Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have watched a lot of dramas concerning Henry VIII and his court, and I enjoyed this one the most. I don't know if it is more or less accurate historically than others we have seen, but let's face it - we are familiar with the story of his wives and quest to produce an heir. And history is written by the victors, so even if a story strictly adheres to written history, it doesn't mean it is 100% accurate. The writing and the acting is consistently superb, and that is a great start for any series. Cromwell is usually presented as a two-dimensional (usually evil) character, so if you want to present a fresh look at this story, you can't do better than to revamp his image and run the series from his perspective. Much easier than trying to present Henry or Anne Boleyn in a fresh new way. Cromwell is complex and quite human here. He loves his family, shows compassion for others, such as his boss Cardinal Wolsey, and sometimes even gives serious advice to his enemies. He also has a wry sense of humor. The behind the scenes efforts to get ahead at Henry's court are presented from many angles and many characters. It can almost be hard to follow at times, but it was worth the effort to figure it out. I also liked the relationship between Cromwell and Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary. She is a lively lady - witty and savvy. I think this fictional rendition of her would have been much better for Henry than Anne ever was, but of course, we don't know how fictional this version is, and he only saw her as a mistress anyway as she apparently didn't hold out on him.. I already know that I will be watching this series at least one more time. Partly because I think I will get catch a bit more of the subtleties the second time around, but mostly for pleasure. I write novels in my spare time, and a movie or series with intelligent, well-written dialogue inspires me even more than a good book does. This series falls into that category.