ABC's Still Star-Crossed: A Review

Still Star-Crossed official promo graphic ©ABC Studios

Hello, my lovelies!!

Taking a break this week from the Princess Tales to bring you a review of a show I watched recently.

Still Star-Crossed from ABC

4 Stars

Based on the book by Melinda Taub, ABC’s Still Star-Crossed is a sequel to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The couple’s two families are still reeling from their children’s deaths and seeking closure. They are moving toward armistice at the command of their prince but neither side necessarily wants that.

At the heart of it all are Rosalind Capulet and Benvolio Montague- cousins of Juliet and Romeo respectively. As a show of good faith between the two houses they’ve been ordered to marry, but neither of them much likes that idea. Added to that is a whole lot of intrigue, engaging characters, and plot and wit Shakespeare himself would be proud of.

I utterly adored this show. I knew I was going to love it from the moment I watched the trailer and each episode was consumed with the fear that something was going to happen to completely ruin it for me. But that never happened and here we are, with me getting to share this beautiful little gem with you.

What I Liked:

Rosalind and Benvolio: I put these two together but feel I should address them separately first. These two characters, as individuals, are amazing. The actors who play them do so to perfection and they are written as interesting and dynamic people. They have lives beyond each other- indeed, they want nothing to do with each other- and they feel real and honest and true. I am not going to lie- I have a major crush on Benvolio. And Rosalind is just the sort of practical and levelheaded person I would love to be best friends with.

But then together, they’re amazing. They have wonderful chemistry but their relationship builds based off mutual respect and understanding. Theirs isn’t a physical relationship- indeed, they spend a good portion of the show trying to figure out how to keep from getting married to each other. Their bickering too is great because it builds from the two of them challenging the other and pointing out a side of things the other doesn’t understand. While their words might be hurtful at times it comes from their own hurt and not a desire to merely tear down the other.

And there is so much more than bickering. They work together- since their marriage is supposed to bring peace and they figure if they can bring peace before their marriage there will be no need for it- and they do so beautifully. The show could have botched everything else but kept them the same and I would have still loved it for them alone. Though, thankfully, it didn’t botch the rest of it and did so much that was right.

Also the way Benvolio consistently calls Rosalind “Capulet” is one of the cutest things ever. Just sayin’…

Juliet’s Parents: The way Juliet’s parents deal with their grief over the loss of their daughter is worthy of a Shakespearean drama. I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers, but I did love it. Their confusion over what happened, their anger, their torment, are all worthy of Macbeth or Hamlet or Julius Caesar. It was brilliantly written and I loved it.

The Set and Costumes: I love period dramas for their visuals and this show did not disappoint. The costumes and scenery are exquisite- vibrant and lush. I don’t know much about costumes from that time so I have no idea if they were historically accurate. But they fit the story and the rest of the show and I loved them for that. I hope to cosplay Rosalind and her gorgeous blue gown and cape someday.

The Plot: Oh goodness there was so much plot. It kept twisting and turning and surprised me several times. And even the stuff I did see coming it wasn’t in a “Yeah, called that, whatever” sort of way but was more like that small window immediately before a car crash- the realization hitting about what is going to happen and the implications of what that means and the damage it can bring but there’s nothing you can do to stop it. So you watch with horror, unable to look away but also dreading every second of it (which, in a story like this one, is a good thing).

The General Shakespeare Feel: I’ve mentioned it several times before but I feel it bears repeating in it’s own point- This show felt like Shakespeare. While the dialogue wasn’t in the language we’ve come to associate with Shakespeare’s works, it had the wit of Shakespeare. It also had the intrigue, the drama, the comedy. It felt like watching a movie of a Shakespeare play and it brought me all the same feelings I’ve come to associate with his works. Rosalind and Benvolio reminds me a lot of Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing and their relationship has all the feelings of a Shakespearean Comedy. But as I said, there is also the drama side of things, the darker intrigue, the themes of torment and shame and regret and obsession and it’s beautiful.

Already said it but I’ll say it again- I think Shakespeare would like what has been done here.

All the Strong Females: Oh my word there are so many strong females in this show- some good, some evil, some you really aren’t sure about. This too is in keeping with Shakespeare’s portrayal of the strong female and as each one comes into their own in their own special way it’s amazing- and sometimes heartbreaking- to watch.

I won’t say more because I’d like to avoid spoiling anything but I promise it's wonderful.

Content: Or rather, the lack of it. Aside from something I’ll discuss in the “What I Didn’t Like” part this show was surprisingly clean. There’s some talk here and there (for instance, every time Benvolio objects to marrying Rosalind his uncle tells him he just needs to wed her and produce an heir- then he can go sleep with whomever he wants). And while a good bit of what is said isn’t something I approve of I would rather they make their brief comments- which you’ll find in Shakespeare’s works themselves- than to actually have everyone sleeping together left and right. It was so refreshing not to find that in a story for once.

I fully expected to have to stop watching at some point based on content but it never went that far. I will address my one complaint later but honestly, for the most part, it was a good show that relied on good characters and strong plot to make it appealing rather than sex and other such content ever other second.

The Acting: Every time Benvolio would get really emotional about something he would get these tears running down his face and it. broke. my. heart. Every. single. time. And there were so many other little things like this that just made this show even more perfect.

I can't say enough good things about the acting. The people they cast did an amazing job and I wouldn’t replace them with anyone else for the world.

Just This Show, Okay? I just loved this show. As soon as I finished it I wanted to watch it again. And again. And again. (I’ve still only seen it the one time but I plan to remedy that soon…) I just can’t say enough good things about it.

What I Didn’t Like:

The Ending (No spoilers, I promise!!): This show ends on a cliffhanger. I won’t say what, just that while I was fulfilled with some parts of the storyline, there were major threads that weren’t tied up. And while I have yet to see an actual announcement from ABC announcing its cancelation, the numbers and ratings make it seem highly unlikely that the show is going to continue. So be warned that while some things will end satisfyingly a good portion of it won’t and there’s a fair chance you’ll need to also read the book to find the closure you're looking for (or do what I did and read the end of the book to tide you over until you get the chance to read the entire thing- which I still haven't done yet).

Episode Five (SPOILERS): Okay so this part will have some spoilers in it, though I will try to keep them at a minimum. I just really feel I need to say something since this and this alone is the only reason this show has a four star rating and not five stars.

Basically one of the plotlines of episode five is someone trying to get someone else to sleep with them in exchange for not causing a whole lot of trouble for everyone. Spoiler- she finds a way to get out of doing it- but not before there’s a ton of weird sexual talk and even when they aren’t talking sex there’s still this whole weird vibe about the whole thing. I felt gross and weird after watching it and honestly would just skip the entire thing if watching it with anyone else. Skipping it doesn’t really change the plot all that much and so if that sort of thing bothers you please don’t let this keep you from watching the show. Episode five still has other plot threads but by the time you get to the episode you’ll know which character this particular thread is about- just skip the scenes with her and you’ll be good.

The Love Triangle: If you read my review of The Clockwork Scarab you already know how I feel about love triangles. This one is no different. I wanted Rosalind and Benvolio together just from watching the trailer and nothing will change that. So throwing in a rival, someone Rosalind genuinely loves, made things tricky. There’s a good deal of will they?/won’t they? and I didn’t like it. SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE WITH BENVOLIO!! I don’t care what anyone else says or thinks. I want her with Benvolio. And I don’t like authors playing with my heart that way- present me with one solid relationship I can root for and stop confusing me with all these tangled threads. I made up my mind and no one- not even the author- is going to change that for me…

Recap:

I love this show. Love it. So much love. The first episode was a little slow getting into, since I was under the impression that it picked up where Romeo and Juliet left off. But instead the first half of the first episode is dedicated to fast-forwarding through the original tale. According to Shakespeare the story is supposed to take 2 hours to tell. Instead, we get it in about 20 minutes.

And yet, once I realized what they were doing, I liked it. It was nice to get to see this version of Romeo and Juliet, though we know them too briefly. It added to the tragedy, for me, since I wished I could have known them better but knew they couldn’t return since they were dead. Which, on the basest of levels, is how death works- the sorrow of not having the time to spend with someone that you wish to have.

I had such a hard time writing this review because I wanted to squeal and cry and talk about every single moment of each episode in great detail. But I also don’t want to spoil everything so you get this instead. Hopefully I said enough to pique your interest. Because you should go check this show out. You really, really should.

If you have a Hulu account, it’s on Hulu (as of 10.06.17) and is also available for purchase digitally from a variety of different sites. And I think it’s well worth the money. I’ll probably be buying it at some point soon (right now that seems frivolous since I pay for Hulu and it’s on there…).

If you want a little extra encouragement, here’s the trailer for your enjoyment:

And, as always, I have a playlist for you!! This one was a lot of fun to make (and listen to, which I've been doing on shuffle since I finished the show) and it sparked a Romeo and Juliet playlist that you can find here if you’re interested.

I’ll see you on Monday with another writing post. Until the next time we meet don’t forget to live happily ever after <3

~Jennifer Sauer, the Ivory Palace Princess

P.S. Let’s Chat! Which of Shakespeare’s plays do you think begs for a sequel? What is something you would like to see in a sequel of Romeo and Juliet?