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where-theres-smoak-2 · 2 years

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The Royals Series Review

So I’ve kind of gotten into this habit of watching random stuff on Netflix and some of it is at least a few years old which is fun because now I am becoming obsessed with shows where the fandom isn’t as active anymore. Anyway I just spent the last couple of days binge watching all 4 seasons of The Royals and here is what I thought of it, warning there are spoilers.

Boy was this series a wild ride. I mean it was comically absurd at times but in a good way. There were times when it was dark and suspenseful but other times where I was just laughing at how absurdly funny it was. I do think season 1 and 2 were the better seasons although all of the seasons had good things and moments in them. The characters were also great, I even came to love some of the characters I disliked in the first season like Helena and Cyrus. I think all the characters were complex and interesting and their journey’s are mostly well written. But I am going to just talk about the few negative things really quickly.

I do feel like when Ophelia was written out in the beginning of season 2 her absence did hurt the show a bit. It didn’t make it unwatchable necessarily but her absence was felt. And huge spoilers here but it was felt more than ever after her father was revealed to be the one who killed King Simon. I remember when that reveal came and the resulting death of Ted I just kept wondering about Ophelia because now she had lost both her parents, she must have felt so many emotions, shock at what her father had done, guilt that it was her father that had killed Liam’s, someone who she cared and loved deeply. Grief at losing her father. But we never see any of it we just get told that she had disconnected her phone and social media and moved house. So I just felt kind of unsatisfied and like something was missing. After watching the whole series I did do some research into the show and learnt that the actress left because she wanted to go to college and didn’t have time to do both, which is fair enough, but it was still a shame because I do think it had a jarring effect on the show. I also find out that the show was based on, or inspired by, the book Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray which is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In the book Ophelia is the main character and the story is told from her pov. I think this is part of why Ophelia’s absence is felt so much, because in season 1 it felt like she was the protagonist. Obviously there were many main characters with the royal family and the show was also largely about the royal family, but I also feel like she was like our narrator leading us through the story, we were learning about the world through her. So when she left there was this shift that I do think was noticeable. Also complete side note but the show being inspired by Hamlet does explain why many of the characters talk to the ‘ghost’ of Simon. As it kept happening when the characters seemed to be under alot of emotional stress I did think they were losing it a bit, now I understand that its that link to Hamlet so it makes a whole lot more sense once you know that. The other negative is most likely just me, but in the beginning of the series I struggled with the fact that it was the UK monarchy, I think that definitely pulled me out of the emersion alot and I would have rathered they be the royal family of a fictional place. But as the seasons went on I did get over it so it wasn’t a deal breaker.

The Ships

So every show has those ships you love and those you hate. So here are some of my thoughts on the romantic relationships within the show. I do think the show switched between these relationships a bit too much. Like you think there is something going on between a particular pair and then suddenly out of the blue some other character will show up and its like oh actually this person is like the love of this person’s life and they have a really deep bond, but then that person will suddenly disappear out the plot again. But lets go through the relationships and I’ll hopefully explain that better.

Liam's Love Interests

Ok I really, really brought into the romance between Liam and Ophelia. To me I think it was intended to be the main romance of the series before the actress left. I loved their first meeting and there was something very wholesome and pure about their romance. I thought their scenes were downright adorable but they also had that passion and I think it was all very believable. I think the actors had great chemistry too. It was that classic tale of the ordinary girl who falls for the prince and gets swept up in the whirlwind of Royal life and has to question what she really wants and whether she can take being a part of such a high profile life. The prince also wonders what he wants, does he want to be the King and do his duty to his family or does he want to run away from it all and live a normal life with the girl he loves. But I think the show did a good job of not making it too cheesy. Unfortunately it did feel very unfinished. Especially when you had Liam saying things along the line of ‘we’ll have our someday.’ When they part. It very much had an air of we are only parting for now but at some point we’ll be together. But that never happens. I don’t know if the show had continued whether they would have eventually brought Ophelia back or not but I do admit I wish that they had brought her back as I don’t think I ever really got over their love story. I think it didn’t help that I never really bought into any of Liam’s other love interests. For me personally I just thought they were lacking. With Willow it felt kind of one sided where Willow definitely had feelings Liam, and whilst for a moment it looked like Liam might have feelings for Willow the show instead suddenly introduces Kathryn as his love interest. Which is what I meant about how they suddenly do switcheroos on you. Because it seemed like they were setting up Willow and Liam but then it was suddenly all about Liam and this girl we had never seen before. When it came to Liam and Kathryn though I do feel like they were trying to recapture the story that Liam and Ophelia had. Its again that ordinary girl who falls for a prince and has to decide if she wants to be part of his world on not. Only with Kathryn they also added in that plot that she was the ex girlfriend of his brother. The other thing is that Kathryn does initially choose Robert over Liam and it very much felt like she only went back to Liam because Robert turned out to be a dick and threw her aside in a very disgusting way that did make me feel bad for Kathryn and made me hate Robert. Don’t get me wrong the relationship between Kathryn and Liam wasn’t terrible, I just didn’t buy into it like I did Liam and Ophelia. I think part of this was again because Ophelia and Liam were presented as being this epic love story and Liam would say these heartfelt very loving things about someday being together, so when Liam starts to say these similar things to Kathryn it, I don’t know, they kind of lose their punch a bit and seem a little more disingenuous because they’ve been said to another girl before, if that makes sense? Also I think part of the problem is I don’t think Kathryn’s character was fleshed out enough. It felt more like she was just there to cause drama between the two brothers and be a love interest for Liam. We don’t really learn much about her as a person. Like with Ophelia we learn things about her past, we learn about her losing her mother, we see her relationship with her father and how he is protective of her and she works through challenges she has with him, we learn that she wants to be a dancer and has a dream of going to new york to audition for a dance school. With Willow too we learn things about her past, like how her mother gave up aristocracy to marry for love, there is the whole social media storyline too and how she comes to work at the palace, we learn about the, I think it was her grandfather, who gave her the music box with the fairytale castle that played Fur Elise. But I don’t feel like we really learn anything about Kathryn outside of her relationship with the brothers. Even her scenes with her family members are centred around her relationship with the princes. We seem to know very little about her life outside of Robert and Liam, unless I am forgetting some information. But yeah when it comes to Liam I definitely liked him the most with Ophelia.

Eleanor’s Love interests.

So with Eleanor they also sometimes did that whole sudden switcheroo with the love interests, though it wasn’t quite as bad as with Liam. Obviously her main love interest was Jasper. Here’s the thing with these guys though, their start was so toxic when you think about it, I mean he drugged her then blackmailed her whilst trying to steal from her in some big con he had thought up with his then girlfriend. He even slept with her mother. Yet despite that I couldn’t help but love them together and route for them. I mean I do think it helps that it was hardly the craziest, wackiest thing to happen on this show. I know its a controversial subject but I see this, I think fairly new, opinion that you shouldn’t ship anything that is toxic, like even a little bit toxic, but I don’t agree with that, one because its fiction and so you give more leeway to fictional characters than you would real people but also because I recognise that most of the time these toxic actions are there to create drama which was definitely the case here. So even though they did not have the best start they did grow into a very loving and healthy couple who learnt to be honest and trust each other and that was a fun but also often painful journey to watch. I really did find myself rooting for them and to be honest after Ophelia left, ending Opheliam, I mostly kept watching for Jaspenor. But like I said they also did randomly introduce new love interests for Eleanor as well, namely Beck. I didn’t mind Beck at first I even thought they had good chemistry, I did find his introduction very sudden because it was right when they seemed to still be developing Jasper and Eleanor. Like with Kathryn and Liam I think it was a bit mind twisting because they seem to have very deep feelings for each other but we are meeting this new character well into the relationship so its like playing catch up. But its established that Beck was Eleanor’s first love. I think I started to turn off Beck a bit because whilst he was a good person I do feel like he judged Eleanor in a way that Jasper didn’t when it came to the drugs and alcohol. At times it did feel a bit like Beck wanted to change her. I do think he wanted the best for her but he just didn’t go about it the best way. But I did come to really dislike him when he turned up in I think season 3 when Jasper and Eleanor were together and just started saying Jasper was below him and that kind of attitude of you are common and I am noble so I am better than you. The other kind of love interest was Mandy/Samantha who was Jasper’s girlfriend who he planned the con with in the first place. But she was the literal worse who really used Eleanor. Unlike Jasper she didn’t seem to have any remorse for what she did and it left Eleanor crushed and mistrustful of everyone after. But definitely her best love interest was with Jasper. I just loved that they both grew together and they were two people who I think were really struggling in the beginning of the series but who developed as individuals as well as together as a couple. The whole writing love letters to each other and leaving them in the book was the cutest too.

Robert, Kathryn and Willow

So with Robert at first I kind of felt bad for everyone involved in the love triangle. I mean Robert seemed to genuinely love Kathryn and he talks about how he only got off that Island because he kept seeing her and that gave him the strength to keep going. He was very convincing. I also felt bad for Kathryn and Liam because they were in this impossible situation where they thought he was dead now he has shown back up and they have mixed feelings because on one hand they are overjoyed he’s alive but on the other hand they feel guilty about having feelings for each other. It did remind me a little bit of the love triangle in Pearl Harbour. That being said Robert really does act like a total dick when he sleeps with and then discards Kathryn, especially as she had chosen him. Also I wasn’t all that thrilled with the whole love triangle thing as bad as I felt for everyone involved at first. Which brings me to Willow. Because of the nature of Robert’s character it is very difficult to figure out if he had genuine feelings for Willow at all. There were times when it did feel genuine and where it seemed like he really did love her but then there were times where I was sure he was just using and playing with her. Maybe some of that was because he seemed to really love Kathryn and seemed genuine with her until he just threw her away to mess with his brother and hurt her. I also didn’t like how he seemed unwillingly to share things with her and this idea of her being seen and not heard. He clearly didn’t want a partnership when it came to the monarchy he wanted her to look pretty and make them look good and kind. But one of the things I really disliked about the kind of love square of Liam, Willow, Kathryn and Robert was how it pitted the two women against each other. Like there are a couple of moments where they have this antagonism and tension between them. Like when Willow confronts Kathryn about showing up at the dinner and then at the tribute to Simon because both events had a connection to Willow and Robert’s engagement and it seemed like Willow felt insecure and threatened by Kathryn. I also felt like Willow judged Kathryn alot for having feelings for both brothers when she herself also at some point had romantic feelings for both brothers. I just didn’t like the pitting of the two women against each other at all. But ultimately we’ll never know if Robert genuinely has feelings for Willow or not because it seemed like Willow was going to help with the dethroning of Robert but then he asked to speak with her and she decided to marry him instead. We don’t know what he said to her that changed her mind or how genuine it was, like I said there were times when it seemed like he had real feelings but the character is so shady its hard to trust him.

Helena’s Love Interests

So Helena actually has a kind of beautiful yet tragic backstory that involves her falling in love with a stable boy but then giving him up to do her duty by her family and marry the king. I must admit it did make me feel bad for her and a part of me was really rooting for them. But it was complicated because Simon was a nice and genuine man and it was clear that he was hurt by her affair with Alistair. But it also did get to me when Helena told her story to Eleanor and said she would have been happy to marry a man with a pebble as an engagement ring. I think it was kind of sad that they never got their happy ever after, Helena really did screw that one up. But there was another of Helena’s relationships I did really like and that was the one she had with her new Lord Chamberlain Spencer. I think he seemed to really care about her and wanted her to be happy and she did seem happy when he was there, until Robert clearly got rid of him. The other one of note is when she starts sleeping with Prince Sebastian but we later find out he was giving information to Robert. Helena just seemed really unlucky when it came to love and I will admit that as the seasons went on I did hope to see her happy but it just never worked out for her.

Cyrus and Violet

Cyrus only really has one meaningful and honest relationship and that is with Violet. I did love these two together and I do think that she really helped him grow and change. I think it was obvious that they did love each other, she was really there for him when he had the cancer. It was a new side of Cyrus’ character that we had never seen before. I felt so bad and sad for him when she goes missing. I was so excited that she showed up again in the last episode but it made the cancellation of the show even worse because we’ll never know where she was or why her car was found abandoned with blood in it.

Character thoughts

Ok so I have talked about the ships and liked and didn’t like so now I figured I would do a quick run down of my thoughts on the characters.

Ophelia- I loved her when she was on the show and was so disappointed when she left. As I said before I do think it left me unsatisfied that we never really got to see the rest of her story and never got to see her get a happy ever after with Liam. But she was a really sweet and quirky, she often got herself into awkward situations but that just made her endearing, I also think that despite her having a few mishaps like throwing up and falling into flower bushes in front of her princely crush, she had a fire about her. She wasn’t a push over and she stood her ground when the Queen told her to discourage the relationship with her son, she also stood her ground with Cyrus and Gemma. It was nice to see a character that could be both really sweet and dorky, sometimes insecure but who also could stand up for herself.

Liam- This is another character that I loved. I liked that he started out as just this playboy prince how liked to party and have fun but then as he grows in confidence actually does inspire a nation. He had some darker moments but I think he would have made a truly amazing King because he really did care about his country and people and he wanted to help others. Again its another thing that sucked about the show being cancelled because I’ve just spent the entirety of the show waiting to see Liam as King. I feel like that had to be the natural part of his journey, it really did feel like that was where his journey was heading. So it was disappointing not to get to see him reach the throne and his true potential.

Eleanor- I think Eleanor had one of the best character arcs on the show. She starts out as the rebellious princess who feels like she has no place in the royal family and who copes with it all by going out and doing drugs and getting herself into the tabloids. But as time goes on you see her grow in confidence and find her place, she becomes someone who is an integral part of the family and she does alot for the monarchy’s image and also helps with alot of charities because she realises the influence she has can really help people, we also watch her go from being very mistrustful of people and pushing them away to being open and honest with them and it was a beautiful journey to watch.

Jasper- This is another character that had a great arc. I think it complimented Eleanor’s arc really well too. He starts out as a con man and ends up as a knighted hero. He’s also someone who really comes to learn to trust others instead of lone wolfing it. He is the kind of character that you really do come to love and root for because he not only wants to change and overcome his past but he does.

Helena- So she is one of those characters where there were times I really hated her, mostly when she lied about the twins’ paternity test, I mean that’s a despicable thing to do to your children. But over time she grew and changed and it became obvious that she loved her children and did want what was best for them. I think she was very damaged by her own mother and being forced into marrying Simon instead of the man she loved. Her backstory and the fact that she does change makes her the sympathetic character, even if at times she can be a bit of train wreck.

Cyrus- I hated Cyrus in the beginning of the show, like really hated him. But I will admit as the series went on I did develop a strange affection for him and he became the character that I loved to hate. I mean he was diabolical at times but I can’t lie that he was also absolutely hilarious whilst being diabolical. There were also moments were he did show true emotion that made me see a softer and more sympathetic side to him.

Simon- For the short time we had him I really did like Simon. It was obvious that he really cared about his family and that they were more important to him than anything else. It was their happiness that he wanted and he really did want the best for his country too. I was so sad when he died but I am happy that they kept his memory and spirit alive throughout the rest of the series.

Robert- This is probably harsh but I liked Robert alot more when he was dead. When he was dead he was this kind of hero, he was the loving brother that his siblings looked up to and the dutiful son that his parents loved. He was the prince that the nation loved. Then they brought him back from the dead and he was a power hungry dick who may or may not have had a hand in his father’s murder, I’m still a bit unclear on that. But he is someone who was willing to put his people at risk to gain power and when he disbanded the parliament he pretty much became a dictator. He seems to have a lot of hubris and a old fashioned way of looking at things, I didn’t like his opinion about how there should only be one voice allowed, the king’s/his. I think Simon was right when he said that Robert would never make a good king.

Ted- I really liked Ted in the start. He seemed to be a decent guy who took his job seriously and loved his daughter. I was so shocked when I found out he was the one who killed Simon. To be honest I do think it could have been better written because I am still a little unclear on what his motive was. I think it was because his wife got killed but I felt like that had happened a while ago so why did he wait as long as he did? But then he also seemed to be becoming a bit unhinged as he kept seeing her ghost everywhere. I think what made it so shocking was that he did seem to care about Liam and was really there for him in the aftermath of Simon’s death. I think that really messed with Liam’s head alot because they did have a good bond so it just added to the betrayal.

So yeah those are my random thoughts on The Royals. To finish off I would just like to mention some things in particular that I found really embraced the show’s comedic wackiness. I loved the FML running gag, I also really liked how the characters would go ‘this place is so weird’ whenever things got particularly wacky. Speaking of I did really love how wacky it got at times, like it really was bizarre in a good way. A few stand out moments from the top of my head was when Ophelia shot Ashok in the leg with the ceremonial bow, Helena stealing Cyrus’ testicle, Jasper’s dad showing up disguised as the Italian count and then admitting to shooting Jasper to ‘help him get the girl back’. When they put on In the Air Tonight whilst planning their coup and then all stop to do the drum solo. After Liam attacks Beck falling into the throne room full of people and then Robert says they are going to be incredibly British and act like that didn’t just happen, as a Brit I really relate to this and I adopt this practice often. Willow tripping on LSD and running about the Palace pretending to be a ghost and trying to drown Helena in a vat of chocolatey goodness. I definitely enjoyed this series and thought it was a good watch. I do think it was worth the watch even if it does end on a cliff-hanger and very suddenly. Boy I hope there is some good fanfiction I can go read now.

#the royals #e! the royals #opheliam #liam x ophelia #jaspenor #jasper x eleanor

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