Entirely Beloved

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"Entirely Beloved"
Wolf Hall episode
Episode no.Series 1
Episode 2
Directed by Peter Kosminsky
Written by Peter Straughan
Story by Hilary Mantel
Original air date28 January 2015 (2015-01-28)
Running time60 minutes
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Three Card Trick"
Next 
"Anna Regina"

"Entirely Beloved" is the second episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall . It was first broadcast on 28 January 2015.

Contents

Plot summary

In December 1529, following Cardinal Thomas Wolsey's departure as Lord Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell gains favour from King Henry VIII and is sworn into the king's Privy Council.

Cast

Critical reception

"Entirely Beloved" received positive reviews. The Daily Telegraph again gave the episode 5/5; Reviewer Jasper Reeves also praised Straughan's dialogue and Peter Kosminsky's directing, writing, "It's like watching a chess grandmaster go around a room playing 20 challengers at once. The spectacle is dizzying, and the acting magnificent." [1]

Neela Debnath, writing for The Independent , compared the intrigue and scheming in Wolf Hall to that of Game of Thrones , writing, "Game of Thrones fans tuning in to watch Wolf Hall might notice similarities between the politicking in King's Landing and Henry VIII's court – and they wouldn't be wrong." Debnath praised the lead actor, writing, "Rylance continues to mesmerize as the man of questionable birth rising to become the king's right-hand man. His calm, collected and measured performance really has the audience rooting for him." [2]

In his review for The Guardian , John Sutherland praised writer Peter Straughan, who wrote the teleplay based on Hilary Mantel's original book: "Straughan ... has been commendably faithful to Mantel while infusing new televisual life into the narrative. [3]

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"Anna Regina" is the third episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall. It was first broadcast on 4 February 2015.

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two is a two-part play based on Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, adapted for the stage by Mike Poulton. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a sympathetic fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More.

Thomas Cromwell was Chief Minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1534 to 1540. He played a prominent role in the important events of Henry's reign, including the king's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, the execution of Anne Boleyn, the marriage to Anne of Cleves, the Dissolution of the monasteries, and the English Reformation. These dramatic events have provided the inspiration for plays, novels and films from shortly after his death until modern times.

References

  1. Reeves, Jasper (28 January 2015). "Wolf Hall, episode 2, review: 'magnificent'". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  2. Debnath, Neela (28 January 2015). "Wolf Hall, Entirely Beloved - TV review: Like Game of Thrones, but without the dragons or White Walkers". The Independent . Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  3. Sutherland, John (28 January 2015). "Wolf Hall recap: episode two – getting inside Cromwell's head". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 September 2015.