One of Showtime’s most twisted programs is The Tudors, a historical soap opera that features even more twists and turns than a season of Dexter. That these twists and turns are, by and large, a matter of historical fact, dos not make them any less surprising [unless, of course, you’re an English History major]. The third season of The Tudors covers the life and times of Henry VIII [Jonathan Rhys Meyers], one of the most capricious and important monarchs in England’s history, from the marriage of his third wife, Jane Seymour [Annabelle Wallis] to the execution of his once favored First Minister, Thomas Cromwell [James Frain] – and the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves [Joss Stone].
History shows that Henry was generous to his favorites and, more often than not, fatal to his enemies – and woe betide the favorite who said the wrong thing, or espoused the wrong course of action, at the wrong time. Worse, if Henry needed to sacrifice someone to gain an advantage, they might not have done anything wrong! Over the course of the show’s third season, this is exactly what happens with Cromwell, whose counsel was usually spot on – until he persuaded Henry to marry Anne of Cleves to gain support against an apparent alliance between France and Spain.
It didn’t help matters that Henry was madly in love with Jane, who died bearing him a son. Even though the very attractive Stone was miscast – at least physically – as the plain Anne, we can buy into Henry’s lack of enthusiasm because Meyers’ performance is so good – and Wallis has an almost ethereal beauty before which, most of the show’s loveliest ladies pale. Stone does a fine job of portraying Anne’s confusion and humiliation, as well.
But it is Frain who steals the show with his passionate performance as the brains behind Henry’s reformation of the church into what became the Church of England, as well as many of Henry’s best political and military decisions. None of which takes away from Henry’s intelligence – he surrounded himself with smart advisors and listened to them as often as not.
The third season of The Tudors is as notorious for its sex scenes as for its politics, and we see plenty of beautiful women in the nude – which may be a selling point, commercially, but also plays into the kind of dalliances that were not rare in that period. Some of these scenes, such as Henry’s first meeting with Catherine Howard, elicit both heat and humor [she takes a ring he shows her and makes it very appealing in an unexpected sequence of events…].
Though the series is filled with fine performances, special mention should be made of Gerald McSorley, who plays the doomed leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace – an uprising of more than 10,000 men over the destruction and looting of Catholic churches; Alan Van Sprang as Henry’s top spy, Sir Francis Bryan – as smart and twisted an individual as we’ve ever seen in the espionage game, and Henry Cavil as Charles Brandon – a political opportunist who played both sides against the middle to remove Cromwell from his position.
Overall, season three of The Tudors continue to contrast the lavishness and pomp of Henry’s court with the more stark realities of life outside that circle. Though it’s a quality period soap, The Tudors plays the politics of the day – in and outside of the court in a way that makes it seem very contemporary. If it goes overboard a bit too much, that’s a minor flaw for a soap in any period.
Features: an Insert, Deleted Scenes and Bloopers.
Grade: The Tudors: The Complete Third Season – B+
Grade: Features – D
Final Grade: B
Note: This review is for the Canadian release; the US release date is December 15th. This release can be purchased at www.amazon.ca.