Blood, Sex & Royalty: Season 1/ Episode 1 [Premiere] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
“Blood Sex and Royalty” pursues edutainment with CW-type casting and performances mixed with actual historians to note the historical context.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers. Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.
“Blood Sex and Royalty” pursues edutainment with CW-type casting and performances mixed with actual historians to note the historical context.
| Aired (Netflix) | 11/23/2022 |
| Created or Developed By | Hereward Pelling |
| Based On | The Life of Anne Boelyn |
| Director(s) | James Bryce |
| Writer(s) | Yero Timi-Biu, Francesca Forristal, and Jillian Mannion |
| Genre | Drama, Romance, Young Adult, Biopic, Documentary, Historical |
| Introduced This Episode | |
| Henry VII | Max Parker |
| Anne Boelyn | Amy James-Kelly |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Summary
What is delivered in the first episode of “Blood, Sex and Royalty” is the background of Anne Boelyn from her time in France to gaining the attention of the English King, Henry VIII. But, rather than this be another dramatization where you aren’t sure what is true, embellished, or made for drama, we have historians detailing what is factual, with the performances by the young actors not only filling the cracks but bringing history back to life.
Thus creating something that, if it wasn’t for a handful of nude scenes, could easily be something put in high schools to make history a bit more interesting.
Things To Note
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Are they going to cover all of Anne Boelyn’s journey in, roughly three hours?
What Could Happen Next
- Assumingly, Anne Boelyn’s journey
Review
Highlights
It Creates A Interesting Spin On History, But With It Appearing The Fiction Is Minimal
By no means is this the first show or depiction of Anne Boelyn. Natalie Portman played her in “The Other Boleyn Girl” in 2008, there was a race swap version in 2021, and various other depictions ranging from Natalie Former, Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Redgrave, and Claire Foy. So, needless to say, this has been done to death.
However, it hasn’t had a CW, with nudity, version, and what helps “Blood Sex and Royalty” stand out is that there is a clear push for this to be seen as historically accurate, with a little flare. For with over 3 different historians, mostly women may I add, giving context as we see the actors flesh out the story, things go hand in hand. The historians give you facts and history, and the actors make history seem interesting. Leading to, if it wasn’t for the nudity, imagining a liberal history teacher may be using this in order to make the lesson come to life.
