netflixed

Yeah, maybe you should read Norman Davies if you want a better idea of the whole story. And doubtless you should check out A Man For All Seasons, because it's a phenomenal film. But you should also watch The Tudors because it's just good TV. There's some history, there's some pretty good acting, there's period costumes and lavish sets, and there's a boatload of T and A.

I could quibble with it here and there: Rhys-Meyers plays Henry too much like a bratty fraternity brother and sans subtlety. He never gets fat the way Henry did. But big deal, his performance is good enough that I'll almost forgive him for that Velvet Goldmine abomination. There are some extremely well-done sequences: Cromwell's fate, for instance, or Ann Boleyn's. I didn't expect the series to make me think differently about these people, but I did: kudos!

Plus, there are lots of details for nerds: Thomas Tallis? Hell yes! Holbein? Fuck yeah. I was sad when we watched the last episode last night, even though the last episode was a bit too Scrooge and the Ghosts of Wives Past for me.

I hope they make another series with the same actors for Bloody Mary, and then go on to do Elizabeth too. I'd watch.