(Season 3, Episodes 1-4)
It’s been a while since my last entry into The Tudors virgin diary. I may have lost contact with the show for a little while, but I’m happy to return to Henry VIII, his many wives, and his monstrous ego. Seriously, through these four episodes I found myself laughing more often than not at Henry. I hesitate to blame Jonathan Rhys Meyers for it because the writers of the show didn’t really do him any favors. Henry is written as a completely one note character. Strike that, he has two notes: angry and horny. His ranting and raving at this point in the series just makes me chuckle. It’s so over the top.
The subtlety of The Tudors is not what made it so much fun, though. It is the over the top antics, the gratuitous sex, and the conniving politicking that made the show great. The beginning of season three had all those elements. At the same time, though, it seemed like I had seen all this before. Henry demanding a son from his new wife, a rebellion breaking out, Cromwell making morally dubious power plays. Haven’t I already seen this on The Tudors? Oh well, it’s still a fun show, and the writers can always just blame history.
I was a little surprised at how quickly this season has moved so far. It is a shorter season than the others (only eight episodes), so that may have something to do with it. Poor Jane Seymour, though, only got to be queen for four episodes before dying. I have a feeling Henry will rebound. The latest uprising didn’t last very long either. I’m not sure if it is completely put to bed or not, but it seemed like with the hanging of its leaders, Cromwell and Henry put a swift end to it.
I’m very curious to see what will happen with Cromwell as things progress. He seems a little too ambitious and Henry has already blown up at him once or twice, denouncing his low birth and poor decisions. He clearly wields a lot of power, but as things went bad with the rebellion, it was obvious to see that Henry does not have limitless patience with him.
I was sad to see Jane Seymour go, she was a touch on the boring side when compared to Ann Boleyn or even Katharine of Aragon, but I think she was good for the king. Henry seemed genuinely fond of her, leaving his cheating to a minimum, and she reconciled him with his daughters. She was certainly made out to be a good egg. Oh well, onward and upward. Bring on the next wife!
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Mar 09, 2011 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
