The Serpent Queen season 2 premiere sets up the story effectively and intriguingly (Review)

The Serpent Queen season 2 is finally here, and we're going to be reviewing and recapping the season on Starz. So be sure to follow along every week on Fridays! We're starting off with the first episode, "Grand Tour," and it certainly does a good job of setting up what's to come in this next chapter of the story. Let's jump in! SPOILERS BELOW.

Setting up the main storyline

From the synopsis, we knew going in that that the central storyline in season 2 would be a religious one. The Catholics and Protestants were against each other for years and years, despite efforts to bring peace. And that's where Catherine starts off. She takes her now grown kids around to poorer areas so the royal family can form a connection with their subjects. Though her now grown children aren't interested.

Also, Charles IX is now king, but Catherine remains on his privy council. As she should. I think this was smart idea on Catherine's end, and she proves once again how clever she is. Though when we see Ruggeri, who's still hanging around in the forest, he warns the queen that she won't be able to govern with love. Only fear. And that's definitely foreshadowing what's to come if I had to guess. Especially with the bloody way The Serpent Queen season 2 started in the first scene! It's clear this season is going to be more violent, with Catherine really having to think of clever ways to stay in charge.

Off to a fiery start

With the royal children now grown up, each of them has their own personality that we can tell who they are right off the bat. Charles and his brother Anjou really don't get along. And again, there's more foreshadowing here. Plus of course cousins the Bourbons and the Guieses are still bickering away, 10 years later. Even though they're slimy and are only always looking out for themselves I have to say that the Bourbon brothers are my favorite characters. They're just so amusing. And I'm happy to see their personalities shine even more already this season.

One character that grates on my nerves is definitely Antoinette, Cardinal Charles and Francois' mother. She blackmails Francois into burning Sister Edith church down as she wants a fight between the Catholics and Protestants to start back up for her own personal gain. Even though the country has had relative peace for the last 10 years. But who wants to maintain that? Chaos is so much more fun apparently. And well, Francois goes through with it. But there's no way Edith is going to die already, right? She's the main antagonist of the season. At least that's how it was promoted. We'll have to wait and see until next week!

Grading The Seprent Queen season 2 episode 1

Overall, I think the premiere episode of The Serpent Queen season 2 really did everything right. It's what you expect from the first episode, setting up the second season quite nicely. We catch up with most of the main characters from season 1 to see what they've been up to and how things have been the last 10 years. Then, there's enough foreshadowing and hints at what's to come and what the biggest plot points of the season are going to be.

It's just enough to not give anything away, but keep us intrigued and wanting more. Plus, there's a fiery cliffhanger that we're left with, portraying some of the harshness of the time. Episode grade level: A. Be sure to come back next week as we review episode 2, "Second Coming" on Friday, July 19, 2024 on Starz. What did you think of the premiere episode?

New episodes of The Serpent Queen season 2 release Fridays on Starz.