Season 2 opens with young Henry VI coming to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester, unaware that there are other claimants to the throne, Plantagent of York and Somerset of Lancaster, whose factions will ultimately cause the Wars of the Roses.
Chopped and changed, galloping, leaping... Perhaps chopped isn't the right word, though. It suggests crudity, and this is top-notch swordsmanship, cut with great thought and precision to leave no scar.
The experience is not like watching a play on screen, as Dominic Cooke has directed each part with a clear vision of filmic aesthetics, and along with that, a ghastly amount of violence.
Rather than downplay his natural magnetism, Cumberbatch emphasizes it, charming the audience by talking directly to the camera, just like Kevin Spacey does in House of Cards.
