Series / Becoming Elizabeth

Becoming Elizabeth (2022) is a 2022 historical drama created by Anya Reiss and airing on the Starz network which focuses on the life of Elizabeth I (Alicia Von Rittburg) during the tumultuous years after the death of her father Henry VIII, as well as the lives of Elizabeth’s older half-sister Mary I who is trying to survive as a Catholic in a country that has become devoutly Protestant now that their younger half-brother Edward VI is on the throne. Elizabeth (Alicia Von Rittburg) lives with her widowed stepmother Queen Catherine Parr (Jessica Raine) and Parr's new husband, Sir Thomas Seymour (Tom Cullen), both of whom aspire to power in the court of Edward VI (Oliver Zetterström). Young though she is, Elizabeth recognizes that she's the pawn of much more powerful people than herself and gradually learns to navigate a world full of treachery. Despite ending on a cliffhanger, Starz declined to order a second season of the series.

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The series contains examples of:

• A Child Shall Lead Them: Edward VI was nine when his father died and he ascended the throne. He looks slightly older in the series, but it makes it clear he's still a child and Edward Seymour has most of the power. That doesn't stop Edward from reminding people that he is king and expects to be treated as such.
• Abusive Parents:
  • Henry Grey is shown beating the hapless Jane Grey.
  • John Dudley punches his son Robert.
  • Although he dies before the series begins, it's implied that Henry VIII's machinations, not to mention his neglect and his state-sponsored spouse murder, had a terrible effect on his children.
• Adaptational Dye-Job: Lady Jane Grey had auburn or red hair in real life, but in the show she is a Brainy Brunette.
  • Catherine Parr might possibly have this. In the show, she is presented with dark hair. The real life Catherine had either brown or auburn hair.
  • Princess Mary would have had darker, auburn hair by the time the show takes place (having had reddish-gold hair when she was younger), however Mary has ginger hair in the show that is actually lighter than Elizabeth’s.
  • Though Princess Elizabeth did indeed have ginger hair, she didn’t have blue eyes. The real Elizabeth’s eyes were brown (almost black) which were inherited from her mother. This is just about the only physical trait Elizabeth had in common with her mother.
• Artistic License – History:
  • Elizabeth and Edward were told of their father's death together, but Mary was not present.
  • Dogs did lick up the corpse juices from Henry VIII's coffin, but it was many days after his body had been lying in state.
  • It is highly unlikely that Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour were having loud, obvious sex only days after Henry VIII"s death.
  • The enmity between Princess Mary and Catherine Parr is exaggerated. The two women had religious differences, and it is true that Mary was upset by Catherine's quick marriage to Thomas Seymour. However, the two remained fond of each other and Catherine named her infant daughter after Princess Mary.
  • In the show, the Kett Rebellion is a Catholic reaction against a Protestant government. In history, Robert Kett was a committed Protestant who made a point of praying with the English Book of Common Prayer alongside the other rebels. Their real complaints were grounded in the English common land being made the private property of nobles, and the poverty that caused.
  • John Dudley was not the man who questioned Elizabeth after Thomas Seymour's arrest. It was instead a man called Robert Tyrwhitt.
  • Princess Mary did not write to the Court of Denmark alleging that Elizabeth was a bastard. She did, however, comment to a courtier years later that Elizabeth looked a lot like Henry Norris, the man Anne Boleyn was accused of having an affair with. The fact that Elizabeth is a female Henry in both looks and temperament was of no importance, apparently.
  • No Catholics were burned under the reign of Edward VI, but rather two extreme protestants. One was a woman who denied Christ was human, the other a man who denied Christ was divine. Both were burned under the orders of Thomas Cranmer, and Edward VI was actually uncomfortable with the idea.
  • Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart did not marry in secret but rather had a lavish wedding, with Elizabeth and many other courtiers in attendance.
  • It is highly unlikely that John Dudley first approached Elizabeth to help him thwart Mary's ascension to the throne.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: The Spanish Ambassador seems to look down on everybody, and he very nearly convinces Princess Mary to flee to England, which would have been tantamount to renouncing her claim to the throne.
• Best Friend: Elizabeth keeps her own counsel, but she likes and trusts Robert Dudley.
• Brainy Brunette:
  • In real life, Jane Grey had auburn or reddish hair like her cousins, but she's got brown hair in the show. Both versions were very studious and intelligent.
  • Catherine Parr also had either dark hair or auburn hair. She’s dark-haired in the series. It is known Catherine Parr was very clever and a proto-feminist. She also wrote a book that was the first book published under a woman’s own name.
  • Mary Tudor was a very accomplished and intelligent woman who was known for her bravery and stubbornness. She also had reddish-gold or red hair as a child and young woman, but in her later years her hair gradually became darker and more auburn. However, in the show her hair is more of a ginger colour, similar to Elizabeth’s.
• Betty and Veronica: Robert Dudley is the Archie for Elizabeth and Amy. Who is the Betty and who is the Veronica is up for the viewers to decide.
• Catapult Nightmare: Knowing Thomas Seymour is to be executed, Elizabeth has one of these.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Edward's court is filled with schemers and liars and backstabbers.
• Cliffhanger: The first series ends with Edward VI ill and John Dudley summoning Jane Grey, while Elizabeth and Mary have an intense conversation that leads to a truce between the sisters.
• The Coup:
  • Thomas Seymour wants to replace his brother as Lord Protector, though it is unclear if he wishes to control Edward VI or replace him.
  • John Dudley successfully manages to replace Edward as Lord Protector, and then later has him restored to the council only to have him arrested and executed.
• Cut Short: The series ends on a cliffhanger, with Edward VI in poor health, John Dudley marrying Jane Grey to his son and Elizabeth and Mary possibly coming to a truce when faced with common enemies. If there was only some way to know how it all turns out.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance:
  • The fact that Thomas Seymour was taken seriously as a suitor by members of Elizabeth's household who had also been shocked by his grooming of her has made viewers uncomfortable.
  • Mary and Edward enjoying some sibling bonding over cockfighting is cringeworthy to a modern eye, but it was popular Tudor entertainment.
  • Pedro faces racism that was unfortunately very typical of the period. Even friendly characters say ignorant things, like Princess Mary wondering aloud if Pedro is related to one of her mothers Black ladies-in-waiting.
  • The burning at the stake, which Edward orders, is portrayed as hideous but Edward clearly sees it as a necessary evil to save the souls of his people. This was common belief of both Protestants and Catholics of the time.
• Doomed by Canon: The list is long. Catherine Parr, Thomas Seymour, Edward Seymour, Edward VI, Jane Grey, Guilford Dudley, and eventually Princess Mary are going to meet unfortunate ends.
• Dysfunctional Family: Oh boy, the Tudors count as one.
• From Bad to Worse: In early episodes, Edward Seymour, Lord Somerset, functions as the villain, a priggish, social climbing contrast to his brother. However, he gradually emerges as the Only Sane Man, as it becomes clear that he is one of the few members of the council who actually cares about the well being of the country and knows his nephew is too young to rule. When he is usurped by the cold, ambitious John Dudley, things go quickly from bad to worse.
• The Ghost: A few posthumous characters (see below) are mentioned often, including Henry VIII, Jane Seymour and Anne Boleyn, but historians have noticed the absence of several historical characters who should be in the thick of the action. Edward Seymour's wife, Anne, is mentioned a few times in relation to her rivalry with Catherine Parr. On the other hand, Frances Brandon, Jane Grey's mother, is completely absent. Also totally absent from the action in Thomas Cranmer, the man most responsible for radicalizing the young king. Additionally, Edward and Thomas had other living siblings, including a brother Henry and a sister, Elizabeth, who had positions at court but are never seen.
  • The writer of the show has confirmed on Twitter that both Anne Seymour and Frances Brandon were in the scripts originally, but they got cut because there were too many characters to fit in all at once.
• The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Princess Mary (Smart) and Princess Elizabeth (Beautiful) are a complex version of this trope. Mary is older, an Old Maid, Holier Than Thou but far wiser than her kid sister. Elizabeth, on the other hand, is beautiful, passionate and a budding Alpha Bitch but she's also being groomed by her stepfather, much to Mary's horror. True to the historic record, Elizabeth is an excellent student and both sisters have been given a historical beauty upgrade, but they still squarely fit into this trope. The audience knows that eventually, Elizabeth will become a far greater queen than her sister, and even Mary admits Elizabeth is cleverer than she is, but she also points out how naive the young woman is.
• Gorgeous Period Dress: The costumes in the show are not only sumptuous, as befitting royalty, they are far more historically accurate that is normal for soapy melodrama style historic television.
• Just Friends: Robert Dudley insists that he only feels friendship for Elizabeth. His father doesn't believe him.
• Historical Beauty Upgrade:
  • Princess Mary is far more beautiful than the historic records describe her during this period. While Mary was considered to be a beautiful woman when she was in her teens, and 20’s to early 30’s, she didn’t age well due to her poor health and by the time Edward VI became a young teenager she was no longer the beauty she once was. During most of Henry VIII’s reign, Mary was considered a beauty, having long red hair, pale blue eyes, and a very slender build, by the time of her later years her eyes were more of a grey colour, she was short and thin, with long auburn hair and a low-bridged nose.
  • Elizabeth herself was considered charming and by no means unattractive, but not the ravishing beauty she is in the series. The real life Elizabeth had ginger hair, brown eyes that looked almost black (the only physical feature she really inherited from her mother Anne Boleyn), freckles, and was of average height. Some found her pretty, other did not.
  • Catherine Parr was considered attractive, but she was not the beautiful woman the show presents her to be. The real Catherine Parr was tall, standing at about 5 ft 10, having either brown or auburn hair, pale skin, hazel eyes and loved jewels and fashion. Though certainly pretty, she was not as attractive as she is in the show.
  • Thomas Seymour was handsome, but in the show he is strikingly attractive. In real life, he had brown hair and a slightly lighter, bushy beard and was tall, but couldn’t compare with himself in the show.
  • Many of the characters are actually examples of this.
• Historical Hero Upgrade:
  • Edward Seymour was not, in fact, as skilled an administrator as the show portrays nor was his downfall caused by his willingness to back Mary as the rightful heir. He did alienate John Dudley by wanting Mary to have religious freedom, but he wasn't in a political alliance with her. He was a good and honorable solider, and popular among the common people, but he was considered a rather incompetent administrator. He was also thought to be plotting to assassinate John Dudley.
  • Played With with Mary Tudor. Because she went down in history as Bloody Mary and whose marriage to a Spanish prince was wildly unpopular, many viewers have been surprised by the nuanced and sympathetic take on Mary in this series. However, at this period in history, Mary was very popular. Her mother's memory was still beloved, the large Catholic population revered her and she was widely viewed with sympathy and admiration. Her future actions as Queen, as well as her rather sad and failed quest for an heir, have colored portraits of her in historic fiction and thus made this more balanced portrayal feel like an upgrade.
• Historical Relationship Overhaul: Princess Elizabeth was thirteen and her stepfather Thomas Seymour was forty when they lived together, and his flirtatious behavior toward her was considered predatory and inappropriate at the time. The show not only ages Elizabeth up, it portrays them as falling in love after the death of his wife, Catherine Parr, and having a sexual affair. The real Elizabeth denied any involvement with Seymour, although it is believed he wanted to marry her for political reasons.
• Historical Villain Upgrade:
  • Catherine Parr was certainly naive about her husband's behavior toward Elizabeth, and she had ambitions to remain powerful in court that were thwarted, but she certainly wasn't the clueless manipulator portrayed in the series. Thomas Seymour, on the other hand, was credibly accused of grooming Elizabeth, even if most historians strongly doubt there was ever a physical affair between Elizabeth and Seymour.
  • Edward Seymour absolutely wanted to stay in power and certainly mistrusted and disliked his brother, but whether or not he was as villainous as portrayed in early episodes is a matter of debate.
  • John Dudley: Dudley was an ambitious courtier and protestant, but he was not responsible for letting Edward burn heretics. In fact, the young king had to be talked into burning heretics by Thomas Cranmer. There is also no evidence he abused his sons, and he never had Princess Mary's iconography burned. In fact, historians have drawn a sharp contrast between Dudley's home life, in which he was apparently a devoted husband and unusually engaged hands-on parent, with the courtier who attempted a coup that would have put his daughter-in-law on the throne.
• Like Father, Like Son: Or, rather, like Father like Daughter, with Edward Seymour pointing out that Elizabeth is the "spit of [your] father" in looks.
• Lecherous Stepparent: Thomas Seymour clearly has designs on the fourteen-year-old Elizabeth, despite being married to her stepmother. His actions, such as playfully entering her bedroom while both parties are half dressed, are true to the historic record.
• Left Hanging: Since it was canceled after the first season, all the stories set up on the last episode are left hanging.
• Love Triangle: Robert Dudley admits to being in love with Elizabeth, but when his father makes it clear that nothing can come of that, he takes an interest in the spirited daughter of a well-off member of the gentry, Amy Robsart.
• Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering: Edward's privy council is filled with self-promoters vying for power, and none of them seem to care much for running the kingdom or helping the king.
• Parental Substitute: They may see her as a pawn, but poor Jane Grey sees Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour as her substitute parents. Thomas even gets a few scenes with her where he is, in contrast to his scenes with Elizabeth, fatherly and appropriately affectionate, showing that he has grown to like the doomed, abused girl.
• Posthumous Character:
  • Henry VIII is not only mentioned often, his life and political machinations inform the lives of all the characters.
  • Jane Seymour died shortly after giving birth to the young king, and her brothers mention her often, and it is clear they still grieve her loss.
  • Anne Boleyn's fate haunts her daughter, who thinks about her mother often and even wears her famous "B" necklace surreptitiously. On top of that, people often mock Elizabeth and question her chastity based on her mother's reputation.
• Pregnancy Scare: Leaving no doubt about how far things went between her and Thomas, Elizabeth fears she is pregnant. She is very relieved when she is not.
• Pet the Dog: While the rest of the court is consumed with spiteful laughter at an anti-Catholic masque, Elizabeth is instead concerned for the feelings of her older sister Mary, who is offended and horrified.
• Proper Lady: Elizabeth, Mary, Jane, Catherine...all the high born women are held to a certain standard of behavior and dress.
• Puppy Love: Budding religious zealots Edward VI and Jane Grey develop a mutual crush, much to her family's delight.
• "Reason You Suck" Speech: This show loves this trope so much you could create a bulletin board with red string all over it to keep track of them.
  • Mary gets more than one, including to Catherine Parr, Thomas Seymour and Edward Seymour.
  • Catherine Parr gives one to Thomas Seymour.
  • Robert Dudley gives one to Elizabeth over her affection to Thomas.
  • Edward Seymour gives one to Edward VI and more than one to Thomas.
• Secret Relationship: Catherine and Thomas, who loved each other before Henry VIII decided to marry her, have begun an affair almost immediately after his death.
• Sibling Rivalry:
  • Thomas and Edward Seymour both want power, and they despise each other in a way that only brothers can.
  • Mary, Elizabeth and Edward love each other, but different mothers, different upbringings, different religions and different places in the pecking order keep them at a distance from each other.
• Slut-Shaming:
  • Even before she's done anything, Elizabeth's virtue is questioned simply based on her long deceased mother's reputation. Things worsen after rumors circulate about Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour, and with Jane Grey daring to call her a whore to her face.
  • As dowager queen, Catherine Parr should command respect, but her quick marriage to Thomas Seymour damages her reputation. This leads to a number of people, including Princess Mary, to slut shame Catherine.
• Star-Crossed Lovers
  • Mary and Pedro seem to have deep feelings for each other, but it can never be.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: True to history, the young Robert Dudley is quite handsome and charming.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Edward and Mary both, on opposite ends of the religious spectrum. Both are sincere that their religion is the true one and that those opposing them are blasphemers.
• With Friends Like These...
  • John Dudley, after usurping Edward Seymour's place as Lord Protector, tells him that it was all for his own good and that he did it out of friendship.
  • Knowing he is going to sign his brother's death warrant, Edward tells Thomas he'll take care of his servants and his infant daughter when he is gone.