The second episode of The Serpent Queen , titled is where the series truly sheds its skin to reveal a sharp-edged study of survival, female agency, and the "long game" of power. The Central Conflict: Survival as a Foreigner

At the heart of S01E02 is the brutal reality of Catherine de' Medici’s position: she is an "immigrant" and "commoner" in the eyes of the French court, despite her noble marriage. Her worth is tied entirely to her , and she is failing at both. The Serpent Queen: Episode 2: Review | by Becky J Hollen