The sensual scandal returns, albeit toned down slightly from the raunchy first bow, in the second season of The Tudors. Chronicling the reign of England’s King Henry VIII and his many wives, season two looks at his continued plight for a son from wife number two Anne Boleyn and their subsequent fallout.
In the show’s first season, young King Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) was like a lion looking to establish authority over his kingdom. He had to have his way, often leading to hissy fits and yelling matches when things didn’t go as he pleased. His first order of business was to have a male heir and when it was clear his first wife wasn’t going to give it to him, he sought to annul his marriage. Much of the first season revolved around Henry’s subsequent obsession with Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) and the sexy scenes that resulted from it. But now he’s got her and in the second season the focus shifts more towards Henry’s battle with the Church as he looks to forge his own path with new interpretations of the texts that meet his needs for a male heir that can only come from a new wife – namely Anne. Knowing that Henry takes on many wives over his lifetime, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the scheming couple’s honeymoon doesn’t last for too long – at least if you measure it by episodes. The resulting implosion paves the path for the second half of the season.
With stories and songs galore to his name, Henry VIII is one of England’s most legendary rulers. As such, he’s taken on mythic proportions and balancing the fact with the fiction is likely a dubious task. I don’t know a lot about Henry VIII, his queens or his impact on the world but I can sing to his legend. I suspect that’s true with most people. That said, I’ve taken the show at its face value, rather than its faithfulness to the history books. Besides, simply isolating facts isn’t history. To me it’s more the motivation and the context behind the events. So The Tudors may be close to truthful or it could be way off. Simply put, it tells a good story and that’s all I really am concerned with watching it.
As in the first season, The Tudors continues to take on a modern sort of spin as it focuses a lot on the scandalous side of things much like the current media does with our celebrities. As such, there’s something very ‘now’ feeling about the show as it bridges the past with the sensibilities and obsessions of the present.
While present, the scandals aren’t nearly as numerous this season. Instead, the drama shifts more into the courts as Henry takes on the Church. As a result, I found there to be a few more slower spots in the second set of episodes as Henry ultimately repeats similar speeches and diatribes a few times over.
Still, this is a lavish show filled with the dirty drama. While it’s not quite a soap opera, it comes close at times. The show continues to do an excellent job not only with the sets and costumes but also in getting to the root of what motivates the characters. Two seasons in The Tudors continues to be one of television’s sexiest and sultry shows and one rooted in the history books to boot.
The Tudors: Season Two DVD Review
The Tudors: The Complete Second Season is a four disc set featuring all ten episodes and a solid mix of bonus features. Each episode is presented in an enhanced widescreen format with English 5.1 Surround Sound audio. An additional English audio track is offered in 2.0 Surround as well as a Spanish mono track.
“The Tower of London” goes to the infamous site in a six-minute featurette. It’s framed as a stroll with the show’s star Natalie Dormer and historian Tom Stammers. The two tour the halls and rooms where Anne Boleyn spent her final days before her execution. “Descendents of Henry” explores the complex family tree of Henry VIII, tracking down his modern-day bloodline. Additional bonus features include short written biographies of several of the show’s cast, a photo gallery and full episodes of other Showtime shows This American Life and Californication. DVD-ROM users can also see episodes of Dexter and The United States of Tara.
The Tudors: Season Two Gallery
Trailer
