Episode 1 [HD]

And so Henry's reign ends...
Ironically enough, I've had a tumultuous relationship with The Tudors ever since it first started. It was an odd, kind of on-again, off-again relationship that ranged from near-fanatic fandom to downright apathy. I was a fan of Tudor historical fiction novels before the show began, and was more than ecstatic when I heard that Showtime was bringing the infamous Henry VIII to the screen with his many wives.

Sadly, the series didn't always deliver for me. The biggest issue for me, especially in the first season, was the incredible number of historical inaccuracies. Even though this always bugged me throughout the entire series' run, I had to just put it aside and accept the fact that this show is a Hollywood-ized version of Henry VIII's reign. Perhaps the aspect that got me through were the lush sets, impeccable art direction and absolutely gorgeous period costumes and accessories (especially on all of Henry's queens) -even though the costumes were more like Tudor style mixed...

anything that spurs interest in real history
I agree with the reviewer who noted the historical innacuracies in the Tudors series. While some of these innacuracies can be condoned on grounds of poetic license, some appear to be egregiously gratuitous (i.e., having Henry's sister Margaret not only marry the King of Protugal--which never happned--but then have her murder him!) There appears to be no dramatic reason for that kind of historical innacuracy which is truly unforgiveable. On the other hand, I am more forgiving of the Series having Wolsey committ suicide rather than dying of natural causes inasmuch as there was some speculation at the time of his death that he did indeed commit suicide given that he was facing the curel justice of a vengeful Henry.(And certainly if Wolsey did committ suicide, Henry would have every reason to cover it up in a way that the historians could not access). A more serious criticism is that the Series apparently made no effort whatssoever to represent Henry even close to how the paintings of the...

Oh, Henry...
My biggest complaint about "The Tudors" is that it ended after only four seasons. The Tudor dynasty didn't end with Henry VIII. Showtime had an amazing opportunity to continue this show with the short-lived reigns of Edward and Mary, followed by the lengthy Golden Age commandeered by Queen Elizabeth I. The network chose not to go that route, which is a major bummer.

As for the fourth and final season of "The Tudors," it definitely had its moments. I've been a fan of the show since Season 1, realizing that the series is completely historically inaccurate and a blatant depiction of nothing but sex, violence, and more sex...however, I love it for what it is! By far the best parts of this season were the appearances of Henry's final wives, the flighty Catherine Howard (perfectly portrayed by Tamzin Merchant) and the strong-willed Catherine Parr (Joley Richardson). I won't go into the plot details because I'm assuming that anyone who ever took a history class knows how Henry's...

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