She will just sign her name like a rude man and trick him! Flawless plan. Because she’s a real one, Lady Danbury gets to work and is only slightly stymied by the possibility that her late husband’s solicitor will not come to see her, a woman. Does this mean Lady Danbury’s 4-year-old son is now Lord Danbury? I was thrilled to see this detail included because the ability to inherit is what will allow these newly titled families to continue to build wealth and power. The next day, quite a few of the newly titled class are milling about Lady Danbury’s sitting room, and they all have the same question: What happens now? Lord Danbury was the first of their group to die, and the laws of succession are unclear. It’s a lovely bit of acting from Arsema Thomas, who is, as ever, luminous.

She doesn’t even like wine! As Sondheim might say, “How can you know who you are / Till you know what you want?” This is the freedom Lady Danbury has always wanted, but it’s impossibly daunting to take it on all by herself at four in the morning, slightly tipsy on wine she hates. His favorite color was her favorite color, and his favorite foods were her favorite foods - even the wine she drinks as she wanders around the house was his favorite. It’s not that she misses her husband because, well, how could anyone miss being treated like that? But she was promised to him when she was 3 years old and spent her life being raised to be his wife. While I am sympathetic to their struggles, there just isn’t much to say! So let’s flip the script and give our primary focus to a woman well deserving of it!Īfter Lord Danbury’s funeral (and some inappropriate but still hot eye contact with Lord Ledger), Lady Danbury finds herself unable to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, wandering around and trying to drink port. Plus, there is no George in this episode since he is confined to his basement torture chamber. And no one really drifts into her orbit because, you know, she’s the queen. The trouble with Charlotte is that her story can only be as interesting as the people who drift in and out of her orbit. I feel I should be upset by this, but this is easily my favorite episode of the bunch, so instead, I feel conflicted.

I must pose a question, gentle readers: Is this show about Queen Charlotte, as it claims? It increasingly feels like the writers struggled with what to do with her and put more and more of this story’s narrative weight on Lady Danbury’s shoulders. Photo: Nick Wall/Netflix © 2023/NICK WALL/NETFLIX

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