Category: Review
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It Required Mark Rylance To Go On Quite a Dark Journey: How Wolf Hall Kept Its Bite
– Spectacular Showdowns at Court – by Joe Molander | Royal Television Society | April 1, 2025 We’ll never know for sure what Thomas Cromwell wants. Well, wanted, ever since Henry VIII relieved the statesman of his head nearly 500 years ago. Hilary Mantel’s trilogy of novels offered up several theories. Maybe the son of a…
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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…