Released in 2016, The Hollow Crown - Season 2 landed in a world that was suddenly questioning the value of long-standing political unions. The EU referendum in the UK and the US presidential election that same year created an atmosphere of populist rage and national division. Shakespeare’s Henry VI is a play about what happens when institutions fail. It is about a government that cannot govern, a legal system that is weaponized, and a populace that turns to strongmen (like Richard of York) and charismatic queens (like Margaret) because the center cannot hold.
The Henriad, comprising Henry IV, Part 1 , Henry IV, Part 2 , Henry V , and Henry VIII (although Henry VIII is sometimes replaced by Henry VI, Part 1 in some adaptations), is a unique collection of plays that follow the tumultuous reign of the Lancastrian kings. The plays explore themes of power, loyalty, and the complexities of kingship, providing a rich tapestry for adaptation. The Hollow Crown - Season 2
5/5 stars
The undisputed MVP of the season. Okonedo’s Margaret starts as a steel-spined princess and evolves into a feral, grieving warrior. She injects Shakespeare’s sometimes cartoonish “she-wolf of France” with terrifying realism. Her delivery of the “Tiger’s heart wrapped in a woman’s hide” speech is less a rant and more a cold-blooded autopsy of her own rage. By the time she mocks the captive York with a napkin stained with his son’s blood, Okonedo makes you feel the madness of a mother who has lost everything. Released in 2016, The Hollow Crown - Season
While narratively self-contained, Season 2 gains immense depth from the first season. Understanding Henry V’s glory makes his son’s failure devastating. Seeing Richard II’s deposition foreshadows the chaos to come. Watch The Hollow Crown - Season 1 first. Then, steel yourself for the winter. It is about a government that cannot govern,
While the first series of established the BBC's reputation for high-stakes Shakespearean drama, Season 2 —subtitled The Wars of the Roses —took the production to a new level of visceral, cinematic intensity. Premiering in 2016, this trilogy of films adapted Shakespeare's first tetralogy ( Henry VI Parts 1, 2, and 3 and Richard III ) into three epic episodes that chronicle the decades-long civil war between the Houses of York and Lancaster. A Star-Studded Descent into Chaos