WILL Episode 10

WARNING: Spoilers are included

 

The tenth and final episode of the first season of WILL brings the story together nicely.  As someone who has watched and reviewed all ten episodes, I have to say that WILL has been one of the best new shows of 2017.  While some of the subject matter makes it suitable for mature audiences only, the world would be a better place if more television contained the overall message and tone that is consistent throughout all ten episodes of WILL. 

 

 

Will rescues Alice from Richard Topcliffe’s prison, at the beginning of the episode.  Richard Topcliffe is furious to find out that Alice escaped.  When Will returns to the Burbage family, with Alice, they are happy to see them both, until Will admits his love for Alice, to her brother, Richard Burbage.

 

Will insists that Richard Topcliffe must be murdered, but Alice begs him to defeat Topcliffe by exposing him in the play, which was the original plan.  The Burbage family is initially hesitant on the idea, believing that such a strong political message behind a play puts all their lives in jeopardy.  The rest of the cast is also apprehensive, one even stating, “We are merely players.”  Richard Burbage, however, comes around to believe that the play is their best chance of defeating Richard Topcliffe, and he leads the charge in convincing the others, including his father, that this is the way to best expose Richard Topcliffe, thereby preventing Queen Elizabeth 1 from elevating Richard Topcliffe to a higher position that would make Richard Topcliffe the most politically powerful man in England.

 

Will invites Richard Topcliffe and his family to attend the play.  Richard Topcliffe accepts, under the false premise that he believes the character that represents him would portray him in a positive manner.

 

Christopher Marlowe also attends the play, having heard that his idea of the devil onstage, although figuratively, would come to fruition in this play.

 

Richard Burbage, who throughout the series has wanted that stellar breakthrough acting role is cast as the man who is to represent Richard Topcliffe.  Not only does Richard Burbage excel in this role, from the fictional acting perspective, but Mattias Inwood, the actor who plays Richard Burbage steals the show WILL in this episode, in what becomes not only a showcase for his character, but a showcase for him, in his stunningly precise replication of Richard Topcliffe’s mannerisms, selling the character both to the fictional audience on the show, and to the real audience watching at home.

 

Richard Topcliffe becomes upset when he realizes that the show is not portraying him in a positive light.  Showing tremendous courage, even Presto appears on stage, partaking in this political takedown of Richard Topcliffe.  When Alice seems to appear (whether for real or merely in Richard Topcliffe’s mind), Richard Topcliffe runs up onto the stage, demanding the show be stopped, making a total fool of himself, in front of the huge crowd, a crowd that thoroughly enjoyed the production, insuring Richard Topcliffe’s political doom.

 

After the show, Alice leaves the area, on a ship with Robert Southwell and many others.  She leaves a note behind for Will, ensuring him that she loves him and was glad to have met him, but that the path of her future lies apart from him, as she needs to fully discover herself living out her Catholic journey for this life. 

 

This was a very fitting ending to a wonderful show.  It was not the stereotypical trite ending in which the male protagonist overcomes his obstacle, and therefore wins his prize (the girl) who the show’s tone suggests he is automatically entitled to, as if she is less than a person and has no freewill or mind of her own.  Rather, Alice is shown as a likeable strong woman who, once giving her heart to God, has been transformed by His grace into someone who makes intelligent, moral, and loving decisions, including the choice not to pursue romance with a married man.  She places what is right in God’s eyes ahead of what her own fleshly desires yearn towards.   This character arc of Alice is one of the all time greatest in television history, especially to see God’s grace as a motivating factor for a character’s unmistakably noticeable positive change, on a secular show.

 

As a devout Catholic, I am happy to see how my religion and those who practice my Faith are portrayed in a very positive light throughout the entire ten episode show.  It is also great to see that a persecutor of Catholics is portrayed in an extremely negative manner throughout the entire ten episode show.  WILL also shows the incredible danger to Catholics that would exist if an anti-Catholic leader gains a prominent position of authority in a place that does not allow private citizens to carry guns.  As an American Catholic, I am not lost on the fact that the political party that opposes TRUE Catholicism is the same political party that opposes guns.  I hope more shows like WILL come along, extolling decency while appealing to a wide audience.  The writers and the cast have truly created something that is well worth your time.  Will there be a second season of WILL?  I don’t know.  As much as I would like to see more, I am thoroughly satisfied with the way the show ended.  I hope to see these cast members, again, in future shows, and I hope that these writers have more scripts produced!