"...vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime..." Review: The Borgias "Stray Dogs"

Review: The Borgias, S2, Ep. 204 “Stray Dogs”

Airdate: Sunday, April 29, 2012, 10:00PM E/P on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“…vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime if necessary because it never dies.” ~ The Pope.

Vengeance is the main course in “Stray Dogs,” but following hot on the heels of such a grandiose episode last week, even a tempting theme like vengeance pales in comparison. “Stray Dogs” is not without its own diverse topics, mind you. I found several scenes quite illuminating and oddly fascinating.

Observations/Thoughts:

"...vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime..." Review: The Borgias "Stray Dogs" 1

Cesare (Francois Arnaud) receives some distressing news from Micheletto (Sean Harris)

After pulling off one of the grandest of ruses, Cesare (François Arnaud) gets bad news from his trusted abettor, the cunning and ruthless Micheletto (Sean Harris). Micheletto doesn’t think highly of himself, which is evident when he acknowledges Cesare as his “master” as if he were a “stray dog.” Cesare, however, seems very interested in finding more people like Micheletto – men who are not fearful of getting their hands filthy. I admire Micheletto for his continued loyalty to Cesare. He seems devoted to protecting Cesare, even trying to prevent him from seeing the damage done at St. Cecelia’s convent. If you recall, this is the same convent where Cesare’s beloved Ursula (Ruta Gedmintas) is a nun.

Harris’ portrayal of Micheletto is quite intriguing. Micheletto is an unassuming man. He stays quiet and keeps a low profile. He’s methodical in a way that seems to be light years ahead of the era. I like to think it’s because Harris wants Micheletto to be perceived as an intelligent “stray dog” and not just a dumb mongrel doing his master’s bidding. As evidenced by the way he mirthlessly relishes in the torture of the captured French scouts, Micheletto is not a man to be crossed, nor will he tolerate anyone crossing his master.

Cesare’s desire to avenge the devastation done at St. Cecilia’s leads him down a dark path, the news of which reaches even the Pope’s (Jeremy Irons) ears.

The Pope: “All of Rome is whispering of our dark son. So let us instruct you in the art of vengeance.”

Cesare: “Do I need lessons?”

The Pope: “Perhaps. Vengence should never be seen as that; it should always be unexpected and it should rarely be public.”

Cesare (bemused): “You learnt this from the Lord?”

The Pope: “We know little of war but much of vengeance. And the one salient point is this – vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime if necessary because it never dies. If you care to ride north with us, you may see what we mean.”

"...vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime..." Review: The Borgias "Stray Dogs" 2

The Pope learns the details of the beautiful deception of canons first hand from Vittorio/Vittoria and Cesare

I can’t lie and say I don’t like what Cesare is becoming. Actually, I think it’s about damn time. He’s not meant to be a Cardinal, nor do I think he’s a military man. Surely Cesare can be more useful to the Pope’s political aspirations outside, rather than within, the Vatican walls. I only hope the darkness doesn’t completely consume Cesare. A broken heart may have spawned his vengeful needs but if not mended, he may never know the joys of love again. I would really like to see Cesare and Vittoria (Jemima West) together.

"...vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime..." Review: The Borgias "Stray Dogs" 3

Melia Kreiling as Duchessa Bianca

For a man of the highest holy cloth, the Pope sure does get around. He has a wife, a mistress, a lover, and now he’s dipping the holy pen in another man’s inkwell. The look of surprise on the Pope’s face when he sees Francesco Gonzaga’s (Patrick O’Kane) wife, Duchessa Bianca (Melia Kreiling), in his court amused me, especially the flashbacks the Pope has while Bianca saunters up to the pulpit to kiss his ring. I’m not opposed to the Pope’s various sexual liaisons in The Borgias; in fact, I relish the sensual scenes with Irons. I find him quite fetching (no pun intended). However, I hope this particular affair with Bianca will result in something more scandalous since her husband along with Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan (Ivan Kaye), aligned their armies with the Pope against the French. I mean, the small yet titillating affair with his mistress Giuliani (Lotte Verbeek) and Vittoria never amounted to anything more than a one night stand. Big whoop. I did find it slightly cliché but humorous when simultaneously, the Pope and Bianca reunite as Cesare and his men are destroying the French supply of gun powder. The crackle of the gun powder as it blazes fiercely towards the source barrel is perfectly in tune with Bianca’s gyrations atop the Pope.

"...vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime..." Review: The Borgias "Stray Dogs" 4

Giuliana (Lotte Veerbeek, R) asks Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger, L) to help get back the money meant for the poor

I like that the writers are giving attention to the poor and orphaned children of Rome. Seeing Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) and Giuliana walking together discussing how they will rectify the injustice of the Vatican funds’ misappropriation warms my heart. I love the metaphor-laced cooking lesson Lucrezia, who was given “loco parentis” in the Pope’s absence, gives the Cardinals. For someone so young, she is very intuitive and crafty. As an aside, there is a very interesting video biography on Lucrezia Borgia on biography.com at http://www.biography.com/people/lucrezia-borgia-9220136.

The human ear necklace worn by one of the French scouts is disgusting. That is all.

***

“Stray Dogs” is interesting in how it showcases a variety of plots that will play out throughout the season. It’s plain to see that Cesare will become darker and Lucrezia will fear for his eternal soul. These two siblings are very close but I really hope the writers don’t embellish any further on the implied notion of their rumored incest. The hinted taboo is enough – it gives you just a hint to provoke forbidden thoughts of these two acting on their affections. While I find incest deplorable and utterly abominable, we must remember The Borgias is a fictionalized historical drama. These two actors obviously have great chemistry on screen so it’s natural for some to want them to consummate their feelings, but I hope the writers don’t go there.

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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.