Don’t you hate it when network television cheats with the length of their season? A 22-24 episode year ends up being 20-22, sometimes with a clips show thrown in to really annoy us. Well, cable’s picked up on the sneak as well; last night’s eighth episode of season three of The Tudors was the finale. What?
Kind of annoying, but in a sense, a bit of a relief, as well. Ever since the announcement that the show would only air four seasons, I’ve been keeping a wary eye on how exactly the writers intended to truncate a factual life like King Henry’s. Well, the past few episodes have certainly answered that question.
In one fell swoop, Henry went from widower, to bachelor, to newlywed, to adulterer, to soon to be divorcee, all in the blink of an eye. While it was seemingly that quick in real life, Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) did have some sort of a life in the castle, before being unceremoniously dumped. There was also a lot more to the development of Henry’s relationship with Katherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant), but with the clock ticking, Showtime can only give us so much.
The problem with the short season, particularly where history exists as a blueprint, is the rapidity with which things need to take place. Cromwell got the noose and some whiplash with it, but not quite as brutally as the finale would have us believe. It’s a frustrating event when a fantastic show loses the ability to tell its story.
And yet, there is a certain amount of authenticity to the hyperkinetic motion that surrounds the cast of The Tudors. While the middle ages were a bit sleepy, Henry only ruled for 38 years; in that time, he managed to wed six women, father four children (three of whom would serve as ruler of England), spend a 375 million pound (today’s money) fortune. Oh; and divorce England from the Roman Empire, and build the Church of England, which survives until today.
That Henry was as colorful as he was significant to the emergence of England into modern times is clear. As muddied as his personal history may be, he built a strong and thriving country from the one mired in some upheaval that his father left him.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers continues to awe and amaze. Whether he’s lying ill with a blackened, ulcerous leg, cavorting with a string of ladies-in-waiting and house maids, riding with his friends through his woods, or leading a summit with France and Spain, Rhys Meyers has the ability to channel the real King Henry, radiating the man’s power through his eyes and his movement. There is no side by side comparison to be made, and Rhys Meyers is an aesthetic vision of what Henry wished himself to look like, but I have no doubt in watching the actor that I’m seeing the House of Tudor in action.
Unfortunately, the season, series, and retelling, of the Tudor dynasty are all being cut short by Showtime. But, hey; Showtime and Michael Hirst (The Tudor‘s creator) are planning to bring us Camelot next. Hopefully King Arthur and his Round Table will enthrall us a bit more than Henry and Rome did.
Until then, while I lament the loss of another great show about where we came from, I’ll be sure to appreciate The Tudors for as long as its around. Hopefully you will, too.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on May 26, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
