Talkie Tuesday: The Tudors (season 1)

Hello everyone!

So last week, I talked about how I was watching a TV show and needed to finish it before I would write about it. I can now happily confirm that I've watched the full first season of The Tudors, and after a break during which I finished Hawaii Five-0 season 5 (yes, yes this isn't a blog post about THAT, but I recommend it. It's SO. GOOD.) I plan on starting season two.  

So, the Tudors is an older show which has already finished, as most of you probably already know (if not, you just learned). It ran for four seasons, with ten episodes in three seasons and eight in one. Since it ran between 2007 and 2010 (or was it 2011?), you're probably all wondering the same thing:

how come I'm talking about this now?

Well, here it goes: my friend Maegan and I were talking at one point, and one thing led to the other, which eventually led to Henry Cavill. This went on to the Tudors, and the conversation suddenly turned into something like this:

Maegan: It's my favourite show ever, I rewatch episodes so much.

Me: I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never watched it from start to finish, just random eps.

Maegan: WHAT?

Me: Um ... I've never seen the Tudors, strictly speaking?

Maegan: BLASPHEMY! WE MUST CHANGE THIS!

Haha, okay, it wasn't EXACTLY like that. But we DID decide that, for my home schooling project titled 'How to make sure you DEFINITELY watch The Tudors', Maegan and I decided to watch the show together.

Obviously, since she lives in the US and I live in Europe, this works in such a way that I'm watching an episode and simultaneously talking to her on Facebook, and we comment. Like fangirls usually do. Because, bottom line: I'm not really watching this for the history. I know all about Henry VIII and his six wives and million mistresses. Sure I enjoy it - I enjoy it even more whenever Henry Cavill is on screen,

But I digress.

The Tudors, season one, covers the years of English reign when Henry VIII was a young, handsome king, married to Catherine of Aragon, with their daughter princess Mary old enough to be engaged and become a pawn on the map of Europian politics. Cardinal Wolsey is at full power, Thomas More broods about by the king's side, and the King becomes enarmored with Anne Boleyn. The first season ends with the death of the Cardinal and the beginning of the trial against the Queen to supplant her with Anne. Along the way, we also get to see some interesting twists on European politics, basically played out between the King of England, the King of France, and the Emperor of Spain. Three greatest monarchs of their time, pitted one against the other, at one time or at different intervals. Basically, hardly anyone is friends at any given time. They're all just waiting for the next chance to throw a punch.

That's a very brief sinopsys of what is, essentially, Showtime showing us what the peerage of England did with their free time (in other words: they had sex, they had games, they had sex, they ate grapes, and they had sex some more). You'd think that Game of Thrones invented the show-stopper scenes. Nope, Tudors were first.

The King is played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, whom I infinitely prefer with a little bit of shadow on his cheeks to the clean-shaven look, which Maegan will laugh at since I'm usually dead set against any kind of beard or anything. But his acting is SUPERB and he brings to life a very gullible, very self-absorbed king who wants his subjects to see him as someone who does no wrong. I shudder to think of what'll happen when the megalomania begins.

Then we have his best friend, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, who is played by Henry Cavill. This is the first piece I saw Cavill in, and I've been his fan ever since (not just for the sex scenes, either). He delivers what Brandon generally was portrayed to be, which is a womanizer, someone who took great liberties, stuck his neck way, WAY out of line, but ultimately was the only surviving member of the King's court who died of natural causes at old age. And, I mean, he's good to look at. That, too.

The incomparable Sam Neill plays Cardinal Wolsey, which I had completely forgotten. I had tried recently to watch the adaptation of Wolf Hall, but just couldn't get into it, potentially because it just seemed so ... dull. And the Cardinal there was portrayed at the end of his power, whereas here, for the major part of the season, he is still very much the key player and power behind the throne. Not to mention, he knows his stuff.

Out of the many others who grace the screen, we must of course mention Natalie Dormer, who plays Anne. This was, I believe, Dormer's first more prominent role, and she excels at it. She portrays Anne as a young woman, who will follow the suggestions and orders of her family, but who falls hopelessly in love with the King, and while intelligent and witty, is in no way malicious or capricious as some other representations show her. I like this rendition very, very much.

In general, though, what you can say about the first season is this: everyone wants to be the king of France. No one actually is. Everyone wants to be the greatest monarch in Europe. Everyone stabs everyone else in the back and makes political deals nobody honours. And everyone seems to sleep with everyone else.

Sounds confusing?

Imagine what the REAL thing must have been like!

xx

*images not mine