Wow! I seriously have never seen such intensity in a Shakespearean adaptation. Every scene felt real, brutal and captivating. The sets and camera work during the battle sequences are just amazing.
Benedict Cumberbatch - what can I say? It's probably one of the best performances of his I've ever seen. The man chews, swallows and spits out every scene that he's in, hissing like a serpent, crying on cue and breathing in and out his soliloquies throughout the play. The character is so loathsome and pitiful that you have a hard time rooting for him, but yet you can't turn your head away from the screen.
Kudos to Benedict for such hard work and commitment to a character that's obviously not at all easy to play. And a special shout out to Sophie Okenedo as ruthless French queen Margaret of Anjou and Judi Dench as the Duchess of York, Richard's mother.
Definitely one of the few great joys of television these days.