The Tudors Season 3 Recap

While I love the subject matter on this show, the speed with which they go through it still makes me sad.  So little time was spent with Anne of Cleves and the downfall of Cromwell that I fear people who don’t know anything of what really happened might be confused.

See, Henry tells Cromwell he is very pleased with him.  Not a lot goes into showing what actually prompted that being a lie.  I disliked that they left out Henry actually making Cromwell a Duke before he was arrested, and what went into the charges against him - why he was called a traitor.

I also didn’t like that the fateful meeting with Anne of Cleves was changed from the actual meeting.  It’s not just that she wasn’t what Henry expected, it’s that she offended him by really showing him he was no longer a beautiful young prince.  This was entirely left out.

Obviously they can’t really show “aging” for Henry or the others, like Charles Brandon, because these actors aren’t getting old at the rapid pace that this show is going at.  It wouldn’t have made sense for Anne to turn away from Henry without knowing who he was, being appalled that an old man was so forward with her.  Still, they could have made their initial meeting look much worse than they did.

As much as I love Jonathan Rhys Meyers, I also wish there was a way to show more of how Henry was really getting quite heavy at this point in his life.  So much is going on during this part of history, it’s difficult to capture really any of it in detail.

I was admittedly less into this season, partially because Jane Seymour hasn’t ever interested me much.  But next season should be more interesting, will the whole season be focused on Katherine Howard?  Most likely it will, ending of course with her tragic demise…or will it finish her story as well as Henry’s?  Will there be any real discussion of her relation to Anne Boleyn - which I would guess casual viewers don’t even realize.

Still, at this point, if they follow the rest of Henry’s story, we’ve got two seasons left of him at most.  Is there a plan to continue on to Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth?  And will there be any mention of Jane Grey?  How much will they go into the Seymour brothers?  All very intriguing, and keeps you watching!