The Serpent Queen - Season 1

Only one can be the queen in the snake pit in which The Serpent Queen is set.

The queen who holds sway is none other than Catherine de Medici (Samantha Morton, The Walking Dead). This scion of the famous de Medici family succeeds in getting the throne of France under her influence for several years. That is at a time when the Medici family is no longer the power factor it once was. After the death of her uncle, who was then pope, Catherine becomes quite isolated. Her only relative, Diana van Portiers (Ludivine Sagnier, Lupin), who lives within the walls of the palace, is her rival rather than her friend. Her Italian origin works against Catherine rather than for it. It is all the more remarkable that Catherine became such a force in France in the sixteenth century.



In her early days at court, it does not seem at all that Catherine became so important. Fourteen-year-old Catherine (Liv Hill, Three Girls) is met with hostility. She is literally thrown to the wolves. Her looks don't help. Catherine is not exactly pretty and her striking fashion is laughable in the eyes of the French. Her husband Henri (played in the older version by Lee Ingleby, George Gently) soon turns out to have other interests than in his forced marriage. When the couple does not seem to have children, the tension between the two only increases. Catherine tries her best, but Henri is distracted. Just when a divorce is imminent, the marriage is saved by the birth of a child. At that time, Henri is already king of France due to the death of his older brother.

What makes this season so strong is the clever way of storytelling.

The first season of The Serpent Queen tells the story of those difficult early days and the rise of Catherine as a crafty and driven queen. This is done very cleverly by telling the story from the perspective of the older Catherine. She confides in the young maid Rahima (Sennia Nanua, Casualty). Rahima gets to hear firsthand about how things used to be at court. The battle between Catholics and Protestants also played a role in this. This struggle is epitomized by the powerful Bourbon and Guisse families, both of whom are constantly trying to gain influence over the royal family. Even Mary, known as the Queen of Scotland, becomes part of this joust for supremacy. That Catherine can rightly be called the Serpent Queen, Rahima experiences personally.



The Serpent Queen is an excellent translation of the non-fiction book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda. What makes this season so strong is the clever way of storytelling. By making use of the complex relationship between the queen and her maid, this provides an extra dimension. So are the storylines of the ladies-in-waiting who assist Catherine from the start. Samantha Morton puts on an excellent presentation. It's amazing how she shapes this complex role. This also applies to the other actors. 'Our own' Barry Atsma also plays an excellent role as Montmorency.

For anyone who enjoys historical drama, The Serpent Queen is an absolute must.

This season is a beautifully dramatized insight into the French court of the sixteenth century. It looks lush. Fantastic clothes and beautifully shot images. The reality will have looked a bit grimmer but as a translation to the present time it looks great. I myself had some doubts about the major role of the astrologer Cosimo Ruggieri (Enzo Cillenti, Domina). However, he turns out to have been an important part of Catherine's life in real life. Whether that was the case is written in the stars.

For anyone who enjoys historical drama, The Serpent Queen is an absolute must. In the first episodes, it still has some startup problems. Over time, it's really all about enjoying the snake pit where we see an insecure, but smart girl become more and more of a manipulative queen. There's a reason as to why this series has been renewed already.