‘Mary & George’ Episode 6 Recap: “The Queen Is Dead”

You can probably tell from the title of Mary & George Episode 6, “The Queen Is Dead,” that this episode features, well, the death of Queen Anne (Trine Dyrholm), who we last saw very ill, not to mention very angry at Mary (Julianne Moore) for not controlling George (Nicholas Galitzine) enough to keep Sir Walter Raleigh (Joseph Mawle) alive. But that was the least of Mary’s concerns because George’s refusal to listen to his mother anymore is likely to mean war for England, and everyone is gravely concerned. 

There’s a growing mob around London of those who are none too pleased with King James (Tony Curran) for having Raleigh executed. They march through the street screaming, “King James Spain f**ker!” and setting fire to things. One woman, who seems to have gotten lost on her way to the butcher, even carries a pig she slaughtered on her back through the melee. Things are not going well for the monarch, in other words. 

Sir Francis Bacon (Mark O’Halloran) is pleased with himself, it seems, and George has grown his hair, which is how shoulder-length. Exactly how much time has passed since the last episode is unclear, but Charles (Samuel Blenkin), the king’s son, wants to know when his mother will be laid to rest. There’s no money for a state funeral, apparently, but George and Bacon are unmoved. Mary is, in a way — she’s there to pay her respects. That, of course, is code for talking to her son, which seems a very rare occurrence these days.

Charles vows to make sure that when he’s king, men like George are “where they belong,” which sounds promising. When Bacon tells George that James has about a decade left of his life (man, they really didn’t live long back then!), George realizes he’s got some work to do to try to get on his good side. However, at the moment, he’s got bigger fish to fry. There’s no money, James has borrowed as much as he possibly can, and the country is on its knees. Doesn’t sound so far off from modern-day Britain, but hey ho! 

James, for his part, seems to be a bit in denial. He’s still dancing around, doing theatrical scenes, drinking wine — everything but dealing with matters of the state (and of his wife’s death). George points out that Parliament needs to open to raise taxes and pay for Anne’s funeral, as well as all their debts. However, James is against the idea since he believes that if he opens Parliament, the country will go to war and take him off the throne. One thing is clear: things can’t go on like this much longer. 

Sandie (Niamh Algar) and Mary have a chat outside the palace, where Mary laments the fact that George barely knows who she is anymore. Sandie urges her to use all the money she now has to get away from men like Bacon, who clearly scares her and who she knows is out to get Mary. However, Mary is up for a challenge and points out that men like Bacon are everywhere and there’s no excuse. She’ll be staying (and Sandie will be following him, hot on his heels like a bloodhound). 

George immediately jumps into action trying to win Charles over, telling the future monarch that James loves him, he just forgets himself and needs constant fawning. Charles points out that he shouldn’t have to compete for his father’s love and attention, and George agrees, but he wants to help him. In order to get James’ attention on Anne and get him to finally bury her, they bring her to lie in the royal bed, where he can no longer ignore the truth of her passing. 

It does the trick, and Parliament is reopened after six years. James tells Parliament he must raise the taxes for the good of the realm. He knows there will have to be deals, compromises, and concessions, but basically, them’s the breaks. He urges them not to get distracted by “dreams of war” and claims that they can actually be friends with Spain. James gets plenty of jeers for that, but none in attendance will challenge the divine right of kings. 

Sandie has been imprisoned (and beaten on her way there). Mary is beside herself and seems genuinely moved, showing there must be some real feeling between them. In fact, I’d venture to say it’s the closest Mary has ever been to being in love. However, this is no touching moment. Sandie believes she’s going to be hanged, but Mary believes she has the power to save her. She gives Sandie her word that she will do everything possible to get her out. 

There appears to be a growing distance between James and George. There’s a storm raging inside James, one that George can’t quell. The time for hedonism and joy appears to be over, and in its place has come a darkness that no one seems to know how to navigate. However, George has more to worry about. His wife (!), Katie (Mirren Mack), is heavily pregnant with the couple’s first child. George is going to be a dad! 

At the Privy Council meeting, Sir Edward Coke (Adrian Rawlins) resigns. It’s clear he’s done with the Villiers family and the monarchy as a whole. He plans to lead two new committees to investigate State corruption as well as Spanish threat, which will be established at the next Parliamentary session. Well, this could get interesting!

George and Bacon quickly rush off to meet with Gondomar (Unax Ugalde), where he admonishes them for not “controlling Parliament.” They still want to be paid, but Gondomar doesn’t necessarily think they’ve done their jobs — or that they’ll be able to control Coke moving forward. Gondomar is sad that his grand plan, to marry the Spanish king’s daughter, Infanta, to James’ son, Charles, to create an unbreakable bond between the two countries. Needless to say, George and Bacon are a bit skeptical. 

Mary goes to see Coke to ask for Sandie’s pardon. However, this time, she has nothing to offer. She barely spends time with George, so she can’t even give him any information, so she has no leverage. So, Mary does something she never, ever does: she begs. Unfortunately for her, Coke isn’t interested. In fact, he downright gloats in her face just how screwed she is. In fact, he even threatens to take George down with her. Things aren’t looking good for Sandie, who they plan to hang for murder. 

George goes to see James, but James doesn’t open the door. So, George tells him through the door to imprison Coke on sedition charges because he wants war with Spain and George. He also wants to close Parliament again, but James simply acknowledges the wolves. He doesn’t show any inclination to do anything about them, however. 

Kit comes to see George, warning him that the Parliamentary committee came and uncovered all of his jewels and expensive possessions, largely paid for by State funds, no doubt. It’s not long, however, until they come to George’s, where Katie presents herself as the master of the house. George and Kit have made a hasty exit.

Katie, however, can hold her own. She hands Coke a necklace she claims was a gift from an aunt who passed away, then tries to seduce him, which very nearly works, but not quite. 

At Mary’s house, she forces her two sons to kneel in front of her and admit that they need her. This could come in handy. She points out that she needs a pardon for Sandie. She claims this is because it wouldn’t look good for her if Sandie was tried and hung, but we all know it’s about much more than that. She also wants George to visit Coke and offer to testify against Bacon if he leaves George himself alone. 

Mary also tells George to visit Gondomar, and he does just that. George points out that Coke plans to arrest George and use him against Bacon. That will then leave Gondomar without any allies. Gondomar doesn’t seem very interested in making a deal, but George wants proof that Bacon is in his pay. In return, he promises to get Charles on side for the whole “marrying the Spanish princess” plan. This gets Gondomar’s interest.

Mary then goes to see Bacon and tells him to admit defeat, but he’s still indignant. She’s got all of his private letters to Gondomar, but he denies that such letters exist.  Mary starts reading from one such letter, and he realizes he’s being blackmailed. Bacon thinks he has a leg to stand on, despite all of his arguments to the contrary being shot down. Well, this should be fun! 

Sir Francis Bacon has indeed been found guilty of “countless acts of corruption” and has no titles, ability to hold office, own land, etc. Instead, he’s been banished from the royal court, which is a rather pleasant outcome for him, I think. 

More importantly, Sandie is also freed! Yay! She walks out into the sunlight, still in shackles and clearly unable to believe that Mary’s pulled off perhaps her greatest coup yet. And that’s not all the good news: George is allowed back into the king’s good graces (and his bed). Plus, George’s daughter has been born, and she’s named Mary. 

Bacon shows up at George’s house and asks for a minute with him, though it’s illegal for him to even be there. However, George relents. Bacon is throwing himself a bit of a pity party, but he’s really there to say he plans to get “one small act of vengeance” against the future queen. Oh no, I have an awful feeling about this… 

Sandie’s name is Cliodhna, we discover, but she changed it when she came to England. We find this out as she talks to another prisoner who’s being released as they travel back into the city in the back of a carriage. The woman then tells Sandie a story about a man who came into her cell and gave her a message to give Sandie. That message, of course, comes in the form of a knife, and the episode ends with Sandie being murdered. Of all the horrific things that have happened on this show, this one hurts the most! 

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor from New York who cares too way much about fictional characters and spends her time writing about them.