Other Doctor Lives: Elizabeth (1998, R)

I’ve seen this film before, but I’m revisiting it now for my Christopher Eccleston agenda. I’m not sure what it is—I’ve enjoyed my Other Doctor Lives forays into all the Doctors, including my pregame watches for Peter Capaldi and beyond—but for some reason, I get an extra little bit of joy seeing Eccleston be awesome in other projects.

After the death of King Henry VIII (and his son Edward VI,) his daughter Mary I becomes queen. As Mary’s health begins to fail, the Catholic queen’s abiding fear is that her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth will succeed her. When that’s exactly what happens, Catholic allies at court conspire against Elizabeth, dogging the young new queen’s every move. In order to make her mark on the throne, Elizabeth has to let all other desires be subsumed by it.

I am not up on my English monarchs, a fact I’ve admitted on multiple occasions, so I didn’t come to this film armed with the knowledge of how accurate it is. After I saw it for the first time, I looked up enough to confirm “not very.” So, with the understanding that it captures the overall feel and atmosphere of that era in England, and that it’s correct in the broad beats of Elizabeth’s early reign but takes a lot of license with the details, I enjoyed it as a movie if not as a history lesson.

When Elizabeth arrives at court, there are a few factors working against her. Again, she’s Protestant, which a lot of people virulently hate. Under Mary’s rule, Protestants were burned at the stake, and now the bishops are meant to accept a Protestant queen? She’s a woman, which is of course a problem for a lot of the men at court, and she’s unmarried, which makes it even worse in their eyes. Those who aren’t actively plotting to kill her are eager to marry her off as soon as possible—to gain a political alliance, to have a husband provide a tempering influence on Elizabeth, and to get her to pop out heirs and shore up the line of succession. And she doesn’t respect The Way Things Are Done. Aside from not placidly going along with her advisors’ marriage plans, she seeks the opinions of men who aren’t on her council, and she spends a great deal of time at court with her friend and lover, Robert Dudley. (Side note: reminder that I’m talking specifically about the film and not history, where Dudley’s precise relationship with Elizabeth isn’t known.)

Cate Blanchett earned her first Oscar nomination for this film, and it’s easy to see why. Elizabeth is thrown into an impossible situation that she’s ill-equipped for, and she handles it the best she can—sometimes hanging on for dear life, sometimes raging against the positions others put her in, sometimes clawing back her agency from everyone around her. She’s often unsure of her choices but plows ahead anyway, and it’s great to see the moments where she takes command and puts these tired men in their place. Additionally, there’s a real warmth and openness to Elizabeth for large parts of the film. Over the years, I feel like kind of an icy persona has built up around Blanchett and the characters she plays, and it’s good to see her playing something very different to that.

Joseph Fiennes plays Robert Dudley. This is actually one of two Elizabethan period pieces from 1998 in which he played the romantic lead, the other being Shakespeare in Love. While I prefer Fiennes in that film, he gets the job done well. The film also features appearances from James Frain, Kelly Macdonald, Emily Mortimer (seeing Bright Young Things alum in anything always makes me happy,) and Daniel Craig. Everyone is looking so young and lovely. Less happily, we also get Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham, one of Elizabeth’s few allies at court, and a ruthless one at that.

As for Eccleston, he has a prominent role here as the Duke of Norfolk, a prominent member of court and one of the chief forces opposing Elizabeth. He’s a shrewd character, openly showing allegiance in public while plotting in secret. The duke wants to keep Elizabeth under control until he’s able to get rid of her, and he’s not especially picky about how he might manage to do that.

Eccleston does a great job. The duke is intense and commanding, but in an understated way. He’s a very controlled man, and you can believe that Elizabeth might mistrust him but feel aggrieved that she has no concrete evidence as to why she does. He stays above reproach, keeping his voice level while his resentment seethes behind his eyes.

Accent Watch

RP. Again, very controlled, very “proper.”

Recommend?

In General – I would, provided you’re looking for entertainment and not a history lesson. This is a well-made film in which all elements work together to put forth the story it wants to tell.

Christopher Eccleston – Yes. Eccleston is excellent as the duke. It’s interesting to see how many darker characters have popped up for him on Other Doctor Lives. Nine was certainly edgier than most Doctors, but he’s also a character who radiates compassion and love. Seeing some of his past roles, it makes me all the more grateful that RTD looked at him and realized he could be an amazing Doctor.

Warnings

Violence (including religious executions,) sexual content, language (including sexist slurs,) drinking, and strong thematic elements.

Big Neurodivergent Energy Books: 1-5

Branching out into books now. Most of the entries on today’s list are middle-grade novels and series, formative reading for a neurodivergent kid who’s looking to see themselves in their books. I loved some of these when I was a kid, and I discovered others a bit later in life. Oh, and I couldn’t resist putting a little Jane Austen in there too!

 

Bridge to Terabithia

It occurs to me that, with characters who could fall within the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, the most nuanced examples can often be read as autistic. Yes, Leslie comes into Jess’s life and makes it better, because she cares about chasing her passions more than what other people think of her, and she encourages Jess to do the same. When I was a kid, I was absolutely enchanted by the thought of a hideaway in the woods where I could create my own imaginary kingdom, where I wouldn’t have to think about any of the boring, frustrating, challenging things about “real” life. And I don’t know about you, but that feels like a big autistic mood to me!

 

Matilda

There have to be a lot of autistic folks who feel they’ve found a champion in the little girl who gets revenge on a bully with the power of her mind—which includes her encyclopedic knowledge from her extensive reading, her logical problem-solving, and her literal telekinesis. Three cheers for this hyperlexic kid with a strong sense of justice who’s misunderstood by her family but loved by the teacher who appreciates her extraordinary mind!

 

Pride and Prejudice

It makes sense that neurodivergent coding would jump out in a social satire, even one from the 1800s. It isn’t much a stretch to take an ADHD interpretation of Lydia or Mrs. Bennet, or an autistic read of Mr. Collins. Of course, though, this is mainly about the one and only Mr. Darcy, the most autistic Eligible Bachelor you’ve ever met. Given the age of the source material, it’s impressive just how many autistic buttons he presses for me, from his difficulty in unfamiliar social situations to his penchant for plain honesty over flattery to his tendency to say the impolite thing while doing the caring thing. So much love! 

 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

I already talked about the Netflix show, which feels so autistic in large part because it’s such an effective adaptation of the books. Oh, how I love Lemony Snicket stopping in the middle of the action to clarify things, define words, or reflect on the illogical nature of an expression. Nearly every character is happily obsessed with a particular subject that they’ve made their life’s pursuit, and I love that the Baudelaires process their emotions in such analytical ways. From the first book, I was utterly taken with this series, and I absolutely knew it was for me.

 

Time Quintet

Oh, Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, my beloveds! Incredibly smart, unable to fit in, willing to accept the impossible. I can totally see the Murry home as a place where it’s safe to be autistic in a hostile world, with only the twins masking reliably. Whereas Calvin might be the lone autistic in his family, high-masking to the point where he’s easily accepted by others, but he comes alive when he meets people like him. I love Meg for her anger, her insecurities, and her obstinate square-peg-in-a-round-hole-ness. These books were so formative for me growing up!

Big Neurodivergent Energy Shows: 1-5

What do I mean by Big Neurodivergent Energy shows? It’s not just an abundance of ND-coded characters (in my case, autistic and/or ADHD,) although that’s definitely a factor. It’s something in the bones of the show itself. I don’t usually know why—maybe one or more of the creatives behind the camera are neurodivergent, knowingly or otherwise. But whatever the reason, something deep in the show feels so neurodivergent. It feels like home, it feels like me. I’ve loved all kinds of shows over the years, but many of these are the ones that really seep into my soul and don’t let me go.

By the way, when I first got the idea to do a Top Five post on this, I came up with seven shows. Rather than cut two of them out, at first I thought I’d just sit on it until I came up with enough for a Top Ten, because I couldn’t bear to exclude any of them. But then suddenly I had fourteen! So, this post is going to recur in new batches of five whenever I feel like it, because every show with Big Neurodivergent Energy needs to be celebrated!

For this first five, a few particular commonalities emerged: 1) People who are weird and broken are still beautiful and deserving of love. 2) Grace, kindness, and forgiveness can be extended regardless of whether someone has “earned” it. And 3) life can be harsh and small and suffocating, but we can reenvision life and try to make our own version of it. Lovely principles to stand by!

 

Doctor Who

I love, love, love that every incarnation of the Doctor feels AuDHD, but their neurodivergence looks a little different with each regeneration. From Ten’s repetition of words to Eleven’s constant stimming to Twelve’s bluntness, the Doctor demonstrates the many varied possibilities of autism and ADHD within a single character. I love that so much, and I love that, in their travels over the centuries, they’ve been able to meet so many people who appreciate those qualities in them. The Doctor is the walking, talking embodiment of the notion that life needs to be lived on your own terms rather than by any list of “rules” that you’re told you’re supposed to follow.

 

Our Flag Means Death

This is the show that helped me realize that so many of my favorite fictional couples are autistic- and/or ADHD-coded. Stede and Ed’s romance plays out in such a beautiful, unconventional, neurodivergent way, and I just love that they adore the things in one another that other people denigrate. And beyond the central pairing, the whole ship is bursting with neurodivergent swag. Just as the Revenge is a safe, welcoming place to be queer, it’s also a place that invites all sorts of minds. Everyone on the crew gets to be exactly who they are, and that makes me so happy!

 

Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope, my AuDHD-coded queen! She’s the one steering the ship, but the whole Parks and Rec department radiates neurodivergent vibes. I love the beautifully autistic romance between Leslie and Ben, and I love that, while Ron and Leslie are so different on the surface, their minds still resonate with one another and contribute to their lovely friendship. I appreciate this show for every binder and scrapbook, every repeated meal of waffles, and every bluntly deadpan retort.

 

Pushing Daisies

I was a big fan of other shows before this—I was really into Lost and the early seasons of How I Met Your Mother, and Breaking Bad started around the same time—but Pushing Daisies is the first show that, like, consumed my soul. Everything about it just felt made for me, from the delicious wordplay to the whimsical settings to the oddball characters with their heady blend of sweetness, sadness, and sharpness. Pushing Daisies is the first show I loved that sent me racing to IMDb, not just to check out the actors, but to check out the showrunner. I thought, This is my show. I need to see more of what this mind created.

 

Ted Lasso

This is an interesting case for me. Even though it’s loaded with quirky characters, has found-family vibes coming out its ears, and I knew I loved it in my soul, its Big Neurodivergent Energy crept up on me. None of the characters struck me as autistic- and/or ADHD-coded at first (I know, right? Beard???) But then, as I was picking up on the pattern that so many shows I’ve deeply loved feel hella neurodivergent, I started wondering if any of the characters on Ted Lasso could fit into my headcanons. And as I looked, I soon realized I was hard-pressed to find one who didn’t exude neurodivergence. Roy’s flat facing, growling, and frank honesty has my heart, but I also love Ted’s people pleasing and empathy, Keeley’s tendency to abandon words when she’s excited, and Dani yelling his own name as a verbal stim. And I really like the message that everyone has their broken parts, but 1) that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of change and 2) they don’t need to “fix” themselves before being worthy of grace and love.