'The Spanish Princess' Season 2 Episode 3 Preview: Catherine won the battle but why is Henry still mad at her?
The Battle of Flodden might have been a victory for Queen Catherine of England (Charlotte Hope), but her husband, King Henry VIII (Ruairi O'Connor) doesn't seem to be doing so well under the shadow of his wife's success. With yet another pregnancy leading to a devastating outcome, Catherine's woes are only being doubled by her husband's demeanor towards her.
Knowing the imminent tragedies in the queen's life, it would be foolish to expect anything happy coming out of this trouble in paradise but one can't help but wonder — why is Henry so furious with Catherine in the trailer?
Titled 'Grief', the upcoming Episode 3 of Season 2, once again, doesn't bode well for the titular Princess-turned-Queen of England, Catherine. The official synopsis reveals “While Catherine fights to restore her marriage after another tragedy, Meg too must find a way to restore Scotland after the bloody Battle of Flodden.” The official promo trailer also bears proof that Catherine must work on restoring her marriage because Henry is being a giant sore for no good reason.
Henry left to invade France, leaving behind a heavily pregnant Catherine as the regent of England for six months. During this time, King James of Scotland attacked England and was vanquished by Catherine, but her victory came with a price. At the end of Henry's coming home feast, Catherine gives birth prematurely, to a stillborn.
But unlike last time, when Catherine's son had mysteriously died less than two months after his birth, Henry isn't by her side offering solace and comfort. Instead, the trailer shows him insisting that along with the victory everyone's touting "The Queen had a loss" too.
Poor Catherine is devastated, as she questions her own self, wondering if she's being punished for whatever reason by having her boy taken away from her. The trailer teases snippets of Meg nursing her newborn, sitting on Scotland's throne as her subjects refuse to 'look to a woman', but soon we are back on Catherine's dilemma. It's almost as if the queen can't catch a break.
As Catherine drives deeper into questioning herself, Henry looks closer at Wolseley for counsel. Diminished and reduced to nothing but an heir-bearer for the king, it makes sense why a disgruntled Catherine would raise her tone at Henry towards the trailer's end.
Catherine also expresses frustration over Wolseley inserting himself in every part of the royal couple's life. The way Henry reacts to it — poorly, like a jilted, insecure, petty husband jealous of his wife's success — is condemnable, even though history essays him exactly the same. Henry shouts back "I am king, do not defy me." His behavior might not come as a surprise, but it sure does make our hearts pain for Catherine even more.
We know of the sad tragedy that her life culminates to, but to see Henry blame Catherine is pretty infuriating from a bystander's point of view. 'The Spanish Princess' Season 2 airs on Sundays at 8 pm on Starz.