THE SITUATION: A Series of Clandestine Meetings
With the exception of Cyrus, each of the Royals had a secret meeting or two to attend this week. Some about job opportunities, some about murder. You know, the usual.
Eleanor to the Rescue
After an unsettling meeting with Imogen, Eleanor receives a distress call from her. Eleanor goes to her hotel, finding the room trashed and Imogen beaten. Apparently Victor loaned her to his bro Dimitri, who proceeded to beat her. Imogen’s outlook on her lot in life is poor, but Eleanor has hope. Victor breaks into the hotel room, but he’s quickly followed by Jasper, James and their guns. Inspired by Eleanor’s faith, Imogen drops her jewelry and dress at Victor’s feet. “You did this to me, and I did this to myself,” she says, as Jasper drapes his jacket over her shoulders and they take their leave.
When Jasper returns the diamond earrings to Eleanor, she asks him again why he’s there. She explains how Imogen feels unlovable, comparing it to her own feelings over the years. She claims that unlike Imogen, she wasn’t strong enough to escape those feelings. Current Jaspenor outlook: poor.
Jasper on the Case
After bringing Liam the evidence that Lucius is innocent, Ted demands that he stop his investigation. Jasper, who could be best described as “listens in class but does not follow directions,” travels to a skate park close to where Simon must have been stabbed to scope it out. He turns around to find Brandon, the man who killed Robert, pointing a gun at him. Jasper points his gun right back at Brandon and is joined by James, who also has a gun on Brandon. It’s the middle of the day and we’re looking at a possible firefight in a place frequented by preteens.
They go to a diner to discuss Simon’s murder, which seems discrete. Brandon suggests that maybe Jasper is responsible, but James assures him that it’s not true, as Jasper is in love with Princess Eleanor. Is Jasper getting tired of everyone calling him out on his Eleanor feelings? Brandon is trying to avoid being branded Simon’s murderer, since his track record isn’t great. The conversation is cut short when Eleanor calls for help, but James punches Brandon in the face before leaving in the name of Prince Robert.
Jasper returns to the skate park, where two kids reveal that they have a camera they never told the cops about. Their footage reveals that Ted is responsible for stabbing Simon. Liam attacks him after finding out his connection to Mandy/Samantha, only stopping when Jasper shouts that he knows who killed his father.
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Helena Has Two Secret Meetings
Up first is Lucius. Helena explains that Alistair Lacey is alive, so Lucius is going to be removed from incarceration and absolved of all charges. He freaks out; one more scandal and the people are going to tear the monarchy apart. “I would rather remain in prison and see it flourish than be exonerated and see it burn,” he says. He begs Helena to take the monarchy from Cyrus, citing Cyrus ordering him to kill Alistair as a reason to do so.
Next is Prudence. Helena attempts to warn the former maid about Cyrus and the strain that being in the royal family can have on children. Prudence doesn’t care; she wants much more than her small apartment. I’m interested to hear more about her game plan, because I’m with Helena on this one. Prudence says she’s naming the baby Simon and tells Helena to think about why he wanted to disband the monarchy so badly.
Liam’s First Job Offer
After seeing Liam’s viral video, DPM Raina calls him in for a meeting. She attempts to flatter him, saying that he could have the power and relevancy the monarchy once had. Rather than king, she’d like to see him as the Cultural Ambassador to Young People based in New York. This Parliament position being in America makes almost no sense, unless she’s trying to bribe him with being closer to Ophelia.
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He explains Lucius’s innocence and DPM Raina’s job offer to Eleanor, who takes the news in stride. Eleanor will miss Liam, but demands that he take the offer and not look back — she wanted him to get out of there last season, after all. However, Willow shows him the #KingLiam graffitti, encouraging him to stick around for the people.
ON THE PLUS SIDE…
- Helena, Queen For Life
Rachel advises Helena to take Prudence’s refusal as a sign to get the paternity tests done and go live her life with Alistair. However, Helena says this is her life, she’s not just going to walk away. As touch-and-go as Helena was in terms of leadership, I’m happy that she’s not just walking away and leaving the country in Cyrus’s hands. - James Clearly Ships Jaspenor, Again
After Jasper admits that he originally wanted to steal from the monarchy because he didn’t think they’d earned it, James gives him the diamond earrings to give back to Eleanor in person. The relationships between James and Jasper and James and Eleanor are well executed, and I like that James trusts Jasper’s intentions even with his rocky past.
HOWEVER…
- Remember Nigel Moorefield and Cyrus’s Daughters?
Yeah, me neither. The Royals dumped this storyline a few weeks ago to actually propel the plot forward. It was unnecessary to resurrect it, though Moorefield being very turned off by the bunk beds in their room was amusing. - Willow’s Role
Willow is a great character — she’s witty, she’s a great influence on Liam and she stands out from both Ophelia and Gemma. That’s my problem with her, the writers haven’t done anything for her character other than use her propel Liam’s storyline forward. A few lines of backstory doesn’t undo Manic Pixie Dream Girl syndrome here. - Ted Brings What He Thinks is Closure to Stewart
After showing the video of the Duchess confessing to the murder of Dominique, Ted thinks Stewart’s need for revenge is sated. I don’t know when Ted became such a simpleton, but I’m disappointed — and so is Blonde Dom, who thinks this is all going to ruin Liam’s life. I think the show would be better off without moustache-twirling Stewart and his bland daughter.
There was A LOT going on in this episode of The Royals, which possibly explains why Cyrus’s storyline was dedicated to building a crib. We’re on our way to having the storyline about Simon’s murder wrapped up and I’m hoping we receive a great explanation for Ted stabbing him. I’m truly hoping that Jasper’s work to find the king’s killer will place everyone back on Team Jasper soon, because the show needs the Jasper/Liam bromance. It just does.
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Rating: 8/10
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