With King Charles running from Italy with his tail between his legs, the Pope can turn back to exacting his revenge on those who betrayed him. The first target? The fucking Sforzas!
Another church service in the Vatican and the collection plates are going round once again. Lucrezia remarks upon the ingenuity of the Church: Catholics pay to see the splendour, which makes the church richer and thus more magnificent which encourages more donations. Giulia and Vannozza agree and wonder if they can use the cardinals' secrets to their advantage.
The Pope is still suspicious as to Cesare's whereabouts on the eve of the battle. He asks his son if he took part in the raid on the French gunpowder stores but Cesare reminds him that he wears the robes of a cardinal, not the armour of a soldier. With King Charles out of the picture, the Pope wants to turn his attention to his next enemy. "Friar Savonarola?" offers Cardinal Sforza. "Your cousin, Caterina!" the Pope replies. She has fled to her castle in Forli and taken some French cannons with her. The Pope wants her to come to Rome and kiss his ring, willingly or in chains. Cesare volunteers to do it and his father agrees, heading to Florence with Cardinal Sforza to deal with Savonarola. Riding only with Micheletto, Cesare asks him if he knows anyone in Forli. Micheletto replies that he certainly does, having been born there.
In Florence, the Pope and Cardinal Sforza enter the church where Friar Savonarola (Steven Berkoff) is preaching to a crowd about the decadence and greed of the church. Cloaked and hooded, they listen to his fiery rhetoric. Cardinal Sforza is uncomfortable and suggests they leave but the Pope is keen to hear more. As they do so, Cardinal della Rovere, also cloaked and hooded, walks past them, not noticing them and they not noticing him.
In Forli, Micheletto returns to see his mother, Isabella (Barbara Flynn), Cesare in tow. She thinks that her son is studying to be a doctor and Cesare that is his teacher. Cesare, of course, goes along with the whole thing, embarrassing Micheletto no end. We're then introduced to Augustino (Darwin Shaw), who is apparently getting married to a woman with a lazy eye. Cesare and Micheletto make their excuses and leave. Micheletto apologises for his mother's fantasies. Cesare asks if she has any more. Micheletto replies that she believes her husband died at work in the fields when in fact he killed him.
Back in Florence, Cardinal della Rovere seeks out Friar Savonarola at the end of his service. Savonarola mocks his failure to depose the Pope. Della Rovere suggests instead that they kill him. Savonarola asks if he will really go through with it and della Rovere says that he will, if he has Savonarola's blessing. "Ride out, like death on a pale horse", Savonarola replies, granting his blessing. The Pope and Cardinal Sforza meanwhile pay a visit to the Medici Palace, home of Piero de Medici (Cesare Taurasi), the ruler of Florence and his adviser Niccolo Machiavelli (Julian Bleach).
Cesare and Micheletto arrive at Forli Castle where they are greeted by Caterina Sforza (Gina McKee) and her son Benito (Noah Silver). Cesare delivers the Pope's summons which she does not take well, telling him that she only bows when it suits her and noting that there are ways of surrendering without submitting. Cesare starts to deliver the Pope's message of vengeance if she does not come willingly but she cuts him off and insist that they eat first.
Piero de Medici relays to the Pope the activities of Friar Savonarola and his followers. They want to ban art, outlaw money and abolish banking and he is essentially a prisoner in his own palace. The Pope says that perhaps he will withdraw the Church's assets from Florence and bring them back to Rome but Piero tells him Savonarola has spies everywhere. The Pope suggests buying him off with a title or with the promise of heaven itself...
After dinner in Forli, Benito sings for his mother and Cesare. Micheletto, meanwhile, meets up with Augustino in a graveyard. The two casually strip off and start kissing. Taken on a tour of the artefacts of Forli Castle by Caterina, Cesare remarks that her ancestors have apparently never kneeled. She disagrees and promptly kneels in front of him before bidding him good night and having a servant show him to his room. Cesare begins undressing when Caterina interrupts him, telling him that her servant "accidentally" led him to her room by mistake. They flirtingly threaten each other and then begin kissing too. Clad only in a see-through negligee, she climbs on top of him and Cesare gets down to the tricky business of diplomacy. After their graveyard shag, Micheletto tells Augustino that his marriage will be a lie. Augustino replies that Micheletto's studies are a lie. The next morning, Caterina isn't finished with Cesare yet. They spoon as she tells him that she knows his cannons are fake, remarking that Borgias are commoners of a rare Spanish breed, moaning as Cesare thrusts away.
Leaving Florence, the Pope and Cardinal Sforza continue discussing how to nullify Sevonarola. The Pope suggests making him a cardinal. Cardinal Sforza suggests burning him at the stake, as he intends for Caterina. "Is she a heretic too?" the Pope jokes. Cardinal Sforza tells him that his cousin is a woman in a man's world. The Pope replies that he wants to befriend her and hold her close. "As you hold myself?" Cardinal Sforza asks. "Indeed", the Pope replies, both of them sporting uncomfortable smiles. The Pope's procession departs Florence, noticed by Cardinal della Rovere, who rushes ahead of it.
Back in Rome, Lucrezia, Giulia and Vannozza pay a visit to a brother frequented by cardinals. Introducing themselves to Beatrice (Katie McGuinness), who briefly befriended Paolo when he came to Rome, they tell her that they are from the Committee for the Betterment of the Lives of the Ladies of the Roman Night. She takes them to meet her madam, Rosa (Jacqui Dankworth). They make her an offer: give them the names of all the cardinals who frequent her premises and they will pay for the cleaning and refurbishment of said premises.
Cardinal della Rovere returns to Rome and meets up with his friar friend (Roger Lloyd-Pack), bringing him news of Savonarola's endorsement of their plan. The friar does not see how they can get past the Pope's guards but della Rovere has a plan. He means to take advantage of the Pope's love of women, food and wine and deliver a dose of cantarella, the same poison that very nearly killed him.
At his second evening meal at Forli Castle, Cesare finally delivers the Pope's full message, including the threat to drag her to Rome in chains if she does not go willingly. She tells him that she will give him her answer at breakfast the next day and he tells her that he already knows her answer. Toying with him, she tells him that the choice is hers and for one more night at least, he belongs to her.
Cardinal della Rovere is explaining his plan to a group of supporters. When it is pointed out that the Pope has tasters for his food and wine, della Rovere explains the second part of his plan: one of them must go and work for the Pope, undercover, willingly consume something laced with the poison and then give it to the Pope. He asks for a volunteer and one by one they all leave.
Cesare and Caterina spend the evening on the rug in front of the fire in her room and Micheletto and Augustino do likewise in the graveyard again. Could they really not find a better place to meet? Augustino tells him that they must not meet again. Micheletto grabs him by the neck, as he once did to his father but sends him on his way instead of killing him. Finished with Cesare, Caterina meets with her cousin Giovanni (Ronan Vibert) and tells him that they have a choice to make.
Tending to a garden alone, Cardinal della Rovere is interrupted by a young monk called Antonello (Jesse Bostick) who volunteers to die for their cause. Della Rovere explains what he must do, the painful death he must endure and the young monk explains that he would do so willingly.
Cesare is finishing breakfast when Giovanni Sforza drops in on him. The two exchange awkward pleasantries until Giovanni insults Lucrezia. Cesare warns him not to speak ill of his sister and Giovanni reminds him that he was humiliated in front of the whole of Rome. Fortunately, Caterina interrupts them with her answer. It's a no. She walks off and Cesare grabs a knife from the table, plunging it into Giovanni's hand. Seizing another knife, Cesare wrestles with Giovanni, managing to drive the knife up into his throat. He pulls it back out again and pushes Giovanni back onto the table and stabs him ferociously and repeatedly in the stomach, the Lord's blood pouring onto the floor. Interrupted by a maid, Cesare makes his escape, barely getting past the guards before joining up with Micheletto, the two of them barely escaping on horseback.
In a packed church, the Pope is conducting a mass. A great storm is brewing outside and a sudden bolt of lightning hits the roof, sending debris crashing down and crushing many people. The churchgoers flee but the Pope and several others are stuck on the far side of the church by the falling debris. As an altar boy is struck by some debris and trapped underneath it. The Pope calls out for help as he tries to free the boy but no-one comes to his aid. Pulling the boy free, he makes for the exit but it is too late and the boy dies in his arms. Emerging into the pouring rain with the boy's body in his arms, the Pope calls for help. One cardinal remarks that the disaster was the work of god. The Pope replies that god will judge them on how they act now but no-one goes with him as he runs back into the church. When the storm passes, the Pope sits amongst the wreckage and dead bodies. He asks Cardinal Sforza if it was a message from god. Cardinal Sforza replies that it was just a bolt of lightning but the Pope believes that god has signalled his displeasure, pledging to atone for his sins with fasting and prayer. "For how long?" the cardinal asks. "Until he smiles on us again", the Pope replies.
Now that's more like it! After last week's disappointing episode, The Borgias gets right back on track with heaping helpings of sex, violence, sodomy and pernicious plotting. The big news is that Giovanni Sforza is finally dead! I thought this day might never come but the wife-beating slob finally got what was coming to him and well done Cesare! The sub-plot with Micheletto's mother was quite strange and I presume his fans will have enjoyed his late-night visits to the graveyard with Augustino. I preferred Cesare's dalliances with Caterina Sforza myself but hey, whatever floats your boat. Caterina will probably wind up going the same way as her cousin. Speaking of Sforzas, the Pope's moment with Cardinal Sforza when they were preparing to leave Florence was brilliant and really emphasised that the tension is still there between them, no matter how well they've been getting on lately. Lucrezia, Giulia and Vannozza continue their project. At least they're not drowning orphans this week. Finally, poor Cardinal della Rovere. Just when he finds some poor sacrificial lamb, the Pope is almost killed by a collapsing church roof and decides to start fasting. Brilliant! That scene in the church at the end of the episode was magnificent, probably the best of the series so far. Are we seeing a new side to the Pope? Will he abandon his lecherous, partying ways and become a fastidious servant of his god? I hope not, that would be unbelievably dull!
The Borgias is back on form. More of the same next week, please!
9 out of 10.
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