Natalie Dormer and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in "The Tudors"
courtesy of SHOWTIME
“The Tudors” (SHOWTIME)

Those bawdy, battling Tudors are back on your television screen for another segment of their history. As this season of “SHOWTIME’s acclaimed “The Tudors” kicks off, Henry VIII is determined to shed his current wife and take the lovely and luscious Anne Boleyn as his queen. To do this he has to battle his people and the Pope but does he care? Not really. It is full steam ahead to the divorce courts.

Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is married to Katherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy). Her fatal flaw is she has not produced a son to inherit the throne. Being a bit of a rake Henry’s eyes travel around the court and fall upon the sensuous Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer), a woman who is more than willing to tempt the King.

Henry is such an egomaniac that he expects the courts and the Church to roll over and play dead when he decides to divorce his queen. This brings him into conflict with his religious advisor Thomas Moore(Jeremy Northam) as well as Pope Paul III (Peter O’Toole).

Later episodes will take us through Henry’s second marriage and its failure. There will be executions and betrayals, love and lust, sinning and winning. It is a series packed full of excitement and adventure. The fact it is true history gives it an added edge.

Meyer is still good in his role as Henry. He has the fire and the fury down pat. Dormer is seductive as Anne Boleyn while Kennedy is regal as Katherine. One of the surprises of this series is how enjoyable O’Toole is as the Pope. It is a role he was born to play.

In the first episode of the season a man is submerged alive in boiling oil. There is also an abundant amount of nudity. This tendency to show violent acts and sexual ones continue throughout all of the episodes. This is not your grandfather’s version of Henry VIII.

The story does get a little talky in parts and the cast of characters is so large that it is hard to keep them straight. Still this is a great way to learn English history. The visual aids are amazing, especially Natalie Dormer.

For a raucous romp through the story of Henry VIII this is the show to watch. “The Tudors” premieres on Sunday, March 30 at 9PM on SHOWTIME. Watch it and be entertained. Oh, and learn some history too.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!