Wolf Hall season 2 is heralded a 'masterpiece' after just one episode

What did you miss?

Wolf Hall has returned for its second season, The Mirror and the Light, and viewers have already called the show's return a "masterpiece".

Based on Hilary Mantel's iconic historical novels, the new series adapts her final book and opens where the first season ended, with Anne Boleyn's death in May 1536. Henry VIII's second wife and five or her court were killed in one fell swoop, and Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance) is still keen to rise to power in the aftermath.

The Mirror and the Light charts the final four years in Cromwell's life, in which Henry VIII faces rebellion at home and plots against him abroad. It'll take all of Cromwell's unique vision to make things right, England is ripe for innovation and change, but with his enemies gathering to strike will Cromwell be able to succeed and will he survive under Henry VII's cruel regime?

The BBC series may only just have started its new season, but viewers were already riveted by it and shared their thoughts on the series on social media.

What, how, and why?

The first episode saw Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) marry Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips) shortly after Anne Boleyn's death, with Cromwell becoming his principle councillor in the process.

Cromwell advises the king with his approach to his first daughter, Mary, as well as other matters of state. But with great power comes the greater risk that he could end up being a target as well, and Cromwell begins to realise he will also have to be careful.

Viewers were moved by the first episode, with one viewer writing that the series is already proving to be "a fabulous masterpiece [to] watch on dark Sunday nights", while another person said: "Outstanding drama. Everything about it is pure class".

Another person commended the series as "possibly the greatest TV drama ever made", and one viewer said: "Simply sublime watching ‘The Mirror and The Light’ and EP 1 didn’t disappoint!"

Read more: ‘It’s going to be much darker’: inside the deadly return of TV masterpiece Wolf Hall (The Guardian, 9-min read)

One viewer shared a glowing tribute of the first episode, writing: "Just watched #WolfHall on BBC. It is fantastic. Mark Rylance brilliant, Damian Lewis an unexpected Henry VIII and the rest of the cast outstanding. Fabulous production. Beautifully directed, the claustrophobia of the court with real undercurrent of threat throughout."

It has been almost ten years since the release of the first season, but there were viewers who felt that it was well worth the wait. One person wrote: "Well, we've all waited a VERY long time for the BBC sequel to the incredible #WolfHall Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance are brilliant. The costumes and locations are perfect and Debbie Wiseman's music is perfect (again)"

Another said: "My god, Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell, the most powerful and mesmerising tv I’ve ever seen. Utterly the best actor, script and cinematography I’ve seen in many years. Can’t stand to see the demise of TC but what a show."

What else happened with Wolf Hall?

The cast of Wolf Hall have reflected on returning to their characters for the new season, with Rylance sharing how much he appreciated reuniting with Lewis again: "It’s very nice to be playing with Damian Lewis again, and his very subtle and mysterious Henry VIII."

Lewis felt similarly, saying of his co-star: "It’s an unfashionable thing to do, but the space you’re in when you work has something serious about it, and you can create something magical and sacred if you’re prepared to do it and not have people on phones mucking about too much.

"It’s good to have a bit of a laugh sometimes, otherwise we’d tear our hair out, but essentially it’s a special space and you come in and work. Mark and I talk about it a lot, it’s very hard as an actor on a film set to retain your bubble because filming is an industrial endeavour.

"In order to create an imaginative space you have to work hard and it’s made much easier with Mark and Peter [Kosminsky, the show's director] running it because they demand that."

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light continues Sundays at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.