It is so hard to maintain excellence on a television show. So many programs have one or two great seasons and then begin a troubling downward trend. The Tudors did not escape this unfortunate fate. I feel like a broken record, recalling the great first couple seasons as I review these final episodes of The Tudors. The simple fact is, though, that season three and four just haven’t measured up.
I think these final episodes of season four were some of my least favorite of the entire series. I didn’t like the diversion of the war in France. It was odd and didn’t seem to fit, particularly with the two soldiers that were awkwardly written in to the show to get a different perspective. Watching the episodes play out, I couldn’t help but think of Nikki and Paulo on Lost — a couple characters just thrown into the mix. The whole war storyline really didn’t do anything for me.
Likewise, I kind of rolled my eyes when the bishop set out to take down Catherine Parr. It seemed like even the writers were a little disenchanted with the story, as it just sort of floundered around until Henry put an end to it. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the king and queen together. I suppose it was done purposefully. The writers certainly gave the impression that they didn’t spend a lot of time together, the king even sending an entourage to propose marriage for him. Although, I have to admit that I thought it was adorable that Henry called the queen Kate with such affection. It was clear he cared for her.
I mentioned in past posts about how I was disappointed in the aging of the characters. Well, it came back in a big way in these episodes. It seemed to be very inconsistent aging. As Henry and Charles Brandon seemed to age twenty or thirty years, Prince Edward was still played by the same very young actor. It seems like the ages of the characters was a secondary concern for the makers of the show. The small details really do make a difference.
There were some positive things in these episodes, though. I enjoyed the finale, with the return of many of Henry’s queens. I was actually a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see Anne of Cleves or Catherine Howard, but it was still great to have Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Catherine of Aragon return to haunt their aging king. Going in to the finale, I had heard that there was a “dream sequence” with the queens. In my own head I had built it up to be something different. I think it would have been great to have had a scene with all the queens together. It could have been good fun, though I did enjoy the return of the queens as it was.
Overall, I’m glad I caught up on The Tudors. It was definitely a fun, well done show, even if the final seasons weren’t that great.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Apr 12, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
My memory of the finale is vague, but I just loved the symbolism of the bird flying through the window at the end. Saw it coming, but it was still really cool.
I agree with you re the aging. This always bugged me. Henry’s “old” voice sounded exactly like what it was – a young guy talking in a fake-gruff voice. I had to ignore it to keep from laughing.
I think that the problem is that the most entertaining of the wives was Anne Boleyn, and all the trouble that she made, even separating Ingland of Rome, so the other ones didn’t had a chance. That is a history problem though… :)
In other hand if they would have continued the story with the daughters, that would be entertaining as well.
*POST AUTHOR*
Absolutely! I would have loved to have seen a show about Mary’s brief, bloody reign followed by the “golden age” of Elizabeth.