent of France. The person who would make all the decisions for the crown as her son learned the nature of the business as a young King of France and well, that made it seem as though… we had reached the end of the story. After all, Catherine had schemed and worked her way to the top, so what more was there to tell?

Well as it turns out, there was plenty. For that was merely the opening chapter to her long and winding journey, of a life that was indeed worthy of the title of this show. For Catherine did more beyond just make the throne her own, and well… the time has indeed come to learn more about that journey and learn more about what life was like in France during her rule, and thankfully… last night saw that journey continue. For yesterday brought forth the season two premiere of this beloved and amazing series and well, ‘Grand Tour’, wasted little time in showcasing and reminding us of a truth that we learned about Catherine during last season.

In that, she wasn’t inherently evil as a leader. She just made the hard calls that so many of us might not be able to make and that deep down, she wanted there to be peace and prosperity for many… as evidenced by how this tale played out. For she came to understand that the people really were insulated from the world of the crown, and she was right. Since royalty back then really did live in a different world under different rules… so she thought it best to do something that had not been done before. A Grand Tour of the nation where the King and the royal family would meet their subjects. To garner loyalty and trust and to unify France, and it was… a rousing success. For it brought love and loyalty to the crown and potentially laid down the groundwork for a prosperous and unified France.

Raza Jeffrey as François de Guise in Episode 201 of ‘The Serpent Queen’ – ‘Grand Tour’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Which was fascinating to see and fascinating to learn and spoke to Catherine’s intentions and vision for the nation. One that clearly never quite came to perfect fruition and with good reason. For internally, no one saw the value of the Grand Tour in the manner that she did. In fact, her kids simply saw it as another duty of the crown, no big deal really, and spent most of their days infighting and fussing about their future and their roles when the regency label would be removed from their mother. Which was coming soon. Giving rise to the reality that Catherine saw the world as few did, from both worlds, and that hinted at the potential that royalty in that era could never understand the common man, and that could lead to disaster in season two.

But before we worry too much about how that will go, there were more immediate problems that popped up in this story, the kind that will drive conflict in this season no problem. Because everyone associated with the crown in season one, were still thriving the ten years later that this episode thrives within and they of course… have their own ideas of what they want out of life and what they want out of France. Which in this instance was financial prosperity for the de Bourbons and a strong and Catholic France for the church and after being held at bay by Catherine for so long, and with the knowledge that the crown would soon be changing hands… they made some bold moves to get what they wanted. Going so far as to make backwater deals, and to outright kill in the name of the Lord.

All of which, set the stage for a season of conflict, challenge and the need for a more level and heavy hand to bring order to chaos. Which is likely the purpose that Catherine will serve here, showcasing the Serpent Queen at her strongest. Which makes this… a grand setup premiere and a great one at that. Since it did a wonderful job of reintroducing us to Catherine, her family, and her world… and the other players in her life and rule… before laying that framework down in a smooth and magnificent manner. One that has us hooked. Because we simply must know how she will handle the church overstepping bounds and killing innocents after they were told the crown adores them, and it will be interesting to see how quickly the Serpent Queen is forced to emerge, and how far she will go… to maintain her vision for a strong and secure France. Until next time.

To learn more about the creation of season two, check out our interview with Series Creator/Showrunner Justin Haythe and Executive Producer Erwin Stoff.

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