Still Star-Crossed episode 1: ABC releases flurry of details!
Take a look at this synopsis below; rest assured, we’ll be there on the other side with more:
Following the death of her cousin Juliet, Rosaline Capulet (Lashana Lynch) finds herself in the middle of a political play to try and save Verona. She will prove she’s a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to her destiny, and must make tough decisions regarding her loyalty to the Capulet name. Rosaline’s sister, Livia Capulet (Ebonee Noel), is a hopeless romantic who dreams of a marriage to provide her with a life she’s always wanted, but her yearning for love makes her an easy target, and she gets drawn into a sordid secret unbeknownst to her.
Romeo’s death thrusts his cousin Benvolio Montague (Wade Briggs) into a position of responsibility, as he becomes the sole heir to the Montague name and must abide by a sinister plan to solidify his family’s prominence. A newly crowned Prince Escalus (Sterling Sulieman) is determined to end the bloodshed between the Montagues and Capulets, but his only solution forces him to decide between following his heart and protecting his kingdom. Eager to help her brother rule Verona, Princess Isabella (Medalion Rahimi) finds herself drawn to the throne, but quickly realizes that obtaining power as a woman will require succumbing to a twisted scheme.
Lord Capulet (Anthony Head) is the patriarch of the Capulet dynasty and is willing to maintain the legacy of his family’s name at any cost. Lady Capulet (Zuleikha Robinson) may want the same as her husband, but a mystery behind her true ambitions will slowly come to light. The Montagues are on the precipice of matching the Capulets social status, but Romeo’s death threatens to stall their ascent. Angered by grief and the loss of his son, Lord Montague (Grant Bowler) will stop at nothing to ensure the Montagues are the most respected family in Verona.
The sparring families aren’t the only ones affected by Romeo and Juliet’s tragic fate. The keeper of Verona’s darkest confessions, Friar Lawrence (Dan Hildebrand), feels a deep responsibility for their deaths, along with the Capulet’s lifelong caretaker, the Nurse (Susan Wooldridge). She holds many secrets of her own, including the fact that she is tending to Count Paris (Torrance Coombs), who was supposed to wed Juliet, but was left for dead after a brutal fight with Romeo.
The idea of Still Star-Crossed is to prove that there is life after one of the greatest love stories ever told, and in some ways you can claim it’s surprising that this has not been properly executed already. If one thing was going to lead to these families escalating their tension and their hatred to each other, it was probably going to be each one of them losing a member of their family and blaming each other. It will drive the two of them to seek further prominence, even at their own expense. Some of these names are familiar to Shakespeare readers; meanwhile, others are new. In turns of performers, Grant Bowler is a known name to us thanks to parts here and there plus hosting the Australian version of The Amazing Race. Meanwhile, it’s nice that Torrance Coombs is still a part of the period-drama world following his time on Reign over on The CW.
Just in case that synopsis was a little too much reading for you (understandable), the promo below fulfills the same purpose. It gives you the beginning of the story, and then sets in motion everything that is coming beyond that. From this vantage point, it feels fairly clear that the show is mostly banking on one word and one word only to market this show: Shondaland. If Shonda Rhimes’ supporters come out, this show could end up becoming a hit.
Are you planning to check out Still Star-Crossed, or at least the first episode? Share in the comments below! (Photo: ABC.)