Airdate: Sunday, May 22, 2011 10:00PM E/P
Rating
It’s been said that a thin line exists between genius and insanity. I believe our cunning Pope (Jeremy Irons) is standing firmly poised on the center of that line. His plan to address King Charles (Michel Muller) unadorned in friar’s robes, appearing as a humble servant of God, pays off. King Charles, expecting to see an exuberant Pope after hearing what Cardinal Della Rovere (Colm Feore) had to say, is so moved by the unimposing Pope, he begins confessing his sins. I laughed because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. King Charles is set to help Della Rovere depose the Pope but after this stroke of genius/insanity, the Pope not only keeps his Papal throne, he gains an ally. He takes religion/God and uses them to his own devices in order to gain what he wants. Irons balances the character with ease: you disagree with what the Pope is doing in order to gain power and prestige, but have empathy for him because he believes he’s truly doing God’s work.
L-R: Michel Muller as King Charles and Colm Feore as Cardinal Della Rovere
The French King is no fool, however. He wants Naples and he wants one of the Pope’s Cardinals to escort him. But not just any Cardinal—the Pope’s son Cesare Borgia (François Arnaud). Of course, the Pope obliges but fails to mention the plague that has besieged Naples. The imagery that follows is unforgettable. Seeing a table of stuffed adversaries was gruesome enough, but the hundreds of corpses lying abandoned throughout the palace is downright macabre. Cesare and Micheletto (Sean Harris) are able to escape the French before reaching Naples, and for some reason, I am pleased to see Micheletto return. He’s an extremely astute man. His knowledge of illicit methods proves useful to Cesare on more than one occasion, despite the fact he is unable to kill Della Rovere as planned.
Cesare seeks out the irksome Ursula (Ruta Gedmintas) to help him by providing Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) shelter among the nuns to hide her pregnancy until the annulment of her marriage to Giovanni Sforza (Ronan Vibert) is concluded and she can give birth. I don’t know what the writers will have in store for season two regarding Cesare and Ursula but I hope it proves to be more exciting. I feel there is something amiss with Ursula – like she’s a double agent of sorts. I could be reaching, but I just don’t like her character now that she’s become a nun.
I find it most humorous when the Pope orders the College of Cardinals to dress in “sack cloth and ash,” a sign of penance for abandoning him in his “hour of need.” As he calls each of them to stand before him, Irons’ performance is absolutely wondrous as he arsits with hubris, chiding each and every one of them for their disloyalty. The low rumble of his voice gives such a spine-tingling effect, further enhancing the devilish grin on his face. I have to say it – when the Pope takes Lucrezia’s newborn son and lifts him in his arms, I think of The Lion King and baby Simba. I mean, come on, Irons is the voice of Scar after all.
Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia Borgia
With only nine episodes in this first season, I feel a bit cheated. I understand why a network would run a shorter season in case the show doesn’t find an audience, but after the final season of The Tudors, fans are hungry for more historical dramas. Thankfully, The Borgias will return for a second season and I for one cannot wait! What will King Charles do now that his beloved kingdom of Naples is a wasteland of plagued bodies? Will the Pope replace Cardinal Sforza (Peter Sullivan) due to the family’s lack of support? And now that Lucrezia’s marriage has been dissolved, what will become of Lucrezia’s baby? After all, she is the bastard daughter of the Pope and now her son is the bastard of a poor stable boy.
Photos © Showtime, All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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1 comments
This show plays around with the truth so much that what really happened is almost lost. A stable boy? Where did he come from? Anyone who had read about the Borgias knows it was not a stable boy. But this is fiction parading as truth, and at that it is good. When did women in those times go to the front lines of battle? Even today we are having problems with women in combat. And a pregnant one at that? She, especially being the pope’s daughter, wouldn’t endanger her life and that of her baby in such a way. And let’s face it. When women were pregnant back in those days, they were kept hidden because of the shame. The real story? Lucrezia’s husband is convinced, so against his will, to say that the marriage was chaste. And remember, he was just a 24 year old guy when he married Lucrezia, who was 13. Hide the pregnancy? Check the history. Good drama for TV? Yes. The truth? It’s out there somewhere.