The fans of history and Cleopatra were ecstatic after they were served with the mini-documentary by the streaming giant. Directed by Tina Gharavi, the series and written by NneNne Iwuji showcased to the viewers the story of the struggles of the greatest queen to have ruled Egypt. Cleopatra was known for being exceptionally beautiful and seductive, and she used it to her advantage.
Produced by Ben Goold, Jada Pinkett, and Jimmy Abounouom the series while, Sean Francis did the enchanting cinematography for the series. The series received severe backlash and criticism for casting a black person as Queen Cleopatra. The audience felt in order to appear inclusive; the producers are playing with the history. The series also didn’t serve its purpose, and the viewers found the docuseries a bit bland and boring.
While some people liked the casting of the series with a black person as Cleopatra but as Cleopatra was actually of Greek descent and not a black person, it wasn’t received by a massive number of people.
The teaser drop of Cleopatra successfully caused a stir and drama due to their casting, but at the same time, it got the audience interested in the series. The series focused on showing the rise of the beautiful and alluring Queen Cleopatra after their last Pharaoh died. Cleopatra was a powerful queen and the last queen to rule over Egypt. Cleopatra was loved and feared by her subjects at the same time.
Queen Cleopatra – Premise
The series began with the narrator talking about Cleopatra and her bravery which was followed by experts talking about how Cleopatra was black as opposed to what the school teaches their students. The experts admitted Cleopatra had been misinterpreted by Hollywood as they showcased her to be a white-skinned woman who had ancient Macedonian heritage.
The experts stated how they confused the viewers as a woman of Macedonian descent is portrayed as a white-skinned individual. The series follows forward with the experts talking about the kind of leader she was and how she ruled Egypt with a tight fist. It showcased to the viewers how Cleopatra gained power in the Ptolemaic dynasty with the help and support of her people.
It revealed to the viewers that Cleopatra was the second daughter of Ptolemy XII before she went on to become the queen of Egypt. As Cleopatra is at the bedside of her dying father with her siblings, she realizes how none of them are on good terms because they were raised by different advisors. The dying Pharoah kills Cleopatra’s elder sibling because she tried to take over his power without proving her worth. Following the will of the dead, Pharoah Cleopatra marries her brother, and they together become the co-rulers of Egypt.
Cleopatra was an ambitious woman who won the support of her people with the help of the local language she used. Pothinus tries to remain in power by planning to get Cleopatra out of the way. Pothinus is successful in removing Cleopatra from the throne, and she runs off to Syria to save her life. Cleopatra is determined to take back what was rightfully hers and begins to gather the support of the people. The first episode ended with Cleopatra killing Ptolemy and Pothinus.
The second episode ends with Cleopatra hoping to cement her power by making her son the future king of Rome and Antony entering her life after killing his sister for hiding the people who killed Julius. Now Cleopatra remains the lone sibling who has the power to rule over Egypt. Cleopatra is pregnant with Antony’s child with the hopes of birthing an heir for him. Cleopatra gives birth to twins while Mark is in the eastern front. The series showcased the death of Cleopatra and Antony and the kingdom being taken over by the Romans. The fourth episode ended with talking about the end of Egyptian culture.
Queen Cleopatra – Episode Guide
Queen Cleopatra is a miniseries that has four episodes in the series with a run time of 45 minutes. Netflix dropped all four episodes simultaneously on May 10, 2023, at 3:00 A.M. [E.T.].
- Episode 1- Rivals- 10 May 2023
- Episode 2- When In Rome- 10 May 2023
- Episode 3- What Must Be Done- 10 May 2023
- Episode 4- The Last Pharoah- 10 May 2023
Where To Watch Queen Cleopatra – Streaming guide
Cleopatra is available for viewers to stream via Netflix at 3:00 A.M. The series is available for the audience only at Netflix, so the interested ones will need to buy a subscription worth $9.99 monthly to access the episodes.
Viewers from outside of the U.S. will be able to watch the episodes at 12:30 P.M.[IST] for people belonging to India, 5:00 P.M. [A.C.T.] for people belonging to Australia, and at 7:00 A.M. [G.M.T.] for the people belonging to the U.K. Netflix is a region-based streaming platform so some fans will need Express VPN to watch the episodes.
