I totally paused!

While I love the subject matter on this show, the speed with which they go through it still makes me sad.  So little time was spent with Anne of Cleves and the downfall of Cromwell that I fear people who don’t know anything of what really happened might be confused.

See, Henry tells Cromwell he is very pleased with him.  Not a lot goes into showing what actually prompted that being a lie.  I disliked that they left out Henry actually making Cromwell a Duke before he was arrested, and what went into the charges against him – why he was called a traitor.

I also didn’t like that the fateful meeting with Anne of Cleves was changed from the actual meeting.  It’s not just that she wasn’t what Henry expected, it’s that she offended him by really showing him he was no longer a beautiful young prince.  This was entirely left out.

Obviously they can’t really show “aging” for Henry or the others, like Charles Brandon, because these actors aren’t getting old at the rapid pace that this show is going at.  It wouldn’t have made sense for Anne to turn away from Henry without knowing who he was, being appalled that an old man was so forward with her.  Still, they could have made their initial meeting look much worse than they did.

As much as I love Jonathan Rhys Meyers, I also wish there was a way to show more of how Henry was really getting quite heavy at this point in his life.  So much is going on during this part of history, it’s difficult to capture really any of it in detail.

I was admittedly less into this season, partially because Jane Seymour hasn’t ever interested me much.  But next season should be more interesting, will the whole season be focused on Katherine Howard?  Most likely it will, ending of course with her tragic demise…or will it finish her story as well as Henry’s?  Will there be any real discussion of her relation to Anne Boleyn – which I would guess casual viewers don’t even realize.

Still, at this point, if they follow the rest of Henry’s story, we’ve got two seasons left of him at most.  Is there a plan to continue on to Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth?  And will there be any mention of Jane Grey?  How much will they go into the Seymour brothers?  All very intriguing, and keeps you watching!

I just now got around to watching the season finale, and I am not embarrassed to admit that this was the most heart wrenching hour of television I have seen since Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on.  I was brought to tears numerous times during the episode, and the last few episodes of this season really made up for any deficiencies I’ve felt this series has had.

We all know how this story goes – Henry VIII tires of Katherine of Aragon, marries Anne Boleyn, Anne doesn’t have a male child, Henry tires of Anne, has her beheaded – wackiness ensues, or whatever.  Given that this is based in history, and a historical time that I am admittedly obsessed with already, there were no surprises plot wise for me.

At the beginning of the series, I was a little turned off by Natalie Dormer, the actor who plays Anne Boleyn.  However, the charm and charisma she brought to the role have convinced me to agree with others, that she is the best Anne Boleyn I’ve ever seen.  I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do when she’s not on next season.

I also adore the speed with which the people in charge of the credits get them recut.  In the last half of this season, we lost four major characters from the credit sequence, and not a one of them was in the credits past the episode in which we lost them.  This is another thing that I tie back to Buffy, you could count on a character being out of the credits right away.  A flaw Smallville has, they seem to leave someone in the credits until they have a normal break or the end of the season.  I know it’s a silly thing to obsess on, but there you have it – I expect people out of the credits in the episode directly following their departure.

One thing I dislike about this series is the speed they go through the events.  In 20 episodes, we’ve managed to go through about 10 years – all of Henry Fitzroy’s life, the courtship of Anne Boleyn, Mary growing up, the marriages of Margaret (really Mary but who’s keeping track) and then her death, all of Anne’s marriage to Henry, Elizabeth’s first three years, and the trial and death of Anne and her fellow accused.  At this pace, Jane Seymour will only have like two episodes next season, since she dies right after she gives birth to their son.

I’m also curious to know exactly how far this series plans to go…will they continue with all the Tudor stuff until Showtime says no more?  I would love to see dramatic portrayals of Henry’s last three wives, but I have my doubts as to it getting that far.

For anyone on the fence about The Tudors, I recommend watching it.  This season has convinced me to buy the series, something I hadn’t planned to do at the end of the first season.

My Rating: 4.5/5