The Royals – Confess Yourself to Heaven

By starrymag | March 25, 2018

By: Luke Joseph

 

 

The Prince, the Parents and the Hard-Drive

“Where are you?! Jasper’s in surgery. I need you here!” That’s the text message that Liam (William Moseley) receives from his very distressed sister. If this was any other circumstance this text message wouldn’t have even needed to be sent because Liam would have been at his sister’s side. Unfortunately, though the young prince has other important matters to deal with such as “Operation Seduce,” which has gone a step further because Liam is now meeting Greta’s parents (Christopher Villiers and Victoria Wicks). Her mom the one who embarrasses their daughter in front of the new boyfriend and the father who can’t understand how someone like his daughter could land a prince.  “They wanted what I built more than they wanted my daughter, now you clearly don’t need anything from me so what is it…what are you after,” Greta’s father finally questions Liam privately in his study. Liam answers, “Maybe I just like your daughter.” During this episode fans get a bit more background as she opens up to Liam explaining how she once had a sister, but she died and because of it each time her father looks at her he’s reminded of the good daughter that he lost. Liam can certainly see similarities between him and Greta (Lily Loveless) and from them walk off heading back to her parent’s estate holding hands it’s obvious he might genuinely care about her as well.

“Greta has true greatness inside of her. Not just as an artist but as a person and to not see that is a tragedy,” Liam supplies at a tense dinner with himself and his girlfriend’s parents. From the look of awe on Greta’s face it’s enough for fans to know this is a girl who has never had someone defend her before and this is the Liam we’ve all come to love. After leaving a slumbering Greta in bed, he goes back into her father’s office and saves all of his files onto the drive. Considering that this is Liam we had all hoped he’d see the light but he didn’t.  It’s hard to witness Liam like this. He’s always been known for his pure heart but now he’s struggling. His reasoning isn’t evil. He still wants to do good, but it just entails doing something awful.

 

Fifty Shades of Cyrus & Not So Royal Behavior    

“Stay the course, my young apprentice. I’m dying. Taking down Robert may be the last great thing I do.” So, what does Cyrus (Jake Maskall) do in the meantime while waiting for his nephew? What any dying person would do, throw a sex party. Wait, scratch that, no not any dying person. This is only something that Cyrus would do. If Cyrus is dying he’s decided to go out with a bang, literally. Like every party, though, there is a crasher and this one is far from entertaining. The king of England looking absolutely appalled at what he’s stumbled upon, but it doesn’t even faze Cyrus as he kicks Robert (Max Brown) out of his room. Though Cyrus seems to have won this round, he should tread carefully because Robert of all people doesn’t take kindly to the family image being tainted and eventually if Cyrus keeps this up it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the King gives him the boot.

After the party goers, have taken their leave Liam pays a visit to his uncle’s bedroom wanting to announce his return along with something else. “Everything Bonne said was right and I’ve got it right here” Liam triumphantly states revealing the USB drive to a very proud uncle.

 

The Queen, the List and the Nose 

After getting over the shock of her son getting shot at and then told by her eldest that a wedding is what the people need, Helena (Elizabeth Hurley) gets straight to work with the help of Willow (Genevieve Gaunt) as they begin to look for potential brides. It seems like each one that Willow suggests to the queen is denied, including one getting a new nose. She explains to Willow that if this was to be the King’s wife and they had a child there’s a big chance that the baby would inherit its mother’s real nose and the people and press would have a field day on if Robert is the father or not. As humorous as this is fans have to wonder is the Queen talking about her own experience and fear that Robert is her beloved Alastair Lacey’s son.

Eventually, Queen Helena confesses to Willow the real reason for why she’s so hesitant with the potential brides. “I’m just not certain if any of these women have what it takes to replace me,” Helena confesses. Willow then reassures her that none of these women will ever replace her, but they’ll at least have her guidance every step of the way.  How ironic is it that Willow and Helena are bonding and unbeknownst to Helena she could be potentially having a heart to heart with her future daughter-in-law if Willow allows herself to be on the list again.

 

The King & the Music Box   

“Keep calm and carry on” is what Robert adds to his social media post that Willow is doing in regards to #KingsBodyguard being shot. Willow; however, can’t understand how someone who has just been shot at can be so calm and collected. Perhaps it’s because Robert has practically shook hands with death before? Either way he can see that Willow seems quite frazzled over the situation, which draws him to offer her a drink and remind her that this drink doesn’t count for the drink they are meant to get together soon. Unfortunately, Willow is still struggling with being on the list, which once again results in her asking to be removed from it. “Maybe I am a little afraid of the stakes, but I’m even more afraid of it not being real,” she admits to Robert. Well Willow, we can’t blame you and, honestly, we’re all trying to figure out if Robert’s feeling for you are genuine.

Later after his return from the press conference (we’ll dive more into that in a bit) he once again meets with Willow who has a list of potential brides for him and he agrees it’s time to bring them in. “Ironically, the first candidate is the one who wants it least someone who is immune to the glitz and glamour,” Robert smoothly supplies. “When I was a little girl my grandfather gave me a music box,” Willow begins and we can see a shadow of a smirk start to form across Robert’s lips. Willow confesses to how when she was a little girl her grandfather gave her this music box and when opened up she’d be greeted to a fairytale palace along with a song. Later that evening Willow stumbles upon a box left on her desk and surprise, surprise, it’s that exact music box she described to Robert. From the smile that displays and her touched expression it looks like she might be reconsidering being on that list.

 

We’re Rooting for you Bodyguard

We all thought the first time Jasper (Tom Austen) had seen Eleanor (Alexandra Park) had been in the pilot episode or when he had been doing his digging with Mandy, in regards to the royal family. However, we were wrong because the first time Jasper saw Eleanor had been when he had been a little boy. Fans haven’t really gotten a full back-story on Jasper, but we got a glimpse of it from a flashback of a little Jasper dressed as an elf in a bar waiting for his deadbeat father (Richard Brake) who is sporting a Santa costume. “I told you before you have to sell a con son make them believe you,” his father says, offering some not so fatherly advice and then exiting the bar. Just as Jasper begins to leave, his attention is drawn to the television were a young Princess Eleanor is lighting the Christmas tree and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. In a dark time of Jasper’s life for that one moment with the mere sight of Eleanor it brought him light and joy. It seems Jasper had been watching her on screen and now back in the present Eleanor is watching him as he gets operated on.

“He wrote to me while I was gone, but I didn’t write back. What if he doesn’t wake up mum what if he dies thinking I didn’t care about him,” a teary eyed Eleanor admits to her mother. This seems to be an ongoing theme for Eleanor living with guilt. When Robert was believed to be dead she lived with the guilt of not calling him. When her father died she was haunted by the guilt of disappointing him and now she might possibly lose Jasper with him under the assumption she doesn’t care. Thankfully, Helena reassures her daughter that he’s not going to die because he has something to live for or rather someone, Eleanor. “I’m rooting for you Bodyguard.” And immediately fans are hit with a beautiful parallel from season three when Queen Helena told Jasper she was rooting for him to make things right with her daughter. Now, she’s rooting for him to live so that he can be with her daughter.

“I watched him tear your soul apart last Christmas. It’s natural for me to want to protect you,” Robert quips. Excuse you?! Robert, the whole reason Eleanor’s heart was broken was because Jasper didn’t read her letter with her confessing her love to him because you burned it! Did being on the island too much with the sun beaming down on him fry his brain or something? Eleanor isn’t having it though and fires back that she’s an adult who doesn’t need his protection. The moment between them is quite tense and it only worsens when Robert flat out tells Eleanor that Jasper was a distraction to keep her from doing great things. “Dad told you to be great, Len. You’ve done that the Hotelanor project dad would be so proud of you.” Oh, using the dad card? Nice Robert. “Dad also said choose love,” Eleanor says. Speaking of love, the second the surgical gloves come off Eleanor is bolting out of the room to get the news. Finally, she can breathe again when she’s told that the surgery went well and that Jasper is going to be okay.

When the Heart is Full the Flower Blooms

“I read your letters I’m sorry that I didn’t reply. I was just being scared and stubborn…and stupid. I’m here now okay? I’m right here baby come back to me” Eleanor whispers at his bedside as she grasps Jasper’s hand and settles it to rest over her to feel her heart. A heart that solely belongs to him.

So far, Queen Helena and King Robert had paid visits to Eleanor and now it’s James Hill’s turn – only it seems he’s still not forgiving Jasper considering he had almost gotten sent to jail for treason because Jasper had been trying to protect Eleanor from a press leak. Oh, Mr. Hill, as displeased as you are with Jasper we know your heart dropped hearing that he had gone down. Even though James is concerned over Jasper’s condition, he’s more worried about Sara Alice who had caught on the news that there had been a shooting in South London and a bodyguard had been shot. Jasper’s name hadn’t been released but seeing as he is the king’s detail she connected the dots and now she sits at the palace worried about the fate of Mr. Caterpillar. After getting the reassurance that James won’t leave Jasper’s side, she finally finds the strength to leave the hospital and head back to the palace. Once again this speaks volumes about Eleanor’s character growth. She put her own paranoia and pain aside to focus on Sara Alice who was dealing with her. The reunion between the two is quite tender and even though Eleanor had been there to provide distraction for Sara Alice, Sara Alice proved a welcome distraction for Eleanor as well.

Speaking of hearts blooming, Eleanor’s is about to bloom when she’s told that Jasper is finally awake causing her to high-tale it back to the hospital and back to him. “Dad said choose love and be great and I intend to do both,” Eleanor says as she passes Robert (why is he still there?) before rushing into Jasper’s room. “I knew if I got shot I’d get you home” it’s the first words that Jasper says to her and, honestly, it’s perfect because even in the darkest of moments he’s brining light into the situation. With that, they seal it with another kiss and every Jaspenor fan with tears in their eyes go wild.

The Bodyguard, the Press and the Truth

“That’s okay I rather have a half a life with you then a full life with anyone else,” Eleanor lovingly admits after the Queen tells them both that Jasper will be taking part in a press conference. With Jasper being shot it’s not long until the press begins to dig and find out about his past, which is why the Queen came up with a clever story about Jasper being a CIA operative. The only drawback is a CIA operative can’t be in a relationship with the princess, at least not publically.

Many years ago Jasper watched Eleanor on TV and now she’s watching him on the screen as he addresses the press. All seems well until Jasper decides to go rouge and tell the truth. “I’m not British I’m American. I hope my accent wasn’t too offensive. You see my father was a small time con man from Las Vegas, Nevada. He taught me how to work an angle any time, any place and anywhere but one thing he never taught me is how to be a decent person. When I arrived at the palace I wasn’t a great guy. I wasn’t even a good guy, but a lot changed for me. I’ve changed.” Jasper then begins to tell the crowd how he considers it an honor to take a bullet for the king and anyone from the royal family because they’ve become his family. When asked if the royal family knew of his background King Robert is quick to speak up and explain that everyone deserves a second chance. Harper Day (Margo Stilley) then asks a follow up on if there is a woman in Jasper’s life. “Yes, yes there is. My heart has been taken by a very beautiful woman and I’m not going to tell you who she is but we look forward to a very long and full life together.” Harper asks a follow up to her question wondering if Jasper’s injuries will keep him from work to which he explains how he will return as his Majesty’s security detail and then like the sly man that he is he locks eyes with Robert and repeats the words Robert had told him in the car “because in my experience these things have a way of working out.” Does that mean he suspects foul play from the King? He’ll focus on that later right now his attention is on Eleanor who wants to deliver some tender, love and care. Enjoy it Bodyguard, you deserve it.