La princesa de España

The White Queen was very lurid but it was entertaining.

The White Princess was very lurid and it was NOT entertaining.

The Spanish Princess, well . . . . At least Catharine has red hair.

I watched with an open mind, and hoping it would at least hold a candle to the previous two series: The White Queen, and The White Princess. It didn't. The characters were off beat from the preceding shows. When The White Princess followed the The White Queen, the director, and casting management really did a great job of finding actors that fit the roles of their predecessors. It was done so well, that I didn't even need to hear their name to know who everyone was in most cases.

This latest effort fails terribly in that department, as King Henry is a doofus, and his son is homely, I can't even look at him. The son of Henry should be attractive, as in the prior series the parents were extremely attractive. So, if the idea that the preordained Princess from Spain is semi attractive, and Prince Arthur is homely, is the opening premise for this show, and none of the characters seem to be the same character they were in the previous two series I liked, and the sets are a low budget version of its predecessors, then I will pass on this mess.

Lavishly produced, very well acted and generally quite entertaining, but I did think the Spanish Princess drifted into soap opera a little too often. Massive liberties taken with history, but we should all know by now that any show "based on historical events" is just that - most of the people existed, some of the things happened, but most of it is pure fiction. Still, I often find these kinds of shows interesting because they lure me into checking the historical facts, which is educational. I was surprised to find, for instance, that Catherine actually did have a black woman as one of her retinue of 'ladies'.

In the end it is the material you are working with and the skill of screenwriters that allow actors and directors to turn a story into a compelling screen piece. Unfortunately, whether it is the book or the screenwriting, this story has slipped in Starz's Tudor trilogy. Laura Carmichael and Harriet Walter give excellent performances and should receive their credit. Frankly, they carry the show. This third installment is more a romantic then historical fiction.

As others have pointed out Henry was 11 when Catherine came to court, not some love sick 16 year old. If you want the Catherine/Henry/Boleyn story, which I expect Season 2 to be, watch WolfHall for first rate historical fiction and acting.

Like the other Starz shows, The White Princess & The White Queen, this production is lavish and high in value. It is undoubtedly cleaner than the real 16th Century world but has the feeling of authenticity about it.

There are some horrendous historical liberties taken by the producers. Arthur & Catherine were 15 when they married. Arthur died before his 16th birthday. Henry was 10, going on 11, over the 6 months of Catherine's marriage. Given most of the series is about Henry & Catherine's relationship the producers saw fit to make Henry & Arthur a similar age, maybe 18 & 19, respectively. Fair enough, but it does ensure a divergence from the historical facts, which is a pity.

The other and maybe more relevant fact is why Catherine was chosen to be the wife of the English heir male. She was descended from the legitimate English Lancastrian line via her mother. She had a stronger claim to the English throne than Henry VII, who was descended from an illigitimate Lancastrian line. The male offspring of Catherine would legitimise the Tudor dynasty. For this reason Henry VII, his wife & his mother would be moving heaven & earth to keep Catherine in England. Indeed, she became a virtual prisoner of the English crown for 7 years before she married her brother in law, the young Henry.

Overall, the historical costume drama is enjoyable enough and given it's only 10 episodes makes it easy enough to watch.