In the season finale of “The Borgias,” titled “Nessuno” (Nobody), Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons) must humble himself. The cardinals have fled the Vatican and the papal armies are no match for the French. In order to insure his position as head of the Catholic Church, the Pope agrees to crown King Charles (Michel Muller) “King of France and Naples." Della Rovere (Colm Feore) falls out of favor with King Charles and has growing concerns over his alliances. Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) goes to a convent to give birth and is granted an annulment.
As beautiful and engaging as the sweeping interior shots of the Vatican are in this final episode ...
Like Sun Tzu’s bible on military strategy, “The Art of War” is the apt title of Episode 8 of “The Borgias.” Rome is overtaken by French soldiers heading straight for the Vatican and Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons) is overwhelmed with anxiety and despair. His daughter, Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger), has been abducted by the French troops marching on Rome after she flees from her torturous marriage to Giovanni Sforza (Ronan Vibert).
King Charles of France (Michel Muller)is taken with Lucrezia’s youthful charm and grace and allows her brother, Juan (David Oakes),to withdraw his outmaneuvered troops instead of launching a deadly assault on them. Although King Charles longs for battle, he shows his skill in the art of war as he heeds Sun Tzu’s maxim that “to subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”
The drama and suspense inherent in this episode makes it one of the best of the season. It’s an emotional display of the carnage of war, questionable loyalties and the humbleness which comes with impending defeat. It has the feel of a major motion picture in its scope.
Pope Alexander sees the inhabitants of the Vatican and Rome flee and his allies refuse to come to his defense. The Pope tries to rally the College of Cardinals into positive thinking much like the coach of a losing team giving his motivational speech in the locker room. In this case, the team is losing miserably and is unwilling to stand its ground. Only a miracle will help them now.
The kiss the Pope gives the Spanish ambassador on the lips, as a symbol of the betrayal he views the Catholic kings and queens are showing by their inaction, is a somewhat comical display. Unlike a similar scene from the film “The Godfather,” where the anger and turmoil is obvious in the kiss, this is a mere touching of lips which doesn’t really illustrate the emotion which should be present. It would’ve been a much more powerful display if the Pope had taken his anger and misery out in that kiss of betrayal.
Just as Nero played his fiddle while Rome burned, Juan opts for a long lustful night in a house of ill repute instead of strategizing how he will lead the papal armies to victory. Cesare (Francois Arnaud) must retrieve his brother and Juan smugly states that “lechery and debauchery are the marks of nobility.” This is one of the few honest statements to leave his lips. If anyone were to question Juan’s ability to lead any army in a victorious battle this scene surely foreshadows his defeat.
As unpleasant as it is to watch Paulo (Luke Pasqualino), the stable boy, be whipped by Sforza, after he realizes Lucrezia has abandoned him, it is refreshing to see someone stand by one’s convictions. Paulo endures the endless whipping to save Lucrezia, which is in direct contrast to the nobility and the College of Cardinals who flee at the first sign of personal injury. The so-called peasants have more integrity than the holy men of the Vatican.
There are some pretty gruesome scenes when men are annihilated and ripped into bits by France’s chained canon balls. More shocking to see, though, is the Pope finally giving up the finery of his rich attire and jewels in favor of a lowly monk’s robe and sandals. The Pope wants to be prepared for his role as a martyr and thinks it very Christ-like to receive his accusers simply attired. Contradictions abound as this action packed episode ends in suspense.
"The Borgias" Episode 7, "Death on a Pale Horse," illustrates the carnage of war as 25,000 French troops march on Milan. Despite the devastation caused in Milan and France's growing demands, Florence agrees to also ally with the French and allow them into their city. Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons) is overwrought with despair and panic as he sees his expected allies turning against him. Cesare (Fran§ois Arnaud) begs his father to allow him to lead the papal armies but the pope refuses. He maintains a blind faith in his son Juan's abilities to lead his armies.
Cesare, meanwhile, visits the nunnery his lover Ursula (Ruta Gedmintas) locked herself away in and finds himself equally unsuccessful in trying to win her back. Juan (David Oakes) still shares the bed of his younger brother's wife and Giulia Farneses (Lotte Verbeek) is sent by the pope to visit the Sforza household and his daughter Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger). Giovanni Sforza (Ronan Vibert) makes clear he is no sympathizer of the pope and Giulia discovers she must remove Lucrezia from the Sforza house due to Lucrezia's illegitimate pregnancy.
In episode 7, the pope panics. The depression and defeat evident in Rodrigo Borgia, as he witnesses everything he's fought to attain being threatened, is quite a departure from his usual indomitable spirit. Snubbing his nose in indignation at his enemies is what we're used and it's hard to watch his invincible facade crumble under the pressure of betrayal. Rodrigo's doubts rule him and the self-possessed pope who is always in command is lost to us this week.
The ongoing affair between Juan and Princess Sancia is another occurrence that's hard to watch. As usual, Juan's time is consumed with selfish satisfaction while everything around him is in upheaval. David Oakes does a great job of making his character completely unsympathetic and obnoxiously aberrant.
At least viewers are spared Emmanuelle Chriqui's mediocre English accent as her small appearance this week consists of more moaning than speaking.
There is some joy in watching Della Rovere (Colm Feore) panic over his dealings with King Charles. He realizes the French king is out to destroy Italy and he can't bear the death and destruction he's unleashed on his fellow Italians. It seems everyone but the French king is riddled with confusion and self-doubt.
Steven Berkoff, who plays Savonarola, is great to watch. His character is a preacher who fervently speaks out against the corruption of the Medici and Rome. Although he doesn't have a large role, he makes every moment on screen count. The character he plays is quite vivid and he effectively delivers the rantings which follow Savonarola's visions.
Michel Muller as King Charles of France is also wonderful to watch. He is quite a character and beyond the accent and the wacky hairstyle, he perfectly plays out a shrewd, self-possessed leader who knows how to win.
There is a lot of great talent on the show and this week was another entertaining foray into their characters' lives. War is upon the Borgias and it remains to be seen whether Pope Alexander will persevere and who, if anyone, will be willing to stand behind him.
Episode 6 of “The Borgias,” titled “The French King,” features more political panhandling as Della Rovere (Colm Feore) visits France’s King Charles (Michel Muller) and promises him Naples if he’ll go to war against Rome. To secure the borders of Rome and forge an alliance with Naples, Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons) marries off his 13-year-old son, Gioffre (Aiden Alexander), to the Princess of Naples (Emmanuelle Chriqui).
While Ursula’s husband is away, Ursula (Ruta Gedmintas) is finally free to share her bed with Cesare (François Arnaud). Soon she discovers her husband has been killed by Cesare and commits herself to a nunnery in repentance for her sins. Juan (David Oakes) takes a liking to his younger brother’s wife, Princess Sancia of Naples, and remorselessly begins an affair with her. Meanwhile, free of her husband while he’s recuperating from his severe leg injury, Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) and Paulo’s (Luke Pasqualino) flirting blossoms into a full-fledged romance.
Juan and Sancia
Emmanuelle Chriqui is a new addition to the cast this week as Princess Sancia of Naples. Although she has the right look for the role, she does not carry the same gravitas in her presence and acting skills as many of her co-stars do. Also, her manufactured English accent sounds amateurish. There are other non-British cast members, such as François Arnaud, who show far more skill in maintaining their British accents flawlessly. Unfortunately, Chriqui’s accent sounds muddled and disappears altogether on certain syllables. It becomes quite distracting and shatters the illusion of her role. Perhaps an Italian accent would’ve been more fitting but it’s doubtful she would have executed it any better.
Speaking of gravitas, Jeremy Irons absolutely fills the screen with his manner and his voice. He has a commanding presence and one feels secure watching this seasoned veteran as he expertly executes every scene. Even when he gives a political lesson by comparing parts of his mistress’s leg to separate regions in Italy and abroad, any potential absurdity is erased by Irons’ delivery and approach to the material. He begins at the very top with “France, the source of all disquiet” and ends with Naples and his mistress’s “most delicious toe.”
Another new face this week is Michel Muller as King Charles VIII of France. He is a joy to watch as the eccentricities and passions of his character are revealed. Although he is amusing and self-deprecating regarding his looks, he is not a joke. King Charles shows an analytical depth in warning Della Rovere against his enthusiasm for war but he also shows a ruthless passion for waging war. He is a character, much like Alphonso II of Naples (Augustus Prew), who is quite quirky and fun to watch.
Lucrezia and Paulo’s inevitable love affair seems one of the most natural and fitting affairs in the series thus far. Lucrezia finally finds some peace from the abuse of her brutal husband and is able to pursue a relationship which suits her youth, kindness and caring demeanor. The scene in the forest where she sits with Paulo by a spring and kisses his reflection in the water is as if she’s making a wish for a life reflected she knows she cannot have but will happily steal moments here and there to attain in part.
Cesare’s love affair does not fare as well. He is able to spend a week with Ursula but when she discovers his true nature and complete inability to show remorse or regret about killing her husband, she cannot be with him. She runs off to a nunnery while Cesare can only feel regret for having lost Ursula. It is obvious his true calling never was nor will be religion and he feels smothered by the constraints placed on him by his father and his position within the church.
Lucrezia and Cesare
Lucrezia appears again to her father, as if in a dream, but this time she really has come to visit in order to attend her younger brother’s wedding. Pope Alexander shows the deep affection he has for his children as he weeps for her arrival. Lucrezia also reunites with her beloved brother Cesare and the ideal harmony between them pales in comparison to any relationships they have had separate from their bond to each other. Watching them interact, one sees how perfectly suited they are for one another but their companionship will always have an impassable limit.
Episode 6 is certainly the episode of love last week’s was meant to be. There is plenty of action regarding lust and love, while suspense builds about when war will be waged on Rome and its surrounding states. For now, the complex and lascivious relationships of the Borgias will have to occupy the viewers’ attention.
This week on the “The Borgias,” love is in the air. In spite of the flowery title of episode five, “The Borgias in Love,” we see the Borgias trapped in loveless or forbidden amorous entanglements. Love goes hand in hand with political interests, destruction and forbidden desires.
Pope Alexander awakes from a terrifying nightmare in which he sees Lucrezia drowned in a bath. Her pale, blind face rises from the water telling her father she cannot forgive him. As the Pope weeps Lucrezia levitates to join the angels on the frescoed ceiling. Although this starts out a very gripping exchange it ends up looking like a badly executed scene from the “Exorcist.” The special effects appear considerably amateurish making the levitation detract from the scene’s poignant emotion.
Last week Lucrezia was married off to a stern brutish man, Giovanni Sforza. He does not suit her young carefree ways but he very much suits her father’s political interests. Sforza took Lucrezia’s virginity in a most uncouth and savage manner in the previous episode and we see the nightly brutality continued this week. It seems Cesare’s prophetic words from episode three are proven true. He told Lucrezia, “Most things in life prove to be sad, sis.”
Although in this episode Lucrezia has no contact with her beloved family, since she is locked away in Sforza’s household, there is an interesting family dynamic worth noting from the previous episodes. Last week Cesare begrudgingly performed his sister’s marriage ceremony and at the end of the night’s festivities carried his sister Lucrezia off to her wedding bed and tenderly tucked her in. This is one of many questionably intimate moments between the brother and sister, which have viewers wondering if their closeness foreshadows an incestuous development.
The writer and director of the series, Neil Jordan, explained the relationship of Lucrezia and Cesar during a Showtime interview. “They will never find a bride or a groom that would live up to their expectations having grown up with each other. So, it’s not an incestuous relationship but yet it’s so protective as to be dangerous.”
During a moment of respite from her abusive husband, Lucrezia visits the handsome stable boy Paolo who happens to be shirtless and washing up. She flirts relentlessly and he tries to maintain some semblance of propriety. She laments how the fate of the stable horses is better off than her own.
There is an innocent moment when Lucrezia initiates a game of patty cake with Paolo and we see her girlish tenderness allowed to flourish with this young man outside the confines of her tyrannical marriage bed. She may be beaten but she is not yet broken. On a ride in the country she plots with Paolo to cut Sforza’s saddle which, to Lucrezia’s great joy, leads to Sforza breaking his leg and precludes his nightly abuse.
Her brother, Cardinal Cesare, pursues the wife of a baron, named Ursula, he met at Lucrezia’s wedding. The baron had greatly offended Cesare by calling his mother a whore. Cesare is driven to destroy the baron and avenge his mother’s name while also pursuing his infatuation with the baroness.
Ursula begs to be delivered from her husband while visiting Cesare in the confessional but later, knowing how violent her husband can be, warns Cesare to stay away. Ursula and the Cardinal are separated by the confessional walls as they are by their positions in life. By the end of the episode Cesare rips those walls down. He duels with the baron and kills him. Cesare’s trusted assassin Micheletto is on hand to help him dispose of the body in the river.
Lucrezia’s other brother, Juan, is presented with a marriage offer which is played out quite humorously by Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander. A painting is revealed of the homely bride to be and Pope Alexander graciously promises to give due consideration to the offer. His sideways glances and gestures to his son reveal his true feelings on the matter.
Juan later snobbishly declares to his father that he will only marry a princess or none at all. He does suggest the King of Naples’ illegitimate daughter would make a perfect bride for his younger brother Jofre, who is still a child. They need Naples as a political alley to secure Rome’s borders and the papacy.
When Pope Alexander tells his lover Giulia Farneseof the idea of marrying off his young son she says, “You are going to ensnare the whole of Europe in your progeny.” His very telling response is, “What else are families for?” This statement sums up how every relationship Pope Alexander has is at his disposal for political gain and power. Although a family man who loves his children, he is also a man of power who will pursue any means to maintain his status.
Cesare is also involved in the politics of Rome on behalf of his father the pope. He travels to Florence and has a talk with Niccolo Machiavelli, the Florentine ambassador. He asks him to ignore the previous agreement Machiavelli made with pope dissenter Della Rovere to allow French troops to march through Florence. In exchange Cesare promises to suppress a caustic preacher who publicly voices sentiments against the Medici.
Vice Chancellor Sforza, a cousin of Giovanni Sforza who Lucrezia is married to, is sent by the Pope to the Vice Chancellor’s other cousin, the Duke of Milan. The Pope wants to make sure the Duke’s allegiance is with him and his interests. He sends Sforza to pose a threat that they will depose the Duke and put his nephew (who he keeps caged underground, since he lays claim to the title of Duke of Milan) in power. The Duke responds by poisoning his nephew, claiming he died of gluttony.
The anticipation of the series grows as it is yet to be revealed if Cesare will finally rebel against the cloistered path his father has chosen for him and how Lucrezia’s loveless and abusive marriage will play out. Also, the politics of Rome and its many enemies and interests still remain unresolved.
