‘The Serpent Queen’ S2 Episode 6 Recap: Who Won The Game Between Prince Anjou And King Charles?

Episode five of The Serpent Queen season 2 ended with Cardinal Charles attending the prayer meetings of Sister Edith in the forest and rebaptizing himself, as he wanted to understand the reason behind his crisis of faith. Queen Catherine served all the men from the council, including her son, the King, wine laced with sedatives so that she could get her daughter Princess Elisabeth married to Philip of Spain, the son of the Holy Roman Emperor. Queen Catherine also surprised her son with the prospective bride she had chosen for him, Queen Elizabeth of England.

Spoilers Ahead

Were Antoine and Louis Bourbon in for a shock?

The episode began with Antoine spotting Queen Elizabeth of England in the French palace, and he rushed to inform his brother Louis about it. Louis de Bourbon was not ready to believe this news, as he knew the Queen of England had been their ally so far. Louis Bourbon was not ready to believe the woman he had slept with would change her mind this quickly. Louis felt betrayed and planned to confront her as soon as possible. The Bourbon brothers also learned that Princess Elisabeth had been married off to Philip of Spain in the middle of the night as the Queen secured the Holy Roman Emperor’s allyship through this alliance. The brothers were not quite sure what the Queens were up to but were keen to find out more about the new development. 

What was Queen Catherine’s plan?

Queen Catherine made it clear to her sons, King Charles and Prince Anjou, that they needed to put forward a united front before Queen Elizabeth. The Protestant Queen of England was not to be trusted, and she would pick on the slightest sign of weakness that could affect their plan to preserve peace on the continent. Queen Catherine knew her only surviving sons could not stop bickering, which was why she had to make them promise to keep things mellow, especially between the brothers. 

What did Sister Edith want from Cardinal Charles?

As cardinal Charles was in Sister Edith’s camp, he was brought before her to talk about his faith and the extent to which he was willing to work for the survival of people’s belief in God. She was aware Cardinal Charles was vulnerable and therefore asked him to spy for her from inside the palace to feed her intel about the council’s attempts to tackle her and the Protestant faith. 

Charles confessed to having committed an unspeakable crime in the name of God. Since being with Sister Edith was a new awakening for him, he agreed to spy for her. Unbeknownst to him, his mother, Lady Antoinette, had visitors who called themselves the representatives of the Catholic League in France. They had heard rumors of Cardinal Charles joining Sister Edith and wanted answers from him and his family. Since Cardinal Charles so far had propagated Catholicism, his conversion to the Protestant faith was a huge setback for his  mother’s fight to be in power. 

Who opposed the marriage between King Charles IX and Queen Elizabeth?

The court at the French Palace was opened with two big pieces of news, one of them was the marriage of Princess Elisabeth with Philip of Spain. Lord Louis de Bourbon spoke up about the council not being happy with the new alliance between Philip and Elisabeth. Since the wedding cannot be undone, Louis was vocal about not agreeing to the match between the French King and the Queen of England. 

Queen Elizabeth, present in the court, was quick to inform Louis about his own plan to bring the two kingdoms together as strategic partners to show them united in their cause to avoid any war between the Catholics and those of the Protestant faith. Louis felt betrayed as he and Antoine would wind up in trouble for having gone behind Catherine’s back to form a separate alliance with Elizabeth of England. Lady Antoinette de Guise agreed to the match without any hassle, further frustrating the Bourbon brothers. The marriage was accepted by the council at the French court, and Queen Catherine suggested a family picnic so that the King could get to know his betrothed wife. 

What plan did Elizabeth and Louis Bourbon have for Sister Edith?

Louis confronts Queen Elizabeth about wanting to know her plan after she double-crossed him and his brother. Elizabeth was smart enough to further manipulate him into thinking she was on his side. She claimed to carry a large shipment of weapons meant to be given to Sister Edith and her followers. Louis was supposed to deliver the weapons to her and assure Elizabeth was on her side. There was a lot of confusion about what Elizabeth wanted from this alliance. In the court, she was known to have had fiancés in the past, but no husbands.

Was King Charles hurt?

On the way to the picnic with his family and his betrothed Queen Elizabeth, King Charles fell off his horse and was immediately brought back to the palace. Queen Catherine saw the sight of a crow killing two snakelets and wondered if it meant something. Queen Catherine was terrified at the thought of losing another son to an accident, and she ignored the Palace doctor’s suggestion to test him further to find out if he had any long-standing ailments. The Queen ignored the doctor’s advice and believed Charles, who claimed he was feeling better since he’d suffered no external injury after the fall. 

Did Francoise De Guise suspect his brother?

Francoise confronted his brother about him changing his faith and betraying their cause for the sake of his enlightenment. Charles was distraught, and it was visible from his body language how he’d felt ever since his return from Sister Edith’s camp. He admitted to his brother that he was spying for Sister Edith. Francoise asked him to be careful during his endeavors. The brothers now knew the war of the faiths had become a matter of political powerplay, and it was out of their hands at the moment. 

What advice did Montmorency give to Sister Edith?

Montmorency was shocked to find out from Sister Edith about the weaponry and men provided by Queen Elizabeth to her. Sister Edith was playing her own game in the hope of becoming more powerful than either one of the two monarchs. She claimed not to trust either of the queens now. Montmorency, however, convinced her to talk to the French King, which would help her change her mind about the French. Sister Edith was slowly becoming a key player in the game of thrones happening between France and England, and Montmorency was hoping she wouldn’t become a pawn. 

Did Rahima suspect the Duke of Florence?

Rahima approached Queen Catherine and informed her about some discrepancies in the money being used for the construction of the second palace to pacify the Catholic Christians in France. The Queen ignored her concerns, but she witnessed her half-brother spending a lot of time with Queen Elizabeth and showcasing her plan for the palace. Queen Catherine was quick to put a tail on her brother and appointed Angelica to find dirt on him. 

Was the Duke of Florence manipulating Rahima?

The Duke of Florence was quick to learn his half sister had lost faith in him and approached Rahima. He was aware she’d found some issues regarding the money that came in and the amount that was being used. Rahima suspected corruption on the part of Alessandro; the Duke of Florence who began to manipulate Rahima as he was trying to let her know she could marry him and become a powerful player as well. He appreciated the intelligence she had and hoped to have her on his side. The Duke of Florence admitted having engaged in some malpractices using the money that was awarded for the construction of the palace, and it seems Rahima was willing to hear him out about his plans going forward. Only time will tell if she will betray Queen Catherine. 

Why was Queen Catherine angry at the sorcerer?

Queen Catherine approached the sorcerer she visited on a regular basis who offered her insight on what the future holds for her. This time she was petrified, as she was worried that she would lose Charles as well to some ailment as per the prediction made by the sorcerer. The sorcerer had been honest with her from the start of her life in France as the Kings’ wife, but this time she felt betrayed by him. She asked him to leave the country, as she would have his hut razed down by the soldiers. 

Did Queen Elizabeth exploit the animosity between Charles and Anjou?

Queen Elizabeth was attracted to Prince Anjou, as she had heard about his queer lifestyle. This was just her way to find out more about the king she’d been betrothed to and the relationship Anjou shared with him. Queen Elizabeth was a cunning woman, and as expected, she began to play around with the egos of the men in the hope of finding out how far they would go to impress her. Anjou was smart enough to not fall for her tactics and stuck to the diktat given by his mother, which was to let the Queen perceive there was peace in the family, and not give her any chance to exploit any weakness.

King Charles did not make the smartest of decisions by walking in on the conversation between Anjou and Queen Elizabeth. He was serious about the alliance, and to impress his betrothed, he began to pick at his younger brother. The Queen sensed some insecurities Charles had towards his brother and he fell into her trap as he forgot what his mother had asked of him. Charles gave Elizabeth the perfect chance to find out who was the weakest of them, and this would allow her to find prey who would be easy to manipulate in the future. 

Who won the game between Prince Anjou and King Charles?

Just as Catherine suspected, Elizabeth took advantage of the animosity Charles had towards his younger brother Anjou. To exploit the tension further and incite Charles’ anger, she announced a friendly joust between the brothers for the court to witness. Anjou did not want this, as he kept reminding his brother about their mother’s advice. Anjou was the smart one here who went out of his way to try to avoid this public display of animosity between the brothers. 

For the first time, he was on the right track and serious about his duties as an ambassador of goodwill of the Valois family. Charles, however, forgot and showed his stupidity as he refused to hear the pleas of everyone around him. Charles proved he was not smart and made the wrong decision by agreeing to the joust with his brother. This indicated that his mother, Queen Catherine, was indeed right about Charles, as so far he had not made the right decisions either for himself or for the kingdom. Since he was the monarch, he had the right to dismiss the concerns of Anjou, Montmorency, and his mother, who asked him to be wary of this trap. Charles, being himself, wanted to showcase his power as a king and went ahead with the joust with his brother. 

As the joust began, it was Anjou who initially won because he was far more skilled in the art of  warfare than Charles was. Queen Elizabeth was enjoying the sight as the stupidity of the French court was on display, and she was cherishing it. This would help her find ways to get her grip on Charles, as she was now aware he was not that hard to manipulate. Anjou purposely lost the next few rounds of the joust to make his brother look strong. This was his attempt to show he cared for the King and the country. The episode, however, ended with Charles collapsing midway through and coughing blood. King Charles, as suspected, could be sick, and if Queen Elizabeth learns of it, she might accelerate the wedding plans so that she would take over as the monarch once Charles dies of the ailment. 

Episode 6 ended with Queen Catherine with a cloth that had Charles’ blood, yet she proclaimed he was fine and healthy as he was being taken to his room. Catherine was worried she would lose her power if Charles passed, as Anjou was not that easy to manipulate. Queen Catherine’s power could be in trouble.