Samantha Morton rules as Catherine de Medici in The Serpent Queen

You are missing out if you aren’t watching Samantha Morton in The Serpent Queen! Keep in mind this isn’t your mother’s period drama. This series is along the lines of another Starz series, White Queen, and its sequels featuring powerful women at the forefront. All of these series are ripe with sex, blood, and deceit. The Serpent Queen has a bonus as it is accompanied by edgy music from The Walking Dead and Lord of the Rings: Ring of Power’s own Bear McCreary.

The Serpent Queen is releasing weekly episodes on Starz, and the new episodes can’t be released fast enough for this viewer. The story draws you in, and you can’t wait to see what will happen next. This series is based on Leonie Frieda’s novel, Catherine Renaissance Queen of France. 

Morton portrays the elder version of Catherine, while Liv Hill steals the show as the younger Queen. Catherine was orphaned, and then her marriage was arranged into the 16th-century French Court. Soon after her marriage, she discovers her husband has had a long-running affair with an older woman, which continues after their marriage. This changes her into someone who will never trust another and will eventually be reflected as she rules with cruelty and brutality.

The series also stars Amrita Acharia, Barry Atsma, Enzo Cilenti, Sennia Nanua, Kiruna Stamell, Colm Meaney, Ludivine Sagnier, and Charles Dance.

Samantha Morton – The Serpent Queen

In an interview with AV Club, Morton talked about not knowing much about Catherine before being cast but was surprised to learn how much she influenced pop culture and what an extraordinary woman she was.

Things Morton discovered included several Disney influences, including the poisoned apple and the mirror the wicked Queen uses. Catherine was quite the fashion influence by wearing black for mourning and being the first person to wear high heels.

Catherine was also a  mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer and chose the people she included in her court carefully, drawing from some of the greatest minds of the period. She also chose tolerance in dealing with the disputes between the Protestants and Catholics of the time. She bore three kings and two queens and was also the mother-in-law of Mary, Queen of Scots. Although she was never ruler of France, she served as a regent for her husband and as an advisor to all three of her sons.

This series is a fascinating look into the life of a clever woman who tells her story so that the viewer can understand where she came from, and they will possibly judge her differently.

The Serpent Queen season 1 consists of eight episodes and airs new episodes weekly on Starz.

Be sure to read the entire interview with AV Club as Morton discusses many of her significant roles, including Alpha/Dee in The Walking Dead universe.

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