The Borgias - Television Season 1 Review

After finishing Tudors, I decided to keep the historical drama going with a show that focuses on a noble family that's even worse that King Henry's was. Strangely enough, the events of this show actually occur while King Henry VIII was alive (he was only a child at this time though). Considering both shows herald from Showtime, I can't help but get my hopes up that we'll see a cross-over that includes a reverse of Henry's terrible old-man makeup by seeing Jonathan Rhys Meyers dressed as a 7-year-old prince. Although I have no authority to say so, I demand that The Borgias be officially decreed as a prequel series to Tudors.

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Where You Can Find It: Like Tudors, I saw this one on Netflix as well.

General Information 
The Borgias is a historical drama television series created by Neil Jordan that focuses on the rise and fall of Rodrigo Borgia (later known as Pope Alexander VI) and his family. Season 1 premiered on 3 April 2011 via the Showtime network as a replacement for the completed Tudors series. The series has received above-average reviews with its second season being regarded as the best. Season 1 won two Emmy awards for "Outstanding Costumes in a Series" and "Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Score."

Something immediately noticeable about this show is that it doesn't just share the same genre as Tudors, but it also retains a rather significant amount of the actors/crew from that show as well. The biggest carryover is composer Trevor Morris, however I was also pleased to see character actor, Bosco Hogan, return as yet another cardinal. He doesn't have as much to do in this season, but it was good to see him all the same.

The Story
It's1492 and Pope Innocent VIII has just gone to meet his maker, leaving an opening for Rodrigo Borgia (played by Jeremy Irons) to claim the papal throne for himself. After a lot of bribery and backroom dealing, he wins the election with the help of his son, Cesare, but quickly realizes that holding on to power may be even harder than winning it in the first place. The Borgia family will have to compete against their rival, Cardinal Giuliano Della Rovere, in a race to secure the loyalties of surroundings nations to truly decide who will be the vicar of Rome.

Like Tudors, this show is more about intrigue and diplomacy than big battles (although there's a decent amount of action). The competition between the Borgias and Della Rovere reminds me of Game of Thrones, however I don't think that this all-encompassing rivalry is fully realized as Rodrigo rarely comes off as smart as the show wishes he was. Despite Irons having top billing, Cesare Borgia (played by Francois Arnaud) seems to be the main driver of the show as Rodrigo is frequently too busy screwing around with his mistress or worrying about his problems to actually help.

Borgias suffers from the same issue that I have with similar anti-hero shows, like Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire, in that none of its characters are all that likable. I guess I'm supposed to care about the Borgia family as they're the main protagonists of the show, but most of them lack any redeeming/human qualities to help me justify that motive. I always loved Tony Soprano because we can immediately see that there are instances where he means well and is relatable, however this is a rare occurrence in Borgias. There are certainly instances where the show has a flickering of humanity, but it's over-the-top nature makes it hard to root for anyone besides the antagonist: Della Rovere.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
Where Borgias truly shines is in its world-building and set-design. Renaissance Italy was a fascinating time in history and the numerous locales we see throughout the season are honestly fascinating. I was once again reminded of Game of Thrones as each duchy/county/kingdom contained some element that made each stand out in a gruesomely memorable way. The king of Naples has recreated the Last Supper with the stuffed corpses of his enemies; the Duke of Milan keeps his nephew locked in a pit next to his dinner table; and the French king has a fascination with chained cannonballs. Even beyond that, the backdrop of Rome and Italian countryside is quite nice to behold despite the fact that the show was primarily filmed in Hungary.

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I recommend carry-out when dining in Naples

I'd say Borgias earned its Emmy award for costume design as well. The outfits of each character are incredible, with Rodrigo's many papal outfits looking quite incredible. There is a distinct difference in how different militaries and soldiers dress, while commoners were clearly distinguishable from their noble counterparts. One thing I especially appreciated was that outfits didn't look overly neat (like they did in Tudors), which made them more believable.

Lastly, the combat sequences are all really well done with more than a few scenes that stand out. Cesare's sword fight in the rain with a rival noble was short but well-shot. My personal favorite scene was an assassination attempt in a public baths. It's all a little over-the-top, but that's clearly what the show is going for.

The Acting
Before I describe any particular actor, I want to state that I was a little perturbed at times over the over-dramatized direction of the acting as a whole. I fully understand that Rome in Renaissance Italy is a perfect location to hearken back to the days of Romeo & Juliet and Julius Caesar, but there were many times that it went too far. Lucrezia Borgia (played by Holliday Grainger) is the worst of the lot in this as her character is so Shakespearean in speech that I frequently wondered if she was capable of having a normal conversation. She seems like a fine actress beyond that, but every time her character opens her mouth, I tune out.

Jeremy Irons does a fine job with what he's given, but I honestly wasn't all that blown away with him in this show. There are times his character comes off as more comedic than what matches the show's serious tone. I'm not sure if that's a problem with the writing or direction, as Irons can clearly play a serious character when he wants to (although let's not forget his role in Dungeons & Dragons...).

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Irons gets to wear all the cool hats in this show

I wasn't particularly blown away with anyone's acting per se, although I think I'll give credit to Francois Arnaud as he has to handle the meat of the show and must juggle the most character interactions (as well as most of the choreographed fight scenes). His character has depth and is frequently the highlight of the show.

The Best of the Best: The incredible world-building in this show. I'm trying to figure out what I liked more: the recreation of the Last Supper with stuffed people in Naples, or the prisoner pit at the Duke of Milan's dinner table.

The Worst of the Worst: Holliday Grainger's overacting as Lucrezia Borgia. Somebody reads way too much Shakespeare in their free time...

Calhooey Score: 6/10 - Above Average

Would I Recommend?

4

Overall, Borgias is a good show, but season 1 has not impressed me as well as other shows of its genre have. If you're into the Italian Renaissance or political intrigue shows, this one is worth an attempt at least. I am hopeful that season two builds on the world-building that this season set up.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• For the gamers out there, Rodrigo Borgia is also the main villain of Assassin's Creed II. Here's to hoping that the final season of this show culminates in a fistfight between Jeremy Irons and Ezio Auditore.
• Considering the resources the Sforzas have in Italy, I'm a little surprised they didn't learn about Lucrezia's bastard. Thus far, the Borgias seem to be awful at keeping secrets.
• I think I'd like Cesare more if it weren't for the fact that he stalks a nun.
• I didn't want to spoil things in the story section, but one of the worst sub-plots of this season was when the Borgias hosted Djem, the Byzantine prince. He was an interesting character, but I felt that they rushed his arc way too fast. It stifled the significance of his death, I think.
• All that work by Della Rovere, and King Charles VIII completely forgets about him upon arriving in Rome. Did that not make much sense to anyone else? I get that Lucrezia and Rodrigo both manipulated him a little, but I thought he made a deal with Della Rovere...
• The Borgias do realize that King Charles is probably going to want to have a word with Rodrigo about what he found in Naples at some point, right?

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

(1) ShopTV. (n.d.). The Borgias season one cover image. Retrieved from: http://www.shoptv.com/the-borgias-season-1-dvd/detail.php?p=362147.

(2) EditorBree. (2011, April 12). Last supper Borgias image. The Armchair Anglophile. Retrieved from: http://www.armchairanglophile.com/the-borgias-dine-and-death/.

(3) GOMovies. (n.d.). Jeremy Irons as pope image. Retrieved from: https://gomovies-online.me/watch-tv-show/the-borgias-season-1/uxsmXlGj/SlIm1wzD. 

(4) Delamico. (n.d.). Jeremy Irons Borgias meme image. Fanpop. Retrieved from: https://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-borgias/images/21807915/title/demot-pope-fanart.