I was a little disappointed with the second episode this season.  It wasn’t bad, but was rather uneventful.  The third episode gets things rolling again!

The second episode did have one thing worth mentioning.  The portrayal of Henry VIII has always been off visually.  Part of the hip image Showtime is marketing for this show is the hip look of the King; Jonathan Rhys Meyers is anything but the red-haired round-cheeked stout Henry VIII from our history books.  This season they’ve added more layers than ever to the royal wardrobe, giving an even more robust look to the King.  Through the second episode this season, the King also sported a limp sustained from a jousting injury that has abscessed and will never fully heal.  Although he lost his limp in the third episode, the show is starting to plant the seeds for the transformation of a young Renaissance prince into a sickly, overweight tyrant.

One third-season character I neglected to mention in the review of the season premiere is Robert Aske (played by Gerard McSorley), the leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace, an uprising of 10,000 rebels in Northern England.  He is a very sympathetic guy who seems opposed to violence if it is not absolutely necessary.  With promises of negotiations and a pardon for the insurgents, Aske is lured to Buckingham Palace by promises from the King.  It sucks that Gerard plays him so well, because he’s got me rooting against history that he’ll actually survive further than a couple more episodes!

And Poor Charles Brandon!  Brandon is very troubled right now, thanks to the rebellion.  Having already executed 74 men who were unwilling to sign a declaration of loyalty to the king, Brandon now has to finish the job with hundreds more.  Henry Cavill is wonderful, and I’m sure he’s in for some extensive drama for the rest of the season.

Jane Seymore also is enduring her fair share of drama; she finds out during the third episode that her father has died and her husband is cheating on her!  However, she does successfully reunite her husband with his two daughters, a task that is very important to her.  And she’s finally pregnant, although she is blissfully unaware that she is doomed to die in childbirth.

The preview for the fourth episode looks great!  Time passes fast on this show and it looks as though all nine months have passed and it’s childbirth time.  Medieval childbirth is gross.  Can’t wait.

The ten-episode season will be the last for the Showtime series, which has received good reviews and solid ratings since its premiere.  The final season will portray King Henry’s last two marriages, as well as his descent into madness.

The Tudors is back and just as good as ever.  Judging by the first episode, it will continue to deliver a visually stunning and beautifully acted third season.  In the first episode, Henry VIII  makes Jane Seymore his new queen, and a rebellion rises to save England’s Catholic churches. Things to look forward to in this season (if you know your history): seeing more of Henry’s daughters as his new queen mends bridges; Joss Stone playing Anne of Cleves in a short lived marriage; the delivery of the king’s first son (that can take the throne); and all sorts of sordid court intrigue along the way.

I really liked this first episode, mainly due to the quality of the new characters.  One of the many talents of this show is its ability to seamlessly bring new characters into the story as though they’ve been there all along.  This comes in pretty handy since most of the roles are short lived, due to the drama of the show.  We’ve had beheadings, disease, murder, and suicide take out their fair share of characters.

So who are the newbies worth mentioning?  My favorite so far is Alan Van Sprang who plays Sir Frances Bryan.  Or as I will call him from now on - Cutie McEyepatch. This manly addition is sure to keep the sexuality of the show boiling over now that Anne is gone.  Sir Frances historically is credited with lining up many of the Kings extramarital affairs, and in the show he has bragging rights for prompting the first nude scene of the season (not him though).

Another strong addition this season, is Annabelle Wallis playing Jane Seymore.  Jane is a stark contrast to the beheaded Anne Boleyn.  While Anne was a sexy temptress, Jane (while sexy) is more of a Tudor Stepford wife – polite, demure and seemingly weak-willed, a queen who knows her place and will keep her head (so to speak).  I’m not sure how many episodes Annabelle will be around (Jane dies days after childbirth) and Joss Stone is already announced as the 4th wife of Henry.

The Exorcist‘s Max Von Sydow is joining as the go-to church guy.  And there will surely be plenty of religious problems now that Cromwell is knocking over churches like 7-11s.

Once again, a very promising start. I’ve loved the previous two seasons and don’t expect to be disappointed by the third.

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