Anne Boleyn

In episode one, we meet Anne at the top of her game. She is pregnant and convinced she will bear Henry an heir. (Their first-born Elizabeth, being a girl, has so far been overlooked for the throne...) But Henry has an eye on one of Anne's ladies, Jane Seymour, and this realization blindsides Anne. Events take a turn for the worse after Henry is involved in a near fatal riding accident and the wolves of the court start circling - the fragility of Anne's status is clear. When the King’s closest advisor - Thomas Cromwell - tries to shut her out of a political conversation, Anne knows she must devise a plan to reposition herself as Henry's equal. Only to walk in on Jane sitting on Henry's lap. Overwhelmed with rage, Anne has a miscarriage.

In episode two, Anne is haunted by nightmares of her stillborn son. Her position at court is seriously jeopardized. But Anne is a fighter, and she forces herself out of bed. Her new mission is to secure her daughter's right to the throne. But she quickly discovers that Cromwell has other ideas - he has been bartering the royal lineage in return for a political deal with Spain - promising that Mary Tudor (Henry's eldest daughter by his Spanish wife Catherine) will be recognized as heir instead of Elizabeth. Anne masterminds a plan to force the Spanish Ambassador to bow to her in public, therefore recognizing her and her daughter's legitimacy. She is triumphant, but the move severs what was left of her relationship with Cromwell. Later, celebrating and tipsy, she flirts with a courtier and makes an off-hand joke that is overheard, spreads like wildfire and interpreted as treason. Anne’s closest friends start to 'disappear'. At the end of the episode, Anne is arrested, torn away from her daughter and taken to the Tower of London.

In episode three, Anne is locked in the famous Tower, accused of treason, adultery and mystifyingly, incest. She is watched by her former ally Lady Shelton, who is secretly passing information to Cromwell. On the day of her trial, Anne presents herself with the pride and dignity of a warrior. But she is prejudged. Cromwell has bribed and blackmailed her ladies into testifying against her - their most private conversations are now twisted and presented in court as evidence of her alleged wrongs. The night before her execution, Anne is visited by the Archbishop of Canterbury on behalf of Henry, who persuades her to sign a document admitting an impediment to their marriage. Elizabeth's right to the throne will be revoked - but in return, Anne will be pardoned and Elizabeth will be safe. Anne agrees to protect her daughter, only to be told by Cromwell (with relish) that the King won't pardon her anyway. She has been tricked. She breaks down. But she has no anger left. She is ready to die. As Anne faces her death, she leaves a message for he daughter, who will in a few years become one of the most iconic monarchs of all time. Our flawed heroine Anne has left her imprint on the world in a more powerful way than she will ever know.