The Bloody Critique - The Tudors (TV Series) Review
Set in England during the reign of King Henry VIII from 1509 to 1547, The Tudors, written and created by Michael Hirst and broadcast on BBC and Showtime from 2008 to 2010 spanning four seasons, details the early life of Henry Tudor, from his infamous marriages, to his relationships with important figures such as Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, and the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The series covers major historical events during this period under Henry’s reign, from the English Reformation and the divide in religious beliefs between Catholics, Protestants and Lutherans, the separation from the Roman Catholic Church, and the on and off relationship England had with France, Spain and Scotland. The Tudors is a tale of cut throat political squabbling, the brutality of religion, the treacherous treatment of women, and the unruly power of one man whose indiscretions and wavering beliefs shaped a country. I really enjoyed The Tudors, and although at times it can be a slow burner, it was a very interesting and telling watch!
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII
Firstly, the series is set during a time where justice was non-existent; no one in this environment was safe, it was not a good time to be anyone other than the King himself it seems. People were executed without trial, disgusting torture methods were used as a form of interrogation, women were considered less than men, and religious superstitions were the law! This is a segment of England’s ugly history, and although it’s seemingly considered one of our most important historical tales, being taught in schools! I happened to have a plank of wood for a history teacher, and none of it really sunk in, so I went into this fairly blind, I knew he had six wives obviously, and it turns out I had correctly remembered the fate of each, but outside that, I didn't really remember anything else, so I went into The Tudors fresh, not knowing exactly what would happen next, which I think made the experience more enjoyable, and a lot more tense! I will go more into my thoughts on specific events of the series in my spoiler review, which I will leave a link to at the end of this spoiler-free one.
Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon
The Tudors is beautifully shot, it looks great and it feels very authentic to the time, there’s definitely an attention to detail here, although, I have since read that there are quite a few historical inaccuracies throughout the series, but nothing major! The writing is excellent; Michael Hirst did a fantastic job at capturing the language of this period, the story is very well told and the characters are believable. One of the problems with the show however, is the fact that none of the characters are really likeable, it’s hard to sympathise with these people, but there are still moments, surprisingly, when you will! It’s not a particularly ground breaking achievement to create a series around despicable characters, it’s certainly been done before, but what feels different here is that there isn't really any one at all to root for, or even care about, which I suppose was the point, but it can sometimes be a hard watch because of this, it’s a series based on a story that lacks hope, which might turn away the average viewer, I enjoyed The Tudors, but it’s definitely not going to be for everyone.
Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon
There’s a very strong cast throughout the series and I thought everyone delivered interesting and believable performances, first of all, Jonathon Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII was fantastic, I actually didn't like his portrayal of the King during the first season, but his performance grew on me, and progressing further into the series he definitely becomes a more diverse and understandable character. I loved Sam Neil as Cardinal Wolsey, his performance, as usual, was excellent! He did a fine job as the shifty Cardinal, his performance at times is almost unbearable to watch, there’s a twitchy desperation to the man which created an awkward tension around him, and I just felt on edge observing it! Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and one of Henry’s only real friends was a decent performance; he’s actually among the few tolerable characters in the show. Then there’s Sir Thomas More, played by Jeremy Northam, devout Catholic and another seemingly decent human being, considering his beliefs! Maria Doyle Kennedy did a wonderful job as Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife, a loving and righteous woman whose determination and strong beliefs were very commendable, I liked her a lot!
Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn
Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn was one of my favourite characters and someone I had a lot of sympathy for, being forced into seducing the King by her treacherous father in order to secure him fortune and power, she did a wonderful job, and her story was heart breaking! As far as the other unfortunate Queens, Annabelle Wallis was fairly forgettable as Jane Seymour, as was Joely Richardson as Catherine Parr, Joss Stone actually did a great job as Anne of Cleves, and Tamzin Merchant was interminable as Catherine Howard, stop fucking giggling you cunt! Sarah Bolger was great as Princess Mary, Henry’s eldest daughter, the strict Catholic! James Frain was superb as Thomas Cromwell, one of the most interesting characters in the series! Both Peter O’Toole and Max Von Sydow were brilliant as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, they embody the role perfectly, and Anthony Brophy delivers another likeable character in the form of Ambassador Bishop Chapuys, middle man between England and Spain, and another devout Catholic, religion plays an enormous role in The Tudors!
Sam Neil as Cardinal Wolsey,
and Jeremy Northam as Thomas More
Although I wouldn't rush back to watch it again, I was consistently entertained throughout the series, it’s full of cut throat politics, religious brutality, promiscuous sex, medieval torture methods, mass slaughter, and the most beheading's I've ever seen in a series! This was a grim period in England’s history, a primitive time where there was no justice, no hope and people were blindly submissive to ridiculous ideologies, society has obviously changed since then, but honestly, it hasn't changed enough! England still has a monarchy, religion hasn't completely fucked off yet, and the divide between the rich and the poor is still significant, this is a very telling series and an important look at our history. If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, a fantastical story set in a fictional world obviously inspired by the United Kingdom’s history, consider The Tudors to be the ugly truth, similar in style to The Borgias or HBO’s Rome, and although it’s quite depressing, it’s still extremely interesting and it kept me entertained all the way through, I definitely recommend it to any fans of the genre and anyone interested in this period of history, it’s a great watch and a very well executed show, I really enjoyed it! If you've already seen The Tudors, you can read my spoiler review here.
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