QUEEN CHARLOTTE

Shonda Rhimes’ confident writing explores unerasing erasure in a world where anyone aware of the rules of play, stands a chance.

India Amarteifio in La Reine Charlotte: Un chapitre Bridgerton (2023), photo: Liam Daniel

Shonda Rhimes delves into self-efficacy with a spin-off miniseries revolving around the character of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, a play off of the historical canon. The six-episode prequel to the original programme captures the imagination with fearless narrative driven ideas. We centre the young queen’s ascent to the throne and rise into power. Artful tactics and coming to terms with who you are populate the excellent plot lines and, consequently, power dynamics translate into something creative. Extremely clever and emotionally honest, through language and the constant use of euphemism in Georgian romantic fantasy England, Rhimes’ confident writing explores unerasing erasure in a world where anyone aware of the rules of play, stands a chance. Taking a character and moving backward to figure out how that person would have started out, what they may have felt needed to be accomplished in order to fully step into their full selves makes for a layered narrative, underscoring the potency of soft powers required to becoming an agent of change. Rhimes playfully explores the inner lives of spirited personages rendering dreams of grandeur appealing.