The Tudors
The Act of Treason
Season 2, Episode 9 · Aired 2008-05-25
Synopsis
Anne has lost her son, and with him her last chance at a lasting marriage with Henry. The King's affections are shifting anyway: the Seymour family are awarded new and more luxurious rooms at court and soon replace the Boleyns as the new royal favourites. Anne's behavior becomes more erratic as she is browbeaten by her family to help regain favor at any cost. Several members of the court, including Charles Brandon, begin to move against her, accusing her of adultery and witchcraft. Arrests are made of suspected lovers, and eventually of Anne herself. Cromwell leads the interrogations, torturing some of the scapegoats to force a false confession. All of the accused (apart from Thomas Wyatt), including the Queen, are sentenced to death. Four of Anne's supposed lovers, including her trusted friend Mark Smeaton and her beloved brother George are executed at the Tower while a grief-stricken Anne awaits her own fate.
In the series
This episode is part of The Tudors (2007–2010) on Showtime.
Henry VIII with movie-star abs — history as premium-cable seduction.
Key cast
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII
- Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon
- Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn
- Sam Neill as Cardinal Wolsey
- Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon
- James Frain as Thomas Cromwell