Review: The Borgias, S2, Finale – Ep. 210 – “The Confession”
Airdate: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 10:00PM E/P on Showtime
Rating:
“This Pope is on the brink of a chasm. One breath, your breath, will topple him.” ~ Della Rovere
Indeed, Pope Alexander VI (Jeremy Irons) is standing, unaware, on the edge of a knife but he’s going to feel the sting soon enough. “The Confession” is supposed to be a season finale but doesn’t quite feel final. There are intense moments, but too many scenes fall flat.
Observations/Thoughts:
Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) dances with Prince Alfonso (Sebastian De Souza)
Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) toying with her potential suitor Prince Alfonso (Sebastian De Souza), while cute, made no sense to me. Was this supposed to show off her increasing sexual prowess? If so, it just demeans her character, making her appear less like a lady and more like a sassy tart.
Prince Alfonso: “So, how far does your Lady Lucrezia care for this game to go on?”
Lucrezia (pretending to be a lady-in-waiting): “There’s no limit. Just as one would have one’s groom break in a new horse, so it is with my lady’s lovers and me.”
And her quick acceptance of the formal marriage proposal seems a bit contrived. She’s only known him for a few hours and after some sweet words, suddenly he’s fine to marry. What happened to her vehement vow to never marry again?
Micheletto (Sean Harris) hangs a sign around Savonarola’s (Steven Berkoff) neck before he is burned.
How on earth does Savonarola (Steven Berkoff) know that Micheletto (Sean Harris) is a homosexual? I’m baffled by this revelation. We know Savonarola has had prophetic visions before but I didn’t think he had gaydar, too! Micheletto seems surprised but you wouldn’t be able to tell by his expression. I think he’s relieved someone knows but is also cautious. I’m sure Micheletto ripping out Savonarola’s tongue before they burn him at the stake will be ample precaution to prevent any rumors being spread. I do love Micheletto. He’s unabashed in his methods and doesn’t give a rat’s ass what anyone thinks of him. His torture of Savonarola is gruesome and sadistic but it goes beyond just Savonarola’s blatant disregard for the papacy. Perhaps some of this torture is retribution for Savonarola’s past transgressions against those who were…different.
Also, why is the Pope so surprised that both Lucrezia and Cesare (François Arnaud) do not mourn their brother Juan’s (David Oakes) death? Is he that clueless? As a parent, he obviously played favorites but I cannot fathom why Juan was his favorite child. Juan was an arrogant and selfish prick who tarnished the family name. It’s no wonder the name Borgia garnered sneers and ridicule. The only real reason anyone respected them is because one happens to be the Pope of Rome. And we all know how he came to that position.
But when the Pope picks up Juan’s lifeless body and envisions the small child he once knew, it’s gut wrenching. Though Juan was no prize in my eyes, no parent should have to bury his child. And for the Pope to actually dig the shallow grave with his bare hands as Lucrezia’s wedding festivities are commencing further embitters the entire scene.
The Pope expresses equal guilt in Cesare’s actions in killing Juan
As we watch with anticipation as the Pope, covered in dirt, tips his glass of wine to his lips, it’s a clear sign Della Rovere (Colm Feore) and Antonello’s (Jesse Bostick) devious plan of infiltrating the Vatican and poison the Pope will be a success. The violent way Antonello dies – bleeding from the eyes and coughing up blood — is a bit intense. Meanwhile, Cesare screams for help as he leaps from his chair to assist his father. I expected this scene to make me gasp but I was left wanting. I expected the calculated plot to go so much more…grandiose. Instead it’s in a private room, with only three people present.
***
As finales go, I’m not happy with how things have ended. It was lackluster, and there wasn’t really a buildup to the bloody cliffhanger. Will the Pope survive? As history denotes, he does, otherwise we wouldn’t have a third season. And now that Cesare has been released from his Cardinal vows, what will he do? I feel unsatisfied but, thankfully, still hungry for The Borgias.
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Photos © 2012 Showtime Networks, a CBS Broadcasting, Inc. company. All rights reserved.
Judy Manning
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