Becoming Elizabeth

I started out a little underwhelmed. But by episode three I was hooked! It's very subtle acting, and truthfully, stays very close to history. The chemistry between Elizabeth and Catherine and Thomas is electric. And Bella Ramsey does a great job at a very persnickety role (Jane Grey). The actress that plays Elizabeth feels believable, naïve, and essentially, like a teenage girl! Tom Cullen steals the show. Highly recommend! Definitely watch past the pilot.

Well, it's a complex period in English history. Henry VIII has died, and after six marriages, left three children (from different wives) to navigate the hugely conflicting religious and political world, while all around them the landed power brokers are scheming for influence.

It's fair to say that without an understanding of the historical backdrop you may initially find this hard to follow. But none the less this is a well acted, high production value series which follows the development of our heroine, the teenage Princess Elizabeth. While time is compressed (understandably) it's fairly historically accurate and gives a great sense of Tudor England and the drama that plays out between factions. The fact that's it's based on reality not fantasy makes it even more compelling.

I hope Starz commission a 2nd season. There's a lot to pack into our young Elizabeth's life as she becomes one of Britain's greatest monarchs and this is a welcome addition to our playlist.

As a Spaniard I need to ask:

Why is Don Pedro a black man...? A very strange choice. Clearly they needed to put a black character somewhere -as always- and I guess the Spanish Ambassador was the easy option, but...

There where no black people AT ALL in Spain at that period, not to say a noble one or knight. Even if some of you are thinking on our moorish heritage I tell you:

1. The vast majority of the moors were expelled from the Iberian peninsula and they were replaced with people brought from Castilla. The small still remaining don't count, because they weren't (and are not) black.

2. Moors are from north of the Sahara desert, black population are from south of the sahara desert. More over, the biggest past of the population in Al-Andalus previous to the Castillian conquest were descendents of the Omeya tribes, from the actual Syria.

There were no black population in continental Spain until the XIX century, and those were from Ecuatorial Guinea and Cuba. Certainly, there were no Spanish politician of any kind or level without a long lineage of nobility or aristocracy, same as anywhere in the rest of the continent in those days.

So no, a spanish noble black man is as accurate as the characters from "Bridgerton" portraying an English noble family during the Regency, but hey, it's just historical fiction, same as the Netflix series

The rest of the show, a bit of a soap opera but very enjoyable and entertaining.

-- Excuse my english as is not my 1st language.

Really had high hopes for this production. The casting was really good, young Edward (Oliver Zetterström) looks like he stepped right out of a contemporary painting of him. I enjoyed the actors' portrayal of the two Seymour brothers (Tom Cullen & John Heffernan). The actress who played Mary (Romola Garai) stole every scene she was in and I almost felt like this was more "Becoming Mary" than Elizabeth. Unfortunately, the writing fell short and the actors can only do so much with what they are given. Such a missed opportunity to show how the young Elizabeth became such a force to be reckoned with... But the costumes are stunning, the most authentic Tudor costumes I have seen in any recent TV production. If nothing else, watch it for the costumes if you are a tudorphile.

Absolutely love, love, love this show! It is getting so good, can't wait for season 2! The costumes, the acting, and the engaging stories unfolding are spectacular. Keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more.