The Tudors: Episode 2
Just a reminder that the second episode of The Tudors airs tonight on Showtime, and will be replayed throughout the week. You can also view the episode On Demand, or for free online.
Use the comments section of this post to discuss the episode. Any comments I may have will be posted in the comments section as well. Honestly, I haven’t seen the first episode yet, but I will post my comments in that thread once I have, and will post my comments here when I’ve seen this episode.
WARNING: Comments may contain further discussion of the show, including potential spoilers. Click through only after viewing the episode. Commenters may discuss this episode as freely as they like, but are asked not to spoil future episodes they may have seen online or elsewhere.
By the way, did you know that Catherine of Arragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain? That’s hot.
April 9th, 2007 at 12:05 am
I’m loving the show, although some of the historical inaccuracies are driving me up the wall. How gorgeous are the sets and costumes!?
April 9th, 2007 at 4:35 am
Anniina, welcome to the site and thanks for visiting!
(Check out Anniina’s site for more on the show, including the historical inaccuracies that are driving her up the wall.)
I’ll have more to say once I’ve seen the episode. My DVR is backed up. I guess I’ve been too busy making lists. But thanks for the warning. I figured there would be plenty of historical inaccuracies, but probably no more than you might find in Shakespeare. If I catch any more, I’ll send them your way.
April 11th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Hey Bill! I see what you mean about the inaccuracies, but I really like the series so far.
Have you heard the rumor that Anne Boleyn had a 6th finger on one hand? I wonder if it was true or it was just a rumor started to show that she bewitched Henry. I heard that the first time it was mentioned was in the manuscript of a Jesuit historian. But then again he also claimed she had a third breast. Well, they did say she liked a good party.
April 18th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Hi Kelly! Thanks for visiting. I had not heard that rumor, but I suspect (along with you) that the Jesuit historian may have blamed her for the English Reformation and wanted to make her seem unnatural.
I just watched the second episode, and something just doesn’t seem right. It feels like the bastard child of a history text book and a twenty-five-cent romance novel. The plot and pacing are good and the visuals are amazing, but the script is flat. It’s like watching an outline of a good series before the final dialogue is written.
“Hi, my name is Thomas More. I am a humanist and I wrote Utopia. You are Cardinal Wolsey. You are more Machiavellian than I am because I am a humanist.”
Okay, it’s not that bad, but I still feel like I’m getting hit over the head by a series that is very good at illustrating a story but very bad at illuminating it, or for that matter, getting me to care about it.
Fortunately, I already care about it. I like the story, so I’m going to stick with it. Maybe it will get better. Henry broke a mirror in this episode, so he’s going to have seven years of bad luck. Perhaps he’ll meet a six-fingered, three-breasted witch in the next episode that will bewitch him into plunging his country into turmoil.