It was back to the politics this week, which certainly constitutes a step in the right direction for Baraou no Souretsu.  But at the moment I’m trying to wrap my head around the notion of Richard not knowing who Henry is.  It seems like kind of a stretch, really, given that his family has been at war with Henry’s throne for basically Richard’s entire life.  They didn’t have TV or cameras of course, so I suppose it’s possible. But you’d think at some point he’d have (knowingly) seen Henry’s face at least.  Of course this spin on the story wouldn’t work if that were the case…

Catesby certainly knows Henry’s face.  And he sees it when he finds the hidey hole where he and Richard have been wiling away the hours under a tree.  This, understandably, puts Catesby in a rather awkward position.  Not only is his lord fraternizing with the enemy, he’s in love with him.  The fact is, capturing Henry would have been a huge coup for the- well, coup.  But Catesby let him go – I suspect with the idea that he can kill him later so Richard never has to know (Catesby genuinely cares for him, clearly).

George is still the MacGuffin of the moment, ineffectual on his own but symbolically vital.  Which makes it seem rather odd that the purportedly shrewd Warwick would do such a terrible job trying to keep him remotely placated.  Richard’s ghost gambit was a pretty simple trick, but maybe a simple trick is best for a simple guy like George.  What’s in it for him to be loyal to Warwick at this point, really?  He’s not going to be king if he does, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone on that side of the aisle who especially cares for (or about) him.  Winning him back proves pretty easy, but I don’t think that’s wholly unrealistic.

Meanwhile Edward (Lancaster) finally consummates his marriage to Anne – as his mother (who’s just comically evil) literally watches.  Both of them are no doubt thinking of Richard during the act, but Richard isn’t thinking of either of them at the moment.  With Edward (York) on his way back to England with a mercenary army the tides of war are swirling yet again.  As absurd as he is I do feel badly for Henry, who wants nothing to do with any of them but is ensnared for life.  He does manage to avoid capture when the reunited brothers storm the Tower of London, as Warwick twirls his mustache (figuratively) and broodingly reassures himself that he has the bigger army.

Ultimately of course this series is not about George’s conundrum or either Edward’s, but Richard’s.  Buckingham plays a very important role here in reminding him of the hard truth that he’s better suited to be king than either of his brothers.  And that the throne has just been pushed farther away from him – Edward is back, he now has a son and heir, and the middle brother is a loyalist again.  If being king is what Richard wants (and he keeps telling anyone who’ll listen including himself that he doesn’t), the legitimate path seems to have been irrevocably closed off.