The series conclusion of The Spanish Princess aired last night. Actually I had a bit of a Tudor weekend, watching parts of The White Princess on Friday, season one of The Spanish Princess on Saturday and the second season on Sunday.
Overall, I've enjoyed The Spanish Princess, but the finale annoyed me. Anne and Mary Boleyn make their appearances, and Mary had dark hair. I don't think Mary had a line, so I'm being petty. But Mary Boleyn was a traditional blonde beauty of that time: Anne was not. Many thought Anne was unattractive, except for her dark eyes, her style, and her engaging personality. It should have been easy to cast a blonde actress as Mary.
I hated the scene where Anne meets Henry and bears her breasts, but this show is based on Philippa Gregory's books. We're back to Anne Boleyn the brazen slut.
More importantly, I didn't like the end of Catherine's story--it was inaccurate--she did not leave the court on her own terms. The writers said that Catherine had been maligned by history--I don't believe this is true. Catherine is admired for fighting for her rights and most importantly for the rights of her daughter. Catherine's mother Isabel of Castile and daughter Bloody Mary were maligned, not Catherine. Apparently it would be boring and lazy to tell the truth; a 21st century female audience wouldn't want to see it.
We're not so fragile.
A historically accurate description of Catherine leaving the ecclesiastical court convened by Wolsey would have a better way to show her strength.
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