Did Every Girl Have a Marie Antoinette Phase… or Was It Just Me?

Is there any girl who went into history who didn’t have a Marie Antoinette period? I know I did. I was in undergrad when the movie came out, and I went full deep-dive with Antonia Fraser’s Marie Antoinette. There’s something so frustratingabout her—yet so easy to sympathize with.

I finally got around to watching PBS’s Marie Antoinette. If you haven’t seen it, it’s streaming on the Masterpiece app via Amazon. If you like period dramas and don’t already subscribe, I highly recommend it! The show is currently split into two series, beginning with a terrified, juvenile Marie and Louis being forced to marry, and ending with the early stirrings of the French Revolution. Spoiler alert: they’re still alive at the end—possibly setting up a Season 3?

Honestly, it’s been a minute since I binged a show, and this might be my favorite depiction of Marie and Louis yet. The Marie Antoinette film was fun—completely anachronistic casting, a punk rock soundtrack, and all the glittering glamour of Versailles. But this version made me genuinely fall for Louis, feel compassion for Marie, and still recognize that, yes, she was kind of a brat in her youth. Weren’t we all?

The show feels realistic in its portrayal—Versailles, the costumes, the emotional tone. Sure, some storylines and characters lean into creative license (as period pieces often do), but overall, it’s grounded and moving.

Louis Cunningham’s portrayal of Louis XVI starts off as the lamest, most awkward guy, but he grows—into himself, into his marriage, and even into a king. Unfortunately, he just didn’t grow quite enough. The show doesn’t shy away from his missteps (like his involvement in the American War for Independence), but it offers a more sympathetic, even relatable, version of him. I fell hard for this Louis because he’s just so pathetic and adorable. He’s a sensitive soul who had no business ruling a country in crisis.

Honestly, I felt worse about Marie’s affair with Fersen in this version compared to the film—mainly because this Louis is so earnest and sweet. He’s naive, yes, but not the outright buffoon Jason Schwartzman played. (Or maybe it’s just better acting this time around!)

Emile Schule’s Marie is likable in a very different way from Kirsten Dunst’s. She, too, grows into herself. Yes, we still see the spending and partying, but we also get glimpses of her attempts to rehabilitate her image—unaware of how many at court were actively plotting against her. The loneliness, the lack of trust, the scheming from both sides of their families—it’s tragic. Especially her mother, who was frankly awful in her efforts to “help,” particularly with their attempts to conceive. That storyline is handled so much better than in the film. What starts as a cold, contractual expectation turns into something resembling genuine affection and intimacy. Their relationship feels closer, despite her later affair.

If I have one gripe, it’s not with the show—but with the historical narrative around women in power. I’m so tired of how sexual exploitation is always the go-to strategy for taking down powerful women. The show does a great job showing how, as Marie’s favor declined or jealousy rose around her, the attacks turned hyper-sexual: pseudo-pornographic cartoons, slut-shaming rumors, and character assassination through innuendo.

When I was getting my master’s in history, I took an incredible course called Sex and Gender in 19th-Century Europe. We covered this exact topic, analyzing how Marie’s reputation was destroyed through sexual imagery—while men taking mistresses was seen as a sign of refinement and virility. This series really digs into Marie’s public opinion and how it declined—not just because of her actions, but because of deep cultural double standards that are still relevant today.

All in all, I’m in love with this show. I’ll probably rewatch it several times. It’s the kind of series that pulls you in so fully, you get attached to this young and naive king and queen—and as the Revolution gains momentum, you almost want to fast-forward because it’s just too painful. It humanizes them. They’re not just doomed monarchs—they’re a married couple, grieving parents, and overwhelmed young people trying to navigate an impossible situation. Sadly, their inexperience was no match for the disaster they inherited.

The final episode might make you cry- even for the most devout anti-monarchs. It’ll definitely make you wish things had ended differently.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️