I wanted to take a moment to go back to the usual topic I choose to write about... entertainment, in whatever form it tends to enter my life in. Right now, the media form of choice that's populating my life is TV, as I haven't come across any stupendous movies recently, and, though I still mean to talk about Life of Pi, something else is simply on my mind MORE. (Maybe Pi tomorrow?)The last few nights, I've been digging into the second season of The Tudors, the Showtime masterpiece that tells the tale of grand ol' Henry VIII. Of course, as soon as my dad hits the tarmac to fly out to North Caroline, my mom and I jumped back into this fabulous (and slightly girl-oriented) show. Though it's been quite some time since I saw the first season, it didn't take much to get me hooked again.
Now, I hardly need to explain, I'm guessing, but The Tudors tells the tale of Henry VIII. More specifically, it is currently focusing on his relationship with Anne Boleyn, and the upheaval of the Church of England that resulted from his efforts to annul his first marriage.
(*I'm guessing I don't have to warn about spoilers since this is all historical, but I will be talking about the events of the first two seasons in this post, FYI.*)
In our current season, so far, Henry succeeded in naming himself the head of the Church of England - over the Pope and the church in Rome. He has officially declared his marriage to Catherine of Aragon null and void (though she will not accept this), banished Catherine to a dingy and cold castle, and finally married Anne, making her queen. As the season has progressed, Anne became pregnant, but failed to give birth to a son, instead bringing the future Queen Elizabeth into the world. Things are becoming strained between Henry and Anne and he is beginning to turn to mistresses again. Surely (as history dictates), it is only a matter of time before he turns to a more lasting relationship, in the form of Jane Seymore. On a more political note, Henry has demanded that everyone in England swear an oath that states they accept Anne as his wife and their queen, and that they recognize him as head of the church. Notably, Henry's good friend Sir Thomas Moore refused this oath (the second part, in particular), and was killed for this.
So, that's where we stand. The show has been faulted on and off for historical inaccuraces, but overall, it gets the picture across. This season has some new faces - with Cardinal Wolsey's large role gone, someone(s) had to fill the vaccuum. So far, I'm intrigued by the characters of Oliver Cromwell, Bishop Cranmar, and the poet (and former lover to Anne) Wyatt. Oh, and I am absolutely loving Peter O'Toole's stint as Pope. Now, on a more opinion-y note, I just wnat to start by saying that I absolutely LOVE this period of history, and have for many years. I have always been fascinated by Queen Elizabeth and, indirectly, Henry VIII, though I had never learned quite so much in detail about the political and religious sides of the story. This show does an excellent job balancing the sexy intrigue and court politics with the power plays and religious upheaval of the time.
In the same way I loved Cate Blanchett's Queen Elizabeth films and Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth miniseries, I love to see this period come to life. Though, chronologically, 500 years back in history is not that long (compared to, say, cave men), it is a very distant time from our own advanced technological age. It's always been hard to imagine people like King Henry and Anne Boleyn as real because the images we have of them are so odd, and thus, they are hard to imagineas real. Paintings like this (of Anne) or this (of Henry) make it hard to imagine real people, though evolutionarily, 500 years would not have made much of a difference from us and they probably would have looked like someone who got lost at a Renaissance Fair. As I was discussing with my mom last night, the artists and art during this time did not capture what a person really looked like, so I value the ability of The Tudors to bring it all to life.
It's easy to imagine that our world of financial collapse, corrupt CEOs, political charisma is complex and dramatic, but, really, consider England during the 1500's. The king had near absolute power (Parliament was really a puppet group), he married and divorced (or beheaded) SIX women (gasp!), war with France or Spain was a near constant threat, and a man's conscience was one of the strongest powers in the world. Mistresses were accepted, if not expected, and women were most often seen as pawns... political bargaining chips, if you will. Dress and costumes were elaborate in courts - jewels adorned nearly everyone, and dances, customs, and manners were complex beyond imagining. 500 years may not be that far back in our Earth's past, but from my point of view, it's a world away.
Also reviewed at Sazze.com:
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