'The Empress' Season 3 Recap (Episodes 1-6): Did Maximilian Leave An Heir?

The final season of Netflix’s German series The Empress neatly ties the story together. The rebellious and spontaneous Elisabeth and her stoic husband, the emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph, were completely unlike each other, and their love story is at the center of this drama series. Franz fell in love with Elisabeth because she was everything that he wasn’t, and he adored her frankness and refusal to fit in. She was her own person, and Franz lived a little just being by her side. In season 3, we witness the couple go through a severe rough patch that’s directly related to the war and the mental trauma that it inflicted on the emperor. Maximilian followed his heart like always and made a decision that neither his brother nor his mother approved of. He accepted Napoleon’s offer to become the emperor of Mexico. Maximilian and his wife, Marie, were lured by the title and the crown, and they refused to listen to any advice. So, did they make it to Mexico? And did Franz and Elisabeth reconcile? Let’s get into the details. 

Spoiler Alert

What led to the growing distance between Franz and Elisabeth?

When Franz returned after the war against France, he felt defeated. He proposed an armistice, because that was the most logical thing to do, but he was also aware that his decision might be seen as weakness. He agreed to put an end to the fighting because he didn’t want to see his soldiers die anymore. They had fought bravely, and if he had to give back Lombardy (except Venetia), then he was ready to do so. Napoleon shook hands with Franz, and the war came to an end. When Franz returned home, he was exhausted and traumatized. His mother made it quite clear that she didn’t think there was any reason to celebrate Franz’s decision, because after all, they’d lost the war. She advised him to get to work immediately. Elisabeth was glad that Franz chose to do the right thing instead of putting his subjects through more misery. She welcomed him with open arms, but he looked visibly distant. She couldn’t quite figure out why Franz was upset with her. She was supportive of him, and had tried her best to make him happy. When Franz tried to force himself on her, she thought he was a completely different man. She missed who he used to be, and she refused to be treated like an object and hoped that her husband would try to open up. She’d noticed that he had nighttime terrors, but he chose not to talk about it. Seeing Franz suffer silently, his brother Maximilian proposed that they attend a masquerade party. Franz didn’t have to be the emperor anymore, he could just be a regular person and let loose a little. That’s when he met Terese, who was selling tickets for the tombola drum, and he was immediately attracted to her. The fact that she was an ordinary woman completely unaware of who Franz was made him seek comfort in her. He didn’t wish to be perceived as an emperor, but just another man at the party. 

It was only after they’d spent the night together that Terese discovered who Franz really was. She was surprised and overwhelmed, and she was strictly asked not to share their secret with anyone. Franz continued to meet her in secret, and his distant behavior with Elisabeth pushed her further away. When she found out about his affair, she confronted him, and he confessed the truth. He also told Elisabeth that every time he was with her, he felt she was pitying him, and it left him feeling enraged. She simply cared about Franz, and she couldn’t believe that her loving gestures were being perceived as pity. Elisabeth had been suffering from a lung-related illness, and the doctor advised her to leave the palace and take in some fresh air and sunshine. Since her husband didn’t seem to be affected by the proposal, she figured maybe some distance would be good for them both. Elisabeth decided to spend some time on a Greek island with her court ladies. Meanwhile, Franz continued meeting Terese, until one day, he realized that he wasn’t in love with her, she was just a distraction he needed after the war, and with Elisabeth gone for days, he started to miss her. Although Franz had decided to end his affair with Terese, he eventually discovered that she was pregnant with his twins. He provided for his sons, but he never acknowledged Terese publicly, and he strictly asked her never to refer to him as their father in front of them.

How did the trip to the island cure Elisabeth?

Elisabeth felt free on the island; immediately after reaching their destination, she took a swim in the sea, and she thought she already felt a little better than before. The war, and her responsibilities as an empress, along with her husband’s distant behavior, had started to affect her physically, and she needed to distract herself a little. She told her court ladies that she didn’t want them to refer to her as “her majesty,” and instead just Elisabeth. This helped her lessen the barrier between them, and they mingled with each other like friends. Elisabeth loved the camaraderie they shared, and she was glad that she could spend some time being her true self, wild and free. There were times when she felt a little upset because she didn’t receive any letters from Franz. She wondered if this would be the end of their marriage; if he had found love in someone else, or if he didn’t need her at all in his life. Her mother-in-law, Sophie, wrote to her pretending to be Franz, but Elisabeth wasn’t so easy to fool. She refused to return home so soon, especially since she didn’t feel she was needed at all. 

It was only after Franz wrote to her asking her to return home to him and their children that she finally decided it was time to leave the island. He’d sent a photograph of him with their kids, and she felt the urge to see them again. Before leaving, Elisabeth and the girls had spent a wild day at the harbor. They met a few British navy officers and played cards with them; they were slightly high on opium, but thankfully, they didn’t do anything drastic enough to make them regret it. Elisabeth stopped by in Venice before returning home, and that’s when she met the Hungarian leader, Count Andrássy. 

Why did Elisabeth feel attracted to Count Andrássy?

During the time she’d spent on the island, Elisabeth used to wake up every night to the sound of a wolf howling. She grew curious about the sound, and later spoke to Ida, her Hungarian reader, about it and she learned that wolves used to live on the island, and perhaps there was a lone wolf in search of food. While Elisabeth thought the wolf was just like them, Ida reminded her that wolves usually live in communities, and there is usually a leader in each pack. She suggested that Elisabeth shouldn’t continue living on the island, instead she must return to her community, take charge, and help the Hungarian people who depend on her for their freedom. During her brief halt in Venice, Count Andrássy introduced himself to Elisabeth; she noticed his fur coat and smirked when he mentioned it was wolf fur. She felt a strange connection with Count Andrássy, and even though they hadn’t ever met before, she thought she knew him. The Count felt the same way, and while his intention was to talk about Hungary and convince her to tell her husband about their demand for self-governance, he couldn’t stop himself from falling for her. 

Elisabeth thought about the count even after she returned home. She was glad that the distance brought her and Franz closer together again, and she decided never to meet the count and rejected his advances. But after Franz found out that Terese was pregnant, he started to distance himself from Elisabeth, and she found herself getting drawn to the count. Franz was advised against sharing his secret with Elisabeth, and he felt immense guilt about it, which was why he couldn’t face his wife. Meanwhile, Elisabeth and Count Andrássy got carried away by their emotions, and while she was aware that their affair could have a devastating impact on Hungary’s future, she found it impossible to resist him. They talked about politics, and Elisabeth was genuinely invested in helping Hungary. She repeatedly spoke to her husband about the importance of maintaining a diplomatic relationship with Hungary, since Austria had already lost the battle against Prussia and they couldn’t afford to start another with Hungary. They had to come to an understanding, and since the Hungarians were clear about their demands, she believed it was time that they were granted permission for self-governance. Franz agreed with her opinion, but that was before his mother revealed to him that Elisabeth was having an affair with Count Andrássy. He wondered if she was speaking on behalf of the people of Hungary, or out of self-interest. Even though he had initially agreed with her proposal, he refused to follow through with the plan. He loved Elisabeth, and the thought of her falling for someone else made him feel emotional and hateful. He knew this was the one decision that solely depended on him, and he decided to hurt both Elisabeth and Count Andrássy by rejecting Hungary’s demand. 

Though Franz ultimately changed his mind and granted Hungary’s demand for self-governance, he didn’t believe in serving one’s personal interests by putting the common people at risk, and since he already knew that his troops weren’t ready for another war, he chose peace. He also realized that he could never really dictate terms to Elisabeth; she had to be free to be herself, the version of her he fell in love with. And he was ready to accept her decision, regardless of whether she chose to be with him or not. Elisabeth admitted that she had grown close to the count, but at the end of the day, she loved her husband, and she chose to stay in the marriage. Maybe her decision was partly emotional and partly strategic; she didn’t want Hungary to suffer for her personal dynamics. Unlike Elisabeth, who had become attached to the count, Franz firmly stated that he hadn’t fallen in love with Terese. For him, Elisabeth had always been the one, and ultimately they stayed together until she was assassinated during her visit to Geneva. 

Did Maximilian Leave An Heir?

Maximilian was adamant about moving to Mexico (I’ve discussed his decision in detail in the ending explainer article). He had always dreamt of wearing the crown of an emperor, and Napoleon had turned his dream into reality. Napoleon had mentioned that someday he would take something far more substantial from Franz when he refused to give up Venetia. And it turned out, he had already plotted a move that Franz didn’t anticipate. He knew about Maximilian’s desperation, and he figured that he could blackmail Franz into helping keep Mexico under his control by using his brother. This was why Sophie made it very clear that if Maximilian chose to become the emperor of the foreign country, then he would no longer be recognized as a member of the Habsburg dynasty. Franz chose to be a little more lenient than his mother, and told him that if he ever lost the crown or abdicated, then he could return home and get back his title. Maximilian was an egoistic man who was completely driven by his emotions. So, even when it became challenging for him to rule over Mexico, he refused to give up. He felt the need to please everyone, and he ended up losing the support of the conservatives who had previously backed the emperor. Maximilian’s liberal policies didn’t sit right with them, but at the same time, the liberals weren’t interested in accepting him as their leader, since he didn’t belong to the land. Maximilian thought that if he could produce an heir and show the people of the country that his lineage wouldn’t die with him, then maybe they would feel hopeful and support him. He and his wife, Marie, had previously adopted a child, taken forcefully from a mother, but Maximilian ultimately returned the child, knowing that their decision was morally wrong. Due to medical reasons, he couldn’t become a father, but at the same time, he hoped his wife could experience motherhood. 

He proposed that she sleep with a Belgian officer who had served him and his wife loyally. Although the officer was hesitant about the emperor’s decision, and called it “immoral,” when Maximilian mentioned that his wife had specifically asked for him, he gladly accepted the proposal. As it turned out, the officer was infatuated with the empress, and he had often dreamed of making love to her. It was awkward at first, but Marie accepted the challenge and chose to do what was best for the empire. She was soon pregnant, and when the situation in Mexico escalated, Maximilian sent her home to protect her and their unborn child. After returning to Europe, Marie tried her best to convince Franz and Sophie to help Maximilian, but Franz refused to send his troops. He believed that if his brother was wise, then he would abdicate and return home. He’d already sent a ship to Mexico to bring him to Austria, but his brother refused to give up. Sophie knew that her son wouldn’t ever accept defeat; he would stay until the very end, and by the time he decided to surrender it would be too late. She’d sought help from Napoleon, but he refused to assist Maximilian; he hadn’t found gold in Mexico and had lost interest in the country. Sophie sensed that her son would die in the foreign land, and she felt completely helpless. 

In his final days, Maximilian kept remembering his brother, as realized that he had often underestimated Franz, who had been calmly dealing with the weight of the crown. He wasn’t disappointed in him for not sending his army, because Franz had been very clear about his stance from the beginning. He refused to let his men die in a war that wasn’t even for his own empire. Maximilian was ultimately executed by the Mexican rebels led by Benito Juárez. Juárez didn’t personally despise Maximilian, but he believed he had to be executed to make an example of what would possibly happen if any foreign ruler dared to come to Mexico. In his final moments, Maximilian thought about his brother, and he hoped his death would bring a new beginning for independent Mexico. 

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