Showtime’s THE TUDORS was fabulous last season. The story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn falling in love and marrying was great fun. His desire to divorce his first wife, Katherine of Aragon (formerly the wife of his brother) in a time when divorce was completely unacceptable made for great drama. 
I was very excited for season two. I cannot even count the number of people I got to watch the DVDs from Season One so they’d be ready for Season Two. But the sophomore season was much less interesting, much less fun. Peter O’Toole (Pope Paul III) was not nearly as interesting a religious foe as Sam Neill (Cardinal Woolsey). Henry falling OUT of love with Anne Boleyn and falling IN love with Jane Seymour was not nearly as interesting. In this case, “reel life” matches “real life.” Henry’s third wife, Jane, was not nearly as educated nor as bright as his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Last night was the season finale of this season of THE TUDORS. The last three episodes have been really good. So, now I’m hooked again.
Another season has been ordered and I’ve studied the history books so, next year, I know we’ll be watching as Jane Seymour gives birth to Henry’s son and dies shortly thereafter. His next wife will be with Anne of Cleves, a horribly unattractive woman whose alliance was recommended by Thomas Cromwell (who catastrophically fell from favor and was killed for treason because of this recommendation).
When THE TUDORS launched, Jonathan Rhys Myers was interviewed and said that Henry VIII was a young, virile, powerful king … the rock star of his era. This was certainly true in season one. He certainly beds medieval groupies with the passion of a rock star but, as he continues to behead people with the abandon of the Bush Whitehouse, the sheen is coming off his star. They need to find some way to bring the magic back. Naked power used destructively is all that pleasant to watch.
On a side note … I do adore Anne Boleyn and her amazing daughter, Elizabeth I. England is lucky, lucky, lucky that Henry married Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth had the intelligence and charisma of her parents. There is a reason she ushered in The Golden Age. Following the coronation of her daughter as queen, Anne was venerated as a martyr and heroine. She has been called by some “the most influential and important queen consort in English history.”
