TV Review: The Tudors: Season 4, Ep. 5

The Tudors: Season 4, Ep. 5‘s entire second half was bathed in torture and blood and it was all because of the big mouth of Francis Dereham. Dereham’s familiar conduct gets him tortured then drawn and quartered and Thomas Culpepper (Torrance Coombs), Catherine Howard (Tazmin Merchant), and Lady Rochford (Joanne King) beheaded. One of the best parts of the episode is when Catherine Howard’s letter is being read by her as she dances and Dereham and Culpepper are led to execution and killed. Very artistic. Also of note is when Catherine is taken to the tower, sees Culpepper’s head on a pike, and when she is about to be beheaded. “I come today to die a queen but I would rather die the wife of Culpepper.” Great acting by Merchant. She really ups her game in this episode and the viewer sees how mature she really is.