The Hollow Crown: Henry IV-Part 1 (Review)

Starring Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, Julie Walters, & Michelle Dockery, Episode 2 follows King Henry IV and his wayward son, Henry, Prince of Wales. Prince Hal spends his time with his friend, Sir John Falstaff. The two, along with their friend, Poins,  are up to no good. Rebellion is brewing from Henry Percy and his friends, who has a long list of grievances about how King Henry has treated his family. Henry Percy's father supported the King when he returned to England from his exile and sought to regain his lands, which had been confiscated by Richard II. The elder Percy supported the King as he accepted the crown from a defeated Richard. King Henry did not keep his promises to Percy Senior, who was dead way before the events of the play.  While Percy Junior and his allies come up with strategies, the Sheriff and his men comes into Mistress Quickly's tavern in search of Falstaff. Prince Hal says Falstaff is not there when he is, in fact, hiding in the tavern. The Sheriff informs the Prince that Falstaff has stolen money from some people (a robbery that Hal participated in) & must answer for his crime. Hal assures the Sheriff that he will bring Falstaff in to face justice the next morning. After the Sheriff and his men leave, Hal tells his pals that he will go to court and make amends for their crime the next morning. Prince Hal travels to the court of his father, who tells the nobles in the room to leave him to speak to his son in private. King Henry scolds his son for his unruly and dissolute behavior, tells him that his behavior is unbecoming of a prince, and that he wishes Henry Percy were his son and heir. An indignant Hal vows to regain his father's favor by winning a victory in battle against Percy and his rebels. On the battlefield, Hal challenges Percy to a one-on-one fight to limit casualties. But a battle between the King's forces and the rebels breaks out. During the battle, Percy and Prince Hal engage in one-on-one fight. An injured Hal kills Percy and respectfully bids his foe goodbye. He also grieves Falstaff, who is lying on the ground. As soon as the Prince hobbles away, Falstaff opens his eyes, having tricked Hal into believing he was dead, and delivers one of the most famous lines in the entire play: "The better part of valor is discretion." Falstaff reunites with Hal, who is surprised to see him alive and carrying Percy's corpse. When the King inquires about the outcome of the battle, Hal declares victory. King Henry, who is starting to show signs of being ill, urges his men to continue engaging the rebels in future battles until they are defeated. 

Content advisory

Sex & nudity: 

Falstaff is found fast asleep with a woman by his side. He is not married and neither is she.

 Hal sits in a chair in the tavern and a young woman sits on his lap. They kiss passionately despite the fact that they aren't in a relationship and neither of them are married. 

Violence & gore: 

There is a battle towards the end of the show. People are injured and/or killed.

Hal kills a leader of the rebels despite being wounded.

Falstaff stabs a dead Percy in the leg.

Alcohol and drugs: 

Hal gets drunk. He gets thoroughly drenched from drinking out of a keg of wine.

Falstaff drinks a lot of wine. 

Profanity: None. The dialogue is verbatim from the play, with some mildly foul name-calling in Shakespearean old English.

Performances: I was delighted to see Michelle Dockery, who is known for playing Lady Mary Crawley-Talbot in Downton Abbey. She was great as Lady Percy, the wife of rebel Henry Percy. I felt sorry that she was saddled with a husband who did not love her. Julie Walters, who I know as Mrs. Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, was excellent as Mistress Quickly, the widow owner of a tavern. Tom Hiddleston, who is well-known for his portrayal of Loki, the God of Mischief in the MCU, was fantastic as Prince Hal. I could tell he was enjoying himself in this role. I couldn't help but think that Tom channeled his inner Loki to play an unruly Prince Hal in this episode. He is the reason I've been wanting to watch The Hollow Crown for some time. That, and I love Shakespeare. Finally, Jeremy Irons, who I know as the voice of Scar in the animated version of The Lion King and Tiberias in Kingdom of Heaven, was superb as King Henry IV. 

Overall: A five-star episode!