The Tudors series finale!

[T J]

Possible spoilers!

Anyone been keeping up with this? Tonight is the end.

King Henry learns that his friends King Francis and Charles Brandon are dying. Confronted with mortality, the ghosts of his former wives pay him a visit and Hans Holbein paints a last portrait of Henry.

I was kinda hoping the show would continue with the short reigns of his son Edward and Mary (aka Bloody Mary).

Other things I wish now that we are at the end was the historical accuracy... why did the writers think real history was so boring that it had to be mangled... badly. Never got that.

I know they wanted Henry to be the sex symbol but the real Henry was a huge guy as time went on, it was always very distracting.

Old Henry's voice. Jonathan Rhys Meyers silly raspy voice for the last two years of Henry's life was as distracting as his Henry weighing all of 140 pounds!

That being said, the acting, generally speaking, was usually very good. The set dressing and costumes, great! I always enjoy Michael Hirst productions, can't wait to see what he has planned next.

Goodbye Henry VIII, you murdering fat bastard! Ya had a good run!

 

[Harvey]

I do wonder why a show called the Tudors can't find material to continue after the death of just one Tudor monarch. Oh well.

I've been watching. Though I've never been in love with this show it has become increasingly watchable since abandoning the shackles of the Boleyn family. I look forward to the finale, which I will catch sometime this week on demand.

 

[Shurik]

I love this show, but the guy who plays Henry is the weakest link there. The good thing is that there were always great supporting characters (Thomas More, Charles Brandon, Wolsey, Cromwell, queen Catherine, Anne Boleyn, Surrey - to name a few) that completely overshadowed Henry and made this show great.

P.S. Henry's "old" voice and makeup are silliness incarnate.

 

[bigdaddy]

They should continue it, the only reason why it's ending is because the guy who plays Henry is an ass.

 

[Captain Shaw]

They should continue it, the only reason why it's ending is because the guy who plays Henry is an ass.

Its got nothing to do with the actor if the show was to continue he would not be in it any ways.

 

[bigdaddy]

They should continue it, the only reason why it's ending is because the guy who plays Henry is an ass.

Its got nothing to do with the actor if the show was to continue he would not be in it any ways.

No, they had to combine the last two wives into one season because what's his name didn't want to do a season 5. The plan was for a new wife every season and for the show to go 5 seasons.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I do wonder why a show called the Tudors can't find material to continue after the death of just one Tudor monarch. Oh well.

Yeah. I was kind of hoping it could lead to a Bloody Mary series and then Queen Elizabeth I. But I suppose not.

P.S. Henry's "old" voice and makeup are silliness incarnate.

Absolutely.

 

[Shurik]

The final episode is one of the best series finales ever.

I still would like to know whose genius idea was to cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry ... It doesn't bother me much that he didn't put on the fat suit for a later parts of the show and the various historical inaccuracies don't bother me either (every historical movie or TV series has them, that's why this genre is called "historical fiction"). He just didn't feel kingly, not when he played young Henry and more so when he played older Henry. His idea of showing authority is constantly shouting, without any reason in most cases ... The guy who played Charles Brandon would've been a much better choice, IMO he's an infinitely better actor than JRM. He played an older Brandon even better than the younger one.

 

[Captain Shaw]

The final episode is one of the best series finales ever.

I still would like to know whose genius idea was to cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry ... It doesn't bother me much that he didn't put on the fat suit for a later parts of the show and the various historical inaccuracies don't bother me either (every historical movie or TV series has them, that's why this genre is called "historical fiction"). He just didn't feel kingly, not when he played young Henry and more so when he played older Henry. His idea of showing authority is constantly shouting, without any reason in most cases ... The guy who played Charles Brandon would've been a much better choice, IMO he's an infinitely better actor than JRM. He played an older Brandon even better than the younger one.

I never thought about Henry Cavill playing Henry before but now you have suggested it I can see him in the role

 

[Harvey]

At times, I've thought I was the only one who found Rhys-Davies to be the weakest link in the cast. Some of the other actors managed to pull of pretend-aging pretty well (Henry Cavill, Sarah Bolger), but all poor Henry had was a little bit more of a beard and hair each time. Glad I'm not going insane. Or, at least, if I am, it's unrelated to this show.

I liked the finale, though I go back and forth with the wives visiting Henry in the last days (hours?) of his life. For the most part, the show was pretty objective (the exception being Brandon's hallucinations after suppressing the rebellion in season three) so switching to a subjective point of view is a little jarring.

I'm also not sure about the text dump at the end over Henry's portrait. It just made me wish they would produce another season continuing the Tudor dynasty--at least to the point where Michael Hirst's Elizabeth movies can take over.

Still, on a whole, a nice wrap-up (as far as things could be wrapped up, even with the series' rather liberal approximation of history).

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I was kinda hoping the show would continue with the short reigns of his son Edward and Mary (aka Bloody Mary).

Me too. Oh well.

 

[Flavius]

Isn't that rather obscure stuff? And then Elizabeth which has been well covered not too long ago. I can see why this is ending. I wasn't able to look past the miscasting of Henry, but the show has had it's moments, like the Thomas Morus story line.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Obscure is good. I wouldn't want to see Elizabeth I's reign because it is far too familiar at this point. Ole Henry VIII was pretty familiar territory, too, which is bad in two ways: no suspense and when they do change things, you know it and it's annoying.

I'd like to see Henry VII's reign. Considering he usurped the throne, it's gotta be a good story, and I know next to nothing about how it all went down.

 

[Skywalker]

I'd like to see Henry VII's reign. Considering he usurped the throne, it's gotta be a good story, and I know next to nothing about how it all went down.

Henry VII took the throne from Richard IV several years after Richard III was accidentally beheaded in battle by his nephew.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

They coudn't do Elizabeth's reign if they wanted to do it. They severed the bloodline of Charles I, her successor, before his parents were born because Henry didn't have a second sister. His sister Margaret was married into the Scottish royal family. Neither of his sister's married the king of Portugal like they portrayed in the show. The king of Portugal at the time was Catherine of Argon's young, virile nephew, John. It's true. Look it up.

 

[KB24]

Here's my review of Season 4. I liked the way JRM showed up to play in the end,but I too also wish it would have continued beyond H8

http://ithinkthereforeireview.blogspot.com/2010/06/tudors-season-4.html

 

[Dorian Thompson]

I'd like to see Henry VII's reign. Considering he usurped the throne, it's gotta be a good story, and I know next to nothing about how it all went down

Henry VII was a far more interesting man than his son and namesake. Henry was the spoiled second son who was never intended to be king but for Arthur's tragic death at age 15. I still want to see the program that acknowledges that Catherine and Arthur did sleep together, because they did.

 

[Shurik]

Isn't that rather obscure stuff? And then Elizabeth which has been well covered not too long ago. I can see why this is ending. I wasn't able to look past the miscasting of Henry, but the show has had it's moments, like the Thomas Morus story line.

Well, the short reign of Edward could be turned into a season full of political intrigue. Mary's reign was basically devoted to returning England to Catholicism, mostly by burning protestants, I'm not sure if it can be turned into an interesting TV series ... The beginning of Elizabeth sums her reign up pretty well.

Someone should make an entire series about the War of Roses, ending with Henry VII's ascension to the throne or even including his reign. That was a very interesting period in English history and it would definitely make a fine TV series.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'd like to see Henry VII's reign. Considering he usurped the throne, it's gotta be a good story, and I know next to nothing about how it all went down.

Henry VII took the throne from Richard IV several years after Richard III was accidentally beheaded in battle by his nephew.

Oh right, I remember the story now! It all revolved around a cunning plan...

 

[Trippy]

I just watched the finale...started crying at Brandon's death and kept going, even when I knew the end!

I went into the series knowing it was an 'inspired by' history, and enjoyed it as such Two and a half seasons of hot JRM kept me turning up every week (), then the 'drama' of it kept me going on after Henry aged (poorly, but it's Showcase's version of Ole Henry, not history's).

I'm perfecty o.k. ending it there, as I have other movies that I love for what comes next (Lady Jane and Elizabeth/The Golden Age).

I agree, that if they want to begin again (new actors) that the life and reign of Henry VII is the way to go!