The Borgias - Television Season 2 Review

I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my review for season 1 (check it out here), but I've actually tried watching this show before but ended up giving up near the end of season 2. My last attempt was back when the show was still new, so I couldn't remember why I quit. Only now, after having endured the tedium that is season 2 do I now realize what it was. I'm sorely tempted to give up again, but there's a good show in here somewhere and, by God, I intend to find it!

*

Where You Can Find It: I saw this season on Netflix as well.

General Information 
Season 2 of the Borgias premiered on 8 April 2012 with season 3 getting announced less than a full month later. Season 2 was critically received exceptionally well, however it only received one award nomination of note, which was a Golden Globe nomination for best actor for Jeremy Irons. Season 2's improved critical reception reminds me of how season 3 of the Tudors received similar praise despite being my least favorite season of the series. I could hazard to guess which scenes of season 2 earned Irons his Golden Globe nomination, however I feel that this second overall installment of the show squanders much of the world-building it laid out in season 1.

The Story
Season 2 picks up shortly after where season 1 ended with Rodrigo Borgia (still played by Jeremy Irons) having successfully thwarted Cardinal Della Rovere's attempts to depose him. Della Rovere is seemingly permitted to survive an assassination attempt (apparently Cesare is no match for the cardinal's plot armor), and becomes a knife-wielding badass equipped with a pet monkey. With Rodrigo's main rival temporarily sidelined, he must now contend with other threats like Friar Savonarola, the Sforzas, and the king of France. External threats aren't the only problem though as there are plenty of internal ones too. Lucrezia must be married again and the rivalry between Cesare and Juan has become violently heated.

**
None can withstand the might of Della Rovere and his pet monkey

With all of the conflict going on, you'd think this would be an action-packed season, however I would disagree. With the exception of the French king, nearly every other source of conflict is met with either ambivalence or incompetence. It's not much of a spoiler that Della Rovere survives his assassination as it happens very early in the first episode, however it's never properly conveyed as to why the Borgias are allowing their greatest threat to continue living when he's literally lying at the feet of Cesare Borgia. This same attitude is applied to nearly every issue in this season and makes it frustrating to watch at times.

Rodrigo's character became my least favorite of the series after watching the showrunners completely waste Irons' talents and the overall Borgia premise. There are entire episodes centered around Rodrigo doing something foolish purely for the sake of it being funny because it's Jeremy Irons dressed in papal robes. The plotline of one episode has Rodrigo focused on lowering the pigeon population in Rome, despite the fact that there are several people out there that want him dead. If the core protagonist won't take the plot seriously, then neither should the audience.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
There's a lot of high quality special effects in this season that really brings it alive. We get to see more of Rome and the surrounding provinces than we did in season 1. The grimier parts of Rome really contrast with the opulence of the Vatican, while the effects of Savonarola's fundamentalist views drastically influence Florence's appearance.

***
Even the pope gets a little dirty from time to time

As far as set-pieces go, the show nails ballroom soirees (as Showtime has appeared to master this). More than one character is burned at the stake, and it's given an incredible amount of detail in how it's done. Speaking of things burning, the season opens with a grand city-wide party complete with a burning bull that really kicks the series off with some flair. Lastly, the combat sequences are really quite good as swordplay is better choreographed than season 1. Overall, when it comes to special effects, season 2 clearly outclasses season 1.

Although much of his music is subdued, it is worth mentioning that Trevor Morris does some solid work this season. There is an incredibly emotional scene near the end of the season that perfectly blends Irons' acting prowess with Morris' ambient score. It's likely the scene that earned Irons his Golden Globe nomination.

The Acting
It's a shame that Irons is misused in this season as the final episode shows that he is fully capable of delivering a great performance. I don't think I ever doubted his acting chops, but he really doesn't get a chance to shine until near the end.

I'd like to throw some credit to Steven Berkoff, who plays Friar Savonarola. He's a bit over-the-top at times, but he chews the scenery like he owns it and I really respect that about his performance. It's always a joy when another member of the main cast enters his presence because you just know Savonarola has something to say.

Once again, I'm not sure if it's Holliday Granger or just the Shakespearean writing, but my opinion of Lucrezia has not changed. She gets plenty of chances to show off her acting abilities, but I just don't feel remotely interested with what goes in with her character.

The Best of the Best: The final episode of the season. It's probably the only one worth watching.

The Worst of the Worst: Watching Jeremy Irons rail against pigeons and smoke cigarillos in an allegedly serious show centered around intrigue and schemes.

Calhooey Score: 4/10 - Below Average

Would I Recommend?

****
Better luck next time, Jeremy

With the exception of the final episode, this season has been mediocre at best. At this point, I'd only recommend this show as background noise. Maybe season 3 will be better, but at this point I feel like it's too late.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------
  • Seriously, what the hell with Della Rovere's assassination? They had no issue murdering the altar boy that helped in the poisoning, but couldn't bring themselves to kill the man that nearly deposed their entire family by leading French forces into Italy!
    • Rodrigo can, and should, blame Cesare for his poisoning if he survives it. 
    • Speaking of Della Rovere though, I kind of wish we had a show about him. He travels the Italian countryside killing bandits in the company of a nun and a Capuchin monkey. What's not to love?
  • The in-show auditioning for the pope's official food-taster was pretty hilarious. In the entire Catholic Church, the Vatican was able to find three monks up for the job. It's even more funny when Rodrigo chose the creepy pale-faced kid.
  • That scene of Rodrigo burying Juan was pretty awesome. It reminded me that this show has the capability to be good, but it just squanders that potential.
  • I'll give the Siege of Forli some credit too. Juan was pretty diabolical, but it was pretty badass when Caterina Sforza flashed her crotch at the papal armies and vowed vengeance.
  • What wasn't impressive though was how long it took for Cesare to finally take down Savonarola. It felt like it took ages for the Borgias to do anything about this guy as their money and social standing were put dangerously at risk.
  • Juan is either a badass able to endure immense pain, or his physician is amazing, because I can't imagine a situation where a man would be able to remain standing after having that strange instrument inserted up the you-know-where and then scraped out.
    • Juan not only had it coming, but Cesare did him a favor. His doctor may have had no bed-side manner, but he was right: Juan was going to go blind, crazy, and lame. I bet he was trying to figure out how he might rape someone while rocking that combo as soon as he was diagnosed.
----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

*Amazon. (n.d.). The Borgias season two cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Borgias-Season-Jeremy-Irons/dp/B01GWBX8X6.
**Unknown. (2012, April 19). Della Rovere and monkey image. 3PipeProblem. Retrieved from: http://www.3pp.website/2012/04/borgias-paolo.html.
***Hollywood.com Staff. (2012, June 18). Rodrigo Borgia image. Hollywood.com. Retrieved from: https://www.hollywood.com/tv/the-borgias-season-2-finale-the-blood-fire-and-poison-of-rome-57235446/.
****Gilbert, M. (2011, April 1). Borgia pope image. Boston.com. Retrieved from: http://archive.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2011/04/01/borgias_is_dazzling__but_dull/.

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