The Favourite

It ain't all teacups and parades for the royals.

Queen Anne is on the throne, reliant on her favorite, Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough. Everything about their close friendship is going swimmingly until Sarah hires her cousin as a servant. Abigail Marsham has fallen into reduced circumstances thanks to her father's poor business decisions. She is, however, determined to improve her family's wealth and reputation. With Sarah essentially running the country on Anne's behalf, it falls to Abigail to look after the mercurial Queen Anne, and the two develop a friendship that threatens to squeeze Sarah out of her powerful position as the Queen's favorite.

Sarah, seeing her position is in danger, goes on the offensive, and Abigail refuses to back down. What follows is a glimpse into the seediness and backstabbing of 18th-century court, from subtle manipulations to less subtle machinations to outright throwing things at each other. They both know that whoever rules Anne rules the kingdom, and they both want to be on top any way they can.