Second half of "Elizabeth I"

Well, I finally had a chance to sit down with the second disc of the HBO mini-series, "Elizabeth I," starring Helen Mirren, and I must say that I did not like it as much as the first disc. Of course, you all should know why - The Earl of Leicester died in the first disc and was hardly mentioned in the second half! Actually, my reasons for not liking this disc as much are mainly all because of the Queen's new lover, the Earl of Essex - the step-son of the Earl of Leicester. I never knew much about Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, but this movie showed me that he was not a nice guy, to say the least. Overly-ambitious and too big for his britches, it's hard to understand why Elizabeth favored him at her court. (Sure, Hugh Dancy is a very handsome actor, but I have a hard time believing that the real Robert Devereaux was as attractive...).

Upon the Earl of Leicester's death, Elizabeth began favoring the Earl of Essex - giving him new titles and allowing him to take his step-father's place as Master of Horse. I can only imagine that she favored him because he must have reminded her of her real true love...her eyes...her Robin - Robert Dudley. Although in this movie, the Earl of Essex seemed very charming and sweet towards Bess, he also had a very angry side - so angry that he even drew his sword on Elizabeth in front of the council in a fit of rage! (This is not something that sweet Leicester would have done...). I was happy to see that, just like in the first half, HBO didn't seem to spare any details of this part of

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Elizabeth's reign. Her relationship with Essex was very well portrayed - and it's obvious that he had a lot of power over her, maybe because he was younger and so handsome, and maybe because she just desired to be loved. She continued granting him favors, even as he consistently disobeyed her and/or let her down. I can't say much about his character, because I must admit I haven't done a lot of research on him, but I can say that from what I do know about him, I don't like him one bit. He was a greedy, lustful man who did not belong at court, and he deserved his fate - which, in case you weren't aware, was death...as he was a convicted traitor when he rebelled against the crown in what is referred to as the "Essex Rebellion."

One thing that I did really like about this movie was her speech to the council towards the end of the movie. At this point, it seems like Elizabeth realizes that she has spent so much time favoring men and letting her heart lead her astray, and now she needs to reward and recognize the faithful men who have been at her side through it all - her coucil. She gives the famous line, "Ye may have a greater prince, but ye
shall never have a more loving  prince," - (or a variation of it at least), and the happy council consistently shouts, "God save the Queen!" as she sits on her throne smiling at them. This is the Elizabeth that historians and fans like to think of - the one who was firmly devoted to the good of her kingdom and her council, and who showed herself as a strong and devoted woman, never bending to the pressures and temptations of handsome men - at least not for long. The movie ended on a depressing note, as Elizabeth was firmly rooted in a terrible depression, after seeing so much death and becoming sick herself. There was no death scene, though, as I half-expected, and I like it that way. Overall, I definitely recommend Tudor fans to

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watch this mini-series - form your own opinions of Leicester and Essex, and maybe even Elizabeth. This was a very accurate and dramatic re-telling of Queen Elizabeth's later years, and I think it was well-worth watching.