Everything to Remember Before Season 2 of 'Marie Antoinette'

Marie Antoinette sought to paint the much-maligned monarch in a new light – as a likeable, sympathetic figure that history has marred through a misogynistic lens. Far from the poster child for excess and out-of-touch aristocracy, we meet Antoinette (Emilia Schüle) when she is just a teenager. At fourteen years old, the historical queen is sent from Austria to France to marry Louis XVI (Louis Cunningham); she is naïve, sweet, headstrong, and a bit rebellious.

Season 1 sees Antoinette struggle to fit in, to shake anti-Austrian sentiment, to conform to French etiquette, but most of all, to get her new husband to interact with her. This is absolutely crucial, as Antoinette’s primary duty is to produce an heir and solidify the Franco-Austrian alliance – something she can’t do if Louis won’t even speak to her, let alone share their marital bed.

The nearly mute Louis is beyond shy and so socially inept that at first I wondered if they were suggesting he was on the spectrum. He is paralyzingly insecure; historically, his parents favored his brother who died, so this inferiority complex tracks. Louis’ arc over the season is to transform from the silent and bullied dauphin to a decisive and confident king, mainly because of his relationship with the queen.