‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light’ Lavishly Brings About the Downfall of Henry VIII’s Right Hand

Alci Rengifo

History is made by people. This is hard to forget because of the magnanimous perception power and fame project. The late Hilary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” Booker Prize-winning novels are some of the best in the historical fiction genre because of the way they bring down to earth extraordinary figures. By focusing her narrative on Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to Henry VIII, she created a compelling personality who became our tour guide through ambition, human emotions and cutthroat politics in Tudor England. In 2015 the BBC released the first adaptation of the first two books, “Wolf Hall” and “Bring Up the Bodies. It was a truly rich, sophisticated season featuring Mark Rylance as the worldly Cromwell dealing with Henry’s wish to get divorced, defy the Pope and marry Anne Boleyn. An award-winning success, it still left audiences waiting a decade for the next installment. “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” finally arrives in the U.S. under PBS’ Masterpiece banner, with Cromwell’s fortunes beginning to turn downwards.

The six-episode season begins with Cromwell still seeming secure in his position as lord privy seal, though haunted by the execution of Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy). He is also the most powerful non-royal in England, hated and feared by his enemies. King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) at least seems content in his marriage to Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips), who exemplifies an almost angelic sense of kindness. She helps smooth the path for Lady Mary (Lilit Lesser), Henry’s daughter with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to return to court. As long as the rather capricious monarch is happy, Cromwell seems secure though he is driven by other agendas. There is the drive he feels to break the enemies of his late master, Cardinal Wolsey (Jonathan Pryce) while also secretly advancing the interests of the Protestant Reformation. Much depends on whether Henry can conceive a male heir, a matter obsessing anyone at court in a world where foreign powers are forming their own alliances against England. When Jane tragically dies in childbirth, Cromwell is left with a dangerously unpredictable situation.

Great historical dramas blow the dust off ancient names and events, making them feel immediate. “The Mirror and the Light” has that effect, not only because much of it was filmed at actual sites where the events took place, but in the contemporary feel of the production. Even if you know the history and Cromwell’s eventual fate, every episode has the urgency of feeling in the moment. The writing by Peter Straughan, who recently won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “Conclave,” is intelligent without becoming dense. Director Peter Kosminsky keeps the settings elegant yet stark, shooting, as in season one, many moments lit by candlelight. You can sense the chill of a Tudor era night and the need to get near a fireplace. They also remind us masterfully how a drama like this can still exist without resorting to sweaty, bodice-ripping antics (though this made for great entertainment in Showtime’s “The Tudors”). Mantel’s trilogy is a work on par with classics like Robert Graves’ “I, Claudius,” capable of stimulating the imagination while transporting you to another world. A TV adaptation should do no less.

Political intrigue and human depth come together wonderfully to create a compelling experience. Cromwell’s political moves are not just shallow, cold calculations to please Henry. He truly believes in the Reformation that will end the dominance of Catholicism, so there is a hidden ideologue operating behind his decisions. However, the more powerful you acquire the more adversaries you make. For Cromwell it’s even more delicate because he is truly self-made, rising in the ranks despite being the son of a blacksmith, proving himself to Henry through sheer experience and intelligence. This makes him a target for other powerful men like the Duke of Norfolk (a great performance by Timothy Spall), so proud of his lineage and annoyed by Cromwell’s emerging arrogance. Everyone wants to be in charge without considering how draining it can be. A loyal subject like Thomas Wriothesley (Harry Melling) clearly respects Cromwell, until he starts getting jealous over the lord trusting someone else with a delicate assignment. 

All of this intrigue works so well because these are characters written as flesh and blood personalities who feel, hate, love and think. Mark Rylance’s performance is brilliant by exploring every facet of Cromwell. He can be the king’s hammer when necessary, yet he also can’t help but be guided by the heart at times, as when he sympathizes with Lady Mary or offers marriage to the secret daughter of Wolsey, now living as a nun in a convent. At night he dreams of maidens with bloodied hands, foretelling his fate while recalling the bodies Henry’s reign leaves in its wake. One can’t help but admire Cromwell outwitting the high and mighty lords, despite his blind spots of the sort that can happen when you become over-confident. We sense he should know better after working for so long with Henry. Damian Lewis is fantastic as a now slightly older monarch who can swing from kind to tyrannical. Entering middle age, Henry’s mind drifts to the past while stubbornly trying to cling to his vigor. When Cromwell arranges a marriage to Anne of Cleves (Dana Herfurth), a strategic Protestant match from Germany, the king insists on surprising her in costume as he would in the old day. It turns out to be an embarrassment. Cromwell is dealing with a king who will become easily bored with the selection, which only creates more opportunities for his opponents.

Despite the importance of the historical backdrop and political intrigue, “The Mirror and the Light” is engrossing as a portrait of how a person can rise while never letting go of their character or demons. As the noose begins to close, Cromwell gets many opportunities to save himself, yet he can’t. His cause matters, mixing with that understandable pride of not letting himself be outdone by those who think they are superior just because of the luck of their birth. It is our luck this season was finally made after the show faced issues with the pandemic, budget changes as the U.K. feels the impact of streaming services changing traditional production models, and the death of Hilary Mantel. This riveting adaptation of her final, grand work is a fitting enough tribute. By the time fate comes ever so tragically for Cromwell, we care for a human being, not for a name relegated to history books.

“Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” premieres March 23 and airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on PBS.