And now for something completely different! Rather than a detailed recap – because, let’s face it, you could get the same information from Wikipedia if you really wanted to – Admin and I thought we’d provide our thoughts on Sir Francis Walsingham’s (as played by Patrick Malahide) Top Ten Moments in HBO’s 2005 miniseries production of “Elizabeth I“. So without further ado, here are our picks:
RFodchuk’s Top Five | Admin’s Top Five | Part 1 Gallery | Part 2 Gallery
RFodchuk’s Top Five:
- (RF) Sir Francis is baffled by online dating:
Elizabeth’s council is pushing her to consider Francis, the Duke of Anjou (not to be confused with any other Francises) as a potential suitor and Elizabeth (quite understandably, I thought) wants to know what he’s like. Walsingham’s the only one who’s actually met the Duke in person, so she asks him for his opinion. Big mistake.
Walsingham: “His religion, madam? His politics? His sincerity or otherwise in his support of the Dutch Protestants?”
Elizabeth: “His appearance, Master Secretary. Is he a man to my liking?”
Walsingham: “…”
RF: I love Walsingham’s look of complete befuddlement here. Clearly of all of Anjou’s attributes, this is the one he’s never considered. It just goes to show that even the cleverest, most cunning spymaster in the entire kingdom can still be stymied by a simple question. I was thinking that “He looks French,” might be a good answer, but after some thought Walsingham finally manages to say, “He was not ugly, madam… but he was not beautiful,” which is really about as lame as it gets. C’mon Walsingham, you can do better!
Admin: Walsingham should have said “Put it this way, he’s better looking than that Leicester guy.” Walsingham is used to handling the Queen’s questions with great tact, and considering her temper that is wise. But, his awkwardness at that particular question is really funny. Although, that beard of his takes some upkeep, so you’d think he’d know a bit more about male pulchritude than he lets on.
RF: I think you’re right that he knows something about male pulchritude… He certainly seems to have some idea that he looks smashing in basic black. 😉
2. (RF) Sir Francis has interesting hobbies:
RF: All part of being a successful spymaster and one of the reasons he’s been able to keep Elizabeth on her throne as long as he has (and historically accurate), but still a tad disturbing in today’s contexts. However, it does give us a chance to see a very different side of Sir Francis. He plays “good cop” by sponging the tortured man’s face, offering him water, and asking him questions in a very calm, even friendly tone of voice, yet we know that his intent, and the lengths he’ll go to to achieve his ends, are anything but benign. It’s an interesting study in contrasts and Mr. Malahide makes it incredibly menacing and effective.
Admin: That is a tough scene to watch; the sound effects are particularly jarring. Mr. Malahide’s soft voice, which is always wonderful, does seem to offer up hope. His smooth gestures are perfect also, particularly the head droop when the prisoner initially stays silent.
3. (RF) Sir Francis is very good at his job:

“The young man who once tried to kill you, madam. We turned him.”
He loves it when a plan comes together.
RF: Remember that guy on the rack? Sir Francis succeeds in turning him, making him into a double agent whose purpose is to expose the conspirators who want to place Mary, Queen of Scots (or “so-called Queen of Scots”, as Walsingham consistently describes her) on Elizabeth’s throne. We see just the tiniest smirk of satisfaction when, after producing evidence of Mary’s guilt (neatly transcribed and bearing Walsingham’s gallows mark), Walsingham presents the former would-be assassin to Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth’s suspicious that Walsingham had no small part in engineering Mary’s guilt and says so; Walsingham’s response is an uncharacteristic but brief emotional outburst, declaring that he’s “done what [he’s] done” for Elizabeth’s safety. It’s a glimpse of his deep dedication and devotion to his Queen.
Admin: “We turned him.” You can hear the fervor and fanaticism when he says that. Sir Francis is absolutely sincere in his beliefs and devotion, and he is dangerous for it. I probably found the gallows mark funnier than what I should have. I couldn’t help but imagine him intently drawing it like he was some rope loving judge who already knows the defendant is toast.
RF: Apparently the gallows mark bit is historically accurate as well – it does have a sort of black humour aspect to it. Not only do we get a sense of Walsingham’s devotion here, we also see his disappointment when it seems, at first, that Elizabeth is rather unappreciative of his efforts and he’s forced to defend his methods.
4. (RF) Sir Francis gets all the worst jobs:
RF: Sir Francis has to be brave enough to do what even the Earl of Leicester (Jeremy Irons), the Queen’s Favourite, refuses to do when he informs Elizabeth of Mary’s execution. He knows he’s on shaky ground bringing her such unwelcome news – while she signed Mary’s death warrant, she wasn’t expecting or wanting it to be carried out, sorta kinda, not right away, except she really did but she didn’t. She’s experiencing a lot of karmic guilt and it’s all very complex. It’s rare to see Walsingham actually look intimidated (and Malahide conveys the change in mood between one shot and the next) but he knows he’s risking being beheaded himself. As it turns out, he has good reason to be afraid; Elizabeth’s so enraged that she physically beats him up, smacking off his skullcap and backing him into a corner near some candles (I hope Mr. Malahide wasn’t burned!). Of course, Walsingham has the wisdom and forbearance not to raise a hand in his own defense. He survives the ordeal (no thanks to Leicester) to spy another day.
Admin: I know, those candles looked pretty dangerous and he was being forced right into them. His cat like entrance into the scene, Elizabeth is slow to notice him as she plays at her harpsichord, is also worth noting. It acts as a metaphor for how stealth and shadow-like he has to be as the palace spy master. In other scenes we understand that she is partly repulsed by his sneaky and shadowy ways. Only, unlike kitty, Walsingham isn’t going to wear a collar and bell.
RF: If only Walsingham could have stealthily crept away after delivering his bombshell! 😉 Elizabeth (Helen Mirren) beats up Leicester and Essex (Hugh Dancy) too, and it doesn’t look as if she held back in any of those scenes! She’s truly scary in a temper. Later she even throws a shoe at poor Walsingham during a particularly bad tantrum (she’d just discovered that Essex left for Portugal without asking her permission), and I have to give credit to Mr. Malahide for neither flinching nor ducking even though her aim was dead on!
5. (RF) Sir Francis is part of a great trio:
RF: It was great fun watching Walsingham and Burghley (Ian McDiarmid) gang up on Leicester in Part 1 of “Elizabeth I”, but it was even better watching the triple act created in Part 2 when they were joined by Burghley’s son, Robert Cecil (Toby Jones). Together, this unlikely looking trio forms an unbeatable power base of clandestine intelligence and political machination within Elizabeth’s government. They also make up the He-Man Earl of Leicester Haters Club, later expanded to the Earl of Essex Haters Club after Leicester’s death. They’re well aware of Essex’s intrigues and ambitions even though Elizabeth blinds herself to them. The three have some wonderful interplay and snarky dialogue together; it would’ve been great to see more of the sneaky goings-on they were undoubtedly getting up to.
Admin: I love that picture 🙂 There is a very touching moment when Robert Cecil is first introduced. Walsingham enters the room, sees Robert, and his eyes just light right up as he dashes forward to clasp the nervous, young man’s shoulders. Seriously, Sir Francis doesn’t just smile; he smiles with his eyes. Tyra Banks would be so impressed! I would have loved to have seen more of those three together.
RF: Tyra Banks! 😀 Walsingham was indeed very kind to Robert Cecil and that gesture, brief as it was, suggested a personal connection with the Cecils outside of the council chambers. It was a nice added touch.
RFodchuk’s Top Five Clips:
Admin Top Five:
5. (Admin) Take a bow:
Admin: Elizabeth agrees to see the Duke of Anjou. When the French show up they do a highly elaborate bowing spectacle. Madame Maxine would truly approve of such delicate and refined manners. The British? Not so impressed. Their bows are pretty pitiful in comparison. Poor Walsingham especially looks like he’d rather be doing anything other than bowing to a bunch of fancy foreigners. Yet, his wooden bow is a perfect fit for his sombre clothing and disciplined demeanor. This disdain for any frippery reminds us, once again, of his intense Protestant beliefs.
RF: I also liked that Walsingham was noticeably more austerely dressed than pretty much everyone else there, especially those overdressed Frenchies. 😉 The script doesn’t mention it, but the real Walsingham lived for a time in France and sheltered Protestant refugees from the Catholic regime in his own home, so he would’ve disliked the French delegation on more than one level. Mr. Malahide portrays his disdain perfectly.
Admin: It seems everything Walsingham did is connected to his Protestant zeal. It is very impressive that this production, and Mr. Malahide’s performance, really held to that.
4. (Admin) He is a fighter til the end:
Walsingham’s final scene is a powerful one. He has recently confronted Essex, the father of Frances’ unborn child, about what he intends to do. The Queen then casts Essex out of her favor. In order to get back in, he stages a mock funeral possession. Says the Queen, “and as might be expected, the apology is on far grander scale than the offence.” Ouch! Walsingham winces at that barb. Sometimes you just have to hate that woman. “He looks well dead, does he not?” Walsingham distractedly replies, “None of us can escape it, madam.” Finally, she shows some concern for him. Walsingham tells her he will not live out the year. “This cannot be.” “I am afraid it can, Your Majesty.” I like the way he says that with rueful amusement, it is one of the few times he can openly say she’s wrong without fear of reprisal.
But, fighter to the end, he is far more worried about King James of Scotland and the threat he may pose to the Crown. He is always so determined and it really shows in Mr. Malahide’s acting. But, the Queen just doesn’t want to talk about such things right now. Holding his hand, and in a slightly patronizing tone, she says, “I feel we have worn you out.” “I have laid down my life for the Protestant cause, madam, and I have done it gladly.” He speaks with intense strength, and then he looks away, as though he is trying to get his emotions in check, holding onto his Bible all the while. It is a beautifully acted scene, his sheer resolve and determination are palpable.
RF: This scene was so understated and yet incredibly moving and sad. It takes Elizabeth more than a beat or two to finally understand what Walsingham is saying without saying – he’s very calm and accepting of his fate – and once she does understand, her reaction is rather… casual and disappointing. She seems to treat his news as a minor inconvenience, like he’s telling her he’s going away for a bit rather than that he’s going to die soon. And it’s very telling that Walsingham’s last words concern the health of her reign. I was sure that when he mentioned “look[ing] to what comes after” that he was going to discuss the afterlife, but he was actually more worried about the threat from James of Scotland. He’s dedicated to his job up to the very end. I was dismayed that we’re never shown Walsingham’s death on screen; instead we hear about it third-hand from Elizabeth, when she mentions it rather offhandedly and resentfully to Robert Cecil, after the fact. It seems a rather ignominious epitaph for the man who devoted his life to keeping her on the throne.
Admin: The way we were told about his death was a let down, although I understand why they did it that way. It was obvious that she didn’t really like him; it was equally obvious she relied on him. In that regard, her nasty attitude makes sense.
3. (Admin) He’s a loving father:
There are a few scenes that highlight Sir Francis’ devotion to his daughter Frances (Jr?). But this one combines his chagrin at Essex’ escapades, acknowledgement of the Queen’s power and his desire to protect his daughter in a beautifully shot, exciting, and highly entertaining scene. It is the Succession Day tournament and Essex is making a total ham of himself. It seems the Queen isn’t his only admirer either, Walsingham gently reminds his daughter not to be too enthusiastic. You can see him analyzing the situation and, as usual, get things under control. When Essex is toppled from his mount, Walsingham immediately appears genuinely concerned, but the concern turns to wry amusement when he sees it was only Essex’ pride that was wounded. Once again, though, he is back to settling his very pretty daughter down, less she displease Queenie. This perfectly acted scene gives us a glimpse into his family life as a protective father, and puts Walsingham’s eagle eye in action.
RF: Poor Walsingham was doomed to be plagued by Leicester and Essex no matter which way he turned! You’re right that this is an excellent example of Walsingham’s analytical powers and political astuteness; without him saying a word, we see that he fully realizes the potential danger of Frances’ attraction to Essex even though she obviously doesn’t. Walsingham’s protectiveness here is also a good precursor to his heartfelt concern and anger on Frances’ behalf when he demands to know Essex’s intentions as the father of her unborn child. He’s probably the last man in England that Walsingham would ever want as a son-in-law.
2. (Admin) He’s hard to impress:
Admin: The boys get a brief respite from Essex who has openly defied the Queen’s wishes and zipped off to fight in Portugal. But, like a bad penny, it seems he is doomed to return back to her favor after a letter concerning his exploits arrive. “He rode right up to the gates and drove his pike into the wood…and challenged anyone who doubted your wisdom and beauty to a duel.” Mr. Malahide reads it with eye-rolling, sarcastic aplomb. If he had made gagging noises and mimed being hung, he couldn’t have made his view more clear. Of course, miming being hung is probably an unwise choice when in HER vicinity. He does manage to get in a nice little pained wince when the Queen gushingly states “We have forgiven him.” Thank goodness she didn’t notice that!
RF: Ooohhh, I loved the eyerolling! So effective and hilarious to watch. 😀 Mr. Malahide made Walsingham’s opinion of Essex’s hyperbolic exploits very clear without saying a word. Obviously he knows gooey, overdone flattery when he hears it. If he’d added gagging noises and miming being hanged, I would’ve been on the floor!
Admin: And she would get terribly gushy over Essex’ overdone flattery, so we got to enjoy lots of winces, eye-rolls and jaw clenches. Oh, and a few “you’ve got to be kidding me” moments. There was some lovely wordless acting during those moments.
1. (Admin) You want this guy on your side:
Admin: While holding an impassioned court, the Queen is dizzy and unwell. She suddenly faints, and everyone rushes toward her. Walsingham remains calm and is firmly in control. He springs into action, pulls out a very long knife (complete with a very cool sound effect, thank you foley artists) and holds a very large crowd at bay. He can be heard shouting instructions to get the Queen to her chambers. Sir Francis is the man! It is a pity she didn’t get to see him do all that, what with being passed out and all. She would have seen how dashing he is. Of course, she would have just swooned again. Top that, Essex!
RF: The dagger-drawing scene is a wonderful little bit of action! We get to see Walsingham’s ability to take charge in a crisis and look very intimidating doing it. I liked how quickly he established an extremely wide perimeter (no one dared to go near him!) and as you mention, shouted orders throughout – which, it should be noted, were instantly obeyed. It’s a brief scene but it establishes Sir Francis’ status within the command structure as well as his loyalty to the Queen and ability to size up a situation and think on his feet.
Admin: In an earlier scene, when she was wailing for Leicester to return, she disdainfully said all she had to protect her “is you (Walsingham) and sad, old Lord Burghley.” But this scene shows us that Walsingham would have been quite capable of protecting her.
Admin’s Top Five Clips:
Some Concluding Thoughts on Sir Francis Walsingham
RF: I’ve seen two other versions of the Elizabeth I story (Cate Blanchett’s “Elizabeth” and Anne-Marie Duff’s “Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen“), and this one remains my favourite. Mr. Malahide is such a strong omnipresence as Walsingham, even if he has no dialogue in a scene. He’s easily believable as a spymaster with an immense, shadowy network of contacts throughout the kingdoms and courts of Europe. Yet we also see his human side, when he has to endure physical abuse from the Queen he’s devoted to without even thinking of retaliation, or when he’s expressing concern for the daughter he loves, and especially when he’s describing his own death, yet his paramount worry remains his Queen’s reign. He’s just extremely solid and fascinating throughout, and the show is missing something vital (his offscreen death really annoyed me) when he’s no longer there.
I also have to give kudos to the production and set designers and wardrobe staff for this miniseries. They did an excellent job recreating the Elizabethan milieu with what seems to be a high degree of accuracy. Although Mr. Malahide never got the chance to wear anything other than Walsingham’s austere costume, it perfectly reflected Walsingham’s secretive, ascetic nature – plus he just looks really good in basic black. 🙂
Admin: It is a gorgeous costume. I probably liked it more than I was even meant to! I’ve not seen any other Elizabeth I production, unless you count Blackadder II 😉 But, I did enjoy this production very much. And I really appreciate that they went in a more serious historical direction as opposed to glamorous titillation. His character remained serious, devoted and resolute until the end.
Everything got so messy and complicated, particularly with Essex, after Walsingham departed. I know part of that is because the Queen herself was now getting older, but it appears that much of her vulnerability was greatly exposed without his ever minding presence. In every scene it certainly felt like something was missing when Walsingham was not there to watch over her.
Gallery – Part 1:
- The doctor says that the Queen is still capable of having children, so marriage plans are a go!
- Deciding whether or not to approach the Duke of Anjou to be Elizabeth’s prospective husband
- Walsingham doesn’t like Anjou; he thinks “the French make better acquaintances than friends”.
- Aha, and look who’s the only one on the council without a ruff!
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Queenie says the Duke of Anjou is a “quiet Catholic”: “Why, he’s even had private conversation with Master Walsingham, who eats Catholics!”
Aw, is Walsingham blushing? 😉
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Queenie wants to know what Anjou is like.
Walsingham: “His religion, madam? His politics? His sincerity or otherwise in his support of the Dutch Protestants?”
Queenie: “His appearance, Master Secretary. Is he a man to my liking?”
Walsingham: [is baffled]
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Walsingham finally decides on, “He was not ugly, madam… but he was not beautiful.”
Queenie snorts in disgust. 😀
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Meeting with her parliament over the whole marriage thing.
Love the hand on hip posture. 😉
- Playing Good Cop to an assassin who tried to kill Queenie, who’s now enjoying the hospitality of Walsingham’s rack
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The guy cracks!
Walsingham: “Good! You’ve something to say!”
- Walsingham says it’s “likely” the assassin was sent by Mary, “so-called” Queen of Scots, who “solicited Spanish help against you with the blessing of the Pope.”
- Getting a bit snarky here, saying it’s obvious it was Mary’s plot
- Making a “Whaaaaat??” gesture when Queenie doesn’t like his answer. 😀
- Eagerly(?) awaiting Queenie’s new beau, the Duke of Anjou
- Looking distinctly unimpressed at the poncey Frenchmen
- Still looking distinctly unimpressed
- And here’s the guy Walsingham said was neither ugly nor beautiful.
- Burghley and Walsingham pranking Leicester (Jeremy Irons) by saying Queenie went to Greenwich for the “good air”.
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Leicester: “This marriage will not go and her heart will be broken. [to Burghley] Not yours. [gesturing at Walsingham] Or his – if he had one!”
Way harsh, Robin!
- Off to one side and not dancing. Maybe it’s too frivolous.
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Still looking distinctly unimpressed when Queenie introduces her beau Anjou to the crowd.
There’s that hand on hip again… 😉
- But he applauds anyway, because Queenie will be ticked if he doesn’t.
- Burghley and Leicester are still arguing about the Duke as suitable husband material. Leicester’s agin’ him.
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I ask you, is this the face of the craftiest spymaster in all Europe?
[Spoiler: Yes.]
- Walsingham has doubts; he thinks Anjou’s using the marriage to regain his lands in Holland.
- Trying to calm down an argument…
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Refusing to take a side (for the moment).
Also a perfect “What, me worry?” face. 😀
- Queenie busts Leicester saying she’s too old for Anjou. Oops!
- Watching someone get his hand chopped off for writing sedition about the French marriage
- One of the Frenchmen “accidentally” lets it slip that Leicester got secretly married and Queenie is PISSED. This is Leicester’s “Oh nooooooooesss!!’ face when he’s banished from court.
- Burghley and Walsingham find Leicester’s disgrace verrrrry eeenteresteeennng.
- Walsingham gets to perform the final step of…
- …closing the doors in Leicester’s face, which I’m sure he doesn’t find extremely satisfying at all.
- Queenie’s having a meltdown over the marriage agreement, so…
- …Walsingham wisely gets them all out of there.
- Upon Anjou’s departure, Queenie says the “public practice of the Roman religion sticks in their hearts” while glaring accusingly at Walsingham and Burghley.
- Bye-bye to Anjou… Only Queenie is really sad about it.
- Telling Burghley he has to fish Queenie out of the crowd because of more assassination threats.
- Walsingham says the Pope has declared her excommunicate and sanctioned her assassination by any Catholic.
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Queenie says the Pope will have to push her off her throne first before he can put a Catholic on it.
Walsingham: “There are those who would help him, madam.”
- Warning Queenie that the Pope may try to work through “loyal friends closer to home”, like Mary.
- Introducing his newly turned spy, the former assassin, to Burghley: “He will now help us lead that devilish, corrupt, scheming woman to betray herself in a way that Her Majesty will not be able to ignore.”
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Telling Queenie that France and Spain are uniting against England and sending an armada of one hundred ships.
Note incense burners in the window to make nice smells.
- And there’s an English conspirator named Babington who’s allied himself with Mary, “so-called” (as Walsingham always says) Queen of Scots.
- Queenie says she’s recalled Leicester because she’s got no one to talk to. Burghley and Walsingham look disappointed – they were going to turn his room into a home office.
- Look, it’s Jonathan Firth! No, wait… Rufus Sewell! No… Hugh Dancy! That’s it!
- Showing Queenie evidence of Mary’s guilt. He’s so well organized he even has a transcript.
- “Proof positive she conspires against you, madam.”
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Queenie asks if Walsingham had a spy put the idea into Mary’s head (which he, of course, totally did).
Walsingham: “She has countenanced this scheme and seeks your death.”
- Queenie’s not impressed and scrunches his evidence back against him.
- “There is no counterfeit here, madam, and though it call the wrath of Spain down upon us, I say she should be dealt with.”
- A little eyeroll when Queenie says she’ll write to Leicester for advice
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“The young man who once tried to kill you, madam. We turned him.”
Is that just a wee smirk of satisfaction we see?
- Getting more emotional: “I’ve done what I’ve done for your safety, madam!”
- “Mary of Scotland is a traitor!”
- Queenie says she isn’t gentle just because she’s a woman: “We women have forgotten more about cruelty than you can ever remember. What we do not like is lies!”
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Queenie (working into a Henry VIII-type tantrum): “I want them alive when you cut into their bowels!”
Even Walsingham looks a bit shocked.
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Burghley and Walsingham are trying to persuade Queenie to bring Mary to trial: “The Earl of Leicester would be in favour of a trial, madam…”
Note odd sort of Vulcan-type gesture. 😉
- Queenie agrees to Mary’s trial: “But I would have it done with an eye to the justice of the thing.”
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Presiding over Mary’s trial. Mary objects that they can’t try her because she’s an anointed queen.
Walsingham: “Would you prefer to be tried in your absence, my lady?”
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Mary says she’d never endanger her soul by seeking the death of her “dear sister”.
Walsingham: “Dear, indeed.”
- Presenting Mary’s death warrant for Queenie’s signature.
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Queenie: “So she is judged guilty.”
Walsingham: “By fair trial, madam.”
- Queenie doesn’t want to sign but they reeeeeally want her to…
- He’s frustrated by Queenie’s reluctance.
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Queenie says she’s going to Richmond.
Walsingham [crumpling warrant]: “Richmond! Vacillation! Vacillation! Vacillation!”He’s ticked.
- Trying to figure out why Queenie entrusted the death warrant to a low-ranking guy: “She chose him deliberately, my lords.”
- Leicester, referring to Queenie: “This was ever her way. Sideways, sideways, sideways.”
- Burghley says they’d all better sign it or Queenie will hang the lot of them, because she’s still undecided.
- Signing his name to it…
- Strolling along, reading a book, and waiting for news of Mary’s execution. Texting while walking. 😉
- Queenie’s playing at the spinet, or harpsichord, or whatever it is. She has no idea that Mary’s being beheaded today, and Walsingham gets the dirty job of telling her. Note Leicester being a weenie outside the door.
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Queenie hears church bells ringing out: “Who has died?”
Walsingham: “A very great traitor, madam. Mary of Scotland.”
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Queenie [in deadly hiss]: “Who ordered this?”
Walsingham [looking a wee bit afraid]: “I rather think you did, Majesty.”
- Aaaaannnnnnd Queenie goes after him, backing him into the candles(!!)…
- …knocking off his skullcap… 🙁
- A little wordless bit before Leicester goes after Queenie, who’s in a bit of a rage…
- But everyone’s kissed and made up, and Leicester is presenting his stepson Robert Dudley at court
- Listening to strategizing to meet the Armada
- Very tiny eyeroll when Queenie says she wants to meet the Spanish if they invade.
- [muttering]: “A hundred ships…”
- But it’s okay, because Queenie wins! Victory celebration. Too bad Leicester’s dead and missing it.
- Now, just replace Queenie with Katherine Glendenning and Walsingham with Lord G. – it seems to me I saw this on “The Paradise” once. 😀
Gallery – Part 2:
- Essex is putting on a big party to celebrate Queenie’s thirtieth year on the throne. Note that both Walsingham and Burghley look distinctly unimpressed (as usual).
- Probably because this is what they’re looking at.
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Queenie thinks it’s great!
Burghley: “Perhaps he will follow this by disappearing.”
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Burghley and son comment on how “astonishingly young” Essex is.
Walsingham [while checking out weird-looking gold god statue thingies]: “He’s a rising star, gentlemen. We must learn to live with him.”Ironic foreshadowing!
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Burghley: “What precisely are his talents? I never can remember.”
Robert Cecil [Burghley Jr.]: “I hear he has very expressive eyes.”
- Watching the start of the tilting between Essex and Walter Raleigh
- Queenie and Frances (Walsingham’s daughter) are amused by Essex and Raleigh’s act, Walsingham somewhat less so.
- Burghley snarks that Raleigh’s “knightly character is obviously not based upon his own.”
- What, no refreshments?
- Lady Frances seems to be very enthusiastic about cheering on Essex…
- Realizing Queenie probably won’t like it, her dad tells her to cool it: “Sssh, sssh…”
- Oops! Sorry, Dad…
- Gotta say, this was an impressive stunt and I have to wonder if it went wrong, because the rider landed on his back and the horse landed on top of him, especially his neck. 🙁 Anyway, Essex is getting squished.
- Reacting to Essex getting squished
- Waiting to see if Essex is okay or not…
- He’s not permanently damaged, so Walsingham looks just a teeny bit amused while Frances is still worried.
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Raleigh and Essex snarl at each other a bit, and Burghley offers to break it up.
Queenie: “No, no, no… Dogs must have blood somehow, my lord.”
Walsingham: [gives Frances the stink eye]
- Queenie wants to hear about the council’s “proposed expedition” to Portugal, and tells Burghley not to anticipate her displeasure before she’s heard the details.
- Walsingham says it would be a good idea to make friends with the ex-king of Portugal, because he’s an enemy of the Spanish, who are currently occupying Portugal
- A wee bit surprised when Queenie anticipates his idea of putting the ex-king back on the Portuguese throne before Spain recovers from the loss of the Armada. But Queenie specifically doesn’t want Essex to go.
- Having a queen-sized meltdown because of course Essex went to Portugal.
- …and throwing a shoe at poor Walsingham! Note that he doesn’t duck or flinch, though. Good thing her aim is good and she didn’t hit him in the face. 😮
- Nope, didn’t even flinch, although the ladies are heading for cover.
- They’ve made up over the whole shoe thing and Walsingham is reading a letter all about Essex’s amazing deeds in Portugal.
- Walsingham: “He rode right up to the gates and drove his pike into the wood…”
- “…and challenged anyone who doubted your wisdom and beauty to a duel.” [eyeroll]
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Queenie [flattered]: “Did anyone emerge to take up the challenge?”
Burghley: “I imagine not, Your Majesty.”
Walsingham: [Yeah, whatever…]
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Burghley points out that Essex failed to capture Lisbon.
Queenie: “Well, he’s apologized for his disobedience and he’ll be home within the month.”
Walsingham: [epic eyeroll]Walsingham does a lot of adorable near-fatal eyerolling in this scene.
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Queenie: “We’ve forgiven him. He is dear to us. How brave it seems!”
Walsingham: [is keeping his mouth shut]
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Robert Cecil: “Brave indeed, to have defied Your Majesty so obviously.”
It’s an unusually direct statement that gets him a double stink eye.
- Going out to watch Essex’s triumphant-ish(?) return
- Queenie’s overjoyed. Walsingham gives Burghley a look.
- Queenie calls him a “marvelous boy”. Burghley, Cecil, and Walsingham look less convinced.
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Burghley [being circumspect]: “A great and public day, Your Majesty.”
Walsingham still looks the exact opposite of “thrilled”.
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Essex asks if it’s okay for a subject “to hurl himself into the Queen’s arms”.
Queenie: “In the private, it is sometimes encouraged.”
Walsingham: [exchanges look of disgust with Cecil]
- Queenie shuts everyone out including Lady Frances, who’s sweet on Essex
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Burghley says that Queenie gave Essex a seat on the council.
Walsingham: “If, as I think he may have an interest in my daughter, it may be that Her Majesty will tire of him.”Hmmm… why does this remind me of Lord G.? 😉
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Burghley asks why Essex would bother with Walsingham’s daughter when he thinks he might marry the Queen.
Walsingham: “The Queen would never marry him. Not even the Earl would dream of such a thing. Let one subject raise himself up so and there would be blood, gentlemen, blood as we’ve not seen these forty years.”
- Queenie passes out mid-speech and Walsingham springs into action!
- He draws his dagger without even looking (I was impressed! ) and keeps the crowd back…
- Don’t mess with this guy!
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Queenie’s all better and says she’ll die at a time of her own choosing and not before.
Walsingham: “There are those who would choose it for you, madam.”Note how he’s protectively got his back against the door, arms crossed. Love it!
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Queenie asks if the Spanish might have poisoned her.
Burghley: “We cannot say… with certainty.”Aaaawww, those three look so cute together. 😀
- Acting on information from Francis Bacon, Essex arrests Queenie’s physician, Doctor Lopez, on suspicion of poisoning her. Walsingham, Burghley, and everyone else are a tad surprised.
- Essex says it’s “beyond question” that Lopez is a traitor “in the pay of Spain”.
- And says he has proof in the form of signed confessions, which makes Walsingham look very anxious indeed. Something his spies didn’t already know about??
- Walsingham keeps trying to check out the documents while Queenie has another meltdown.
- One of Essex’s good buddies is Eddie Redmayne, Earl of Southampton! Now we know they’re all doomed!
- Listening to Essex hold forth in council that there’s no possibility of peace with Spain
- Walsingham [not impressed]: “You breathe war, slaughter, and blood, my lord.”
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Cecil reveals that the confessions about Lopez were obtained under torture, and are the only evidence that he was guilty of anything – in other words, he wasn’t, and Essex killed off the Queen’s physician for no reason.
Essex looks rather like Orlando Bloom here. :-p
- Interrupting Queenie’s tryst with Essex with some news…
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Walsingham [with an uncharacteristic amount of emotion]: “My daughter Frances… is with child by the Earl of Essex and I would seek to know his intentions.”
D’ohh!! Yeah, do not piss off the head spymaster with regards to his daughter… or anyone or anything else…!
- Queenie meltdown! He’s not supposed to be impregnating random ladies! It looks like she really whallops him here, too. Like (step)father, like (step)son.
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After being whalloped:
Essex: [gives Walsingham a terrified look]
Walsingham: [is unimpressed and unsympathetic. Might have preferred to do the whalloping himself.]
- Watching Essex’s mock funeral ceremony as he tries to get back into Queenie’s good graces. He’s been forced by her to marry Lady Frances. Notice that Walsingham is wearing a coat for this scene, too.
- Essex really likes big, theatrical gestures.
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Essex: [big theatrical bow]
Queenie: [still unimpressed]
Walsingham: [was never impressed in the first place, but is slightly baffled]Note how pale Walsingham is here. This will become relevant very shortly…
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Queenie: “He looks well dead, does he not?”
Walsingham: “None of us can escape it, madam.”
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Queenie: “Francis, we hear you are not well.”
Walsingham: “To tell you truthfully, madam, it is not thought that I should live out the year.”Noooooooo!! 🙁 And that’s why he looks so pale. It gives a certain amount of irony to his watching this mock funeral ceremony. Notice that they’ve also greyed his beard and hair.
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Queenie: “This cannot be!”
Walsingham [with a small, ironic laugh]: “I’m afraid it can, Your Majesty.”
- “We must look to what comes after. King James of Scotland?”
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Queenie: “We feel we have worn you out.”
Walsingham: “I have laid down my life for the Protestant cause, madam, and I have done it gladly.”Aaaaawwwww…. 🙁
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Then Queenie mentions to Cecil that Walsingham has died. What a rip… an off-camera death. He deserved much better.
Oh, and she beheads Essex as a traitor and a rebel, yadda yadda yadda.
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