Reviews
by Mike Reynolds and Michael Demenchuk -- Multichannel News, 4/6/2009 2:00:00 AM
THE TUDORS: SEASON 3
(Showtime, Sunday, April 5, 9 p.m.)
In the third season of The Tudors’ reign on Showtime, it’s Jane Seymour’s (Annabelle Wallis) turn. Of noble birth, there’s a regal air that the scheming Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) never brought to bear during her time as England’s queen and Henry’s (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) second wife.
But Seymour has faith in Catholicism, which brings fear to Henry’s advisor Sir Thomas Cromwell (James Frain) and his consolidating power base. It also invokes rebuke from the King, who while professing his love in their bed warns his wife not “to spoil things.” Probably not a bad idea to mind that royal command.
The third season’s early focus is on the Reformation and uprising in the north. There peasants are rebelling against Cromwell’s orders to destroy statues and desecrate the Church. With things going wrong for the crown and Cromwell, Henry appoints old friend and liege Charles Brandon (Henry Cavill) to suppress matters, something he’s not necessarily equipped to do.
Not quite the bedroom chamber romp of the first two campaigns — at least early on — the new season’s charm lies in the interpersonal intrigues of those with ambition and duty who must stay ahead of Henry’s impulses toward ruthless imperiousness. — Mike Reynolds
RESCUE ME: SEASON 5
(FX, Tuesday, April 7, 10 p.m.)
Tommy Gavin and the crew of 62 Truck are back — in all their dysfunctional glory — for the fifth season of FX’s Rescue Me. As this admittedly lapsed fan of Denis Leary’s firehouse drama can attest, the show returns as engrossing as ever.
When we last left Leary’s character, he was dealing with the death of his father, the stagnation in his relationship with Valeri (Gina Gershon) and a possible Section 8 dismissal from the fire department for reckless on-the-job behavior. But the series doesn’t spend much time dwelling on the immediate past. Instead, it heads back, in a way, to its beginning — specifically, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Tommy and the other men of the 62nd are forced to relive that dark day in NYFD history with the arrival of Genevive Lazard (Karina Lombard), a French reporter who’s working on a book on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. In addition to providing him with a new love interest, she’s also brought back a “ghost” from his past: His cousin, a 9/11 casualty who shows up in news footage he’s asked to watch, leading to questions about how he actually died.
The show manages to keep up its fine writing, crisp acting and black sense of humor. Even if you’ve been away for a while, it’s easy to get sucked back in. — Michael Demenchuk
