Shakespeare found a type of creative solace and stimulation in the Burbage’s theater that he didn’t have back in Stratford. Even though it took him some time to steady himself with the change of scenery, Will has gotten what he needed from the decision to leave Anne and the kids behind in search of professional fulfillment. With the guilt he was feeling from not sending them enough money and cheating on his wife with Alice slowly receding, thanks to Anne “releasing” him back into the creative wild and his momentum after the Henry VI prequel, Will can now turn his attention to preserving and eventually growing the Burbage theater.
On the next episode of Will, Shakespeare is left shaken after the theater suffers a devastating fire at the hands of Presto. It’s been such a source of vitality and personal rejuvenation for him that he knows he has to do something to keep it from collapsing, if only as a way to pay the Burbages back for whatever pain his presence has caused them. Going beyond that, if the theater cannot be put back together, he might be forced into a life of passionless glove making and while he’s perfectly fine in supporting Anne and the kids, his spirit would die if locked into a life of mundanity. Finding a way to save the theater is both an act of service and self-preservation for Shakespeare, who turns to Emilia as an ally in his mission of theatrical preservation. By utilizing Emilia’s social status and generous talent, Will can quickly make back the money the theater owed its debtors and lost in the days following the fire while in the process setting them on a course for sustained success.
Elsewhere on Will, Marlowe’s existential crisis puts him on Edward Kelly’s doorstep once more, while Alice turns to Southwell after being rejected by Shakespeare.
Will airs Mondays at 11:00 on TNT.
Can Will find a way to help the theater recover from the fire? What do you think Alice is looking to find in Southwell? Will Marlowe be able to pull himself out of his creative morass and find the inspiration to write?
