Still Star-Crossed – Hell Is Empty and All The Devils Are Here

By: Stacy Miller

The episode picks up where the last one left off, with Rosaline (Lashana Lynch) being taken to the prince.  She expected to see Escalus (Sterling Sulieman), but is brought to Count Paris (Torrance Coombs) instead.  Paris tells her that he was looking for her at the request of Escalus. “How did you escape your kidnapper?” Paris asks.  Rosaline answers that she wasn’t kidnapped; she left willingly with Benvolio (Wade Briggs). Paris wants to go somewhere alone where Rosaline can tell him everything.  Rosaline looks a little scared to be alone with Paris.  And she has good reason.

What happens next?  Well, we’ll have to wait to find out as the episode does a flashback to the end of two episodes ago when Lady Capulet (Zuleikha Robinson) looked out the window and spotted Rosaline riding off into the night with Benvolio. Viewers know that Lady Capulet pocketed the note that Rosaline had left for her sister, but Livia (Ebonee Noel) rushed into the room when she heard Lady Capulet scream that Benvolio had kidnapped Rosaline.

Lord Capulet (Anthony Stewart Head), Lord Montague (Grant Bowler), Princess Isabella (Medalion Rahmi) and Prince Escalus gathered to discuss Rosaline’s abduction by Benvolio.  Lord Montague says that he will stand by his offer to marry Rosaline once she is found, but Lord Capulet will have none of that; he’s not going to let his niece marry into the Montague family now!  And also, there’s no way Lord Capulet is giving back the goats and ducets the Montagues paid for Rosaline to marry Benvolio.  In short, Lord Capulet will get Rosaline back from Benvolio and the Montagues will get nothing! But the only thing on Escalus’ mind is Rosaline’s safety. Because he’s like totally in love with her; I doubt whether an extensive search is ordered when the woman selling apples in the market goes missing!

Livia sees Count Paris and tells him about her sister Rosaline being kidnapped by Benvolio Montague. Paris comforts Livia and assures her that he’ll do anything he can to find her sister. Then, Paris kisses Livia. But Livia can’t see what the viewers can. While they are hugging, Paris gives a smile to Lady Capulet, who has been watching the exchange.  I feel so badly for Livia, she seems to have fallen in love with Paris and he’s just using her.  I hope she discovers the truth before she gets in too deeply.

The following day, Paris makes an appearance at the Capulets. However, he’s not welcomed as Lord Capulet is angry with Paris for not attending Juliet’s funeral.  Because how would Capulet know that Paris had been injured and had to be nursed back to help by Livia? Paris tells Lord Capulet that he plans to ask Prince Escalus to allow him (Paris) to help in the search for the missing Rosaline.  Out of Lord Capulet’s earshot, Lady Capulet tells Paris that although he never married Juliet, she still wants him to be a part of her family. Later while on a walk with Livia, the charming Paris tells her that he needs to think of a story to tell her family of how they met when he asks for her hand in marriage.

Lord Capulet learns from a man who works for him that there were other men working on the Cathedral.  These men work for Lord Montague.  Furious, Lord Capulet goes to confront Lord Montague, who immediately assures him that he (Lord Capulet) is mistaken; he would never do something so underhanded and jeopardize the alliance that they were hoping to build between their two families. This would have been the story had this been a Disney version and then Lords Capulet and Montague would have burst into song about friendship or something. But since this is series television, Lord Montague doesn’t deny the accusation. He basically tells Lord Capulet that yes it’s true and there’s nothing he can do about it. Feeling defeated, Lord Capulet goes to talk to the one person who he knows would never judge him: His daughter.  Actually, Juliet’s body.  In a touching scene, Lord Capulet tells her that building the Capulet Cathedral was something that was started by his grandfather and was to be passed down through the generations for all Capulets.  He was building it for her, his beloved daughter, and wanted to see her get married there.  Lord Capulet now believes that Juliet’s ghost has been appearing to him to warn him about the Cathedral. Lord Capulet goes to see a former employee and pays him all the money he previous owed him to complete a little job for him.

Meanwhile, Lord Montague’s sister Tessa (Claire Cooper) is not happy about the scandal Rosaline’s kidnapping is bring to the Montague family name.  Lord Montague had hoped that the completion of the Cathedral would again place the Montague name in high regard.  But, unfortunately, someone has caused damaged to the Cathedral.  Sounds like Lord Capulet’s man got to work. Don’t you know Lord Montague? You take away Lord Capulet’s toy and he breaks it! When one of Lord Montague’s workers says that he’s not working on the Cathedral anymore as he believes there to be a curse on the project, Montague requests an audience with Prince Escalus. Like what does he think Escalus will do, MAKE the man work for him (Lord Montague)?  Escalus doesn’t have time to see Lord Montague; he’s extremely busy (You know because he’s worried that the love of his life was kidnapped and he has to get her back).  Lord Capulet shows up at the same time to taunt Lord Montague, who calls Capulet a coward.  Those are fighting words and soon there’s a West Side Story throw down in the street. This is what I wanted to see, the fight was actually pretty tame but it still required the guards to break it up, with a Capulet guard killing a Montague one.  Prince Escalus is tired of all the childish fighting between Capulet and Montague.  He tells them that because Lord Capulet’s guard killed the other guard, the man will be put in the stocks for a fortnight. I’m not really sure how long a fortnight is, but this is not good for the guard.  The only thing worse would have been if he had been sentenced to death.

Lord Capulet returns to his daughter’s body, and Juliet’s ghost again issue the ominous warning of beware.  Fearful, Lord Capulet has security increased.  When Lord Montague learns that Lord Capulet ordered statues for the Cathedral, his first idea is to have them wrecked.  But then, he gets a better idea. Lord Montague makes it looks like one of the Virgin Mary statues is crying blood so the people will think it’s some sort of miracle. Lord Capulet finally admits to Lady Capulet about seeing Juliet’s ghost.  She thinks he’s going mad. But when Lady Capulet goes to see her daughter’s body and asks the ghost to reveal herself, the lights go out.

Paris offers to help Escalus locate Benvolio and Rosaline.  However, Escalus insists on going himself; Paris can’t even change his mind when he tells Escalus that a ruler can’t abandon his people. Paris returns to Lady Capulet and reports what happened with Escalus. Lady Capulet says that Paris MUST convince Escalus to allow him (Paris) to head the search. “How much blood would you have me shed?” Count Paris asks Lady Capulet.  It is then that we learn Lady Capulet’s plan:  She wants Paris to marry Livia so that his family and the Capulets can take over Verona from Escalus. Paris dons a hood and kills some people causing Escalus to be forced to remain in the city and asking Paris to go on the search for Benvolio and Rosaline.

Before he leaves, Paris tells Livia that he will bring Rosaline back.  But Lady Capulet has other ideas.  She orders Paris to kill both Benvolio and Rosaline when he finds them. “She should never have let Juliet marry that Montague,” Lady Capulet tells Paris. Later, a man who tried to blackmail Lady Capulet is accused of being the person terrorizing Verona and ordered by Prince Escalus is be executed. The man shouts, “The new Prince is coming.” This doesn’t faze Escalus; he’s Verona’s one and only prince.

So, this catches us up and brings viewers back to the beginning of the episode. Count Paris tells Rosaline that he loves Livia, but Rosaline says she knows the truth about him.

Meanwhile, Benvolio saw Rosaline being brought to Paris and tries to rescue her but he is caught by Escalus.  Benvolio tries to explain that Paris is the real bad guy, but Prince Escalus doesn’t believe him. Paris realizes that both Escalus and Benvolio are there and warns Rosaline that unless she lies and tells Escalus that Benvolio kidnapped her and Paris was the one who saved her then Paris will kill her, Benvolio, Escalus and even Livia.  Sadly, Rosaline has no choice but to tell Escalus that Benvolio kidnapped her and even called himself the new Prince of Verona.  Poor Benvolio, how is he going to get out of this?