The surprises come when Mary (Mary, Queen of Scots, I believe) returns from an offscreen rebellion, and the innocent new Queen becomes a de facto usurper, and all of her family's cronies, traitors. We're ready for a protracted battle between the obstinate teen and the scheming Duke of Nothumberland (a great performance by John Wood). We're also expecting Jane and Guilford to either triumph over her manipulative, greedy parents, or to be somehow crushed by them.

But fate pulls the rug out from under them all. When the tables turn on the Protestant schemers, the nefarious Nothumberland turns out to be strangely sympathetic ... it certainly wasn't his plan to doom the fortunes of everyone he knows, and to have to eat his words (and denounce his faith) to keep his head. Jane's parents initially come off as voracious opportunists, callously using their daughter to secure a cozy future. Mother (Sara Kestleman) couldn't be more severe as she whips her Jane for refusing to marry. When someone mentions the Catholic treasures that have been plundered, we also see a quick pan to the gold on the Duchess's mantle. But when the chips are down, Jane's father chooses to fight with the remaining rebels, perhaps to atone to his daugher for the wrong he's done. Patrick Stewart is both convincing and compelling in the role - going noble at just the time when his daughter actually needs it the least.

The faith issue is handled beautifully, with Jane introduced making a spirited denouncement of the Catholic sacraments to the bemused Doctor Feckingham (Michael Hordern). He'll return at the end as a confessor, when she refuses to switch faith to save her neck, as so many around her do. The commitment to a Christian life-after-death she shares with Guilford, makes their martyrdom very touching, and believable.

Also standing out in the drama are Jill Bennett (The Nanny, The Criminal) as Mrs. Ellen, Jane's nanny, and Jane Lapotaire (The Asphyx as Princess Mary. The script intriguingly dooms Jane for three reasons: her refusal to embrace Catholicism, her father's rebellion, and the fact that Mary wants to wed a fancy Spanish royal. Catholic Spain demands the heads of the heretical usurpers as part of the pre-nuptial agreement. Mary comes off as a ruthless Black Widow (not unlike the similar role in They Live By Night), willing to bargain for love over dead bodies. Like everything else in the show, it's a compelling notion.

The only extra is a photo gallery. Artwork, menus, and the cover treatment are first-class.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Lady Jane rates:
Movie: Excellent
Video: Excellent
Sound: Excellent
Supplements: photo gallery
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: March 1, 2003