Well, “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”, has finally hit our screen here in the US and I couldn’t be happier!
The first season of Wolf Hall is what lead me to this lovely community, and to think it has been 10 years since these rich, complex historical characters have been on our screens. It may have been a decade, but this wonderful series has not lost a step.
As I did during “Billions” I will write about my observations and thoughts on each episode. Instead of coming at it with my knowledge of Wall Street and trading, I will be giving my views from the vantage point of being a Tudor junkie.
I have read over 80 books and counting (I’m currently reading “The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain’s Greatest Dynasty” by Tracy Borman) about the Tudors and Tudor history. I have read historical books, historical fiction, and even alternative storytelling (i.e., what would England look like if Edward VI had lived?). I know my Tudors!
I will also have to confess upfront of being an Anne “stan”. I know Anne Boleyn was far from a perfect person or Queen; but she was intelligent, fashionable, and charismatic during a time in history when women were seen as property and breeding machines. Also, how could I not be a fan of the mother of Elizabeth I? So, you might see a bias or two in my posts.
As always, please read Damianista’s brilliant, detailed recaps every Sunday evening/Monday morning after the episodes have aired. They really are the go-to of recaps.
PBS was kind enough to release all six episodes of “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”, so I was able to watch the first three episodes several times in preparation for my posts. Unfortunately, this also coincides with a trip to the West Coast, so this post and my next one will be quick observations and some fun facts.
Episode 1 “Wreckage” Fun Facts and Observations
I want to start off by saying this series is television at it’s finest. The acting, writing, costumes and sets are all marvelous. And this season the atmosphere is one of foreboding, and you can definitely feel it through the screen.
When open with Anne being brought to the Tower of London and then executed while we see Henry and Jane marry. This timeline is sped up for storytelling reasons but here are few fun facts: Anne was brought to the Tower on May 2, 1536. She was tried on May 15, then executed on May 19. She was originally scheduled to die on May 18, but the executioner was late arriving from Saint-Omer (it is interesting to note that the executioner was summoned to London even before Anne was tried). Henry married Jane Seymour at the Palace of Whitehall on May 30.
I will also say that Anne did not cry at her execution. She was said to have given a very moving speech as her last words that brought some of the witnesses to tears.
“When negotiations and compromise fail, your only course is to destroy your enemy…”
Cromwell says these words to Rafe when Rafe says getting rid of Anne did not have to be so bloody, and Rafe is right. Anne had agreed to have her marriage to Henry annulled (on the promise of her daughter Elizabeth being looked after). If Anne’s marriage to Henry was illegitimate, then her adultery was not treasonous. She would have been very happy to have been put in a nunnery for the rest of her life. There was no reason for her to die, especially since all the charges against her were fabricated. Ok, enough about Anne! I just sometimes go off on a tangent about her.
Another Fun Fact: Henry actually wore white when he married Jane not the gorgeous gold outfit shown in the episode. He felt as though this was his real first marriage and wanted the white to symbolize purity and rebirth.
We see Cromwell basically save Mary in this episode. I wonder why he would do this? He was a fervent Protestant, and Mary was a staunch Catholic. I don’t see how helping her helps him. Last time he was tasked with fixing a problem for Henry with a woman who displeased him, he set her up to be killed. And the Privy Council thinks Henry tasked Cromwell with killing Mary too. Cromwell sure is getting a reputation! If Henry is John Gotti, then Cromwell is Sammy the Bull!
The scene where Mary takes off her gable hood in front of Cromwell would have been considered scandalous for that time. Women wore these headdresses to symbolize their modesty. I can understand why it gave Mary a headache. It certainly looked uncomfortable. I was very surprised she was willing to show her beautiful red locks to Cromwell. It’s such an act of familiarity.
We see Henry walking with a very long walking stick, almost like a scepter. I appreciate this detailed attention. As Henry’s ulcerated leg got worse as time went on his mobility decreased his walking staff became more elaborate, to the point that they were equipped with an inkpot and pen.
Henry really hates his relatives the Poles! Now we all have family we don’t get along with, but he really hates his cousin Reginald! Here is another fun fact: Lady Margaret Pole and Henry’s mother Elizabeth of York were first cousins. Elizabeth’s father, Edward IV and Margaret’s father, George, Duke of Clarence, were brothers.
I hope you enjoyed my ramblings. As I said at the start, I’m a Tudor junkie and hope that my little bits of information and trivia make watching the show a little more fun.
See you at Court next week!
Thank you for this great post! Your deep knowledge about the Tudors will bring a lot of fun to the readers in the next six weeks.
I didn’t know that the French executioner was summoned to England even before Anne’s trial – even though it is obvious the whole trial was a farce. I read somewhere that Henry also planned her execution in detail. Is that true? If it is, then, I mean, I am lost for words about Henry!