HBO has confirmed season two of the critically acclaimed fantasy action drama His Dark Materials will premiere on November 16, 2020. New episodes of the second season will air on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT on HBO and will also stream on HBO Max.
The premiere date announcement was accompanied by a gorgeous new poster.
Dafne Keen (“Lyra”), Ruth Wilson (“Mrs. Coulter”), Ariyon Bakare (“Lord Boreal”), Amir Wilson (“Will”), and Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Lee Scoresby”) return to lead the cast in the much-anticipated second season. Andrew Scott (“Colonel John Parry”), Will Keen (“Father MacPhail”), and Ruta Gedmintas (“Serafina Pekkala”) also reprise their roles for season two.
New cast members include Terence Stamp (“Giacomo Paradisi”), Jade Anouka (“Ruta Skadi”), and Simone Kirby (“Dr. Mary Malone”).
Jane Tranter, Dan McCulloch, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, author of His Dark Material Philip Pullman, Jack Thorne, Tom Hooper, Deborah Forte, Toby Emmerich, Carolyn Blackwood, Ben Irving, and Piers Wenger served as executive producers. The series is a Bad Wolf production in association with New Line Cinema for BBC One and HBO.
The Season 2 Plot, Courtesy of HBO:
Season two of His Dark Materials begins after Lord Asriel has opened a bridge to a new world, and, distraught over the death of her best friend, Lyra follows Asriel into the unknown. In a strange and mysterious abandoned city, she meets Will, a boy from our world who is also running from a troubled past. Lyra and Will learn their destinies are tied to reuniting Will with his father but find their path is constantly thwarted as a war begins to brew around them.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter searches for Lyra, determined to bring her home by any means necessary.
EPIX’s Pennyworth will return for a second season beginning on December 13, 2020. The premiere date announcement was accompanied by a 40-second teaser trailer for the upcoming season which debuted during the show’s New York Comic Con panel, hosted virtually on NYCC’s YouTube channel because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pennyworth season two will air a two-part mid-series finale on December 27th. The remainder of the second season episodes will arrive in 2021.
The half-hour panel (embedded below) premiered on October 11, 2020 and featured the show’s cast – Jack Bannon (Alfred Pennyworth), Ben Aldridge (Thomas Wayne), and Paloma Faith (Bet Sykes) – along with executive producer Bruno Heller discussing what’s in store for the second season. The NYCC panel also included new casting announcements. Simon Manyonda (His Dark Materials) will play Lucious Fox and Jessica de Gouw (The Hunting) will take on the role of Melanie Troy.
EPIX released the following descriptions of the two new key characters:
Lucius Fox is a young American scientist, precise to the point of pedantry, deliberately calm, honest, and direct to a fault; he suffers no fools gladly. His friends would say he’s a man of conscience; his enemies would say he’s judgmental and dogmatic. An integral part of the DC universe, this marks his introduction to the Wayne family.
Melanie Troy is a military orphan, who became a woman of the world far too young. She married a dominating older man, but with her wry intelligence and a sardonic sense of humor, she’s no submissive and gives as good as she gets. Introduced to Alfie as the wife of his former SAS Captain, the two kindred spirits have an immediate connection.
The cast of season two also includes new regulars James Purefoy (The Following), Edward Hogg (Harlots), Jessye Romeo (Curfew), Ramon Tikaram (The Victim), and Harriet Slater (Faunutland and the Lost Magic).
The Plot:
“From Warner Horizon Scripted Television, the origin story Pennyworth is a drama series based on DC characters created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. It follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Bannon), a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company and goes to work with Thomas Wayne (Aldridge), Bruce’s billionaire father, in 1960s London.”
The cast of CBS’s Evil united (virtually) for the show’s New York Comic Con panel on October 10, 2020. The half-hour discussion included a look back at the events of season one as well as a sneak peek at what’s in store for the series’ second season.
Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Kurt Fuller joined series creators Michelle King and Robert King to share a special trailer for the upcoming season – a season that hasn’t actually begun shooting yet. Mandvi handled the scary sound effects as his co-stars recited lines from the safety of their homes.
During the panel, Mike Colter was asked what it was that grabbed the audience during the show’s first season. “I think one of the things that the audience latched ahold of, and I think I did as well, is the similarities of the show and real life. And what I mean by that, I think there’s so many things that parallel real life that are only happening in the heads of the characters. There’s so many people that reached out – fans, that is – via social media and people I would bump into in the streets that would say there’s so many things that they connect with. There’s so many things that they relate to,” said Colter.
“They would go so deep and so fast, and a conversation that would last 30 seconds would tell me things about the show that I didn’t notice because it happened to them. People who had night terrors…people who were seminarians…people who had tried to go to Catholic school and went a certain way and then changed their minds, because this show really does encapsulate a lot of what people do experience in life but don’t talk about it out in the open,” explained Colter.
Katja Herbers said it was the brilliant writing that drew her in. “I think, unfortunately, we live in a time where you don’t have to look very far to find evil. And for me, at least, it’s very helpful to be able to process what’s happening in the world while playing Kristen. And I think it might also be really nice to watch this show and be able to process some of the things that are happening and have a good scare, but also have a good laugh.”
Herbers also addressed the key events of the season one finale. Did Kristen actually murder someone? “I think we don’t know, first of all, if she did kill someone – if she did kill LaRue. I think we’re meant to think that she did and we will find out if she did but we don’t officially know that,” teased Herbers.
Asked if the current pandemic will work its way into season two scripts, Robert King replied, “The show has a natural inclination to go to plague because of Revelation and because this season has like an avenging angel character that is supposedly good but talks in terms of evil, killing millions of people and so on. So, in many ways, it’s there. I wouldn’t say we lead with that because we’re afraid of seeming like we’re following the herd.”
Discussing his character’s involvement in Kristen’s season two cases, Kurt Fuller said, “Boggs, he’s an empiricist. He wants to believe what can be proven and seen, but he’s also human. And in season one he witnessed some things that can sort of be explained. Kristen is getting worse and worse, and as season two starts she’s even worse. Whatever I’ve been doing with her hasn’t been working. And I’ve always been suspicious of this group of losers that she’s working with, you know. I am the only person that she’s completely honest with. She seems to be honest with the others but believe me she tells me things that she has not told anybody else. I don’t know how I’m gonna pull her out of this. She’s in bad shape and it’s getting worse. So, yeah, I think I’m going to be much more involved.”
Evil Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:
The series focuses on a skeptical female psychologist who joins a priest-in-training and contractor as they investigate the Church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings. Their job is to assess if there’s a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.
The CW’s Pandora season two episode three just unveiled a batch of photos as well as the episode’s plot description. Episode three, “Gates of Eden,” was directed by Chris LeDoux from a script by Steve Kriozere and will air on October 18, 2020 at 8pm ET/PT.
The season two cast includes Priscilla Quintana as Jax Zhou, Oliver Dench as Xander, Tina Casciani as Tierney, and Ben Radcliffe as Ralen. Noah Huntley plays Professor Donovan Osborn, Akshay Kumar is Jett Annamali, Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis is Zazi Nichols, and Vikash Bhai plays Professor Martin Shral.
“Gates of Eden” Plot: FACING THE FINAL JUDGMENT – Jax (Quintana) and the team visit the distant planet where Professor Osborn (Huntley) first discovered Jax as an infant during the Earth-Zatarian War in an attempt to find the Ancients in the hopes of saving our Universe; but is dealt a tragic blow when Ralen (Radcliffe) suffers a loss that will change him forever.
Pandora Description, Courtesy of The CW:
Set in the year 2199, Pandora is a sci-fi action series about a resourceful young woman who has lost everything but finds a new life at Earth’s Space Training Academy where she and her friends learn to defend the Galaxy from threats, both alien and human. With time running out before the universe is annihilated by an enigmatic alien race, only a misfit band of heroes – the “Pandora,” Jax, along with her friends, Captain Xander Duvall and the alien Ralen, can save us all from destruction.
Fox’s Filthy Rich is taking this week off while a Fox Sports special slips into its time slot, returning on Monday, October 19, 2020. Season one episode four is titled “Romans 8:30” and airs at 9pm ET/PT.
The cast is led by Kim Cattrall as Margaret and includes Gerald McRaney as Eugene, Corey Cott as Eric, Olivia Macklin as Becky, and Aubrey Dollar as Rose. Melia Kreiling plays Ginger, Benjamin Levy Aguilar is Antonio, Mark L. Young is Jason, Steve Harris is Franklin Lee, and Aaron Lazar plays Reverend Paul Thomas.
“Romans 8:30” Plot: As tension continues to build after the incident with the mysterious stalker, Rose offers the Monreaux home as a safe haven for Ginger and her mother, Tina. While under lockdown at the home, Tina reveals to Ginger that she knows who the mysterious stalker is, leaving Ginger uneasy and demanding answers from her mother. Meanwhile, Reverend Paul and Eric are in cahoots with investors of the Sunshine Network and Reverend Paul goes so far as to threaten Margaret, leading her to turn to unlikely allies for help.
Filthy Rich Plot, Courtesy of Fox:
Meet the Monreauxes, a mega-rich Southern family famed for creating a wildly successful Christian television network. On the cusp of launching a digital retail arm of the company, the family’s patriarch, EUGENE, dies in a plane crash (or so we think), leaving MARGARET, a now-“Oprah” to the religious and Southern communities, to take charge of the family business. Not surprisingly, Eugene’s apparent death greatly impacts the Monreaux children: ERIC, the couple’s ambitious son, married to the prim and snooty BECKY, who assumes he will now run the show; and daughter ROSE, a budding fashion designer, who constantly struggles to evade the vast shadow cast by her mother.
If that wasn’t enough, the Monreauxes are stunned to learn that Eugene fathered three illegitimate children, all of whom are written into his will. Now, Margaret must use her business savvy and Southern charm to control her newly legitimized heirs, whose very existence threatens the Monreaux family name and fortune: GINGER, the tough-as-nails daughter of a Vegas cocktail waitress, whose life was virtually destroyed by Eugene’s rejection; ANTONIO, a single dad and boxer from Queens, NY; and JASON, another scion, who is not what he seems to be.
Margaret’s rock is her lifelong confidant and friend, FRANKLIN LEE, the Monreaux family lawyer, who has her back in the wake of the death of her husband and threats to the Monreaux empire, one of them being the beloved, popular, influential, and ambitious minister at the Sunshine Network, REVEREND PAUL THOMAS, who doesn’t think Margaret is capable of running the network, a newly announced retail venture, and her TV show simultaneously.
With monumental twists and turns, not to mention lies, deceit and shade from every direction, FILTHY RICH presents a world in which everyone has an ulterior motive – and no one is going down without a fight.
Chris Rock as Loy Cannon in ‘Fargo’ season 4 episode 4 (Photo by Elizabeth Morris/FX)
FX’s Fargo season four episode four opens with Ethelrida (E’myri Crutchfield) up late, writing. The house is dark and she’s alone when a creaking noise attracts her attention. She opens the door and finds the Crypt Keeper – or something/someone who resembles him – standing in the hallway. Justifiably scared, she slams the door to shut out this intruder.
Zelmare Roulette (Karen Aldridge) and a still noticeably ill Swanee Capps (Kelsey Asbille) examine the vomit-coated stash of cash they grabbed from Loy’s warehouse. The other key players are shown in various states of unrest as snow falls in the dark of night.
Constant Calamita (Gaetano Bruno) and an associate are driving a truck down an otherwise empty road when they’re suddenly forced to stop. A fire blazes in the road immediately in front of the truck, quickly spreading to enclose them in a circle of flames.
Loy’s men appear out of the darkness, lit by the towering flames as they aim their guns at the trapped truck. The driver’s an idiot and exits the vehicle, punches one of the men, and immediately pays for his bad judgment by being pushed into the fire. He screams as he burns.
Calamita, wisely, had already tossed his gun outside the truck before his partner was set on fire. Forced from the truck, he issues a warning in Italian that he’ll get revenge for this assault. The barrel of Omie’s rifle is heated by the flames and then placed against Calamita’s cheek. He endures this torture without uttering a word.
Loy’s men leave him standing there alone as they drive off in the truck with its load of guns.
The following day Doctor Senator (Glynn Turman) meets with Fadda consigliere Ebal Violante (Francesco Acquaroli) at Spud’s All Time restaurant. The mood is obviously tense as Ebal provides a little of his backstory, recalling his arrival in America and discovering the importance of pretending to be something you’re not.
Ebal finally asks the key question, “Are we at war?” Doctor Senator replies, “Not yet but we’re trying real hard.”
Ebal places the blame solely on Loy, believing he’s responsible for the escalation because his men just stole a shipment of guns. Doctor Senator reminds him this began when Constant shot at Loy’s son, Lemuel. Ebal has absolutely no idea what Doctor’s referring to and Doctor explains Calamita and Rabbi Milligan tried to kill Lemuel.
Ebal glances back at the men who’ve accompanied him to the meeting while Doctor declares Constant Calamita is lucky he’s still alive. Doctor realizes Ebal wasn’t aware of the hit but he isn’t convinced the Faddas weren’t behind the robbery perpetrated by two women at the warehouse. If Ebal didn’t know about the attempt on Lemuel’s life, maybe he’s also out of the loop on the warehouse robbery.
Ebal promises to return with answers.
Meanwhile, the stolen Fadda truck arrives at Loy’s warehouse. The men unload a few crates of oranges before getting to the real cargo – semi-automatic weapons. 300 of them, to be exact.
Doctor Senator isn’t sure if the Faddas are going into the gun business or if they were preparing for war with the Cannon crew. Loy (Chris Rock) gives Doctor orders to sell them to Mort Kellerman in Fargo at cost. If he takes the deal, Mort needs to know he’ll owe them devotion.
As for the warehouse robbery, Doctor and Loy decide it was a random crime and had nothing to do with the Faddas. They put out feelers to see if they can find the women. But, more importantly, they need to determine whether Gaetano or Josto are in charge.
Speaking of the Faddas, Josto (Jason Schwartzman) and Oraetta (Jessie Buckley) apparently are into rough sex. Oraetta’s on top choking Josto as we catch up with the disturbing twosome in bed. (They’re nearly fully clothed as they have sex.) The sexual interlude ends and the conversation turns to – of all things – Istanbul and Casablanca. She loves the idea of going to Istanbul but he explains he needs to stay in town and watch over his family. He’s in charge, after all.
He confesses he wants to kill Dr. Harvard. Oraetta claims she’s an enemy to no man.
As Josto’s exiting, Ethelrida arrives to ask if Oraetta still has odd jobs she can do for a little money. Ethelrida admits her family can use some financial help right now, but Oraetta puts her off claiming she has to go to work. Ethelrida is very persuasive and finally Oraetta invites her in. Her place is a mess and she gives Ethelrida the task of cleaning up while she heads out to work.
Ethelrida negotiates a $1 payment for three hours of housework.
Rabbi Milligan (Ben Whishaw) lurks outside Oraetta’s apartment and surprises Josto on his way out. He confesses he botched the hit on Lemuel and that Constant is probably going to fink on him. Rabbi explains he didn’t think Josto ordered the hit or wanted to start a war; that’s why he didn’t pull the trigger.
Josto’s angry and confirms he never ordered a hit on Loy’s son. He can’t believe his brother went behind his back and gave orders to kill Lemuel. Josto assigns Rabbi Milligan to be his “bird on a wire,” tasking him with watching everyone and reporting back what he learns.
Josto promises Calamita will get what’s coming to him and suggests it’s time to do some spring cleaning.
Before taking off, Josto orders Rabbi Milligan to find Odis.
Over at the station, U.S. Marshal Dick “Deafy” Wickware (Timothy Olyphant) and Detective Odis Weff (Jack Huston) interview a man who saw Zelmare and Swanee after their escape. The man’s not really forthcoming with info and it’s apparent Odis has set this up and is feeding the guy answers. When he says he heard the women discussing taking off for Chicago, Odis declares they flew the coop.
Odis slips the man some cash and ushers him out the door.
Odis says a quick goodbye to Dick but Dick isn’t ready to leave. They have officers in Chicago who can check on the tip, and for now he’s staying in Kansas City to continue his work on tracking Zelmare and Swanee.
Odis spots Rabbi Milligan and lies that he needs to go see a snitch. Dick is sharper than his temporary partner and invites himself along for the ride.
Josto and Rabbi Milligan bust into the room where Gaetano (Salvatore Esposito) is looking over photos of the burned-out truck. Calamita and Ebal are with Gaetano and Josto fires his gun, deliberately missing his brother. Josto demands to know if Ebal was in on the hit and Ebal says he only learned about it from Doctor Senator.
Josto warns Calamita he’s only alive because Rabbi Milligan kept him from killing Lemuel. Gaetano tells Josto that Loy’s men stole 300 guns because they think the Faddas are weak. Josto returns the insult, calling Gaetano weak for basically turning over 300 guns to their enemies.
Josto points his gun at Gaetano’s penis as the men square off. Gaetano backs down; Josto wins this battle.
Dick drives Odis over to Joplin’s store and Odis has Dick stay in the car as he meets alone with this snitch, claiming he doesn’t want to spook him.
Dick watches Gaetano angrily pace in front of the store and decides to approach him. Dick’s aware there must be something illegal going on upstairs, but Gaetano only warns him to take off. Calamita joins Gaetano to threaten Dick, but Dick’s not easily intimidated. He asks about the circular wound on Calamita’s cheek and then extracts some carrots from his pocket. He begins munching on this healthy snack while explaining that years ago Italians came to Salt Lake City with their illegal drugs and plans to turn the women into prostitutes. The citizens of Salt Lake City strung them up and drug them through the streets until their heads popped off.
Francesco Acquaroli as Ebal Violante and Jack Huston as Detective Odis Weff in ‘Fargo’ season 4 episode 4 (Photo by Elizabeth Morris/FX)
Inside, Odis is meeting with Ebal and Josto. They want Odis to warn Loy that starting a war with the Faddas also means they’ll be fighting the cops and City Hall. Josto suggests he advise them to know their place. Odis needs to bust some heads so that Loy will back down.
Josto, in command mode, orders Ebal to go to New York and assure them he has everything under control.
Ethelrida’s done an excellent job of cleaning up Oraetta’s place and it looks immaculate. Before she left for work Oraetta gave orders not to enter a particular room so, of course, Ethelrida can’t resist. It turns out the off-limits room is actually a closet with shelves full of drugs, including Laudanum, and multiple bottles of laxatives. There are also bottles of Oraetta’s secret pie ingredient – syrup of ipecac.
Oraetta’s cat joins Ethelrida in the closet and knocks over a box, spilling its contents. Strangely, the box contains newspaper clippings of obituaries. Ethelrida spots another box hidden away and opens it to discover it’s full of jewelry. She places one of the rings – the one Oraetta stole from Donatello Fadda – on her finger as she examines other bits of jewelry. An engraved bracelet catches her eye and she matches the name on it to one of the obituaries.
Ethelrida glances around the closet and sees more items that might have been taken from the dead. Oraetta’s telephone rings and Ethelrida suddenly decides she’s seen enough for one day.
Elsewhere, Loy and his men confront Rabbi Milligan as he leaves a store. When Loy asks if he screwed up or if it was just a warning, Rabbi Milligan replies, “I protected your son.” Loy demands to know if Josto or Gaetano are calling the shots, and Rabbi Milligan avoids the question and instead warns Loy the cops will be around shortly and these cops are owned by the Faddas.
Loy reveals he knows all about what Rabbi Milligan did to his own family all those years ago. He asks what it’s like to kill his own family and then demands his boy back. He promises Rabbi Milligan $5,000 if he delivers Satchel, but Rabbi claims he can’t do it.
Loy reminds him, again, the Faddas aren’t his family. He threatens Rabbi Milligan that if anything happens to either of his sons, he’ll kill him and feed him to some pigs.
Night’s fallen and Ethelrida lies in bed. She’s got Donatello Fadda’s ring along with the obituary of the man who owned the engraved bracelet.
Zelmare and Swanee are holed up in a hotel and Zelmare’s busy washing the money in the bathtub. She sniffs a bill to see if she can still detect the vomit and then chuckles over their predicament.
Swanee’s still not feeling well and is curled up in bed. Zelmare tries to reassure her she’s there as she hangs the bills on a clothing line to dry.
A figure emerges from the bathtub and then we see the sheets being removed from Swanee’s shivering body in the bed by an invisible force. Zelmare closes her eyes as water appears to fall from the ceiling directly over Swanee. The figure, which appears to be the same one Ethelrida spotted in her hallway, moves closer to Swanee while Zelmare continues to keep her eyes shut tightly.
She finally opens them and sees Swanee lying on her stomach in bed. She checks for breath and then roughly shakes her partner. Swanee sits up, rolls over, and vomits.
The next day Zelmare confronts Thurman (Andrew Bird) about the pie. She demands to know who made it and he says he thinks it was a neighbor. Zelmare then hands him a bag of cash and suggests he not ask where she got it. He also shouldn’t ask why it smells funny.
Zelmare assures Thurman her sister won’t like it, but she’ll get over it. Before she leaves, she reveals they’re staying at the hotel for another day or two and then hitting the road. She asks him to tell Ethelrida she’s proud of her and not to let anyone cut in front of her in line. When he asks what line, she replies, “Any line.”
Loy sits at home, peeling oranges and considering his next move. His thoughts are interrupted by Thurman arriving at the door, delivering a bag of money. Thurman claims he inherited it. He’s obviously very nervous and admits he thought Loy was going to shoot him. Loy confesses he thought about it.
Thurman quickly makes his exit once Loy suggests he leave. After he’s gone, Loy notices the funny smell coming from the cash. He recognizes the smell and says, “Son of a bitch!”
Thurman whistles a happy tune as he returns home. He grabs his wife for a quick dance and then spins Ethelrida around. He’s in a fantastic mood and wants to celebrate. When Dibrell asks about the good news, Thurman says they’re out of danger now. He fixed things by paying off the debt.
Dibrell’s smile has been ever so slowly leaving her face while listening to her husband. She demands to know where her sister is and what he did. Dibrell asks if Thurman’s aware of what Zelmare did to get the money and he reminds her he didn’t want to borrow money in the first place.
Dibrell won’t let it go and asks again what he did. He doesn’t explain and simply says that it’s done.
Her mom walks out and Ethelrida comforts her dad. He’s sure this will all be all right. “It’ll all blow over soon enough,“ says Thurman, completely underestimating the amount of trouble they’re now in.
Ruairi O’Connor and Charlotte Hope in ‘The Spanish Princess’ season 2 (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
Love, loss, loyalty, and betrayal are key themes running through Starz’s The Spanish Princess season two episode one. We pick up the story of Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope) and King Henry VIII (Ruairi O’Connor) with crowns – and their country’s future – resting on their heads. Their coronation is just a fond memory as Queen Catherine gently smiles while handling the crown she wore that pivotal day. She’s currently in the middle of deciding which crown to wear when her father arrives for a visit. Catherine settles on “the most precious one.”
As she’s walking the darkened hallways, two men take hold of her arms. Although she demands to be let go, they continue holding their Queen until she’s delivered to her mask-wearing husband. She unsheathes a knife and claims to be outraged, but it’s all just a flirtatious game. Henry believes his gorgeous wife has been away from his side for too long while preparing for her father’s arrival.
The Royal couple appear to be genuinely in love and very much sexually attracted to one another.
The following day Lina (Stephanie Levi-John) helps Catherine dress to receive her father, the King of Spain. Catherine’s determined to convince him to join England’s war against France. The talk of war is momentarily pushed aside as Maggie Pole (Laura Carmichael) arrives with Catherine’s baby boy, Henry.
Catherine coos at her handsome baby prince and delivers a kiss to his forehead.
All those who matter have gathered for the King of Spain’s reception. Princess Mary (Sai Bennett) gossips to her close friend, Ursula Pole (Amelia Gething), that Catherine’s father is only King because he had Catherine’s sister locked away in a madhouse. Ursula reminds Princess Mary she’ll soon be wearing that Spanish crown.
Princess Mary gets her first look at the man she’s betrothed to, King Ferdinand’s heir and grandson – Charles of Burgundy. Mary welcomes them to court as King Ferdinand asks about the whereabouts of his daughter.
At that moment Queen Catherine is handing their son to King Henry just before entering the reception to the sound of trumpets. Henry hoists Henry IX over his head and proudly declares, “Behold the future King of England.”
The crowd delivers a hearty round of applause as Queen Catherine welcomes her father and nephew to England. King Ferdinand kisses the King and Queen of England on the lips, and King Henry appears a bit taken aback by this greeting. Henry immediately expresses his hope that together England and Spain will unite in war against France.
After welcoming King Ferdinand to Camelot, Henry quietly acknowledges to Catherine her father’s shorter than he imagined. Catherine tells her husband she believes her father feels challenged by him. She advises Henry to take that as a compliment.
Princess Mary flirts with her soon-to-be husband, asking if they will rule Spain together like Catherine and Henry rule England. Charles appears quite taken with her beauty and promises her they will if that’s what she desires.
As the besotted Charles hustles away to fetch Mary more wine, Thomas More (Andrew Buchan) is assured by Charlie Brandon (Jordan Renzo) that Princess Mary may act giddy, but she can play that particular role in seven languages.
Thomas More, the newly appointed undersheriff to the King, and Maggie Pole introduce themselves, and Maggie reveals she knows of his reputation. He confirms it’s true he nearly entered a religious order but ultimately determined it wasn’t his calling.
Princess Mary wishes her sister Meg could be with them for this reception, but Charlie is certain Meg’s having a wonderful time with her dashing Scottish King.
That couldn’t be further from the truth as the action shifts to Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. Meg Tudor, Queen of Scots is shown attempting to get rowdy children under control at the dinner table. Food is being thrown as King James (Ray Stevenson) arrives at the castle. He’s proud his son is out of control, but Meg (Georgie Henley) isn’t impressed with this behavior.
Meg reminds James that only two of the children at the table are hers while the rest are his. She expresses her desire to have more to do than just sit at home with the children. Meg wants to be more like Queen Catherine and engage in helping to run the country.
King James suggests she stick to what she’s good at.
Back in England, King Ferdinand reminds his daughter of how harshly the English treated her in the past. She claims that was orchestrated by Lady Margaret and now everything has been smoothed over. Henry joins them and Catherine once again reiterates how important it is for England and Spain to unite to defeat France.
King Ferdinand isn’t convinced King Henry’s desire to crush France has anything to do with defending the Pope. He believes it might be more about winning back land France took from England. King Ferdinand challenges King Henry’s ability to lead a war and Catherine defends her husband.
King Ferdinand says it’s about the quality of the “man within the metal.” King Henry promises to show off the men and their new armor via a joust. Ferdinand only chuckles in response.
Once Henry leaves, Ferdinand wants to know who Catherine sides with – England or Spain? She claims she’s loyal to both.
Later that evening, Lina arrives home and is surprised Oviedo (Aaron Cobham) has returned from the front line. She assures him that if King Ferdinand agrees to join the fight, he will finally have his war. Their serious discussion ends, and gentle, passionate lovemaking commences.
King Henry and Queen Catherine enter the field to cheers from the adoring crowd, hands raised as the joust prepares to get underway. Even Catherine’s father appears to be in better spirits as Henry once again lifts his young son and heir skyward.
After a brief kiss, Henry leaves to prepare for his joust.
In the stands, Thomas More greets Maggie Pole and introduces his wife and daughters. Maggie watches as Thomas is able to get her young, uncommunicative son Reggie to acknowledge the monks gave him the book he’s reading. Thomas says being with the silent order of monks at a young age can take its toll, and Maggie asks if Thomas would mind instructing her son. He’s the only one who seems to be able to reach him. Thomas agrees, labeling it an honor.
The King’s groom, William Compton, asks Maggie if he may wear her colors while he rides. She’s about to decline when her son Henry answers for her, tossing down her kerchief.
Henry then asks Charlie Brandon if he can assist King Henry as a squire. The King already has a squire but Charlie agrees he can serve King Henry ale.
King Henry raises the glass and then salutes Catherine in the stands. He mounts his horse and fastens his helmet as he gets into position. The joist begins and Henry unseats his opponent, Edward Stafford (Olly Rix). Henry rushes to his side as Edward thrashes around the ground. His eye dangles from its socket and Edward grabs it and screams in pain as he rips it off and tosses it to the ground.
The color drains from King Henry’s face as Queen Catherine quickly tends to Edward’s injury.
Edward makes it to his feet and announces to the crowd that King Henry is unharmed. Catherine also addresses the crowd. “And yet behold Lord Stafford, born with English steel in his bones,” says the Queen, adding, “God save the King.”
King Henry helps Edward from the field as the crowd’s chant of God save the King shifts to God save the Queen.
A short while later, King Ferdinand agrees to join England’s war with France. He wants King Henry to consult Catherine on all matters pertaining to their treaty.
King Ferdinand returns to Spain.
Catherine joins the men to discuss plans for attacking the French. She explains her father wants English troops to sail to San Sebastián where they’ll be joined by Spain’s troops. An argument ensues because there’s no legitimate reason for English soldiers to head to Spain when their target is France. King Henry sides with Catherine, explaining the people of Aquitaine want to shake off their French rule and yearn to be under English rule once again.
Queen Catherine is certain her father’s army will head north to meet them. She assures the council her father will want to put on a “grand display of military power” as they march into France.
Later, Queen Catherine finds Henry spending time holding their young son. He’s proud Catherine feeds their son herself rather than use a wet nurse. When he admits she’s given him so much, she says she’s given him a new Spanish army to play with. Catherine confirms she’s doing it all for him – for England and their Camelot.
A scene from ‘The Spanish Princess’ season 2 episode 1 (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
Edward Stafford, now sporting an eye patch, leads the army as they leave for Spain.
Over in Scotland, Queen Meg interrupts a meeting of the clans led by King James. They’re unhappy to see her and show her no respect. She asks King James to discipline the nobles who insulted her, suggesting they be drawn and quartered. King James makes light of the situation, saying she’s managed to unite the clans over their shared contempt for the English.
The men laugh but Meg is furious. She punches King James in the face, instantly quieting the rowdy group. King James opts to make a joke about the jab, and the men begin laughing once again.
Weeks pass and the Spanish army never materializes at San Sebastián. Oviedo writes home to Lina to tell her of their plight. Men are deserting and he questions the whereabouts of King Ferdinand and his army.
Lina takes the letter to the Queen and Catherine claims her father says they’ve been delayed by bad weather. Catherine promises her father and the Spanish army will reach them soon now that the ground is drying up.
Lina writes back to be patient and wait for better weather. She also shares the news that she’s pregnant.
Maggie and her children are finishing up their prayers in church when Catherine arrives. She gives Maggie a black stone as well as a white stone on the anniversary of Richard’s death. The black stone is for sorrow; the white stone is for healing. Catherine instructs her to pray while holding both stones.
Days later a letter arrives from King Ferdinand and Catherine immediately races off to inform Henry of its contents. Her father lied and he’s not heading to San Sebastián. Instead, he went south to reclaim his own lands from France.
He betrayed England and used the English troops as a decoy. Catherine’s devastated and humiliated, blaming herself for believing anything he said.
King Henry and Queen Catherine address the council, acknowledging they’ve wasted money and lives have been lost from hunger and disease. The council assures Catherine she shouldn’t blame herself. She does anyway, angry she ever trusted her lying father.
Henry charges off, upset over this turn of events. Catherine’s advised she must radiate her light and confidence, while Henry must be a man and a King for England.
In a tense conversation with Lina, Catherine’s assured she’s better than her father. Lina claims Catherine has a good heart and this storm will pass.
Catherine then visits Henry’s chambers and asks if she can share his bed. He declines the offer.
England’s soldiers return home and King Henry addresses them, apologizing for what they just endured. Queen Catherine interjects that King Ferdinand betrayed them all, herself included. King Henry continues speaking and recognizes Captain Oviedo for helping to maintain morale. He has Queen Catherine award Oviedo the title of knight banneret, and she does so with England’s gratitude.
King Henry barely acknowledges Catherine as he finishes up and announces he’s going hunting.
Catherine tends to her teething, fussy baby. She tries to comfort him and together they enter the church. She wants God to forgive her pride.
Catherine lays baby Henry down on the floor as she kneels in prayer. She confesses she was tempted by vanity. Henry has stopped crying as she asks God to heal King Henry’s heart.
Catherine breaks off from her prayers when she realizes baby Henry has died.
Later while in bed, crying, Maggie joins her. She places the black and white stones in Catherine’s hand as Catherine sobs uncontrollably.
Banners and flags of mourning adorn the castle.
Days pass and finally King Henry enters Catherine’s bedchamber. She’s been torn apart by this sudden death and is deeply depressed. Catherine wonders if little Henry will have enough swaddling to keep him warm underground.
Henry says, “My love…my poor sweet love.”
Catherine asks if this is punishment, but Henry doesn’t know why they would be punished. He tells his devastated wife he loves her and assures her they will have another child. Their next son will be strong because they are strong.
Catherine’s nearly frantic as she repeatedly tells her husband she can not lose him. The couple make love, desperate to re-establish their connection.
In Scotland, Meg cries over the news and King James attempts to console her. He asks if she wants to pay Catherine a visit, but she’s determined to grieve in private in Scotland. King James believes she will win the hearts of the Scottish soon.
Catherine’s still in mourning when a letter from her father arrives. He warns her to be proud and brave, not bitter like the English.
Catherine tells Henry they were strong enough to build this Camelot; they will become even stronger to keep it.
Everyone gathers for a speech but instead of King Henry, it’s Catherine who steps forward and speaks. She shares their pain, acknowledges she caused it but says now their innocence is lost. New wisdom has been forged in pain, grief, and sadness. She believes they lost their dignity to Spain but now they will stand strong against this betrayal by their ally.
Catherine wants all of England to know she is reborn and she is English. She leads the chant of “God save the King.” Oviedo speaks from the audience and says, “God save Queen Catherine of England.”
She speaks directly to King Henry and says they will go to war with France – without Spain. She promises her people she will also give them a new heir.
Cheech Marin, Robert De Niro, Jane Seymour and Christopher Walken in ‘The War with Grandpa’ (Photo Courtesy of 101 Studios)
Considered to be one of the best actors of his generation, two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro has starred in some of the greatest films in cinema history including The Godfather Part 2, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull. His latest film, The War with Grandpa, targets families and kids and is sure to be regarded as one of the worst films in De Niro’s illustrious career.
De Niro stars as Ed, a retired home builder who’s mourning the recent loss of his loving wife. Ed’s daughter, Sally (Uma Thurman), is understandably worried about him living all alone – especially after an incident at a grocery store – and insists he move in with her family. It turns out everyone’s happy to have grandpa moving in except for 12-year-old Peter (Oakes Fegley) who has to give up his room to make way for his granddad. Peter feels really put out because his new room’s the cobweb-invested, leaky attic.
With the help and encouragement of his friends, Peter sets out to wage war on Ed in order to get his room back and send the old man back to his own house. Peter and his buddies come up with a series of mean – and eventually dangerous – pranks to drive Ed out. However, Ed isn’t going without a fight. Peter’s got his friends but Ed also has a bunch of pals willing to join the fray. Ed teams up with Jerry (Christopher Walken), Danny (Cheech Marin), and his new friend Diane (Jane Seymour) to wage an all-out war against his grandson.
Juvenile and moronic, The War with Grandpa is a halfwitted disaster that can’t be salvaged even by an A-list cast. It’s mean-spirited and filled with mindless pranks and ridiculous behavior. The talents of Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Cheech Marin, and Jane Seymour are completely wasted in this wreck of a “comedy.”
Directed by Tim Hill (Alvin and the Chipmunks), The War with Grandpa is loaded with outlandish and improbable slapstick bits that fall flat. Backed by an annoying musical score, this disappointing comedy plays out like a live-action cartoon. The few quiet and attempted tender scenes between De Niro and Fegley feel forced and out of place.
The War with Grandpa tries to be a fun romp but instead is utterly pointless. Look for this one to wind up on lots of “Worst Films of 2020” lists.
GRADE: F
MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic elements, rude humor, and language
FXX’s Archer opted for something different from the norm for their New York Comic Con virtual panel. Rather than just discuss behind the scenes stories or answer questions from fans, the voice cast of the critically acclaimed adult animated series participated in a triva showdown.
Those participating in the challenge included H. Jon Benjamin (‘Sterling Archer’), Aisha Tyler (‘Lana Kane’), Chris Parnell (‘Cyril Figgis’), Amber Nash (‘Pam Poovey’), and Lucky Yates (‘Doctor Krieger’), with executive producer Casey Willis hosting the hilarious half-hour panel.
The trivia contest kicked off with an oldie but a goodie: where was series creator Adam Reed when he came up with the idea for Archer? Chris Parnell scored the first point by guessing Spain. Amber Nash filled in a bit of the backstory, recalling Reed saw a beautiful woman there and wondered what kind of guy would be able to approach her. And thus Sterling Archer was born.
And how many of you Archer fans knew the original name of the series was Duchess? Nash did, because she’s apparently an Archer trivia master. Amber also knew that it was called Duchess because that’s Archer’s code name. Lucky pointed out it’s also the dog’s name.
Additional questions included details on Krieger’s projects, the lifespan of a queen ant (which wasn’t an actual Archer question), the names Archer has tattooed on his shoulder blades, and who is Chet Manley?
Season 11 of the award-winning series premiered on FXX on September 16, 2020. New episodes arrive on FXX on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT and are available the following day on FX on Hulu.
Aleister (voice of Simon Pegg), Sterling Archer (voice of H. Jon Benjamin), Cheryl/Carol Tunt (voice of Judy Greer), and Pam Poovey (voice of Amber Nash) in ‘Archer’ season 11 (Photo Credit: FXX)
The Plot, Courtesy of FXX:
Archer is an animated, half-hour comedy that follows Sterling Archer and his return to the spy world after a three-year coma. While many things changed during his absence, Archer is confident it will take just a little time for him to reset things back to the old ways. The problem: does the rest of the team want that? Everyone else has been doing pretty well and may not be ready for his return to throw a wrench in their well-oiled machine.
The cast of Sky’s A Discovery of Witches joined executive producer Lachlan MacKinnon and author Deborah Harkness to unveil a new season two teaser trailer and discuss the much-anticipated upcoming season during their New York Comic Con panel. Harkness confirmed season two will follow the second book in her All Souls series, Shadow of Night, and will find the cast traveling across 16th century Europe. Time will be also be spent catching up with characters residing in modern times, according to Harkness.
Season two’s 10 episodes kick off on Sky One on January 8, 2021. A release on AMC’s Sundance Now and Shudder will follow on January 9th.
Cast members reprising their roles for the second season include Teresa Palmer (Lights Out), Matthew Goode (The Crown), Owen Teale (Game of Thrones), Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), Lindsay Duncan (The Honourable Woman), Valarie Pettiford (Half & Half), and Edward Bluemel (The Commuter). Aiysha Hart (Line of Duty), Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead), Malin Buska (The Girl King), Gregg Chillin (Being Human), Trystan Gravelle (Mr Selfridge), Tanya Moodie (Sherlock), Aisling Loftus (War and Peace), and Daniel Ezra (All American) also return for season two.
Newcomers joining the world of A Discovery of Witches are Steven Cree as Gallowglass De Clermont, James Purefoy as Philippe De Clermont, Paul Rhys as Andrew Hubbard, Sheila Hancock as Goody Alsop, and Tom Hughes as Kit Marlowe.
The Season 2 Plot, Courtesy of Sky:
“Alongside the Elizabethan action, back in the present day, Diana’s beloved aunts, Sarah and Em, must take shelter with notorious witch-hunter Ysabeau De Clermont at her ancestral home, Sept-Tours. Meanwhile, in Oxford, Marcus and Miriam take on Matthew’s mantle to protect daemons Nathaniel and Sophie, whose pregnancy is advancing. And Gerbert, Knox, Satu and Domenico are determined to hunt down every clue they can to Diana’s and Matthew’s disappearance, and the secrets their allies are keeping from them.”
