"...bound and whipped and ravaged." Review: The Borgias - S2 "Paolo"

Review: The Borgias, Season 2, Ep. 202 – “Paolo”

Airdate: Sunday, April 15, 2012 10:00PM E/P on Showtime

Rating ★★★★★

Isn’t it funny how some people seem to get selective amnesia after a wine soaked tryst? It seems our dear Pope (Jeremy Irons) finds it difficult to remember whether he or his lovely mistress Giulia Farnase (Lotte Verbeek) invited the lovely Vittoria (Jemma West) to their holy bed chambers. The Pope thinks perhaps it was a dream, “We had a dream…that, uh, we were a trinity upon this bed last night.” Men – forever incorrigible it seems. It amuses me how coy Giulia behaves. She knows what she’s done but her flirtatious admission garners a surprising response I’m sure even she didn’t expect.

Giulia: “Shall I be whipped for my offense?”

The Pope: “You shall be bound and whipped and ravaged.”

Giulia: “When?”

The Pope: “Often.”

Hmm…sounds like fun to me! I have such a crush on Irons. I digress.

Sadly, “Paolo” isn’t just about the nocturnal adventures of the Pope. Lucrezia’s (Holliday Grainger) former lover Paolo (Luke Pasqualino) has traveled to Rome. He knows he’s the father of Lucrezia’s child. How ironic that she names the child after her brutish husband. Of course, naming the child Giovanni averts suspicion of the child’s birthright after all; having the bastard son of a stable boy isn’t acceptable for the Pope’s daughter.

"...bound and whipped and ravaged." Review: The Borgias - S2 "Paolo" 1

Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) begs her brother Juan (David Oakes) to spare the peasant, Paolo's (Luke Pasqualino) life.

Despite the dangers, Paolo risks it all to see his beloved Lucrezia and child. With the help of Lucrezia’s mother Vanozza (Joanne Whalley) and doting brother Cesare (Francois Arnoud), the two young lovers share a very tender and sweet evening. Grainger and Pasqualino truly have great chemistry. You can feel their young, naïve love and passion resonating through the screen. Following the tense events of the earlier afternoon with Lucrezia’s temperamental brother Juan (David Oakes), a meeting like this is extremely dangerous, especially for Paolo. I think Juan’s aversion to the word “bastard” stems from his own insecurities about his birthright. As you may recall in season one, Juan’s paternal lineage came into question and despite the Pope’s assurances that Juan is his son, I have my doubts. It seems Juan still has them as well. Admittedly, I am not a fan of the Juan Borgia character. This is, indeed, a tribute to Oakes’ superb job of making me detest Juan with a passion. As they did in ancient times, I’d love to flog him to death.

Since his near death by poison, Cardinal Della Rovere (Colm Feore) doesn’t trust anyone, not even the nuns. His solution – to have an adorable Capuchin monkey be his food tester. A deplorable solution but one the nuns facilitate. The only thing confusing me is why Della Rovere wants to return to Rome. He’s a marked man. The Pope wants him dead. Is Della Rovere still hell bent on dethroning the Pope? If so, how will he do it? His circle small circle of friends consists mainly of nuns. It’ll be interesting to see how he manages to infiltrate Rome, if, indeed, he does.

"...bound and whipped and ravaged." Review: The Borgias - S2 "Paolo" 2

The Pope (Jeremy Irons) embraces both Giulia (Lotte Verbeek) and Vittoria (Jemma West) before they venture out on their peasant stroll

The Pope takes a late night stroll through the streets of Rome to see for himself how the poor live. He’s appalled at what he sees, and rightfully so. When he learns that the Vatican funds intended for the poor have been squandered away, he finds a way to rectify the grievance. There are moments when the Pope actually seems to care for his subjects but most of the time he seems to be a selfish man. He has the appearance of someone who is chaste, honorable, and unprejudiced, but the sad truth it’s all an illusion. I think what I love the most about The Borgias is the blatant flaunting of hypocrisy. The Pope is considered a pillar in our current society – a man of faith, honesty, kindness, and acceptance. How does the modern day role of Pope stem from such a tainted throne? As we’ve seen throughout history, even highlighted in another great Showtime series, The Tudors, political gain through religious coercion was the coin of nobility. Being agnostic, I find shows like The Borgias so refreshing because they don’t just highlight the positives of having faith; they also show the darker side of the power of religion. We see evidence of the darkness coming out through a scorned Cesare. The way he pines for his former lover Ursula (Ruta Gedmintas) – now a nun known as Sister Martha – is woefully endearing. I wish he would just be done with her and move on. She obviously wants to do her penance but I have a feeling Cesare will charm her again. I must say, Arnaud is quite the handsome devil. He plays Cesare with such vigor and enthusiasm, which makes it that much more delightful to tune in each week.

Observation:

Throughout the show, the costumes of those who have wealth and nobility are brightly colored and adorned. I find it very curious that the young prostitute who befriends Paolo is wearing such vibrant colors as well. Meanwhile everyone else, including Paolo, wears drab colors of brown and beige. Are the prostitutes’ vivid wardrobes an indication of their significance during this era or is it simply to make them stand out as they most likely did during that time?

***

"...bound and whipped and ravaged." Review: The Borgias - S2 "Paolo" 3

Luke Pasqualino as Paulo and Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia Borgia

“Paolo” is a bittersweet episode. Young lovers united for an evening of blissful passion while others are consumed with longing for unrequited love. While enjoyable, I feel there could have been more intrigue infused into the episode. It lacked suspense until the very end when you see Paolo being chased by hooded men. But with all the talk of love and lovers, it brings to mind a question – what has become of the youngest Borgia – Joffre (Aidan Alexander) and his much older bride, Sancia (Emmanuelle Chirqui)? Now that her father, King Ferrante of Naples (Joseph M. Kelly) and her half-brother Alfonso (Augustus Prew) are dead, will Sancia and Joffre return to Rome?

Tune in to The Borgias, Sundays at 10:00PM ET/PT, only on Showtime.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.