Sinister and Satisfying Tudor-Set Murder Mystery

Shardlake’s disability marks his path through the unenlightened and superstitious Tudor world, which crosses paths as he passes and gives him cruel nicknames against which he protects himself with intelligence and status. The prejudice of his time isolates him, and in a poignant childhood flashback it is revealed that it changed the entire course of his life, but – as Hughes has said in interviews – the disability is far from the most important part of Shardlake’s character. . This is his awareness as a good man who seeks the truth in a cruel world.

The truth Shardlake seeks this time is the murderer of King Henry VIII’s commissioner at the (fictional) Sussex monastery of Scarnsea. It is 1536, in the midst of the Reformation and two years after the Act of Supremacy separated England from Rome. Henry and Cromwell are dissolving the monasteries and dividing their wealth and lands in the name of “a better England.” The abbot of Scarnsea and his monks are unwilling to give up their house to the crown, and Shardlake’s task is to find legal justification for forcing them. For him, this justification must also be the truth. For Cromwell, the truth is immaterial as long as the monastery falls.

It’s a rich premise from Sansom, a celebrated novelist who sadly passed away after a long illness this month, days before the series’ release. The historical setting is clearly not just a backdrop, but the very essence of a story about religious corruption and the consequences of shaping “the truth” into a political agenda. The space here to explore the world as it is, as well as the world as it once was, has not been wasted.

This sinister and satisfying adaptation also didn’t waste the novel’s on-screen potential. Director Justin Chadwick and co. create a claustrophobic, atmospheric environment that transports you to the wintry rocks of Scarnsea and the dark, misty moors (actually Hungary and Romania). You’ll feel the ice and frightening cold of the place and leave a marathon with your eyes blinking at the light.

Overall, it’s a satisfying variation on the tight-loop murder mystery, with an investigation that plays out well and, across four episodes, doesn’t feel padded – even if it doesn’t break new ground in any new genres. There’s comfort in its familiarity and Shardlake’s principled character, and a regular trip back in time to tell the rest of these stories on screen would be a welcome addition to the TV calendar. More please.

Shardlake is now streaming exclusively on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US.