PBS
It seems safe to say this plainly: Wolf Hall is a singular television franchise, and the gold standard of virtually everything that prestige television can be and do, it is a tale that is richly acted, thoughtfully written, and deftly structured in ways that make sixteenth-century political drama feel as
PBS
The penultimate episode of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light finally sees Thomas Cromwell's luck run out. It's a testament to this show's quality that this development — a well-documented historical fact! — manages to feel shocking. A sense of vague doom has followed Cromwell
PBS
Historically speaking, Thomas Cromwell is not a man who is easy to know. While many historical records of his public actions survive, we know relatively little about his private life. It's why the Wolf Hall franchise (both the television series and Hilary Mantel's trilogy) is so
PBS
As Wolf Hall: The Mirror & the Light reaches its halfway point, being Thomas Cromwell isn't as easy as it used to be. Sure, the former blacksmith's son has never been as powerful as he is at this precise moment, with the king's ear
PBS
One of the most impressive things about Wolf Hall: The Mirror & the Light is how ponderous it is. (That's a compliment, by the way.) Everything about this show is both deliberate and incredibly slow-moving, all the better to underscore just how volatile and ever-changing this particular sliver
PBS
Historical accuracy in historical dramas is always a delicate subject, and audiences can and will take offense at what they perceive as inaccuracies or anachronisms. Here is a short selection of what people have objected to so far (let the pearl-clutching commence) since Wolf Hall debuted in 2015: Kate Phillips
PBS
It's been a decade since Wolf Hall first graced our screens. In the intervening years, we've seen plenty of takes on Tudor England, from the somewhat faithful (Becoming Elizabeth) to the stridently feminist (The White Princess, The Spanish Princess, Firebrand) and the downright fantastical (My Lady
PBS
Wolf Hall is, in many ways, the Platonic ideal of what a period drama is supposed to be and do. Sumptuous to look at, gloriously dense, unapologetically intellectual, and made with remarkable attention to period-accurate details, the six-part drama featured an all-star cast of British heavy hitters and racked up
PBS
Last week, Thomas Cromwell did the right thing for the country and saved Henry VIII's life. He will not live to repent that decision in leisure. This week, his choice comes back to bite him. Wolf Hall reaches its inevitable conclusion as Anne Boleyn fails to save herself.
PBS
Much like William Shakespeare's history plays, Wolf Hall takes history (in this case, history that happened just before Shakespeare's time) and retells it via the sensibilities of modern authors. However, much like plays like Julius Caesar and The Henriad, the dramatic liberties novelist Hillary Mantel and
PBS
In one of the most remarkable episodes of Wolf Hall's first season, Hillary Mantel takes the plot of the famous Oscar-winning film A Man For All Seasons and argues that actually, Thomas More was a self-centered fool. Meanwhile, Anne may have nurtured her way to be queen, but
PBS
As Wolf Hall reaches its midpoint, Thomas Cromwell has lost his protector in Wolsey and needs to find a way to keep himself at the king's right hand, lest Henry suddenly turn on him. What better way than to hook one's self to a rising star?