This My Lady Jane episode 7 recap contains spoilers for the Prime Video series. Jane readies herself to faces her accusers in court, while Guildford Dudley is determined to redeem himself after deserting his wife. He asks his father and brother Stan if they'll help, which leads to some important home truths about the Dudley family being spilled...
Queen Mary is in town and we sense things are going to be a little different to how they were under her idealistic predecessor. "I'm the right and true inheritor to this crown," says Mary as she addresses her new subjects. "But there are consequences for treachery, starting with Jane Grey," who looks set to lose her head.
Yet Jane’s mother hasn’t given up hope and says there’s still hope of salvation as long as her daughter can play the game. We wouldn’t hold out much hope of that, but she’s not the only person who could do with a dose of reality, because no sooner has she been placed under house arrest than Edward rocks up at the gates demanding his crown back. Luckily for him, Fitz has been around a bit and knows there’s more than one way to skin a cat and he should know.
Frances begs for her daughter’s life, but it’s Lord Norfolk who actually saves her by pointing out that executing Jane without due process could cause chaos. "Some of Jane’s notions about the beasts are becoming popular," says Norfolk, pointing out that it might be more prudent to ruin her enemy's reputation in a public trial. After all that’s what was done to Anne Boleyn, whom Mary hated most of all.
"It’s so easy to do if it’s a woman,” says Seymour with a lack of irony that doesn’t go unnoticed by Mary. She may have harnessed these chauvinists, but will they ever accept a woman — even one who lives by the stereotypical code of ruthless male medieval monarchs — as a permanent ruler? Mary might find that consorting with such men is a sword that cuts both ways.
At that moment, Petunia makes an attempt on Mary’s life, but fails and inadvertently reveals Mary’s sister Bess to be an Ethian sympathiser in the process.
'Swoonworthy bravado...'
Guildford returns to find his brother and father cowering by the fireside and tells them he'll be mounting (sorry) a rescue effort in a bid to free Jane before she has her head cut off. The guilt he feels over the death of his mother has clearly been amplified by his more recent betrayal of another woman who loved him and now his burning desire for redemption has seen him hurl caution to the wind. It’s sexy as hell and we’re all for it. Guildford's father won’t help him, but he doesn’t care and finally shares a few home truths with his old man. Jane really has opened his heart, allowed him to be himself and he’s embracing all the love, pain and hope that comes with that new beginning.
The narrator calls it “swoonworthy bravado” and as he scales the wall to reach Jane’s window, we’d struggle to disagree. “Let us take a moment to appreciate his calves and glutes,” our storyteller continues lustily. Guildford wants her to flee with him, but she can’t as Mary will kill her family, plus she’s determined to face her accusers in this trial. So they make use of their last night together by… well, you know.
But after the pleasure comes the purgatory, as Guilford finally opens up about the death of his mother and the possibility that he had killed her without knowing it, after turning into an Ethian for the first time. His father told him robbers had done it, but Guildford isn’t sure if he believes him and cutting remarks — such as the one his father made about “the truth” just a few minutes ago — have done little to quell that fear.
'The treacherous pretender...'
Across town, Fitzy is taking King Edward on his first trip to the pub, which turns out to be an Ethian Alehouse. Such places are banned, which probably explains why they’re so popular. Luckily for Edward he bumps into his favourite royal aide, Charles, and the next morning they set out to rescue Jane.
As the former Queen’s trial begins, Lord Norfolk sets out the case for the prosecution against the "treacherous pretender". Jane argues that Edward named her his successor so she couldn’t have committed treason and Bess — whom Jane’s mother once compared to a bowl of custard — finally throws her weight behind her brother’s pal.
Queen Mary goes berserk and we just want to take a moment to pay tribute to Kate O’Flynn, who’s left it all out there, playing this hammy villain to the very hilt. However the new monarch’s penchant for vengeance and blood has made it necessary for Jane to be spared to avoid a PR own goal.
(History buffs will know this is an episode borrowed from a real life incident in which Queen Mary demanded Thomas Cranmer, who had a hand in her mother’s downfall, recant his Protestantism. He did, which should have saved him from execution, yet Mary demanded he be burned anyway. On the day of his execution he withdrew his recantation, mounted a stirring speech against Mary's ruthless persecution and thrust his hand — which had signed the document — into the fire as the flames licked around him. It turned what should have been a great victory for Mary, into an incident that made her look weak and vengeful.)
'I'm here to save you...'
Norfolk arranges for Jane to be removed from the hall before "Mary kills her with her bare hands" and when she gets to her lavish new prison cell, she’s delighted to find her old pal Edward waiting for her. He wants to save Jane, but she urges him to think a little bigger and rally the army before reclaiming the throne.
Luckily for Jane, when she returns to the courtroom she's found innocent — hurrah — although there’s a twist in the tail, because Seymour has returned and he's brought Guildford’s groom, Rupert, with him. The poor bloke is forced to reveal the truth about Jane’s husband, who’s then brought into the courtroom, where everyone sees him transform as the sun sets.
Jane and Guildford are both sentenced to death, but there’s still hope in the form of Stand "Dudley’s never say die" Dudley and his father and King Edward and his dishy new boyfriend Fitzy... Come on lads!
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