Netflix has done an incredible job of chronicling Britain’s Royal Family over the years through their The Crown series. Amid that programs’s success, the streamer hasn’t been afraid to dive further into international waters with their storytelling, such as 2022’s The Empress. Six episodes of the original series premiered at the time, following the dramatic love story of Elisabeth “Sisi” Von Wittelsbach and Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, who was intended to marry the former’s older sister, Helene, at first. Overall, the first season tackles the complicated politics of the time in Austria and beyond and Elisabeth’s unorthodox ways of dealing with societal expectations that had a dramatic impact on court life in her new country.
Season two of The Empress arrived on Nov. 22, but before you tap into that, you’ll want to look back on the biggest plot points from the show’s debut episodes. Keep reading for everything you need to remember about Elisabeth and Franz’s (who’s actually her cousin) unconventional introduction back in August 1853, plus what transpired between their families that led her storm out of court so dramatically near the season finale.
Elisabeth’s Family Disapproves of Her Free Spirit, but It Proves Useful Along Her Journey
Unlike others in her family, Elisabeth was known for her romantic nature, which directed her away from performing traditional womanly duties and toward marrying for love. In the first episode of The Empress, viewers get an immediate sense of her independent attitude as she rejects numerous marriage proposals. Her mother doesn’t approve of this approach, but it ultimately works in Elisabeth’s favor when she catches the eye of Emperor Franz. Their connection is undeniable, but it proves troublesome as he was intended to marry Elisabeth’s older sister, Helene, in an arrangement set up by his mother, Sophia.
As the show continues, it becomes increasingly obvious that the Emperor’s mother isn’t a fan of her daughter-in-law, who’s often seen interacting with commoners and smoking. Her free spiritedness makes it obvious to Sophia that Elisabeth isn’t someone who can be controlled, which could prove problematic when married to a man whose loyalty is so tightly tied to doing what’s best for his nation.
Emperor Franz Fights To Remain Neutral in the Fight Between Russia and France
Speaking of Emperor Franz, he’s got a massive burden on his shoulders during The Empress season one – war between France and Russia. Austria was not a prosperous nation at this time, with starvation killing many innocent people caught between the feuding countries. Franz hoped to remain neutral in the conflict, doing everything he could to avoid war so as to prevent further suffering of his people. On-screen we see his balanced nature as the Emperor requests negotiations with Russia and France. Even though it goes against his wishes, Franz does his due diligence to make sure his troops are prepared to attack any Russian enemies that attack his border (but only as a last resort).
With war waging all around them, Austrians are more angry than ever at their monarchy. Just when revolutionaries named Leontine and Egon infiltrate the court in hopes of attacking the leader, Elisabeth steps in to remedy the situation; this is only possible because the time the Emperor’s wife had already dedicated to connecting with locals and hearing their struggles, hence earning their trust.
Their Lives Are Sure To Change After Season 1’s Big Reveal
Franz’s brother, Maximilian is another Royal who plays a major role in season one of The Empress as he constantly schemes up new ways to take the throne for himself. Maximilian sees Franz as weak and unfit to rule such a complicated empire, plotting to stage a mutiny which the former learns about while meeting with the Grand Duke of Russia in an effort to end the war.
The news leaves Elisabeth feeling overwhelmed by all the chaos around her, leading her to storm out of court and straight into a crowd of commoners as if she’s one of them. As Collider notes, one of the show’s biggest twists comes at the end of the season when it’s revealed the Empress is pregnant. By the looks of the season two still from Netflix above, motherhood is sure to be a central theme throughout season two of the Netflix original!
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