Although the backdrop of the mini-series is a combination of the effects of the 100 Years War and the Black Plague, at its heart, World Without End is a story about families and the struggles within them. There is the power struggle that goes on between Queen Isabella (Aure Atika) and her son, Edward III (Blake Ritson) following the assassination of Edward II, engineered by Isabella. Merthin (Tom Weston-Jones) and Ralph (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) of Kingsbridge find themselves going from sons of the Earl of Shiring to lowly apprentices and stewards following an evil plot to steal their heritage. While Merthin loves a young healer named Caris (Charlotte Riley) and just wants a simple life, Ralph grows a mean streak while serving as the steward of Earl Roland (Peter Firth), the man who stole his birthright, and this will taint his future behavior for the rest of his life. Following King Edward II’s assassination, a mysterious injured knight named Sir Thomas Langley (Ben Chaplin) arrives at the Priory and the secrets he brings with him will have lasting repercussions on the township.
Brother Godwyn (Rupert Evans), Caris’ sadistic and scheming cousin, and his evil mother, Petranilla (Cynthia Nixon) work tirelessly to see Godwyn climb higher and higher in the hierarchy of the Priory, meanwhile secretly working to make kind and giving Caris suffer as much as possible. Godwyn even schemes to have Caris burned as a witch, but she is saved by becoming a nun at the Prior, a move which will continue to haunt Godwyn for years to come. While she and Merthin are forced to be apart, fate has other ideas.
Meanwhile, the peasants struggle as Edward III and his scheming mother raise taxes to fund a ridiculous war with France. As thousands of England’s troops die during the years the war rages on, they also bring the Black Plague back home once they return. Gwenda (Nora Von Waldstatten) and Wulfrick (Tom Cullen) are peasants in Kingsbridge who have had their land unlawfully stolen from them by corrupt politicians and members of the Priory, but Gwenda finds herself constantly battling for her family’s welfare. Her pluck will serve her well when the town of Kingsbridge finds itself under attack by the royal army because of secrets hidden there long ago. Can the townspeople work together to protect their own or will the be decimated by the evil forces plotting against them from every turn?
World Without End is an 8-hour epic mini-series, so it’s pretty difficult to summarize it in a few paragraphs without giving away pivotal plot points. I will admit that I found myself a bit lost during the first episode or two, with so many characters and plots being hatched. However, once things got rolling and the characters and their stories are established, it becomes a riveting story through to the spectacular end. Aside from Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), I really wasn’t familiar with any of the actors, but they were all excellent and believable. The only special feature included is a making-of featurette explaining how the project was taken from book to screen, but it was interesting, especially having already seen The Pillars of the Earth and seeing what they did differently for this mini-series.
If you enjoy period dramas and especially if you liked The Pillars of the Earth, you will enjoy World Without End. Because of the adult topics, this is not a film for kids, but an adult with a penchant for history will enjoy it.
