The Golden City – As the fifth episode of Mary & George begins, Sir Walter Raleigh (Joseph Mawle) plays with a gun in 1618. Captain Harrison (Jamie Michie) asks him when they’re going home. Walter makes it clear they’ll go home when he says. Harrison says Walter can’t tell them what happened when they go home because he ordered them to attack before they were overrun. Then, they fled into the jungle with the Spaniards picking them off one by one. Harrison questions what it’s worth for him to not disclose the truth. He will take everything that Walter can give. Walter kills him. After the intro, Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) tells Sir Thomas Compton (Sean Gilder) that the king bought her a new house so he can be in London more.

Thomas has heard rumors that King James I (Tony Curran) is going to make Mary a Countess. He asks if she’ll share her title. Mary says he won’t share his wealth so she doesn’t know why she should share. He mentions that Sandie (Niamh Algar) is dressed as a lady in waiting now. Thomas asks if she is having sex with Sandie. He thinks the whole family belongs in Sodom. George (Nicholas Galitzine) eventually joins them. Thomas admits he isn’t a good man, but he is nothing compared to them. He promises to shoot to kill if he ever sees a member of their family or staff on his land. Once he leaves, Mary tells the painter to paint over Sir Thomas. King James has dinner with Prince Charles (Samuel Blenkin) and the others. He asks Charles if he is ready to rule if he falls. Charles stumbles over his words.

James reveals they’re there to celebrate the new Countess of Buckingham. Mary speaks briefly. Queen Anne (Trine Dyrholm) tells her she thinks George is mostly good for King James. The Queen is introduced to Sandie. Anne feels ill. Charles says bad things happen when she is ill. Anne tells Mary to be careful before leaving. Sandie admits to Mary she is worried they’re breaking so many rules since she is there. Mary says they live by her rules now. Katherine Manners (Mirren Mack) thanks Mary for inviting her and her father there today. Her friend says Katherine is happy to ogle George. Once they’re alone, Mary tells Sandy that the Earl of Rutland (Simon Winkler) was a friend of her late husband and never liked her or George.

She asked the King to invite him personally so he had to come. Sir Francis Bacon (Mark O’Halloran) catches George and King James on the verge of making out. Francis informs the King that Gondomar is there. Sir Edward Coke (Adrian Rawlins) tells King James the same. Once the King goes with them, Mary tries to encourage George to join them. George argues he sometimes needs space to miss him. He joins the conversation with Gondomar (Unax Ugalde) who explains people call him Diego. Moments later, Diego tells them there has been an act of war in Guiana. Without provocation, an English force attacked Spanish troops. George learns that Sir Walter Raleigh was involved. Walter should arrive at Plymouth any day. Diego argues they should have him executed.

Francis and Edward argue otherwise. James wants to hear Raleigh’s side before doing anything. Diego warns he won’t be able to pacify his nation unless they punish Walter. Once they’re alone, James tells George he still has much to learn but he will teach him. James invites him to sit on the Privy Council. James wants to dance. Before George joins him, Mary urges him to speak to Rutland. She tells him not to flirt because he might marry Katherine. George does so before he dances with James. Sandie tells Mary she followed her eldest boy and her, but she only found John in their room. She says he was clawing at the walls like a crazed animal. He said he heard Frances screaming from the next room. Sandie reveals that Frances wasn’t screaming in pain.

Later, King James tells George that Raleigh allows men like Sir Edward to dream of some glorious past under Elizabeth. He wonders if anyone cares that Raleigh plotted sedition against him when he first came to England. James was too merciful to execute him so he spent many years in the tower writing stories about El Dorado. James doesn’t believe those stories. He insists his Privy Council must always be seen as fair. Raleigh is brought before the council. He is told this is only a pursuit for answers. Walter Raleigh is asked if he attacked the Spanish without provocation. He says no before asking if his word is enough. Francis says no. Then, Walter claims they were attacked by Spain first. Edward questions whether he lost his only son in the senseless attack.

Walter gets emotional when he says yes. He knows some of them may deride the existence of El Dorado, but they saw evidence they were close before the horror. Edward asks if one of his longest-serving men killed himself. Walter claims his captain killed himself in shame for not saving his son. He says his son begged with his last breath that he would never give up the search. Walter asks James not to let his boy’s death be in vain. George tells him it won’t because he will return. James isn’t thrilled that George answered for him. When they’re in private, King James throws a fit. He yells for George to get out and calls him useless. Charles asks George if he made him angry. Charles suggests he’ll come out and kiss him in an hour.

He thinks George is all he loves. George insists James loves him too, but Charles doubts James has ever talked about him. Charles forces George to call him his highness. His mother might be dying and James hasn’t asked how she is. Charles says George is his family now. He asks if there is anything he won’t take. Mary visits Queen Anne to ask for permission for John and his wife to return. Anne tells her to take her son back home and embrace him. Anne called her there to talk about George. She thinks it’s a good thing that George spoke up for Raleigh because his freedom counts for the English. Anne privately campaigned for Walter’s release from the tower. She says James hates to contradict his lovers in public so he let the decision stand. However, James will feel emasculated as Somerset used to.

Anne says they both know what happened to Somerset. Mary will make sure George is more careful although she wishes she could speak more to the King. Anne explains that George only understands men and women do not matter to him. The only hope Mary has with James is George. Mary speaks to George about it outside. George says he was supposed to be leading James. Mary agrees but argues he should be doing it patiently. She orders George to go to Rutland on his knees so he can marry Katherine. George curses her. Later, Susan (Alice Grant) tells Mary she met a boy whose father is a baron so she could marry him. Mary doesn’t think it’ll happen since George isn’t marrying Katherine. Susan suggests she can help Mary with George.

Mary tells her to come back to her with a plan. Sandie asks Mary where she wants Frances. Mary tells Frances not to cuckold John in the palace. Frances asks her to set her free or slit her throat. Otherwise, she’ll take what joy she can and cuckold John. Mary pushes her and leaves. Sir Francis approaches George and tells him he holds more power than he knows. He tells him that Mary has a lover and the two of them killed a man. They poisoned him and another man who lived. Francis believes George is ready to fly alone. No one else knows right now. George asks if he’ll tell the king. Francis claims to like George because he might just save them. The King has bigger problems including treason.

Francis worries Walter Raleigh will try to overthrow the king. He takes George to Walter so he can hear him brag about killing the guy who killed his son. Francis says he changes his story depending on who he’s telling it to. Raleigh won’t be happy until Spain and England are at war. Walter yells that there should be no more unanswered English dead. Francis urges George to speak to the King and have Raleigh detained and punished. George tells Laura Ashcattle (Rina Mahoney) when the lady is out of the house. He claims John wrote and said he’d hurt himself. Sandie has him locked in a room with Katherine. Katy tells him that her father will have no choice but to agree to their marriage if they spend the night together and everyone knows.

Susan copied John’s handwriting to trick George. Katherine says this is the closest she’ll get to making a choice. George insists he is not going to marry her.

Sandie gives Frances Coke (Amelia Gething) a concoction to terminate her pregnancy. Frances contemplates having the baby but fears the repercussions. Later, Frances screams in pain. Sandie assures her that she will survive.

Katherine promises George if he marries her, she will let him have lovers. He reminds her that she is partly responsible for his imprisonment. She assures him that she is the only woman offering him freedom. He refuses to be restrained. She boasts of being fertile and vows to give him an heir to secure his win.

Sandie warns Mary that Frances will take her own life. Mary says she will recover. Sandie threatens to leave if she does not let Frances go. When Mary questions her threat, Sandie demands she stop pretending John is not what he is. Mary tells her that she disagrees. After Sandie leaves, she asks John where he would go to get well. He says, “In the trees, feathers, and leaves.”

Katherine tells George that they laugh at how he got played by Raleigh in the Privy Council. He claims to have been fair to Raleigh’s loss. She says he is a good man before urging him to make a choice. The next morning, Ashcattle informs George that Mary is sending George to live in an asylum in Epping. George vows to stop Mary until John does not remember his name.

George finds King James lying on the floor to ease his back troubles. Joining him, George accuses him of doing everyone’s bidding even those who are not dutiful. He tells the king to listen to his heart and ignore everyone else. George urges him to contemplate Raleigh’s punishment.

Raleigh walks onto a stage. The executioner offers him a blindfold which he refuses. He says God has forgiven him. Pulling down his jacket, he kneels and places his head on the execution block. King James and George watch from their seats a short distance away. He urges the executioner to strike until he finally does. George has difficulty watching the execution. Anne asks Mary what her son did. Mary admits he wouldn’t listen to her. Anne complains that George is as fickle as the King before saying Raleigh was the protector of their faith. She doesn’t know who will defend their honor when she is gone. Anne yells for Mary to get out so she can pray. Commoners storm in after the execution only for the uprising to be quelled. Mary approaches George to complain about him killing a man and not being patient. George says it was the King’s decision and Raleigh was a terrorist.

He argues with Sandie and Mary who tells him to shut up. George asks Sandie if Mary pays her. Sandie questions whether he paid or took pay for his body. She suspects he bought everything with it. George says goodbye. Francis mentions the weather to Mary and Sandie. Mary says she’ll kill him. Outside, Francis says the riots will burn out in a few days and Spain will reward George greatly for this. George claims not to have done anything because James did it. Francis reminds him that’s the story they will keep telling. Mary tells Sandie there will be war if George does not bend.

 

Mary & George Review

The fifth episode of Mary & George was messier than the other episodes with the addition of so many characters. At the very least, it felt like the episode had more purpose than some of the others. On the other hand, it seemed like the episode was written on a whim with no real build-up to anything that happened here. Some of the scenes are still too dark although it wasn’t as bad in this episode.

Certain performances are stronger than others and it is easy to see who is out of place. Being this close to the finale, it’s hard to know what the series has achieved so far. Unfortunately, the lack of substance is a big sticking point that prevents Mary & George from being a gripping period drama. The episode scores a 4.5 out of 10. Recaps of Mary & George are available on Reel Mockery here.

Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. Discuss Mary & George and other shows at the Reel Mockery Forum.