The Tudors: Season One (www.the-usher.com)

Episode 1
Henry prepares for war with France but receives cautious counsel from the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, who urges a peace treaty; the king learns that his queen's lady-in-waiting Elizabeth Blount is pregnant with his child.

Episode 2
Henry and the court go to the summit to sign the treaty with France. Tensions are understandably high, and tempers of both kings flare up more than once. Meanwhile, Henry takes on a new mistress named Mary Boleyn. He soon tires of her and her father summons her sister Anne to court and tells her to find a way to keep the king's interest.

Episode 3
The King asks Charles to escort his sister, Margaret, to her betrothed and promotes him to Duke of Suffolk. The envoys from the Holy Roman-Emperor meet with Cardinal Wolsey and determine how to cement the treaty between the two nations. Anne catches the King's notice in a play. The Emperor is invited to the King's court. It is learned that the King of France knows of the treaty talks- and the Cardinal is quick to find a scapegoat. We learn more of why Anne's father and uncle want her to seduce the King.

Episode 4
As a reward for his denunciation of Martin Luther, the Pope christens Henry "Defender of the Faith," but a brush with death causes the king to seek a solution to his lack of an heir. Princess Margaret marries the decrepit King of Portugal reluctantly, but the union is short-lived; Henry's desire for Anne Boleyn intensifies when Anne goes home to her family estate.

Episode 5
Henry is shocked when he learns that his ally, Emperor Charles V of Spain, has released France's King Francis I from prison. He's equally surprised when Anne Boleyn turns him down after offering to make her his sole mistress.

Episode 6
As King Henry gains in confidence, his displeasure with the way the Catholic church handles his request for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon grows. As a result, Cardinal Wolsey's position is weakening, leaving him vulnerable to his enemies.

Episode 7
England's population is suffering, both from a lack of food and from a lethal plague called 'The Sweats'. As a result, King Henry feels depressed and not his usual, confident self. He starts having doubts about the future and his ability to rule the country. Fortunately for him, a change is coming up.

Episode 8
In this episode the king receives a special guest. A papal envoy has come to discuss the annulment of the King's marriage to Katherine of Aragon, as requested by the King. The outcome of these discussions will determine Cardinal Wolsey's future career as well as the King's romance with Anne Boleyn. These discussions will also influence the nature of the relationship between England and Rome.

Episode 9
The unthinkable comes to pass, Cardinal Wolsey is stripped of his powers and authority. No longer is he the Lord Chancellor. His successor is a surprising choice.

Episode 10
Cardinal Wolsey attempts to save his career by finding a new, yet surprising ally: Queen Katherine, who has also lost the King's favour. However, their plotting is discovered by the King's advisors.

Bringing history to the small screen is nothing new but with the advances in visual effects and the increase in revenue for the small screen has made epic tales plausible and none is more epic than the reign of the Tudors.

After the success of HBO's 'Rome', it was shown that ancient history could be used as the setting for dramatic soap opera. Seeing this HBO's rival Showtime commissioned Michael Hirsh, the writer of 'Elizabeth' and 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age', to create a series around one of England's most famous Kings, Henry VIII. Instead of showing the overweight, Tudor King that was better known for his six wives that his actual deeds as king, here we see the young king who was about to chance England forever.

The first season starts with Europe in turmoil. England was planning to go to war with France, Spanish Emperor Charles V had invaded Rome and confined the Pope to the Vatican, restricting his power and the young King of England, Henry VIII was about transform not only his own life but the lives of his people forever. This was a turbulent time for the king who was always a womaniser despite his marriage to Catherine of Aragon but his life is completely changed when he meets Catherine's lady in waiting Anne Boleyn.

With love, betrayal, treason and jealously combined with politics and religion make, not only for good drama but all the trappings of a good soap opera. The show is way above that however. Here we see all the splendour of court, the extravagant houses and places of the time and what life was like in Tudor England and all the grandiose and spectacle that went with it. The difference is that in these times portrayal would lead to execution and talk could lead to war.

What also pushes this series above and beyond many a series that had gone before is the quality of the cast. Better known as big screen actors Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeremy Northam, Henry Czerny and Sam Neill give the project a real touch of class. Rhys Meyers is perfect as the young Henry. He is a very passionate and committed actor who throws himself into the role as the most famous Tudor king. While it is hard to imagine that Henry VIII was ever as handsome as Jonathan Rhys Meyers is, there must have been some about the man to draw women to him, even though he was king. Jeremy Northam is perfectly cast as Sir Thomas More, Henry's good friend and devote Catholic would believes he has an important role to play for the king and God. Henry Czerny is excellent as the scheming Norfolk, who brings Anne Boleyn to the king's attention to push his own agenda. Sam Neill brings some class to the proceedings as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the King's religious confident, the face of the Catholic Church in England and a man with his own agenda. Add to these commanding performances from Maria Doyle Kennedy as Queen Catherine of Aragon, the beautiful Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn and Henry Cavill as the King's best friend Charles Brandon and you have a top notch cast for a first class series.

While some of the stories may be slightly soap operatic, the main emphasis of 'The Tudor' is the story of Henry VIII and how his actions changed England forever. Fascinating and brilliantly played, 'The Tudors' is excellent television and one that history lovers will adore and drama fans will lap up.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 16x9 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the series looks great.

BONUS FEATURES

Behind the Scenes (48.52 mins)
Series creator Michael Hirst and stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeremy Northam, Natalie Dormer, Henry Cavill and Sam Neill talk about the series and their characters. Jonathan Rhys Meyers talks about the King's passion, becoming Henry VIII, the King's court and making the Tudors. Michael Hirst talks about creating the series, casting Henry's advisors and a Queen and bringing the words to life on the small screen. Natalie Dormer talks about Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Henry Cavill talks about being a King's best friend. Jeremy Northam talks about raising a king and Sam Neill on being the King's closet advisor.

Trailers
Previews of 'Reign Over Me', 'Perfect Stranger', 'Spider-Man 3', 'Tekkonkinkreet' and 'Across the Universe'

OVERALL

The DVD extras for 'The Tudors: Season 1' are good but could be better. The interviews are extremely good but the lack of commentary tracks for the series could be a disappointment for fans.

DVD

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