Princess Diana of the 19th century? Sisi (2021) review

    Ok, new show, new drama. But this time, not British, but Austrian or German, it depends on how you think about it. The story and the characters are Austrian, but the production and actors are German. Curious.

    Anyway, let's talk about a series set in the 19th century (my favourite), had a lot of drama and unfortunately had me disappointed initially. Sisi (2021), SPOILERS.

Summary: The series follows the early years of Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria and Franz Joseph I of Austria's marriage. "Sisi" takes a look at Elizabeth's life and reveals different facts from history in a more modern way.

    Ok, first, I have to say that I don't know that much about Austria's history. I know quite a lot about Germany, but not about Austria. I may be wrong. Regardless, let's introduce the main characters (there are quite a lot):

Empress Elizabeth AKA Sisi - She's a total rebel

Helene AKA Nene - She's underrated 

Emperor Franz - He's a part angry and a part cheater

Ludovika - She's sophisticated

Maximilian - He's too protective

Sophie - She's just cool but looks evil

Fanny - She's brave

Countess Esterhàzy - She's annoying and funny

BIG BIG DISCLAMER, THIS SERIES IS NOT FOR CHILDREN; STRONG SCENES ARE INVOLVED. I REPEAT, DO NOT WATCH UNTIL 18, THANK YOU.

Basically, the show starts from Elizabeth and Franz's early wedding but goes all the way up to The Hungarian Revolution and the beginning of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It goes pretty fast; I know. But at some points, I just didn't feel the rush because at some points, I, unfortunately, forgot that it was a "historical" period drama. 

And I think I made it clear enough for everybody by saying that, this show is not historically accurate. I mean, it is, but at a certain level. I don't want to be rude, and you don't know how excited I was and how many VPNs I've tried just so I can watch it earlier. But it's just not it. It is unquestionably way more accurate than Romy Schneider's 1955 "Sissi" trilogy, but it's also way darker. 

For starters, Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting, Fanny, is just a prostitute. I know it sounds bad, but wait there's more. The titles nobles are given are wrong, wrong actions made by the royal court and wrong bereavement from the royals themselves as well as from the people. 
But don't get me wrong, the series covers some important aspects of royal life. And Franz is a great example. We get to know that at a younger age he didn't always make wise decisions. And the show also touches on some old rumours about Sisi and Gyula Andrassy. And the set and outfits are marvellous and if you look at the show in general, doing no research or knowing that much history, it is good, very good actually. 

But unfortunately, the storyline was at some certain points, poorly structured. Like the fact that Sisi and Franz literally fall in love while fighting some Hungarian rebels and trust me, it is not as romantic as it sounds. And then there's Fanny again, who is arrested for having a relationship with one rebel, who is coping against the Emperor. And no, no, no but certainly no, Elizabeth wasn't a big political mastermind, she was much closer with the Hungarians than other nations indeed, but still not a mastermind. 

In the end, I give this an 8 out of 10 for drama, yes very dramatic indeed and for the overall show... a 5 out of 10. You can't just look at the history only, it is a period-DRAMA and needs to stay as one. The quality is mediocre, maybe a little more than mediocre, but surprise, surprise, I actually liked it. I liked it pretty damn much so count on me to watch the second season.