Too big a finale?

The second series of the Tudors has really suprised me. The acting has improved hugely from the first series episodes I watched and I think pace of the episodes finishing with Anne’s demise helped give more drama rather than posturing. Peter O’Toole was a great Pope Paul III, Jeremy Northam as Thomas More, Nick Dunning as Thomas Boleyn – all worthy of award nominations.

Peter O'Toole as the Pope with Natalie Dormer and Jonathan Rhys Meyers

I wonder though, now that Natalie Dormer’s brilliant and sympathetic take on Anne Boleyn is done – how many people will be coming back for Season Three?

Jane Seymour, wife three, is already on the scene (wouldn’t it be good if Jane Seymour aka Dr Quinn Medicine Woman made a cameo?) and Henry has started gorging himself on swan pies. Trouble is, we’re used to a fiery consort for Henry and Lady Jane is boring with her purity. After the brilliant finale episode where records of Anne’s actual beheading was followed closely in the plot and her final speech, Henry comes across as a glorified serial killer! I have no sympathy left for him and not much interest in what he’s going to do next – I just can’t see how they can make him work as an anti-hero either. We need to wait til next year to see.. but apparently Joss Stone is going to be in the third series – so I hold no hope!

In the meantime, this clip of Natalie Dormer touring the Tower of London with a Tudor historian is worth watching, less so is her appearance on the View with JMR – as the ladies of the View are obsessed with the sex scenes in the Tudors and apart from Jonathan’s advice to America to worry less about the sex scenes “Maybe if you went to bed (and had sex), instead of watching TV – the scenes would be less shocking!” they ask them very little and pronounce Boleyn weirdly too.