The series is based on The Cousins’ War, a series of books by Philippa Gregory, set during the War of the Roses (1455-1485). The amount of betrayals, uprisings, executions, pardons and further betrayals during the thirty years is honestly overwhelming. Two or three seasons would have probably been sufficient, but the series is a single season of ten episodes. Since there are only ten episodes and they are largely filled with scenes of women crying, the series is unable to explore the rich mix of factors that makes the period so interesting. To be fair, the series is accurate, at least when it comes to names, dates and general chronology, it just fails to ignite. The War of the Roses is fascinating, and I can understand George R.R. Martin’s obsession with the period. The king of the north, a mad king, dynastic marriages, constantly shifting alliances, and the ever-present threat of invasion from rival claimants to the throne who are living in exile, it’s all there in Game of Thrones. And it has dragons, freaking scary dragons. The White Queen has crying, lots of crying, and the sissiest magic I have ever seen. Read More…