Pope Alexander VI may have been a blasphemous lecher who bribed his way to the papacy but he certainly cared about the ordinary people of Rome. Last week, he threw them a lavish celebration. This week, he deals with the pigeons. Yes, pigeons.
Paolo (Luke Pasqualino), the innocent young groom who fathered a child with Lucrezia, is on his way to Rome to see his newborn son. Somehow, I don't think he'll fit in. The Pope, meanwhile, is waking up in bed with Giulia and Vittoria (Jemima West). Vittoria scampers off and the Pope shamefully admits to Giulia that he can't remember how the three of them ended up in bed together. Giulia tells him that it was her idea, not his.
Cesare has tracked down Ursula (Ruta Gedmintas) again. He has generously commissioned a new fresco of Saint Cecilia for her abbey. She is the patron saint of music and he needs a suitably beautiful model. Ursula refuses but Cesare insists, tearing her hood off and telling the artist to "work around" her newly short hair. Cesare's acting like a real douchebag lately. Speaking of douchebags, Prince Alfonso has been tortured to death, meaning we won't have to hear his whiny, annoying voice any more. Hurray! Apparently he suffered greatly. Oh good.
Cardinal della Rovere meanwhile is also suffering. Terrified of being poisoned, he is hiding in a remote nunnery and refuses all food and drink offered to him. Instead, he asks for a monkey. He doesn't eat it, he gets it to taste his food for him.
The moment he arrives in Rome, Paolo is propositioned by a whore named Beatrice (Katie McGuinness). Realising that he's looking for an actual woman called Lucrezia and not just a whore willing to be called Lucrezia, she offers to help him look for his love. Her friends are not so helpful, mocking him when he tells them he's looking for Lucrezia Borgia. Taking him through the city, he is amazed that there is starvation and poverty in such a wealthy and important city.
His hangover dealt with, the Pope looks for Vittoria. Finding her working, he questions her about the city outside his "gilded cage". He asks for her assistance in a matter but is interrupted by Cardinal Sforza (Peter Sullivan), who wants to talk about the finances, blaming the recent celebrations for leaving them without any money. The Pope isn't amused, telling Sforza that he's in charge of the money and that he has only just started restoring the great city and improving the lives of the ordinary people of Rome. Sforza is clearly unconvinced, openly laughing at the Pope's plans to walk amongst the people.
At lunch, Juan mocks the "peasants" of Rome until his father tells him that peasants and noble men alike share a soul and that without his titles and fine clothes, Juan would be one of them too. That evening, the Pope, Giulia and Vittoria dress in humble robes and set out into the city. Making their way to the ruins of a Roman baths, the Pope is amazed that orphans live there, amongst rats and pigeons. He resolves that he will see to it that the charitable arm of the church will reach the orphans. Their next stop is a pub where the Pope puts Giulia in charge of going through the charitable accounts to make sure the money gets to where it is supposed to go and further declares that he will do something about the pigeons that infest the city.
The next morning, the Pope seeks out Cardinal Versucci (Vernon Dobtcheff). Lecturing the old man about the hypocrisy of him being in charge of charitable funds that do little to help the poor of Rome while at the same time building himself three new palaces, the Pope takes him to the archives. There, he tells him that Giulia has been put in charge of going through the charitable records. He protests but the Pope insists and the old man acquiesces, no matter how uncomfortable he is about working with a woman. His next step is to deal with the flocks of pigeons that plague the city. Cheering as a hawk catches one of them, he orders a battalion of the birds of prey.
Cardinal della Rovere is on the move. He is in the back of a donkey-drawn cart, whittling away happily and accompanied only by a nun when the two are confronted by a pair of thieves. Stabbing one in the neck with his sharpened stick, he throws the knife into the other's chest and they continue on their way. He's not bad with a knife for a half-starved man of the cloth. Cesare should have killed him when he had the chance...
On the steps of the Vatican, Beatrice plies her trade and Paolo looks for Lucrezia. When he spots her walking with Juan, he hides from view and follows them to a fountain. Juan wanders off as Lucrezia tosses a coin in and makes her wish. It is answered, fleetingly, as Paolo appears next to her. Juan doesn't react quite as well as Lucrezia, thinking him some random peasant and starts drowning him in the fountain. Lucrezia rescues him, telling him to say a prayer in forgiveness at the fountain at midnight. As reunions go, that wasn't exactly the best but Paolo didn't seem to mind, grinning from ear to ear as he tells Beatrice what happened.
The Pope has learnt of Prince Alfonso's death and asks Cesare to send his spies to Naples for any news of King Charles. Lucrezia, meanwhile, is preparing for her reunion with Paolo. As she sets off for the fountain, Juan watches her leave. Reuniting with Paolo, he tells her that he came to see his child, correctly guessing that they had a son. Watched by Beatrice and her friend Magdelena (Sarah Solemani), he asks to spend one night with her and their son. She relents and they make plans to meet up again the following night. Magdelena spies Juan and wanders over to him. Juan's not interested in her services but he is interested in what she has seen. He pays her for information and to spy on Paolo for him.
Lucrezia returns to the Vatican and finds Cesare waiting for her. He warns her that if Juan finds out, he will do more than just whip him, as Giovanni Sforza did. She remains steadfast in her desire to spend a single night with him and Cesare resolves to help her, telling her to go to their mother's house and leave the rest to him. The next night, Paolo is waiting at the fountain when Micheletto meets him. Paolo is surprised, having expected someone who looks fairer, to which Micheletto jokingly replies that he has killed people for saying less. Vannozza is pleased to see her granddaughter but is less enamoured with Lucrezia's plan, warning against it. Micheletto shows Paolo in and he reunites with Lucrezia and finally meets his son. Juan, meanwhile, is being shown portraits of Spanish noblewomen. His father, irritated by his drinking and his sullen attitude tells him to stop complaining and pick one to marry.
As Paolo and Lucrezia have sex, Micheletto finds Magdelena watching the bedroom window from the shadows outside. When she tells him that she's spying for someone, he points to Juan, stumbling towards the front door and asks if he is her employer. When she says yes, he promptly strangles her to death. Cesare meets his brother at the front door who tells him that their sister is fucking a common peasant and intends to tell their mother. Cesare tells him that their mother is sleeping and to come back when he isn't drunk. Lucrezia continues riding Paolo as their baby cries out. Juan overhears it but Cesare convinces him that the sound came from his doves and Juan leaves. Little do either of them know that the Pope's new hawks have made short work of the poor doves. As he leaves, Juan asks Cesare if he loves him. As I love myself, Cesare replies, but Juan is unconvinced.
The coast clear and their night together finished, Paolo makes his exit, telling Lucrezia that he would die for her. She tells him that she'd settle for him learning to write and writing letters to her. As the sun rises, Paolo makes his way through the streets of Rome, followed by two hooded figures. Noticing them, he quickens his pace. Breaking into a run, he barrels straight into two more of them, one of whom is of course Juan. Gleefully putting a noose around his neck, the men drag him off to lynch him. Micheletto, meanwhile, disposes of Magdelena's body in the river. The final moments of the episode are of Lucrezia rocking her baby gently in her arms as Paolo's lifeless body swings from a bridge.
I really liked this episode. Cesare, who had previously been the "good" brother turns into a real bastard this week. I can understand pining after Ursula but he treats her like shit. Well, at least he hasn't killed her yet. Juan's lynching of Paolo looks to be setting up a confrontation between the two brothers. I'm not really sad he's dead though, he was far too wet. Another character I'm glad to see the back of is Prince Alfonso. Good riddance! It's not all doom and gloom, however. The Pope's relationship with Giulia seems to be back on track and Vittoria is settling in nicely. I look forward to seeing more of her. The ominous way that Cardinal della Rovere seems to be plodding on and the ruthless way he dealt with the two thieves leads me to think that he's going to go after the Borgia family.
Sex, violence, death and pigeon massacres. What more could you ask for in an episode of The Borgias? Oh, and Holliday Grainger may have a strange name but she has very nice boobs.
8 out of 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment