Harlequin Romance author Jennifer Faye is on hand to deliver a truly delectable Ultimate Crush this week and we’re not complaining!
The first thing you should know about me is that I’m a visual writer. If I can’t envision a scene in high definition, I can’t write it. Granted most of those background details never make it to the printed page as it’d drag down the pace to unbearably boring, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t see all of it.
As such, not only do I enjoy reading, but I also enjoy watching TV series, which allow a lot of room for character growth. And one of my favorites is The Tudors. Talk about some vibrant and jaw-dropping characters. And I’m not referring to their looks but rather their outlandish actions, convoluted motivations and larger-than-life personalities. Add them all together and I am totally riveted to the flat screen. 😉
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk aka Henry Cavill is hands down my favorite. Okay, so it doesn’t hurt that he’s amazing eye candy. 🙂 But his character fascinates me more than any other on the show. I, personally, think his character undergoes the greatest growth for the duration of the series.
I could have picked the king since he’s the star of the show and he does constantly amaze me with his actions, but he isn’t nearly as riveting. I mean, he is the king. When he has a problem, said problem gets sent to the chopping block. His struggles aren’t nearly as great as those around him. For a really great character, I think you need someone in an impossible situation with no easy way out.
Hence, we have Charles Brandon. In the beginning, he’s a young man with no outward worries—after all he’s friends with the king. Life is grand. And it only gets better when the king gives him a title—Duke of Suffolk. However, this is one of those cases where you have to be wary of what you wish for because along with that prestigious title and land comes obligations to the crown. His life is no longer so easy. He must face situations that put his neck on the line, literally. His motivations couldn’t be graver. And his decisions leave visible marks on his life.
Through it all, I just can’t help but cheer for him, wanting him to make the decisions that will bring him peace/happiness. Sometimes he does make the right decision and sometimes he doesn’t, but that’s what makes him interesting—he isn’t perfect. And those imperfections make him quite colorful indeed.
The most touching scene is when he’s on his deathbed and the king summons him to the castle. Instead of sending word that he’s too sick to travel, he musters all of his strength and goes to the king. The king, finding his best friend quite ill, orders him to kneel (at Charles’s advanced age and physical condition, this is quite a feat but he does it barely). At such time, the king orders him not to die. The whole scene is so ridiculous, so over the top, but in it I can feel the great love these two men have for each other. And that portrayal of such strong emotion is what makes it such a great scene. Note: sadly the king’s order holds no weight with the angel of death.
Charles is a larger-than-life character that faces decisions and situations that most others would never experience. He keeps growing and changing, but there’s a core part of him that never changes—his friendship with the king.
Now, where are my Tudor dvd’s? Sorry, gotta go get some eye candy. 😉
Happy writing!!!
