How did this even get made?
I know this was a bastardized version of a fictional book, but every time they would just completely ignore historical facts, I wanted to scream. First, Edward III, by all accounts, was devoted to his wife Philippa, who was completely absent in this series. Yet they have this Edward nonchalantly kicking some tramp out of his bed without a second thought. Also, there is no way on earth young Princess Joan would have been in France during military campaigns. Beyond lame. Finally, by the time the plague hits, Edward and Philippa had already lost two children to death, and two others besides Joan also died of the plague. But there was no mention of any other children at all. Apparently Joan was Edward's only child and she had no mother, at least according to this series.
Queen Isabella was banished from court by Edward in 1330 and never returned. She wasn't a total bitch as portrayed in World Without End, and Edward and his family often visited her in her castle in Norfolk. She enjoyed warm relations with all of her children (including Edward), and became a nun before dying in 1358. I loved how she appeared to be at death's door in the summer of 1348, when she visited Joan's body, but seemed hale and hearty in the snow during the attack on Kingsbridge, even though she had told Edward she "wouldn't live to see another Christmas."
Edward II was an unmitigated disaster as a king, as Ben Chaplin alludes to. But while posing as Thomas Langley, he demonstrated a strength of character, good sense, and kindness for others that Edward just did not possess. I hated to see them whitewash him. Also, there is no way on earth people would be so accepting of homosexuality in a small-town monk. The writers tried to apply modern attitudes to people who supposedly lived almost 700 years ago, and it was stupid.
In fact, there was WAY too much assigning of modern ideals to medieval people throughout the series. A nun, elevated to prior, addresses a congregation (a congregation that suspiciously fills the church, even though it's immediately after the Great Mortality? Hmm ...)? Serfs get to argue with lords? Two nuns walk through an active war zone in France without a scratch? A nun leaves her order to live with her former lover -- without benefit of marriage -- and no one blinks an eye? Apparently everyone can read and write? Totally ridiculous.
Another thing -- I just could not get past that Philippa chick's hair. I know, I know, it's such a minor thing, but every single time she was on screen all I could think was, "That trick needs a creme rinse in the worst way!" I mean, the actress's hair isn't normally that crazy kinky curly, so why did they make it so god-awful in this series? Also, I never got who, exactly, she was. Was she a daughter of William's? Was she William's wife's friend? Dunno. In the book, she was actually married to William, but her presence, as far as I can tell, was never explained here.
All in all, this was an unmitigated disaster.