The second season of Showtime's "The Tudors" comes to a close as Anne Boleyn prepares to lose her head. This has been the season of Anne, not only due to the story but also because actress Natalie Dormer really came into her own.

In the first season, Dormer's passive Anne didn't make much of an impression, but as her Anne grew more active, more paranoid and entitled, Dormer began to shine. At times her rage brought to mind Juliet Landau, the actress who played Drusilla in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel."

Despite Anne's monstrous behavior, it's hard not to have sympathy for her in Sunday's season finale (9 p.m.) as she goes to her death for crimes she did not commit. Dormer gives Anne humility and a sense of serenity about her impending demise.

Season three of 'The Tudors" begins production this summer and will air in 2009.