Writer Michael Hirst’s (Elizabeth) melodramatic take on the court of King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) returns for a second season, now with more beheadings. The storyline featured in the 10 episodes of this sophomore year will be of little surprise to anyone well acquainted with the cinema of the Tudor dynasty. A Man for All Seasons, Anne of a Thousand Days, and even the recent adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl all cover the same material – Sir Thomas More’s fall from royal favor over a matter of conscience in the first and Queen Anne’s failure to produce a male heir and commensurate beheading in the latter films.

Meyers essays the volatile sovereign with the same verve that made his every appearance in the first season a captivating study in the corrupting capacity of power. With the machinations of Sam Neill’s Cardinal Wolsey and Henry Czerny’s Norfolk sidelined by the death of the former character and the unexplained disappearance of the latter’s, the only local players with the power to keep Henry in check are gone and the lack of a leash shows in the portrayal. Jeremy Northam, as Sir Thomas More, remains the moral center of the series while Pope Paul III (beautifully played with ecclesiastical smarm by Peter O’Toole) represents the only challenge to the willful young king. As Queen Catherine’s (Maria Doyle Kennedy) star settles below the horizon, Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) takes center stage. Dormer is electrifyingly charismatic in the role and the serialized format allows her to build a much more nuanced performance than Natalie Portman was able to portray in The Other Boleyn Girl. Dormer’s transformation from a haughty and entitled mistress to a desperate and paranoid queen and finally into a noble martyr is the highlight of the season.

As usual, Showtime has rather skimped on supplements. Dormer visits the Tower of London in a fact-filled featurette while descendants of Henry VIII are interviewed in another puff piece that adds little to the DVD set’s value. There are premiere episodes from the second seasons of Californication and This American Life. Both are entertaining, the former doing an able job of altering the series format while the latter explores the world of a disabled man who, despite the loss of mobility and speech, is determined to live an independent life. The 16x9 image is average and the 5.1 soundtrack (which must be selected lest you default to Dolby Surround) does an adequate job of creating aural atmosphere.

 

On a scale where “A” indicates the pinnacle of the medium, “B” stands for an extraordinary example, “C” represents 90-percent of what’s out there, “D” indicates a sub-standard effort, and “F” means an abomination that should at least result in the sterilization of those responsible…

The Tudors: The Complete Second Season scores an A- while its DVD presentation merits a C .