Inquisition

 

Inquisition
Season 1, Episode 11
Air date	February 6, 2014
Written by	Doris Egan
Directed by	Mike Rohl
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"If Henry stands in the way, I'll kill him for you."

— Sebastian

Synopsis

Queen Catherine Is Accused of Adultry
When King Henry accuses Queen Catherine of treason and adultery, she sets out to save her life by exposing Bash's dark past. Mary and Bash go on a quest to expose an even more deadly secret from Catherine's past. Meanwhile, Nostradamus reveals the truth about the castle ghost, Clarissa, which shocks everyone.

Plot

Mary and Sebastian secretly meet with Jean, the wet nurse who has been taking care of Isobel's baby. Since the pagan mark has yet to completely fade, they worry that someone will see it and link it to Isobel. They plan on hiding the baby away until the cut has faded and then sending her to a convent through Jean's mother, Agnes. King Henry has returned from Rome with the aim of killing Queen Catherine, since he was unable to divorce her. He has accused her of adultery, which is a treasonous offense punishable by death, but fortunately for Catherine, her cousins Francesca and Pietro de' Medici have come to make sure that any charges are fairly disputed. Henry has also brought his friend, Viscount Richard Delacroix, to collect evidence against Catherine. One of the testifiers against Catherine will be Lady Kenna, and in exchange, Henry has promised to find her a wealthy husband. In order to keep herself and her bloodline in power, Catherine must discredit Bash. She enlisted one of her Flying Squad ladies to spy on him and from her, Catherine finds out that Mary and Bash have spent an unusual amount of time in the wine cellar. Catherine is let out of containment just in time to see the baby and its pagan marking before Mary has it sent away. A duel of words to the death begins. Catherine visits her accused amour, Nostradamus, in the dungeon, and inquires about Bash. Henry comes in and offers to spare Nostradamus, if he testifies that he and Catherine were indeed lovers. He refuses. Catherine takes Jean for a walk and tells her that the baby is not at the Convent of St. Clair like she claimed it was. Catherine knows it was Jean's mother who took the baby away. When the wet nurse won't divulge the location of her mother's cottage, Catherine brings out Francesca and Pietro and threatens to have them harm her if she doesn't give her an answer. Mary tells Bash that she has committed to him politically, but he doesn't think a political reward is enough to justify the peril that the life they're building will put them in. Bash asks her if she's ever thought what it might have been like if he was the one for whom she was intended when she first came to court. They are interrupted when they receive word that after being stretched on the rack, Jean has revealed where her mother lives. The Medicis have already sent men but they will have to use a map, while Bash knows a shortcut. Mary and Bash set off to get there first. Clarissa comes to Catherine and tells her she and Nostradamus will both get what they deserve. Nostradamus tells Catherine about Clarissa. That she was born with a birthmark on her face and they tried to remove it, only to savagely deform her. Upon healing the storm Catherine was in tears. Upon hearing of her impending death, Catherine goes to Henry. They talk about their love... they both thought the other stopped loving each other. When she wasn't able to bear him a child, she was afraid he would kill her. He responded by wondering why she could not see then that he was in love with her and could never have done that. After their discussion, they wind up in each others arms. Mary and Bash reach the baby just minutes before Catherine's people arrive. They hide and are spared but the baby is discovered. After Catherine leaves Henry's bed, she goes directly to Richard Delacroix and into his arms. He has been the man who has loved her all of her life and she although she loves Henry, she's never felt safe with him like she does with Richard. Meanwhile, Mary and Bash learn of the tale of Catherine's baby that she had with a lover while they are with the woman who was protecting the baby. It must have been Richard's. Bash and Mary take the servant back to the castle to tell the tale of the baby with the port wine stain. Henry has Richard's beard shaved and a stain identical to the one described is revealed. He is removed to lose his head. Catherine counters with a pagan object from Diane's chamber and Henry's two guards as witnesses to her finding it and not planting it there. When one guard promises to tell the truth about what he saw, Henry unsheathes his sword and beheads him. After seeing the consequences of being honest, the other guard claims to have seen nothing. Catherine is sent away and Henry tells his lesson of the day to Mary and Bash: a threat, no matter how big or small, ought to be cut down like a weed. Catherine's family tells her she has disgraced them by losing. They offer her no further help other than a pill of poison. Mary is on the balcony contemplating her cousin Elizabeth Tudor's future when Bash comes in. He assures her she can always change her mind about being with him and if Henry is against it, he will kill him for her. Mary then tells Bash that he challenges her in ways she never imagined and that her heart is open to him. While Mary is taking a bath, Catherine sneaks in. She pours poison into the water and holds a knife to Mary's throat while waiting for the poison to take them both out. As they start to fade into unconsciousness, Clarissa runs in, opens the window to let air in and wakes her mother and Mary. She disappears as soon as the guards and Bash get in. Bash pulls Mary out of the bath, telling the guards to chain Catherine up like the animal that she is.

Quotes

Pietro de' Medici: They say one or two of Henry VIII's wives practiced laying their head on the block, so they could practice facing the end with dignity.

Lady Kenna: Catherine tried to poison me once. You can tell them that in court.
King Henry: No one cares, Kenna.
Lady Kenna: But that part's true!

Queen Catherine: Off with you child, you've killed me enough for one day.

Queen Mary: It will be hard to destroy us both when you are without your head.
Queen Catherine: Ah, so it's to be a race, is it?!

Sebastian: Have you ever considered if I were the Dauphin when you came to court, instead of my brother? If you came with your heart open, ready to love me?

Nostradamus: Perhaps I know what it's like to be a freak!

Nostradamus: The shadows are the only life she has.

King Henry: My hands are tied.
Queen Catherine: Who ties the hands of the King, other than a select, lusty few?

King Henry: I would not have killed you! Or put you aside! I was in love with you. Could you not have trusted me?
Queen Catherine: Trust you? You're killing me now!

Queen Catherine: I was always taught that love was a delusion. That people love what you can give them.

Queen Catherine: Diane's soul. Lovely, if a bit lightweight.

King Henry: Lesson for the day: next time you see a threat, large or small, you cut it down like a weed.

Sebastian: Mary, claiming England means nothing to me. I was only interested in claiming you.

Sebastian: If Henry stands in the way, I'll kill him for you.

Queen Mary: I've made the perfect choice. Because together, we have killed you!

Notes

• (The) Inquisition refers to a group of institutions within the judicial system of The Catholic Church whose aim is to combat heresy.
• Diane de Poitiers and Isobel Derant are both mentioned, but do not appear.
• It is mentioned that Queen Catherine and King Henry went 10 years without a child. This was true historically too.
• Isobel Derant's daughter, Baby Derant, is still alive and well.
• Catherine and Henry have sexual relations for the first time on screen.
• King Henry decapitates a man to keep Diane de Poitiers' past a secret.
• Pietro de' Medici makes a vague reference to Catherine Howard, who was beheaded at 17.

Goof
- Pietro de' Medici said that two of King Henry VIII's wives practiced laying their heads on the block before their execution. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII's second and fifth wife respectively, were both beheaded. However, it was only Catherine who practiced this.

Death Toll
- Castle Guard

Trivia

• This episode marks the first time Anna Popplewell has not appeared.
• This episode marks Toby Regbo's second absence from an episode.
• Pietro de' Medici made a vague reference to Catherine Howard, who was beheaded at 17.
  • On the show The Tudors, Torrance Coombs played one of her secret lovers.

Historical Notes

• King Henry VIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, practiced laying her head on the block the night before her execution so that she could face the end with dignity. His 2nd wife, Anne Boleyn, was also beheaded but did not do the same.
• Catherine de' Medici had an uncle named Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici but he died in 1503.
• There was also a Piero di Cosimo de' Medici who was the de facto ruler of Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. but he died in 1469.
• King Henry and Queen Catherine talk about their early days and say that they were in love. That was not true. When they met, not only did Henry not like Catherine, but he was already in love with Diane de Poitiers.
• Catherine de' Medici was indeed a patron of the arts whose funding contributed to the French Renaissance significantly.

Characters

Actor	Character
Adelaide Kane	Queen Mary
Megan Follows	Queen Catherine
Torrance Coombs	Sebastian
Celina Sinden	Greer Norwood
Caitlin Stasey	Lady Kenna
Alan van Sprang	King Henry
Rossif Sutherland	Nostradamus
Greg Bryk	Richard Delacroix
Katie Boland	Clarissa
Nancy Palk	Francesca de' Medici
Evan Sabba	Pietro de' Medici
Amy Groening	Lady Charlotte
Jeanie Calleja	Jean
Sarah Dodd	Agnes

	Character debut
	Speaking debut
	Episode debut