[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Season 1 Episode 1, “Wreckage.”]
It’s been 10 years since Wolf Corridor ended, and Claire Foy‘s Anne Boleyn was executed for accused crimes towards the crown and her husband, King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis). The sequel sequence, Wolf Corridor: The Mirror and the Gentle, debuted its first episode on Sunday, March 23, on PBS, opting to return to Anne’s ultimate moments in a reprisal of her execution within the opening scene. There are some key variations within the new model that tackle Tom Holland‘s casting change for this season. And as Anne is beheaded, the subsequent spouse of Henry VIII — Kate Phillips‘ Jane Seymour — warily weds the monarch.
Right here’s what modified between the Wolf Corridor finale and the Wolf Corridor: The Mirror and the Gentle premiere.
What occurs within the Wolf Corridor: The Mirror and the Gentle premiere?
The episode opens on the acquainted scene of seeing Anne being taken to the Tower of London by boat with Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance). This was first seen within the Wolf Corridor finale about midway by means of the episode. It then cuts to the courtyard the place she can be beheaded. Because the visibly terrified Anne approaches the platform for her ultimate moments, Cromwell stands along with his son, Gregory, who asks, “Why does she maintain trying up on the tower?” As Thomas replies, “As a result of she thinks there’s nonetheless hope.”
The Marvel Spider-Man star requested this query within the 2015 model. Charlie Rowe — who takes over the position from Holland in The Mirror and the Gentle — asks the identical one within the new 2025 sequence and will get the identical reply. It’s all outdated footage of Foy intercut with the Rowe reshoots and Henry VIII’s wedding ceremony with Jane. The juxtaposition is chilling.
As Henry is roofed in priceless materials and jewels for his wedding ceremony ceremony, Anne prepares for demise. She’s beheaded within the French model as pictures of Henry and Jane’s nuptials play out. The colour scheme of Anne’s execution is fittingly chilly and dreary, whereas the marriage is heat and glittering and resplendent. The look of full contentment on Henry’s face are in stark distinction to Jane’s fearful face (a glance she’s clearly making an attempt to cover).
Nick Briggs / Playground Tv (UK) Ltd
Why isn’t Tom Holland in Wolf Corridor: The Mirror and the Gentle?
No official purpose for Holland’s departure from Wolf Corridor has been shared, nevertheless it’s possible as a result of being forged within the MCU shot him into a better stage of stardom (and a demanding schedule) than he had earlier than. He made his debut as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil Struggle in 2016 and has primarily caught to movie ever since. (He did an Apple TV+ restricted sequence, The Crowded Room, in 2023.)
It’s additionally been a decade for the reason that first Wolf Corridor, so getting the entire authentic forged again was positive to be tough. The English drama nonetheless managed to get most of its stars, nonetheless, so the lack of Holland within the forged doesn’t shock as a lot.
Wolf Corridor: The Mirror and the Gentle additionally stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Jonathan Pryce, Timothy Spall, Harriet Walter, Lilit Lesser, Harry Melling, and Alex Jennings. The premiere dove into Jane’s first days as queen, in addition to the strain between Henry and his rebellious daughter, Princess Mary, performed by Lesser.
In Episode 2, airing Sunday, March 30, a secret marriage brings scandal to courtroom, giving Cromwell the chance to deliver his adversary Norfolk down for good. However an sudden encounter forces Cromwell to query the place his loyalties lie.
Wolf Corridor: The Mirror and the Gentle, Sundays, 9/8c, PBS