'Wolf Hall' Pushes Cromwell from Wolsey to the Palace in "Entirely Beloved"

If the first episode of Wolf Hall was setting up a giant chess board for the Great Game to play out, this week, the power players begin to make their moves. Whereas last week spent an hour slowly building to the arrival of the main focus of our tale, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, this week starts off with something of a bang. In Henry's presence, Cromwell is brushed off and sent away, a snub that is hard to come back from. 

Cromwell: No need to trouble God, George. I'll take it in hand.

We have a lot of Henry this week, as Cromwell's focus shifts from his entirely beloved Wolsey to the palace, as the coming chaos ladder descends for him to climb. Not a moment too soon. Wolsey begins this episode heading north to escape Norfolk's threats, doing so on the King's dime. Damian Lewis' Henry is in an emotional bind over Wolsey's refusal (or, in truth, his inability) to get him the annulment from Katherine of Aragon. He's unable to talk about the Cardinal in public, unhappy this split has occurred, and, when pushed, willing to pay the way of an old friend who was once his spiritual connection.

However, once Wolsey reaches York, those still faithful to the Catholic Church boost his ego back up a bit. Perhaps the tales of these crowds wherever the Cardinal goes are merely the last gasp of an elderly man who, having lost it all, is finding a way to feel better about himself once more. But from where we sit with Cromwell, nearer to the palace, intrigue, the optics of this will not go over well. 

Still, it might have been better for folks to wait for the optics to take their toll. Instead, the Boleyns, in the form of a gang led by Harry Percy, decide they cannot wait to take him down. They show up and arrest the Cardinal. In doing so, they either poison him or simply ride him until he is too ill to continue. Wolsey dies, calling for Cromwell, who never comes.

This week also sees Cromwell, now that his wife has passed on, confronting the question of becoming entangled again. Even before More's wife, Lady Alice (Monica Dolan), puts the question to him so drunkenly, we have already seen him considering his late wife's sister. (The late wife's sister does not seem uninterested either, as we learn by the end of the episode.) Upon arrival at the palace, the rebellious and unhappy Mary Boleyn (Charity Wakefield) all but throws herself at him. Also, it is evident from their short interaction that Cromwell harbors tender feelings for the young Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips), even if she is far too young for him.

But this week's real romance is the one that springs up between Henry and Cromwell. While the mid-ranged lords look down on Cromwell, disliking his low upbringing and his "up by the bootstraps" class jumping, Henry has no such insecurities. What he sees in Cromwell is someone who remained loyal past the point of good sense to the now fallen Wolsey...a trait the king believes he could use more of in his life at that moment.

That is perhaps why the King calls Cromwell to him when the nightmares of his psyche strike in the middle of the night. Henry has spent the last few years convincing himself that his annulment request is reasonable because Katherine of Aragorn was once betrothed to his older brother Arthur, who died before he could take the throne. He has "sinned by stealing his brother's proper wife" or some such. Now, this version of reality has taken hold so strongly that Henry dreams of Arthur returning from the grave to stand over him and accuse him of sinning. 

But Cromwell is quick on his feet, as always, and turns it around to be a sign that Arthur wants Henry to stand up and be the King he could not and throw off the shackles of the Church. It is a neat rereading of events, one befitting a man who hustled his way from an abused blacksmith's boy to one the king would call in the middle of the night to discuss his R.E.M. state mental filings.

With Wolsey gone, we close the episode, watching Cromwell swear fealty to his newly chosen master, the King. Before the ceremony are glimpses of the court, and the Boleyn clan celebrating the fall of the Cardinal. Cromwell stands behind them, watching, silently recording who will pay for laughing and replaying Wolsey's fall. Woven through it is Cromwell unwrapping Wolsey's parting gift: one of his rings, resized to fit Cromwell perfectly. Poor George relayed the tale of Wolsey's passing and how he wished for God to send vengeance. Cromwell tells him not to worry. 

God doesn't mete out vengeance anyway. Cromwell does. 

This post was originally published April 2015. Updated 11.03.2024

Next week, Cromwell takes his place inside the belly of the beast as Anne's plans to become the next queen pick up speed.

The original 2015 Wolf Hall will continue on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on most local PBS stations and the PBS app. All six episodes are available to stream on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel and for members of PBS Passport. Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light will debut in 2025.