My Lady Jane episode 1 recap contains spoilers. The Tudor era is one the most pored-over parts of English history, yet despite hours spent "studying" Henry VIII and his relatives at school, for most of us Lady Jane Grey remains an obscure footnote. That's probably because she only reigned for nine days before Mary I had her head cut off, yet in this Romantasy reimagining, things are rather different. Here's how the first episode of Prime Video's wild, foul-mouthed and quite saucy alt-history played out…
When we first meet Jane, she's using her herbal knowledge to soothe her pal’s STD, while regaling them with her plans not to marry and remain an independent single lady. "I’m saving myself for myself actually," she says, as her friends scoff at the very notion of a woman having autonomy over their own destiny. This is 1553 after all. However, her book on herbs looks like it could be a cracker.
Unfortunately for Jane, she and her sisters and their sharp-tongued mother are dependent upon the lecherous Duke of Leicester, her father's great-uncle, who became their patron when their old man died without a male heir.
Through him, we hear our first mention of the “creeping Ethian menace”, but more of that later. Leicester's not impressed with Jane's book knowledge, but she's even less impressed with the news that she's to be married. She tells him where to go, but her mother quickly informs her she will be marrying Lord Guildford Dudley in three days time, a match that will secure the future of her family. “You are cousin to the King, the Dudley’s will do anything for power and they are very very rich,” she explains helpfully.
Jane says she’ll do everything in her power to escape her fate, but is told that she has no power, before her mother presses home the point by explaining that she’s burned the book of herbs Jane had been tirelessly crafting. A lesser woman would be broken by such an act, but Jane is made of stronger stuff.
'Roast Dolphin...'
Jane decides to flee with her maid, Susannah, telling her all the rumours of Ethians (humans who can turn into animals) in their midst, are just rubbish. However when they’re apprehended by the authorities and Susannah promptly turns into a hawk to escape, we find out that while Jane is undoubtedly book smart, she has a few things to learn about the real world.
“Have you forgotten the punishment for hiding an Ethian?” her mother says. As a ‘Verity’ — a normal person — Jane was taught that Ethians were dangerous abominations sent by Satan (“poppycock”) and exiled by "renowned shithead Henry VIII". In reality, this period of Tudor history was dominated by Catholic vs Protestant division, so this is a fun parable of that dogma-infused chapter in history.
Anyway, we digress. Fresh from recapturing her daughter, Lady Frances Grey heads off to see Lord Dudley, father of Jane’s husband-to-be, who boasts of "roast dolphin" at the wedding breakfast. Yum!
Jane tags along for the ride and sets off to try and meet the blaggard she’ll be spending the rest of her life with, only to find him wearing a ridiculous pink doublet and bullying a small child. As first impressions go, it leaves a lot to be desired. However as cousin and friend of the doomed King Edward VI, Jane reckons she has one more card to play in her desperate bid to escape the abyss of drudgery and duty that opens up before her.
'Noblewomen marry and King's die...'
He might be King, but Edward seems to be just as put-upon as Jane and when his cousin turns up to ask him for a favor he says he’s unable to grant her request. “This is the real world, noble women marry and King’s die," he says, before explaining how he fears for the state of the kingdom when he’s gone.
Edward’s older sisters, Mary and Bess, are not keen on Jane, but are forced to admit she saved the King’s life when her knowledge of herbs revives him from a coughing fit caused by the "affliction". Their advisor, the rather suspicious Lord Seymour, isn’t pleased by the episode and urges the King to name Mary — his luvvva — as his successor, while also revealing that Anne Boleyn was an "Ethian". It all makes sense now.
However, Seymour’s rival, Lord Dudley, puts Jane forward as his heir, knowing the crown will ultimately fall upon the head of his son, Guildford. It’s expertly done and we reckon he and Seymour will be locking political swords a few more times during the rest of this tale. “Stop squabbling, I have made my choice,” says Edward, writing the name of his successor on a parchment only to be opened upon his death.
'Lust at first sight...'
Undeterred by her last escape attempt, Jane’s on the run again and happens upon a lovely country pub. There she meets a dashing young chap who impresses her with his knife skills and poetry. “There’s no such thing as love at first sight… but lust at first sight?” says our narrator as Jane slo-mos up to this blade-wielding poet and begins some furious flirting.
However their meet-cute is disturbed by a group of armed men who come in looking for a chap called "Archer", who’s wanted for a host of crimes, but most plausibly the offence of being an Ethian. And what an Ethian he is! After turning into a bear he smashes these armored thugs about the bar, with the help of Jane’s old maid Susanna. However, Jane refuses to escape with the dashing stranger and is captured for aiding and abetting the escape of an Ethian. The men then begin "dunking" suspects underwater — another nod to the arcane practices of the medieval period — but luckily her mum saves her.
Back at the Palace, the King is shocked to discover that his pet dog Petunia is actually an Ethian, who tells him his great grandmother (that’s Henry VII’s battleaxe of a mother, Margaret Beaufort folks) is alive and reckons he’s not ill, but being poisoned. During this meeting, he also realizes he's gay.
Jane's wedding day has arrived, but when she gets to the church she’s delighted to find that Lord Guildford Dudley is actually the dashing rogue from the tavern. How’s your luck? “I plight thee my troth,” he says, before she collapses in shock.
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