And then she came to her end. Anne, I mean — not Plain, whose end has yet to be plucked, if you get what I’m saying. Did I cry? No, because I still have hate in my heart from last season. But I shook my fist and pounded my chest and appreciated every moment of dignity and breakdown so skillfully conveyed by Natalie Dormer on her way to the scaffold. She even snuck in a joke the day before the chop: “I heard the executioner was very good, and in any case, I have only a little neck.” This was lifted nearly word-for-word from a quip made by the real Boleyn — Anne’s enemies may have tagged her the “goggle-eyed whore," but she also had a cracking sense of humor.
In fact, much of the Queen’s dialogue was straight from the history books: the above funny, her last confession, her pre-execution speech, and her final prayer. Yet, despite being so mired in truth, I was easily deceived when Brandon pretended Edward had mortally stabbed him (which would have been terribly historically inaccurate). When he collapsed on the bed, I gasped so hard my throat whistled. Oddly, though, I wasn’t sad: I considered it gutsy for the Tudors to kill off one of its most beloved and fantasized-about characters without warning. And in such an undignified way! Stuck like a pig by his own spermati! Then he turned out to be faking and this all became moot. But still.
I admit that I didn’t get this scene at first. When Edward told Brandon he “would really like to see someone die” and asked to watch the execution, my only thought was, you sick little bastard. I blew it off as filler to get Cavill more screen time (speaking of, here’s some on-set photos of his upcoming Woody Allen film). Not that he needed it: Sure, we didn’t see Brandon all that much, but the fact that he told Papa Boleyn the what’s what was enough for me. He’s my bloody hero now. Then, after mulling it over, I realized this: Edward asks Brandon if he ever killed anyone. Brandon says yes, but only enemies in battle so he didn’t care. Yet he knows that he got the ball rolling on Anne’s, and the others’, beheadings by telling Henry about her alleged infidelity. And he betrayed the fact that he doesn’t believe her death is just by scolding Papa B. Which makes me wonder: Does Brandon rationalize his actions by considering Anne (and Mark and Norris and George and Brereton) his enemy in battle? He was the last to kneel before her execution (even his little brat had hit the ground). And does this make him evil — or just one of those political skanks that Elizabeth’s nanny was taking about when she warned her maid to “find a rich man to marry who is too stupid to know anything about politics”?
I’ll say this: It’s telling that the show visually linked Brandonto a peacock with its tail down when he was walking to free Papa (wesaw the bird saunter across the screen first, then Charles).Considering this is the guy who used to rock out with his c— out likesix times an episode, you’d think he’d be more akin to a peacock withits feathers fanned (a symbol of virility and masculinity) orat least a rooster. But likening him to just the opposite can mean twothings: He’s either being good (which we already know) or he’s storingup for some sort of wild display of vigor — either sexually orpolitically — next season. I’m betting on the latter.
The peacock — and birds in general — was only one of severalintertwined motifs that so heavily graced yesterday’s finale. Meals,baths, people sleeping and waking, all added to the episode’s overall theme of new beginnings andfortification. We see Elizabeth’s last breakfast as a princess (a lotof hardboiled eggs for one surly toddler, don’t you think?) and herfirst day as a bastard. We see Anne’s final meal in this life (whichshe doesn’t touch) and her journey into the next one. We see her handswashed and we hear her last confession (effectively wiping her slateclean). We see Cromwell as he first begins to fall out of the King’sfavor, Brandon’s new life as a responsible father, Plain’s early daysas royal arm candy, and Mary’s start as a reinstated princess (with themother-of-all daddy issues). And then, of course, there’s Henry. Henot only goes to sleep and wakes up several times during the episode(remember, each morning is an opportunity for a new start), but he alsotakes a dip in what he calls “the fountain of youth,” and emergesannouncing, “I am reborn.”
Which is worrisome: I don’t think The Tudors is implyingthat Henry wants so much to be a changed man (though he does dictate toCromwell, “Above all, I love the prospect of change"), as that he’strying to recapture his youth. Like he says during dinner with theSeybores (BTW, I despise Plain’s smirking bro so much, he’s justbegging for a purple nurple or something), “From tomorrow [afterAnne’s death] everything will be different, we will be young and merryas we used to be.” We also know that things aren’t going to change thatmuch: For, when Henry spoke to Plain about new beginnings, the camerawas sure to frame her in-between her scheming brother and father, justlike Anne with George and Papa. Is Henry just going through a midlifecrisis? Are we watching a 16th-century version of The Starter Wife?
With that in mind, here’s my first theory about the birds, particularlythe swans that Henry finds so watchable (and later eats, but we’ll getto that). Now, bear with me here: Didn’t they remind you of the ducksTony obsessed over in the first season of The Sopranos?Think about it: JRM even went to see the swans in his dressing gown thesame way Tony would visit his ducks in a robe and boxers. Now, whatdid Tony’s fixation turn out to represent? His fears of growing old, ofbeing at the tail end of great reign (the King has already givenmanbirth to the Church of England, what more is on his plate?), ofdrowning in a sea of meaningless lays, and of a myriad of otherproblems — all of which he shares with Henry.
Yet swans alsorepresent purity and grace — and we know Henry’s been obsessed withthat of late. (“Oh Plain, in this slippery world, you representeverything that is good and boring and wears a lot of blue and has avoice like a dial tone.”) So what does it mean when he decides to haveone of them cooked and served to him? (FYI, I did some research on whatswans taste like, and apparently they’re tough and fishy.) That hetakes what he wants? That he devours what’s good in the world? Or thathe eats up (and dribbles out) his wives? On the other hand, swans alsosignify monogamy: Once they find a mate, they stay together for life.We even see the two swans bend their heads together as if they arekissing. By eating one of them, does monstrous Henry put an end totheir happiness? Or does he swallow up old ways of love, marriage, andcoupling?
That said, swans have belonged to the monarchy in England sinceabout the 13th Century (even today, only royalty are legally allowed tomunch on them). So Henry could just be feasting on something thatbelongs to him. Then again, what kind of person looks at something sopretty, so serene, and decides he wants to chew it? (I, however, havebeen ambivalent towards the beauty of swans since one almost bit mymiddle finger off). The final shot of Henry’s face, with swan gravydripping down his chin and his cheeks all puffed out, was so aggressiveand so chilling (and so nicely linked to the opening credit image) thatmy testes, if I had some, would have shriveled. Well, done JRM.
In the end, last night was aces and I’m depressed to see the showgo. I just hope that everyone is back for next season (where was thePope yesterday, BTW?) and I’m dying to find out the new additions tothe cast. I’ve already dug into The Virgin Queen (also with Hans Matheson) to feed my addiction and it’s working. Daniel Evans, one of my favorite actors (he was Mordecai in Daniel Deronda), plays Robert Cecil. I’m also looking forward to hunting down a copy of this, the British TV version of The Other Boleyn Girl with Jodhi May as Anne and Jared Harris (Richard’s kid) as Henry. And I can’t wait for Secret Diary of a Call Girl (with Dr. Who’s Billie Piper) to start on Showtime in two weeks.
I’m going to miss you guys something fierce. Please think about mecrossing my fingers and toes for the cast and crew when the Emmy nomsare announced, and join me in supporting Tudors alum Gabrielle Anwar (Henry’s sis Margaret) by watching Burn Notice when it starts on July 10th (I’ll be recapping it). And now, finally, tell me what you think about the finale!
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Oh, Aubry. We are sad too. Thank you for your lovely recaps all season. I was wondering last night about the Seymours. They were so thrilled about the engagement, which did strike me as a little odd considering Henry’s current wife was in the midst of being marched to the scaffold, and his previous wife was shut off and deprived of her daughter. I mean, I get that the family advances now, but, geez, you’d think at least one of them would at least pause and say — hey, maybe despite being king this guy’s not really the best catch. Or maybe they believe what Elizabeth’s nanny said — women will probably either die in childbirth (prophetic!) or by the plague anyway, so maybe the guy from Calaise with the funky sword isn’t the worst choice.
I advocated JRM for an emmy in Slezak’s post.
Loved the final shot of JRM with the food dripping down his face and hands. Signs of the gluttonous Henry to come? Incredibly creepy. I’ve despised Anne throughout the series, but thought Natalie Dormer was fantastic last night. Despite my feelings about Anne as a person, it was brutal to watch an innocent woman be put to death so the king could take a new wife.
I’m so sad it’s over. It’s was both satisfying and sad to see Anne lose her head(piggy nose and all). How much Jane will there be next season? History tells us that she’s not long for this life and you’ve told us that next season will focus on Anne of Cleaves. Wonder who will play that Anne?
I hope everyone does turn in to see Diary of a Call Girl(can you recap that too?). Billy Piper is very watchable. I’ll be looking forward to your Burn Notice tv watches.
I’m late getting into The Tudors, but last night’s ep was fabulous. The best bit of TV that I’ve seen in a really long time. As I watch season 1 on dvd, I find myself disliking Anne more and more, but I felt bad for her last night. I even cried. Only because Henry treated her like crap and showed no remorse for it. Her execution speech was moving and Natalie Dormer deserves an Emmy nod for her stark portrayal of Anne Boelyn. Bravo The Tudors!! I’m just upset that we have to wait 9 months before we get a new season.
Sad to see the Tudors go. I love a good soap and this had all the ingredients plus the dishy outfits. Natalie Dormer killed it just killed it. She was awesome and by giving her historically accurate dialogue they gave her so much more to play. I was so sure I wouldn’t cry but when were Pops completely dissed her and then late at night she thought of happier innocent times with her brother and father I started tearing up. It was played masterfully. Brandon as always did his job – finally telling Papa Bolelyn off. Loved it, I will watch HC in anything but don’t know if the moment was Emmy worthy. Sidenote — historically Brandon’s grandchild Lady Jane Grey (born to daughter Francis) is born at the same time as Prince Edward which happens in the next year or so. Of course their is no reason to think about this but have they ever mentioned any of his children with Margaret? They would be the Kings nieces and nephews, right? So where are they?
Post part 2. They marked the date last night as 1536 which means the King lives only 11 more years – whats telling is ending shot – one that showcased his gluttony and foreshadowed his obese and gouty end. JRM in a fat suit …I don’t know if I can deal with that. I hope that they keep the show going thru the end. I would love to see stupid Katherine Howard get her beheaded end and Catherine Parr coming to save the day. Can’t wait for next season and see who they cast as they extremely homely Anne of Cleves. Great job Aubrey, you should keep up the HC love and the anglophilia tvwatch with popwatch posts over the summer.
Aubry (and anyone else), could you help me with a question about last night? Specifically, I am curious about the scene on the morning of Anne’s execution during which Cromwell falls to his knees in the chapel and prays, clearly very distressed about something. Was it just that he was perhaps newly aware of the precariousness of his position, given the fact that a queen was about to be killed (so clearly no one is safe) and Henry had been acting completely crazy the day before (“Get an axeman!” “I said postpone it!”)? In that case, was he praying out of fear for his own safety and power? Or was it guilt–or at least a twinge of conscience–over having caused the deaths of several innocent people? The latter option seems odd, since we’ve not seen any such qualms from him before. On the other hand, maybe seeing Henry’s craziness and willingness to be cruel finally hit home. What do you think?
Isis: That struck a nerve with me, too. I think, like you said, Cromwell is starting to see the downside of Henry (beginning with Anne’s murder and culminating with being treated like crap himself) and was praying over the entire situation. I also think, if he is praying for Anne, that it shows even he doesn’t truly believe that she was guilty (at least on the inside) and his eager complicity in the whole trial was just a political move on his part–something he may feel bad about. He did admire both Katherine and Thomas More, right? But he ruined them just the same. On the other hand, I think in a way that scene may have been there just to remind us that he is a religious person. Remember how he ran to the church to pray for Henry after the King’s accident? (Now that I think about it, he an Anne prayed there at the same time.) And to help us feel some sympathy for him as he heads for his bloody downfall in the next season.
“Anne, I mean — not Plain” = Sad Memory of Arrested Development, nothing to do with the artsy awesome show The Tudors.
How I miss you, AD…I see you everywhere!
Wow. So much…1)When it looked like Brandon’s kid stabbed him, I was freaking out. 2)I do think Brandon was thinking about himself being the cause of Anne’s demise. 3)I wonder how long Papa Boleyn will be around. Anne’s uncle helped Katharine Howard to her place. Will it be uncle or papa in the show since uncle really did help Anne? 4)There are two Seymour brothers. Will we see the other? 5)Natalie Dormer’s perfomance was amazing! Her death scene was almost poetic. 6)Henry eating the swan…definitely a preview of our bigger king. I cannot wait for the next season. We have too long to wait.
Mayoegg
It says a lot about the quality of the writing and the acting if a story that has been told time and again is turned into something inherently watchable and moving. Let me just say that Natalie Dormer played Anne to a tee (How could Jane seem to be anything but vanilla when up against that?) and that Nick Dunning’s Boleyn is evil in human form. yech…And James Frain is great. His Cromwell got more and more fascinating as the season progressed.
As for the swans, don’t most often mate for life? Symbolism pretty obvious there.
2009 can’t come soon enough. I’m going to miss having new Tudors episodes. I liked keeping a look out for the crazy eyes that Jonathan Rhys Meyers flashed at least once an episode.
Thank goodness for tivo for it allowed me to watch last night’s episode again and really grieve that this season has ended. I thought Natalie Dormer did a brilliant job last night and thank you to all who put their take on the “swan scene”. I’m now in pursuit of books about the real story to keep me entertained until next season. Any suggestions?
Natlaie was awesome last night and the episode was very good. I am tiring of JRM’s portrayal of Henry. It is so two note, screaming or lusty stalker. Nothing in between. The show is called the Tudors. I could have less Henry next season and focus of Mary and Elizabeth. Plain may be different from Anne, but the father brother dynamic would be a retread.
G. Heap -
I don’t know if it’s been mentioned here, but ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ by Alison Weir is stunning. It reads almost as a novel and includes lots of photos of portraits. Very good indeed, and I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Tudors before I picked it up.
David Starkey’s documentary called the Six Wives of Henry the VIII is pretty entertaining. It’s on Netflix.
I admit, I cried for Anne. Even though I read a million books with that exact scene, it was just hearbreaking how she was treated by Henry & her father. Great acting by Dormer. As for Cromwell in the church, I think he felt remorse and then realized that he’s screwed. There’s no forgiveness for him. I’ll be glad to see him on the block next season.
I definitely cried last evening. I am a huge henry VIII buff. I absolutely believe that his one true love was Anne, but in prospect for a son and heir had to do whats best for his country. Elizabeth will definitely be a part of next season for sure, right before Jane is to deliver Edward, the king recieved notice from her governess that she was weakend and without necessities and poor plain jane, who had compassion for even the littlest fly, made sure Henry cared for his daughter, whom she truely belived was his daughter. I hate plain, but if it weren’t for her, who knows what would have happend to Elizabeth, she was the closest to her brother and schooled with him, where as mary was just a piece. I think that next season they should kill of plain pretty quickly and get the ball rolling on his children and Anne of Cleves. I love this show and can’t wait for more
The BBC version of The Other Boleyn Girl is not good. Be warned.
I will miss The Tudors, your excellent commentary, and the comments of others, who like I, enjoyed this show. I was not so sad for Ann last night because I had been sad at all the the things that lead to her execution. We saw it coming a mile away. Henry VIII is now coming into his greedy, I want what I want when I want it stage. JRM is finally showing his range as Henry makes this transition in his character. I look forward to next season as a person walking in the desert looks forward to a cool drink… See you all next season. We will talk!
Bravo! Natalie Dormer rose to the occasion. In her video blurb on the official site she talks about how the writers had slowed down the story to the space of a few days for the last episode. Masterpiece Theater’s “Six Wives” is probably more accurate (Dorothy Tutin was a great Anne) but this telling was more emotional and heartbreaking.
As for the swan. According to Alison Weir this actually happened. The writers were brilliant for plucking (sorry) this piece of trivia and showcasing it because it illustrates perfectly what Henry has become: the narcissistic pig who devours grace and beauty in the world to satisfy his own appetite.
As for Brandon, I am wondering how they are going to work Lady Jane Grey into the picture. He was her grandfather after all, where is his daughter by Mary Tudor? She needs to be procreating.
I hope they continue through the story of Elizabeth. I think her refusal to marry and perpetuate the dynasty was psychic revenge for what Henry did to Anne.
terrific analysis of an incredible episode. Natalie Dormer was heartbreaking, and taking her from being despised by all to someone earning the sympathy of the crowd at her execution (which was not accurate – her beheading was not public) was just great, great acting. For all of you wanting a great read of Henry VII, I highly recommend The Autobiography of Henry VII, by Margaret George. Historical fiction, but highly accurate and can’t-put-it-down good.
And sorry, meant to say the Autobiography of Henry VIII in the book recommendation. Definitely a terrific book.
Now that Anne Boleyn is gone, we should see more of Elizabeth and Mary now, the next generation and of Henry becoming more obese, ruthless and tyrannical. I thought The Tudors is essentially about Henry’s younger years? I thought that when Anne Boleyn dies it will be over. Interesting to see what the new episodes with Plain will be like. Natalie Dormer, fantastic job. JRM, what can I say? Brilliant.
My Theory about the swan was that it represented Anne. I know that sounds weird considering he ate it but hear me out…
Anne Boleyn has always been described as having a beautifully long neck, like a swan. Maybe by killing that bird and tearing off it’s wings symbolized something regarding Anne’s death. I don’t know it’s just a theory I haven’t thought on it ALL that much considering I just watched the episode last night but…WOW. I can’t wait until next season!
I cried. I was watching, sobbing and thinking “I’m crying over Anne Boelyn getting her head cut off?” Then I realized my response was a testament to Natalie Dormer’s performance. Brava, Natalie! Give this excellent actress an Emmy!!
Rebecca: I agree. The scenes of Henry throughout the episode looking at the swans to me symbolized a last bit of humanity on his part, a sort of wistful view of his relationship with Anne. I felt that the mated swans represented him and Anne, and that by (so grossly) eating the swan at the end, he was devouring any last remnant of love or remorse that he might feel toward Anne, and moving forward on his path of megalomania and gluttony.
Natalie Dormer definitely deserves some kind of award for her performance in the finale. I had never heard of her. Has she done anything else?
She’s in that film Flawless with Demi Moore and Michael Caine. It’s rentable.
She’s also in Casanova. She’s the blonde “pure” one that wants to marry Heath Ledger’s Casanova.