shadowsong26 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shadowsong26) wrote2013-07-22 05:39 pm
shadowsong26) wrote2013-07-22 05:39 pm
I HAVE CONQUERED THE TUDORS!
Not literally. That would involve time travel. And be weird. And probably impossible.
But I finished the show, and I have thoughts, most of which come from the last two seasons, since those are freshest in my mind.
See, I get what they were trying to do with More's execution. Except he was so freaking unpleasant by then that it came off as, frankly, ridiculous. I get what I was supposed to get from More's execution with Cromwell's, actually. Especially that one line from Henry early in S4 that basically boiled down to "SOME OF YOUR EVIDENCE WAS FABRICATED AND EVEN THOUGH SOME OF IT WASN'T GODDAMMIT IT CROMWELL GOT SHIT DONE AND NOW IT'S NOT GETTING DONE AND NOW I'M CRANKY." And we all know what happens when Henry gets cranky. Hell, even Robert Aske had a more sympathetic death, and he was only in the show for four episodes!
I really feel sorry for Catherine Howard. Like...more than I do for any of the other wives. Sure, Anne of Cleves had the awkwardest fucking marriage in the history of ever and there was that weird time when Henry wanted to either fuck or cuddle her (they had their clothes on when we saw them spooning, but IDK) but she was perfectly happy in the end. And Anne Boleyn, while she sure as hell didn't deserve to get her head chopped off and her father should have had his removed, tyvm, she played politics and lost, much like Wolsey and Cromwell did. So, I mean, yeah, sympathy there, but a different kind. Ditto for Catherine of Aragon. Catherine Parr, any sympathy for her just washes off of her cool exterior and brilliance at playing politics. And Jane is just kind of boring. (Even the showrunners seem to think so, given how 90% of her death episode was devoted to Suffolk killing people and moping.) But Catherine Howard? She gets genuine pity from me. I kind of want to give her a hug and some cookies. That kind of sorry-for, which is different for the others. She's like...a lapdog, pretty and petted and not that bright, who's been kicked and locked in a cage.
I really wish I could slow down the end of the opening credits and figure out exactly what flashes through. I think it's Cromwell, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, and Wolsey, but I may be missing someone. Probably More, but it goes so fast and I can't pause it fast enough to be sure.
I have this weird idea for an alternate history novel, where that one jousting accident in January 1536 actually killed Henry.
I am SO FUCKING PLEASED that Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon got to bitch at Henry on his deathbed. Not quite sure why Jane was there. Catherine Howard didn't need it and the other two were still alive. But it would have been nice to see Cromwell (JAMES FRAIN ILU I WANT TO TUG YOUR EARS) and Wolsey and I guess More. Maybe if they had the three majorest dead women stacked up against the three majorest dead men. I guess they were doing the three mothers, but IDK, Jane's appearance felt out of place. Although Henry's plaintive calling 'Catherine' and telling Anne he wished he could love Elizabeth more/calling 'ANNE PLEASE DON'T' as she vanished did tug the heartstrings quite a bit. And it was nice to see Elizabeth in more Elizabethan fashions, that I think was supposed to mimic a particular portrait of her, though there was never a clear shot so I'm not 100% sure.
Oh, man, does the lack of the Duke of Norfolk tell in later episodes. I wonder why Henry Czerny left the show.
What the hell was going on with Henry's voice the last season or so? It got...strangely gravelly.
I have to say, while it was really bizarre when it first popped up, Suffolk's Mountain Man hair grew on me as S4 went on. Although he weirdly reminds me of Jean Valjean now.
Six-year-old Edward's adorable failure to maintain his accent is adorable.
Sarah Bolger and Anthony Brophy OH MY HEART WHEN HE HUGGED HER GOODBYE I CRIED. Basically, those two were awesome. And he's the only actor besides Henry and Suffolk who appeared in all four seasons. Not the only character, because Mary, but she had like five actresses so.
I'm...not super-fond of the Teenage Elizabeth actress. IDK, something about her feels wrong, especially in her scenes with Sarah Bolger.
((Also, side note, when that one Bavarian what's-his-name came to court Mary, it was so adorably hilarious to watch her go from EW LUTHERAN COOTIES to ...WANT in the space of like ten seconds.))
Best-staged executions were Cromwell and Anne Boleyn. In part because both had the weight of so much story behind them, unlike Buckingham's, which hit some of the same notes, and they succeeded in gaining my sympathy, unlike More. And, unlike George Boleyn, Thomas Culpepper, and Lady Rochford, their executions were about them, not about the queens whose stories they figured in. Also, fuck Thomas Culpepper, at least as he was portrayed here.
Edward's uncle, Hertford, I kind of want to punch his smug mouth whenever he appears onscreen.
Thomas Boleyn I want to stab his smug mouth whenever he appears on screen. I know I've hinted at that before, but IT BEARS REPEATING.
I have to say I like the way they did how badly Henry aged. It was all body language and increasingly bulky clothes, and...I mean, there are times when it's not apparent, but when it is, it's brilliantly done. So IDK. I'm kind of comparing it to Fat Lee from BSG in my head, and this plays better, even though it pays fast and loose with historical fact.
Not that I watch this show for accurate history, anyway.
I...don't quite get the Earl of Surrey in S4. I get he's sort of a substitute for Norfolk, but...IDK.
I miss Pope Peter O'Toole.
What the hell happened to Pole? He was pretty huge in S3 and then just sort of...disappeared, along with Francis Bryan. Who kind of helped put Catherine Howard into Henry's orbit, so...yeah. I guess they're off in Mandyville along with the Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Tallis and Archbishop Cranmer. Although Cranmer is mentioned a couple times, at least.
Returning to Sarah Bolger, that's some masterful casting there.
Also, the whole deal surrounding Suffolk's death made me cry.
I could've done without the weird Pale Rider Falling Leaves Into The Stars Death imagery that kept cropping up the last episode. Not quite as grating as the Blood-Soaked Crucifix (those of you who have seen the show KNOW WHAT I MEAN), but annoying and jarring.
I kind of want to make a mix for Henry's wives, or maybe all ten Tudor queens. I have two songs picked out for Catherine Howard already, at least. IDK. Thoughts?
But I finished the show, and I have thoughts, most of which come from the last two seasons, since those are freshest in my mind.
See, I get what they were trying to do with More's execution. Except he was so freaking unpleasant by then that it came off as, frankly, ridiculous. I get what I was supposed to get from More's execution with Cromwell's, actually. Especially that one line from Henry early in S4 that basically boiled down to "SOME OF YOUR EVIDENCE WAS FABRICATED AND EVEN THOUGH SOME OF IT WASN'T GODDAMMIT IT CROMWELL GOT SHIT DONE AND NOW IT'S NOT GETTING DONE AND NOW I'M CRANKY." And we all know what happens when Henry gets cranky. Hell, even Robert Aske had a more sympathetic death, and he was only in the show for four episodes!
I really feel sorry for Catherine Howard. Like...more than I do for any of the other wives. Sure, Anne of Cleves had the awkwardest fucking marriage in the history of ever and there was that weird time when Henry wanted to either fuck or cuddle her (they had their clothes on when we saw them spooning, but IDK) but she was perfectly happy in the end. And Anne Boleyn, while she sure as hell didn't deserve to get her head chopped off and her father should have had his removed, tyvm, she played politics and lost, much like Wolsey and Cromwell did. So, I mean, yeah, sympathy there, but a different kind. Ditto for Catherine of Aragon. Catherine Parr, any sympathy for her just washes off of her cool exterior and brilliance at playing politics. And Jane is just kind of boring. (Even the showrunners seem to think so, given how 90% of her death episode was devoted to Suffolk killing people and moping.) But Catherine Howard? She gets genuine pity from me. I kind of want to give her a hug and some cookies. That kind of sorry-for, which is different for the others. She's like...a lapdog, pretty and petted and not that bright, who's been kicked and locked in a cage.
I really wish I could slow down the end of the opening credits and figure out exactly what flashes through. I think it's Cromwell, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, and Wolsey, but I may be missing someone. Probably More, but it goes so fast and I can't pause it fast enough to be sure.
I have this weird idea for an alternate history novel, where that one jousting accident in January 1536 actually killed Henry.
I am SO FUCKING PLEASED that Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon got to bitch at Henry on his deathbed. Not quite sure why Jane was there. Catherine Howard didn't need it and the other two were still alive. But it would have been nice to see Cromwell (JAMES FRAIN ILU I WANT TO TUG YOUR EARS) and Wolsey and I guess More. Maybe if they had the three majorest dead women stacked up against the three majorest dead men. I guess they were doing the three mothers, but IDK, Jane's appearance felt out of place. Although Henry's plaintive calling 'Catherine' and telling Anne he wished he could love Elizabeth more/calling 'ANNE PLEASE DON'T' as she vanished did tug the heartstrings quite a bit. And it was nice to see Elizabeth in more Elizabethan fashions, that I think was supposed to mimic a particular portrait of her, though there was never a clear shot so I'm not 100% sure.
Oh, man, does the lack of the Duke of Norfolk tell in later episodes. I wonder why Henry Czerny left the show.
What the hell was going on with Henry's voice the last season or so? It got...strangely gravelly.
I have to say, while it was really bizarre when it first popped up, Suffolk's Mountain Man hair grew on me as S4 went on. Although he weirdly reminds me of Jean Valjean now.
Six-year-old Edward's adorable failure to maintain his accent is adorable.
Sarah Bolger and Anthony Brophy OH MY HEART WHEN HE HUGGED HER GOODBYE I CRIED. Basically, those two were awesome. And he's the only actor besides Henry and Suffolk who appeared in all four seasons. Not the only character, because Mary, but she had like five actresses so.
I'm...not super-fond of the Teenage Elizabeth actress. IDK, something about her feels wrong, especially in her scenes with Sarah Bolger.
((Also, side note, when that one Bavarian what's-his-name came to court Mary, it was so adorably hilarious to watch her go from EW LUTHERAN COOTIES to ...WANT in the space of like ten seconds.))
Best-staged executions were Cromwell and Anne Boleyn. In part because both had the weight of so much story behind them, unlike Buckingham's, which hit some of the same notes, and they succeeded in gaining my sympathy, unlike More. And, unlike George Boleyn, Thomas Culpepper, and Lady Rochford, their executions were about them, not about the queens whose stories they figured in. Also, fuck Thomas Culpepper, at least as he was portrayed here.
Edward's uncle, Hertford, I kind of want to punch his smug mouth whenever he appears onscreen.
Thomas Boleyn I want to stab his smug mouth whenever he appears on screen. I know I've hinted at that before, but IT BEARS REPEATING.
I have to say I like the way they did how badly Henry aged. It was all body language and increasingly bulky clothes, and...I mean, there are times when it's not apparent, but when it is, it's brilliantly done. So IDK. I'm kind of comparing it to Fat Lee from BSG in my head, and this plays better, even though it pays fast and loose with historical fact.
Not that I watch this show for accurate history, anyway.
I...don't quite get the Earl of Surrey in S4. I get he's sort of a substitute for Norfolk, but...IDK.
I miss Pope Peter O'Toole.
What the hell happened to Pole? He was pretty huge in S3 and then just sort of...disappeared, along with Francis Bryan. Who kind of helped put Catherine Howard into Henry's orbit, so...yeah. I guess they're off in Mandyville along with the Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Tallis and Archbishop Cranmer. Although Cranmer is mentioned a couple times, at least.
Returning to Sarah Bolger, that's some masterful casting there.
Also, the whole deal surrounding Suffolk's death made me cry.
I could've done without the weird Pale Rider Falling Leaves Into The Stars Death imagery that kept cropping up the last episode. Not quite as grating as the Blood-Soaked Crucifix (those of you who have seen the show KNOW WHAT I MEAN), but annoying and jarring.
I kind of want to make a mix for Henry's wives, or maybe all ten Tudor queens. I have two songs picked out for Catherine Howard already, at least. IDK. Thoughts?