– Henry’s Paranoia Reaches New Heights –
by Damianista | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | November 11, 2024
“So, good Privy Seal, as you love me and love my service, you will bring this matter to a conclusion.” – Henry VIII
I have said it before and will say it again. Wolf Hall is the best thing that has happened to TV. It is a slow-cooking, dark, witty political drama with a contemporary feel. Peter Straughan’s script is wonderfully condensed, with most of the conversation coming directly from Mantel’s pen. Hearing some of the best lines I have ever read spoken by the characters is delightful. Peter Kosminsky’s directing is flawless. While some characters needed to be recast, the continuity is beyond impressive that you don’t feel the nine-year interval between the two productions. Mark Rylance is as nuanced as ever as Thomas Cromwell, and Damian Lewis is quietly terrifying as Henry VIII. And while the two leads are electric together, the entire cast gives a masterclass in acting. So yes, the long wait is entirely worth it. Now let’s get to it.
The opening sequence of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light is chilling and sets the tone: dark, brutal, and bloody.
We pick up exactly where we left Wolf Hall back in 2015. And going back and forth between Anne Boleyn’s execution and Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour a week or so later makes breathtaking drama.
He may recently have had his wife beheaded, but Henry has obviously turned the page on Anne, the woman for whom he turned the page on a religion! He’s having a spa day – being groomed and dressed up – before his marriage ceremony. We see how physically imposing the king is as the servants dress him up (Damian wears a “foam suit” to make Henry look big!) and we see the pain on his face as he walks using a stick and with a vague limp.
I can’t help but ask myself what thoughts may pass through Jane’s mind as Henry puts the wedding ring on her finger. Is she happy? Is she nervous? Is she scared? Does she ever think about the possible scenarios in case she fails to give Henry a male heir? After all, Henry divorced Catherine of Aragon and had Anne Boleyn beheaded only because they were not able to give Henry what is now expected of Jane to give. Being a queen is a health hazard in the court of Henry VIII. And not even Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s ultimate fixer can fix that.
Cromwell, a blacksmith’s son from Putney, and a newly created Baron as well as the Lord Privy Seal, continues his meteoric rise in the court of Henry VIII. That said, he needs to succeed at all costs to keep his power, wealth, and privileges.
Imperial Ambassador Chapuys tells him:
“Your whole life depends on the next beat of Henry’s heart and your future on his smile or frown.”
Well, Chapuys is right. There was a time when Henry loved Catherine There was a time when he loved Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More, and Anne Boleyn, too. And where are they now?
The king’s two earlier marriages have been declared illegitimate, and so have his two children, Mary and Eliza. Now, the question in minds of many is whether Jane will be able to give Henry a son. And the question for the rest seems to be whether the king is able to perform in the bedroom! The King boasting to Cromwell about his new bride’s “maidenly pudeur” signals he did well but again who knows?
There is a matter that troubles Henry on his honeymoon. He has got a letter from his daughter Mary who, Henry thinks, is entertaining the idea of getting restored as his heir. The king interprets this as Mary believing that Jane will fail to give him a son. Besides, Mary refuses to recognize her father as the head of the Church of England. Henry can’t tolerate disloyalty especially from his own blood. And Cromwell promises the king that he will convince Mary to obey her father. But how?
Mary is a devout Catholic. For her, supporting the new regime where Henry is the head of the Church is going against everything she believes in. So it is not a trivial task to convince Mary to sign the oath of allegiance to Henry. Cromwell has to tread very carefully.
Read the rest of the original article at Fan Fun with Damian Lewis