Category: Review
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Damian Lewis’ King Henry VIII Rules ‘Wolf Hall’ in Historic Manors
– Tudor Elvis – by Bryan Alexander | USA Today | March 30, 2025 For Damian Lewis, just standing for two weddings of King Henry VIII in “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” was a daylong royal marathon. The English monarch is remembered for having six wives, requiring the long-awaited sequel series to PBS Masterpiece’s “Wolf Hall” (Sundays,…
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The Second Season of Wolf Hall Surpasses Its Acclaimed Predecessor
– Downfall of the Captive Lion – by Inkoo Kong | The New Yorker | March 30, 2025 In the culmination of the Hilary Mantel adaptation, Mark Rylance’s Thomas Cromwell becomes a more poignant figure, weighed down by regrets. In the first season of the Tudor-era drama “Wolf Hall,” Anne Boleyn’s brief queendom was undone…
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Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Vividly Reflects the Dread of Unprecedented Times
– The Moody Tyrant and His Shrewd Political Servant – by Ben Travers | IndieWire | March 23, 2025 In “Wolf Hall,” the British historical drama adapted from Hillary Mantel’s beloved books, Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance) takes on many different titles. Cromwell is, essentially, a political fixer for King Henry VII (Damian Lewis), but depending…
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Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Review: No Century for Old Men
– Kicks into Another Gear When Lewis is Onscreen – by Mike Hale | New York Times | March 23, 2025 In the long-awaited sequel to “Wolf Hall,” Henry VIII’s royal fixer pays the price for success. (It’s his head.) “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” picks up where “Wolf Hall” left off, amid…
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Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Is a Seamless, but Darker Continuation of the PBS Series
– Lewis and Rylance’s Performances are Astounding – by Aramide Tinubu | Variety | March 23, 2025 A decade after “Wolf Hall” debuted on television to sensational reviews, creator (and recent Oscar-winner for “Conclave”) Peter Straughan has returned to PBS Masterpiece with a second season. “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” is adapted from the…
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Heads Roll in Henry’s Court in Magnificent ‘Wolf Hall’ Sequel
– Roush Review: 4.5 Stars – by Matt Roush | TV Insider | March 23, 2025 King Henry VIII’s court wasn’t known for happy endings. (Just ask his wives.) And so it goes, with bitter irony, for his most trusted — until he wasn’t — minister, counselor, and hatchet man Thomas Cromwell. Sacrificing his soul…
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Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Review: Mark Rylance’s Master Manipulator
– One of History’s Greatest Schemers – by John Anderson | The Wall Street Journal | March 20, 2025 “Henry would not kill his own daughter,” chirps the ambassador Chapuys (Karim Kadjar) during the opening episode of “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.” It’s a judgment that causes Thomas Cromwell a moment of atypical candor. “Who…
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Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Is Historical Fiction At Its Finest
– The Encroaching Noose – by Elijah Gonzalez | Paste Magazine | March 21, 2025 It’s been 10 years since the first season of Wolf Hall charted Thomas Cromwell’s rise in Henry VIII’s court as our scrappy son-of-a-blacksmith navigated a den of aristocratic predators while somehow trying to maintain his morality. It was a precise, beautifully paced…