Just for a refresher, Henry was on a desperate search for a male heir and Catherine had been unable to provide one. Henry decided to create his own church in order to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. The main goal is a son. Read up on your history to find out the specifics. It should suffice to say, however, that his marriage with Anne Boleyn is finished by the end of the season.
My favorite character in the show is Catherine of Aragon. One of the truly great characters. Despite how horrible Henry is to her, she remains resolute in her devotion to him. That perhaps is her only flaw. The final few episodes that contain her are heartbreaking. If you only have time a few minutes of television, these are the episodes to be watched.
Henry's development is remarkable. It's so easy to hate him. He has more people killed than cancer, he treats his eldest daughter horribly, ignores the person most devoted to him, but when all is said and done you also see the incredible stress he's under. You almost get the sense that he would rather not be king some of the time. Anne is also a rather well developed character. She has tremendous depth, her acts, while horrible, are out of desperation for a son and almost seem understandable in that context. She's just out of her league in this world and is only in it because she was dragged into it by her father. She spent her whole time on this show looking for acceptance and acting childish in searching for it. Her final moments on the show are full of class and are about as triumphant as they possibly could be...given the circumstances of course.
I tried watching it on broadcast TV but have found that The Tudors works well if you immerse yourself in the entire season over a day or two - should you have the time. I feel you develope a deeper connection with the characters this way. Anyhow, give it a shot. It's well worth your time.
I give it:
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