The Serpent Queen season 2 episode 2 preview: Diane is back!

It's almost time for a new episode of The Serpent Queen season 2! Last week, the premiere really impressed me and I feel like it set up the story of what's to come quite nicely. And even the final moments of the episode saw a blazing end. So what comes next after that cliffhanger? And when can you start tuning in?

The Serpent Queen season 2 episode 2 release date and time

The Serpent Queen season 2 episode 2, "Second Coming," officially comes out Friday, July 19, 2024 on Starz. You can start tuning in either on the app at 12 a.m. ET, or wait to see it on the small screen at 9 p.m. ET that day. Though because of time zone differences, some of you will actually be able to start watching the episode tonight, July 18 if you have the app! We broke down the release times below:

Starz app

• East coast: 12 a.m. ET on Fridays
• West coast: 9 p.m. PT on Thursdays
• Midwest: 11 p.m. CT on Thursdays
• Mountain: 10 p.m. MT on Thursdays

Starz linear channel on TV

• East coast: 8 p.m. ET on Fridays
• West coast: 5 p.m. PT on Fridays
• Midwest: 7 p.m. CT on Fridays
• Mountain: 6 p.m. MT on Fridays

Episode 2 trailer

As we saw last week, peace is top of mind for Catherine, but not everyone at court is making that easy for her to maintain. Others have their own ulterior motives as we saw with Antoinette de Guise. She's the reason Francois set fire to Edith's church, blackmailing her own son. In the second episode of The Serpent Queen season 2, we're going to see the aftermath of that based on the promo and synopsis. Check out the video below:

As always, Catherine has to try and find a way to keep the balance between the Bourbons (Protestants) and the Catholics (Guises). And it's not just about them. As Louis says, this is going to cause tension with the French people as well. It's not just something contained at court. The synopsis tells us a bit more:

"With peace lying on a knife’s edge, Catherine attempts to calm tensions by allowing the Bourbons to pursue the trade deal with England, and she halts the investigation into the Duke of Guise’s arson involvement."

Another huge takeaway from the trailer, as well as the promotional images, is the return of Diane de Poitiers! After seeing her back in court at the end of season 1, I was wondering where she's been. I guess we're going to find out in episode 2! Her sickly sweet "hello, cousin" to Catherine in the promo is fooling no one. At least not me, and definitely not the queen! These two's dynamic is complicated to say the least, but it was honestly one of the most intriguing parts to me in the first season. I'm interested to see why Diane is still around. What about you? We shared the promotional images from the episode below!

The Serpent Queen season 2 episode 2 airs/streams Friday, July 19, 2024 on Starz.