15/12/2024
Wolf Hall, the Mirror and the Light written reviews, Episode 6: Light (finale):
Well, we are at the end. I'll do the usual breakdown of the episode and then a brief final thoughts on the series as a whole.
Brief Plot Overview: The entire episode is Cromwell in the Tower awaiting his fate with him being interrogated, his few remaining allies trying to help him but, ultimately, the episode ends with his ex*****on.
Positives:
- This was probably the best episode of the season in my view. In theory, it should have been quite slow since I would say about half the episode is just Cromwell on the one side being interrogates by Norfolk, Gardiner, Wriothesley and Rich. However, it was very well acted and brought together a lot of the plot points we saw in earlier episodes all being used against Cromwell, which he himself knows since he has done this to others before.
- One of the few recasting's I do approve of is Gardiner's and I did like his final conversation with Cromwell where they act quite respectful to one another.
- We only got one scene with Henry getting Sadler to read Cromwell's letter to him and, again, was very well acted.
Negatives:
- Whilst we did Cromwell's confession letter to the King and the 'mercy, mercy, mercy' line, Cromwell (and again this is a common criticism from season 1 as well) felt a bit too noble and even though he sort of justified his actions, everyone looked very sad when he finally went, even his enemies. In reality, I am sure there were a lot of people that would have been almost joyful when he was executed. Of course, that is rather the point of Wolf Hall, to make him more sympathetic, but at the end it was like he was becoming a saint or something.
- They sort of but didn't really do what I thought they would with intercutting Henry and Katherine Howard's wedding with Cromwell's ex*****on. We got a shot of Henry looking sad whilst Gardiner and Norfolk look at him, then Katherine and her maids sorting her dress out whilst Mary looks on and then walks out, but that was it. I am surprised since that seemed to be the natural thing to do if they were going to portray Henry marrying Jane intercut with Anne Boleyn's ex*****on at the start of the series, but they didn't fully do that.
- Also, I know what they were going for with Cromwell having a flashback to Anne Boleyn staying in those apartments in the Tower, but I am pretty sure Cromwell was not staying in the Queen's apartments when he was there!
- Some of Cromwell's lines in his second interrogation where he basically predicts the rest of Henry's reign (the wars with Scotland and France, the country going bankrupt etc.) felt a bit on the nose. I doubt the real life Cromwell was that much of a fortune teller. Granted, you could judge Henry's patterns (likes war and spending money) but something about it felt like someone who knows the outcome later on making out they predicted it.
Overall Thoughts of the season:
- Obviously, in these reviews I have listed more negative points but don't take that as me saying that the series is bad or anything, it's simply the good points are often a lot more simpler to state (costumes good, acting good) as opposed to errors. Overall, this was pretty good and is probably the best Tudor related drama we have had in years. I'd argue since season 1 back in 2015!
- In terms of the recasting, overall, most of the choices were a step down but were still good in heir own right, Lady Rochford for example was well played by Jessica Raine was better in the role. One of the two exceptions to this is Gardiner; Alex Jennings was much better in the role compared to Mark Gatiss. Technically, Mary was recast (she had one scene in season 1) and Lilit Lesser was pretty good, I kind of don't count it as a recast though since her role was minimal in season 1 and was set several years earlier when the character was younger, so a recast was probably inevitable anyway.
On the flip side, the only recasting I think was much worst was Timothy Spall as Norfolk. He is a good actor but for whatever reason he just did not fit in this role, particularly compared to Bernard Hill who was far more lively and animated. Sadly, Bernard Hill has passed away and was presumably ill when filming, which is why he could not reprise the role, but it is a shame we did not get to see him again.
- The returning cast were all fine. Damian Lewis has gone up in my Henry rankings a bit I think, although it is a shame he didn't really bulk out in the last few episodes. He should have basically looked like the later Holbein portraits by that point yet, whilst his clothes were bulky, he had the same problem Jude Law did in Firebrand where his face is quite thin compared to the rest. Still, he gave a good performance. Of course, Mark Rylance needs little more words written about his performance. If he does not win a BAFTA or Emmy or something, then the awards will have been rigged.
- Costumes and sets were very well done. Of course, there were errors (I think highlighted the boots in a previous breakdown etc.) but overall it looked great and more magnificent than season 1, helped by the fact they actually got to film at Hampton Court for this season.
- Pacing wise, it had the strange problem (episodes 1 to 4 at least) of going quite slow with the pacing yet somehow not covering enough and missing huge chunks. Again, aside from a few extracts I have not read the Mirror and the Light (I think I read the first book years ago but can barely remember it) but it feels like they skimmed over a lot of points. For example, the whole thing with Cromwell's daughter went nowhere, we had a flashback in this last episode when I was expecting her to try and visit him one last time or something, that whole arc appeared in the last five minutes of one, and then was done in about the first ten to fifteen of the next. In terms of the history, we basically missed the Exeter conspiracy (or got bits of it I suppose), I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Anne of Cleves but we got one scene with her. Jane Seymour got a fair bit of screentime, but even she was underused. The Pilgrimage of Grace effectively happens largely off screen etc.
- Again, I brought this up in a few reviews in the past. The diverse casting was unnecessary and, despite what Kosminsky (I think?) said, about how “things have changed since season 1” (because apparently the nobles in the 16th century between 1 and 2 suddenly got more progressive!), I think this decision was taken more to meet industry and award standards so it would qualify for the BAFTA's and the Emmys. It was not the same as Anne Boleyn though, the only notable-ish figure changed was Elizabeth Seymour, the rest is all a few random background soldiers and nobles, but again, that does further reiterate my point when doing this, and something I have been saying since at least the 2018/19 Mary Queen of Scots film. Make it look how it did, the world was different in the 16th Century and should be reflect as such.
- A personal peeve, but the constant use of flashbacks was annoying. There were scenes were they were doing flashbacks to scenes that had practically just happened! It felt like I was watching an anime or something to the point I am surprised they didn't have a random episode where they went to the beach!
So that is it. I will do a Quick Review at some point next year depending how the (massive) Napoleon review goes. I fear I have fallen behind a bit of late with the Tudor stuff. To compensate, I will be doing an unscripted upcoming Tudor Dramas video sometime before/after the New Year since we have had a few announcements.
Anyway, to conclude, here is the final picture meme, that being a contemporary image of Gardiner and Norfolk at the end, and then a collage of all six to reflect the season:
