Drawing on the irreverent, improbable, and outrageous humor and adventure of the best ’80s fantasy adventures, Prime Video’s My Lady Jane gives one of history’s most tragic victims a new story full of romance, comedy, and magic. The series premiere, “Who’ll Be The Next In Line?” gives us the opulent and the icky, the noble and the sinister, the whimsical and the thought-provoking, all set to a rocking soundtrack worthy of Kevin Costner with a bow-and-arrow.
My Lady Jane opens with an animated (quick and dirty) recap of Lady Jane Grey’s history — married without her consent, crowned Queen against her will ahead of Mary Tudor, then branded a traitor and beheaded. The animation ends with Jane’s beheading reversing and her throwing off her blindfold while the narrator proposes, “What if History were different?”
My Lady Jane’s “Who’ll Be The Next In Line?”
Jane (Emily Bader) examines some dried herbs hanging by her window and snips some off into a bowl. She advises the woman lying with her legs spread high to avoid having sex with men whose penises look diseased. Jane’s servant, Susannah (Máiréad Tyers), agrees.
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The patient is concerned that she won’t be able to have sex for a few weeks. She and Susannah observe that Jane’s still a virgin, saving herself for marriage. Jane declares that she may never marry.
She plans to write a compendium of England’s medicinal herbs and their uses. She hopes to sell the book and make enough money to live independently, but she has not shared this plan with her mother.
Susannah answers a banging at Jane’s door and informs her the Duke of Leicester is coming. Jane rushes to get flowers for the visitor. She arrives in the courtyard with flowers in time to join her family and greet the carriage.
The narrator returns to inform the audience that the elderly Duke of Leicester (Jim Broadbent) inherited the Grey estate when Jane’s father died without a male heir, leaving the widow, Lady Frances Grey (Anna Chancellor), and her three daughters dependent on Leicester.
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As they dine, Leicester complains about the Ethians on the road and expresses great admiration for Katherine (Isabella Brownson). He then places a dirty and swollen foot on the table to ease his gout with elevation. When Jane offers medicinal advice from one of her texts, he points out that he never permitted any of his late wives to read or own books. Cheekily, Jane asks Frances why she would burden her children with so much learning, to which her mother responds, “Because stupid women are tedious.” Quietly, Jane asks, “What about stupid men?”
Oh, Sh*t
Leicester informs Jane that he and Frances have found her a marriage. She erupts angrily and tells Leicester to shut up and that he’s wrong about everything. Frances takes her by the arm and excuses them as Jane is overwhelmed by the news.
In her room, Frances tells Jane that she had to arrange this marriage as Jane refuses to entertain suitors. Jane’s husband-to-be is Guildford Dudley. Frances reminds Jane that they only have their pure Verity royal lineage and the Dudleys have money but seek power.
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The wedding is to take place in three days. Jane swears she’ll get out of it somehow. Frances laughs in her face, reminding Jane she has no power. As Frances heads for the door, Jane realizes her compendium is missing. Frances admits she burned it.
My Escapee Jane
As Jane tosses and turns in her bed that night, the narrator explains that she’s done with her mother’s BS. Getting up, she finds Susannah enjoying the company of the new stableboy and insists she come with her. She explains that she and Susannah are running away to the north. Susannah tries to talk her out of it, warning her of dangers like the Ethians and the Pack. Jane is determined and shows Susannah the ring she stole from Frances to sell for money.
As they make their way through the woods, Susannah hears the horns and barking of pursuers on horseback with dogs. Lady Frances catches them and accuses Susannah of stealing her ring. Jane tries to confess to the crime, but Frances insists that Susannah be jailed and hanged for the crime. Susannah asks Jane to forgive her before breaking free of her guard. She turns into a hawk and flies away.
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The narrator explains that, in this world, Ethians are shapeshifters, and everyone else is Verity. The Veritys spread lies about Ethians, calling them devil’s spawn and accusing them of trying to destroy the Verity way of life. He provides a history of Ethians in England.
Meeting the In-Laws
In the castle, Jane sees Frances leaving while Katherine and Margaret (Robyn Betteridge) are pretend sword-fighting. Katherine tells her Frances is heading to London to see the Dudleys about Jane’s wedding. Frances heads downriver in a barge. Jane rushes out, jumps in another barge and tells the bargeman to follow Frances’s in history’s first high-speed (?) barge chase.
Jane arrives at her mother’s side just as Lord Dudley (Rob Brydon) opens the gate to greet his guest. He brings them inside and describes the preparations for the wedding, such as the decor and the menu. Jane reminds him she grew up with her cousin, King Edward VI (Jordan Peters), and that they are close friends. Dudley points out that kings don’t have friends; they have subjects and counselors.
Jane asks to meet Guildford, but Dudley states his son is out doing things. She announces that she doesn’t want to marry Guildford. Lord Dudley smiles and reminds her that nobody cares what she wants.
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Jane heads back to the river to find a nobleman dressed in pink teasing the peasant children. When one knees him in the crotch, he knocks the child to the ground. Jane demands he give them the coins he was teasing them with. He throws the coins in the dirt and walks away. The children identify him as Lord Dudley’s son and a prat. Jane needs a miracle to get out of the wedding to the prat and the narrator points out that only saints and KINGS can perform those.
King Edward VI
The action segues to Edward riding out to greet soldiers. The narrator gives a rundown of Edward’s reign, which his bossy counselors have dominated. However, when Lord Seymour (Dominic Cooper) hands him an anti-Ethian proclamation to read to soldiers marching into battle, he goes off-script. He speaks from the heart instead, not mentioning Ethians a single time.
When the people have left, Edward transfers from horseback to a wheeled chair. He asks Seymour about the new soldiers on horseback. Seymour reminds him they are the new Kingsland Guards, formed to protect the king from the Ethian threat. In the throne room, Seymour announces that Ethians were caught sneaking into Grimsby and will be sentenced to death for violating the Division Laws prohibiting Ethians from entering Verity settlements. Edward orders him to return the Ethians to the wild instead of killing them.
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Jane catches Edward’s eye as she enters the throne room. He announces her presence and dismisses his court. She asks about his health. He says his cold is ghastly, but he’s fine and introduces her to his new dog, Petunia. Jane offers to take him out to the garden for some air. Alone outside, she asks him to intervene in her marriage. He admits that he’s already approved it.
That’s Just Silly
When Jane asks why he’d approve a marriage without her consent, he points out that they are all born to certain roles, and she must marry to protect her family. She states she does not want to be a wife. He retorts that he doesn’t want to be a dying king, yet here he is. She asks if he’s really dying. He tells her he has the Affliction.
Inside the castle, Princess Mary (Kate O’Flynn) and Princess Bess (Abbie Hern) look for Edward and are told he is with Jane. The narrator takes the opportunity to explain they are Edward’s elder sisters, but he got the throne first because he has a penis.
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In the gardens, the princesses are having some sport when Edward and Jane arrive. Mary insists he have some blackberry pie. When he begins coughing, she comments that the Affliction is a dreadful way to die. He falls to the ground, unable to breathe. Jane rushes to his side and directs Bess to bring her some of the lilac flowers planted nearby. Jane chews the plant and puts the mash in Edward’s mouth, reviving him as he can breathe again.
The royal doctor, Dr. Butts (Kevin Eldon), arrives and inserts some nasty metal tool into Edward’s mouth. Seymour forcibly escorts Jane to a carriage and sends her off. In Edward’s chambers, Dr. Butts suggests drinking kitten tea brewed with old man urine. Edward declines.
A Potential Candidate
Lord Dudley arrives just as Lord Seymour recommends the king officially appoint his successor. Seymour has the paperwork ready to pronounce Mary Edward’s heir. Dudley interjects and argues that Mary is illegitimate. Bess is a non-starter because her mother was an Ethian. Dudley suggests there might be a candidate with royal blood engaged to a high-born Verity house who could wear the crown until a male heir is born. Edward cottons onto the hints and names Jane. He seals his will and orders it stored safely until the event of his death.
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After parting ways with Dudley, Seymour returns to Edward with one of Mary’s blackberry pies. Petunia barks at him and then bites Seymour. Seymour orders the dog killed. Edward warns him to leave his dog alone and dismisses Seymour.
Opportunity Arises
On the road home, the wheel has fallen off Jane’s carriage. She takes a horse and rides away instead of waiting for repairs. The narrator describes her sense of freedom and her plan to ride north and escape the wedding. However, a torch-wielding contingent of guards rides by and scares her into taking refuge in a busy tavern.
A fight over an arm-wrestling match breaks out, but a young nobleman intervenes. Jane watches him disarm the combatants, climb onto the bar, and quote Latin to the crowd’s approval. Their eyes meet, and Jane walks slowly toward him as the narrator reassures us that love at first sight is a myth, but lust at first sight is very real.
Jane opens with, “Do you come here often?” and the conversation goes quickly downhill from there. As they’re about to part ways, a couple of men approach the bar, and the tavern keeper tells them to leave because he doesn’t want trouble. Some Kingsland Guards enter, and the captain announces they’re there to apprehend an Ethian criminal named Archer. The young nobleman tries to get Jane to leave with him, to which she responds, “As if.”
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Ethians Everywhere
Some guards grab bystanders, and the captain threatens to dunk everyone unless they hand Archer over. The taller man at the bar turns around and tells the guards to let everyone go. He’s Archer. He transforms into a bear, and chaos erupts. The young nobleman grabs Jane and pulls her into an alcove under the stairs. He tries to open the back door while she watches the fight in the bar. Another Ethian turns into a dog. A hawk flies in and transforms into Susannah, who warns Archer that more guards are coming. Jane runs out to talk to Susannah. The captain grabs both of them. Susannah transforms and flies away. Jane is added to the crowd to await dunking.
In Edward’s chambers, his dinner arrives. Before he can eat, Petunia transforms into a naked girl who informs him his great-grandmother is alive and sent her to protect him because he doesn’t have the Affliction. He’s being poisoned. She asks for something to wear, and he points to a robe hanging on the other side of the room. The narrator lets us know that Edward’s made two revelations: he is being poisoned and not interested in women romantically. However, he refuses to run away to Granny until he finds out who is trying to kill him.
Bloody Mary Lives Up to Her Name
Mary visits Seymour in his chamber and kisses him passionately. He confirms the will has been signed, which excites her. She vows to be queen and cleanse the country of Ethians. Seymour chooses not to tell her that Edward may not have named her heir.
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Jane is about to be dunked when Frances arrives and rescues her. In the carriage, Jane makes a final plea to get out of the wedding. Frances warns her that if she doesn’t marry Guildford Dudley, she’ll have to make Katherine marry the Duke of Leicester.
Intriguing Yet Infuriating Young Men
Jane contemplates her situation in a tub. Margaret comes in, torturing a doll covered in her fake blood. This inspires Jane, and she whispers a plan in Margaret’s ear.
At the wedding, Edward walks Jane down the aisle towards Lord Dudley and the prat in pink, now wearing blue. As she approaches the altar, she realizes her groom is the young man from the tavern (Edward Bluemel). They recognize each other. As she begins her vows, she coughs red into her hand. She falls to the ground.
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Margaret screams that it’s the Affliction. Someone orders someone else to fetch Dr. Butts. From the floor, Jane sneaks a peek at Guildford, who shakes his head at her.
All eight episodes of My Lady Jane are streaming on Prime Video.
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