The Serpent Queen season 2 finale is a blood bath (Recap)

Uh, wow. I mean, I had a feeling that Catherine de' Medici had a plan up her sleeve but I didn't think it would be this violent! She definitely showed them all. The Serpent Queen season 2 episode 8, "All Saints Day," is the finale. And it gave us everything that a grand season finale should have. Let's get into the recap! SPOILERS BELOW.

Princess Margot and Henry Bourbon get married

Despite some last ditch efforts to get out of it by sleeping with Francois de Guise and trying to appeal to King Charles, Princess Margot's marriage to Henry Bourbon happens. Against her will - clearly in front of everyone when Anjou forces her head down at the ceremony. At first, Charles was eager to help his sister. However when she slept with Francois, he flipped and believed she was only manipulating him and forces her to marry him as Catherine wants.

Antoinette de Guise tries to get Francois to admit at the church that he and Margot laid together or she'd tell the Catholic League that Cardinal Charles has been baptized and believes in Edith. Mother of the year right there. But he refuses to continue hurting and manipulating her anymore. Even though Margot would have welcomed the disruption to her new union.

Henry's father, Louis de Bourbon, has a bad feeling about this union and tells his son he can back out of it if he wants. Especially after Catherine arranges for Angelica to kill Henry's mother, the Queen of Navaar, probably so that Margot can take over the position with her new marriage. Though basically, Henry tells him he doesn't have feelings about anything. And his father deduces he's a psychopath. Though that may not be as true as we see later.

When Henry and Margot have to consummate the union in front of everybody, he can see the fear on her face and announces that it's been done, even though the two didn't do anything. But everyone is satisfied, and that's the end of that. While the group goes out to celebrate the marriage, Henry decides to stay in the room with Margot.

The bloody massacre

In the middle of the festivities, Edith is sitting next to Catherine and asks her when she'll get the paper handing over the regency. The queen responds that yes, it's time for her to get what she came for. For a quick second, you can see the fear on Edith's face as she has a feeling what's coming next. Catherine slits her throat, and Anjou with a group of his friends come in and start killing everybody in the name of the House of Guise.

Meanwhile, Angelica also stabs Montmorency outside in the courtyard where Catherine told him to meet her. Rahima has been locked up in her room, and Alessandro doesn't make it out alive either. When Anjou and his goons come in for Prince Henry, Margot doesn't let her mother kill him just to spite her. Catherine claims that he can live but reminds her daughter she gave her a way out of the marriage and she didn't take it.

While horrified by what his mother has done, Catherine asks Charles whether he will let the followers of Edith live and come after them, or ensure the royal family's survival. Charles proclaims "kill them all in their beds." Wow. In the final moments, it's shown that both Louis and and Antoine Bourbon are actually alive and the Guises (minus their mother) have been locked up and blamed for it all. As well as the Catholic League whom Catherine had hung.

Like the end of the first season where the Bourbon brothers were locked up and announced revenge on Catherine, The Serpent Queen season 2 ends with the Guise brothers behind bars this time and Charles announcing the same thing. So here's the status of each of the central characters by the end:

• Dead: Edith, Montmorency, Alessandro, Aaabis and her pupil
• Alive: Charles and Cece of Austria, Margot and Henry, Charles and Francois, Rahima
• Injured: Louis and Antoine
• Unknown: Antoinette (though we see Louis after they were together, her fate is unknown)

And finally, there seems to have been a switch in Catherine after trying to keep the peace between the Catholics and Protestants for so long. She doesn't care anymore and proclaims to the camera, "long live the king, I suppose. But then again, there's always a spare." It cuts to Charles still coughing up blood of course, and then the finale ends with Anjou smiling devilishly into the camera. It's true there's a spare. But, you're down to your last one Catherine!

Read all of our The Serpent Queen season 2 recaps here:

• Episode 1, "Grand Tour"
• Episode 2, "Second Coming"
• Episode 3, "Death of a Prince"
• Episode 4, "Judas"
• Episode 5, "Time with the Family"
• Episode 6, "Courting the Valois"
• Episode 7, "A House Divided"