Did anyone think Thomas Cromwell’s ascent in Henry VIII’s court would be a gentle stroll through a rose garden? This week’s Wolf Hall finds our protagonist teetering on the precipice, his meticulously crafted world suddenly looking less stable than a stack of Henry’s discarded wives.
Fresh off a visit to Shaftesbury Abbey, Cromwell is uncharacteristically rattled, failing to find his usual Machiavellian mojo even in the lingering memory of Cardinal Wolsey. Apparently, even the ghost of a cardinal can’t offer much solace when a full-blown rebellion is brewing.
England, in the autumn of 1536, is less a kingdom and more a simmering cauldron of discontent. The religious reforms, spearheaded by Cromwell, haven’t exactly been met with universal applause. In fact, they’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest of opposition, with rebels not just grumbling about changes to the liturgy but openly calling for Cromwell’s head. Because nothing says “religious devotion” like demanding the execution of the king’s right-hand man.
Adding fuel to this already raging fire is none other than Reginald Pole, Henry’s ever-so-pious cousin. Pole, who seems to have missed the memo about Henry’s newfound appreciation for divorce, is determined to drag England back to the bosom of the Roman Catholic Church, undoing the last three years of religious upheaval. Think of him as the 16th-century equivalent of that one relative who always brings up politics at Christmas dinner, but with significantly higher stakes.
Wolf Hall, with its impeccable cast, continues to be a masterclass in historical drama. Mark Rylance as Cromwell, Damian Lewis as Henry VIII, and Timothy Spall as the Duke of Norfolk anchor this intricate world of courtly intrigue. And while the episode certainly digs into some rather weighty historical matters, it thankfully doesn’t bog down the viewer with the kind of tedious detail that could send even the most ardent history buff scrambling for the remote.
Wolf Hall airs Sunday at 9:00 PM on BBC One.
“Defiance” is the third episode in this six-part series, adapted from Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light. The episode is directed by Peter Kosminsky and written by Peter Straughan, with other cast members including Harry Melling, Kate Phillips, Lilit Lesser, Ellie De Lange, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Joss Porter, Lydia Leonard, Tom Mothersdale, Will Tudor, Will Keen, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Charlie Rowe.
