WILL Episode 5

Episode 5 of WILL starts with Will proclaiming his love for Alice Burbage, to Alice Burbage, claiming to her that she has brought him a level of happiness like he never experienced before.  They are having adulterous sex as this discussion is going on, but this is interrupted by an announcement that Will’s wife and three children have arrived, a surprise visit.

 

Alice is devastated seeing the reality of Will’s wife and children, who previously, in Alice’s mind, were almost nonexistent, since Will essentially treated them as nonexistent in his willingness to have the affair with Alice.  While Olivia DeJonge does a phenomenal job conveying Alice’s emotional devastation, strictly through her facial countenance, the audience is left with mixed feelings, the genuine sympathy that those with hearts will inevitably feel towards anyone who is clearly hurting, and the “this is what you get for knowingly having an affair with a married man,” sense of poetic justice.

 

Alice’s mother is happy about Will’s wife and children arriving, hoping it will be a catalyst to get Alice to marry the rich man she picked out for Alice.  Alice makes it clear to her mother, though, that she will not marry someone who she does not love.  Alice’s mother shuns love, as she verbally berates Alice’s father and her marriage to him, to Alice, making Alice’s mother who was already very dislikeable become thoroughly repugnant to the audience.

 

Will is extremely uncomfortable about his wife and children arriving, both out of fear of his affair being exposed, and out of concern that in London, his Catholic family is more likely going to be targeted for execution by Richard Topcliffe and his minions.

 

When speaking to his young daughter, Richard Topcliffe spreads revisionist history propaganda about Mary Tudor, who had been given the unjust moniker “Bloody Mary,” claiming Mary was killing Protestants over their religion.  REAL history shows that Mary never targeted people over their religion, but over rebellion against her rule.  Elizabeth, her half-sister successor, on the other hand, had at least 700 Catholics murdered.  What is fascinating about the way Richard Topcliffe is shown spreading hateful propaganda to children is that this same evil strategy is being used in modern America.  To get people to feel morally justified in REALLY hating someone, falsely accuse that person of bigotry, even invent a fictional disease and claim that person has it, and then furthermore claim that all people who share that person’s race, religion, gender, or political leanings are the same way. 

 

Knowing how hateful Richard Topcliffe is, Will feigns an inability to write something that both entertains and sends a message, as he meets with Topcliffe, lacking a script.  Richard Topcliffe agrees to co-write the anti-Catholic play with Will, at a later time.  Topcliffe then asks Will to try to interpret the letter that was initially stolen from Will, a letter that reveals Robert Southwell’s location, but through code.  Will denies understanding the code.

 

Will proceeds to run towards the location in an attempt to save Robert Southwell’s life.  Will succeeds in warning Robert Southwell, in time, but Topcliffe arrives and the owner of the house is beaten in front of his wife and children, and taken away, likely to be executed. 

 

Robert Southwell, while upset about what happened to the family who was protecting him, is grateful to Will, happy that Will has taken up his cause, and trusts in God’s greater plan, in accordance with Romans 8:28.  Will, on the other hand, says that he merely saved Robert Southwell, since he is family, and is not in support of his cause.  Will proceeds to condemn Robert Southwell’s cause as being selfish, which is far from reality.  Still, Will’s attitude exemplifies that of someone who is so caught up in sexual sin that he has lost his way, in his Catholic Faith, to the point where not only is he not willing to take a stand for his Faith, but that he feels justified in pointing hateful fingers at those who do.  Robert Southwell responds, “I care not about myself; I fight for a world where people do not have to hide what is in their soul.”  Essentially, Robert Southwell was fighting for the principles upon which the United States of America would later be founded upon.  Sadly, there are many Americans, today, whose SEXUAL agenda is a threat to the very values upon which the United States of America was built  upon, the religious freedom that SHOULD protect all Americans from being compelled to aid and abet what they believe to be the grave sins of others.

 

Meanwhile, Will’s wife finds out about Will’s affair with Alice, and is heartbroken.  Will, however, chooses his wife and children over Alice, asking them to stay in London, with him.  Alice, however, still has her sights set on Will.  Will Will be able to resist Alice’s future advances?  Will Will co-write a hateful play with Richard Topcliffe?  Will Will’s return to his family also help draw him back to his Catholic Faith, making him join Robert Southwell’s noble cause?  What will happen next?  Find out, next Monday, August 7, on TNT, now at 11:00 P.M.  I predict the next episode will be worth your time, too!