The White Princess has been a fantastic addition to Starz's drama lineup recently, and a formidable follow-up to The White Queen. But now the story is just starting to take on another extremely dramatic layer: Is The Boy (Patrick Gibson) truly Lizzie's (Jodie Comer) lost York brother Richard and the rightful heir to the throne? Or is he another pretender?
The issue is complicated by the fact that Lizzie and King Henry (Jacob Collins-Levy) are finally appearing to trust one another and even fall in love, as Lizzie is being pulled between him and her new Tudor son Arthur (who is now the heir) and the machinations of her York mother Elizabeth (Essie Davis). Elizabeth lives only to restore the Yorks to power, a play that is strongly backed by the Duchess of Burgundy (Joanne Whalley).
In our exclusive clip for the upcoming episode "Traitors," (which takes places after a 7-year time jump) The Boy speaks with dear, sweet Maggie (Rebecca Benson) in a way that suggests he is Richard after all. For political reasons and out of fear for the safety of her brother Teddy back in England, Maggie rebukes The Boy's claims that he knows her. But her emotions betray her truly feelings. Check it out below:
I absolutely adore this scene, because it speaks to the heart of the controversy surrounding The Boy. Maggie likely believes him, but she is afraid to say anything. The Duchess knows this, and let's her know she understands -- with the parallel understanding that when Richard begins his rise, they expect Maggie to be loyal to their cause. But as the first part of their interaction shows, everything The Boy says could also be a lie. He covers his tracks by saying he was observing from the balcony, but also, he could have been prepped to learn Maggie's backstory before she arrived. What he says about her and Teddy is extremely generic -- it's like a technique that a con man might use.
The Duchess was unsuccessful in placing a fisherman's son in the castle in England as Richard, but this new Boy is much more likely the real deal. Still, he's so charming, it's impossible to tell. It plays into the issues of power, loyalty, and paranoia that fuel Emma Frost's exceptional adaptation of Phillipa Gregory's novel. If you don't know the history and want to Wiki it to see the truth, you won't find it. The mystery of the Princes in the Tower remains to this day -- so you'll have to come to your own conclusions about The Boy's identity!
The White Princess airs Sunday nights on Starz
