Last Night's TV - The Borgias Episodes 3 & 4

After watching episode 1 and 2 in one fine swoop a few days ago, despite thinking at the time it was just episode 1, I was eager to get back into the series with episode 3.

By D.J. Haza /

The Borgias €“ Episode 3, The Moor

After watching episode 1 and 2 in one fine swoop a few days ago, despite thinking at the time it was just episode 1, I was eager to get back into the series with episode 3. The third serving of this feast of a programme kicks off exactly as expected - with scheming, treachery and extravagance of biblical proportions. The dialogue continues with the same poetic tongue as it started and if at all possible the set designs may have just become even more elaborate. The story moves on also as Cardinal Della Rovere looks to find friends to help him depose the Borgias Pope and Cesare continues to work with Micheletto in the art of espionage €“ scheming, plotting and having poetic little chitchats about the fate of others. The Pope becomes increasingly more comfortable in his holiest of positions as the corrupt leader of the church. The Pope also looks to marry off his daughter Lucrezia in order to bond another family with there€™s and give them protection. Jem, a Prince of the Ottoman Empire, is taken in as a guest of Rome and he then takes a shining for Lucrezia. One thing that occurred to me during this episode is that every single French, Italian and Spanish person whether peasant, royal or holy has an absolutely impeccable English accent. It is only Jem, who happens to be Muslim, who has any type of accent. The tone also changed a little at times in this episode as the Pope searched for a husband for his daughter. Some obviously ludicrous proposals were made by different people and it seemed to take a little away from the drama whilst adding some unneeded and out of place comedy. I also think that Cesare wants to bang his little sister despite him now being made a Cardinal under his father€™s new rules. Jem finds himself on the chopping block when the Pope needs to raise funds for his daughters wedding and with a price on his head he€™s an easy payday. He finds an ally in Cesare, but not his brother Juan. Episode 3 moves at a slower pace than 1 and 2 now that the Pope has his place at the top of the Vatican tree. With only 2 attempted murders, and success only achieved with the second bite of the cherry in Jem's case, there was much less blood spilt this time around. Not to say it was dull at any point really, but it didn€™t thunder along as I maybe expected. Still worth watching, but not quite as violent, treacherous and blood thirsty this time around.

The Borgias €“ Episode 4, Lucrezia€™s Wedding

Last night was a slow night on the old telebox so I decided to dive straight into the fourth instalment of Neil Jordan€™s opulent drama in readiness for Saturday€™s episode 5. With Lucrezia€™s wedding drawing closer The Pope decides against letting her Mother attend due to her chequered past so Lucrezia has a cry and a moan. Cardinal Della Rovere continues his search for allies in Florence, but Cesare and Micheletto are on his case. When Lucrezia€™s mother has her ex-husband Theo visit her I sensed a plot building as Cesare smiles, but hides his true intentions perhaps. Or maybe not as the episode ends with Theo having no other part in it. Oddly. Cesare seems to be unpleased with his father€™s banishing of his mother from Lucrezia€™s wedding and so decides to take her to the after party once he himself had read the lucky pair their nuptials. It seems a little odd that the Pope has told his wife that he cant be a in relationship with her, but then is clearly banging Julia Farnese, a woman he helped and gave her a home when she needed it. He has in the past snuck from the Vatican to her house through a tunnel and indeed banged her too. Once Lucrezia is married to Giovanni Sforza and carted off to his place she is met with a huge shock to the system. Also only one murder this time out, but the story was good. Lots of little stories all gathering up, knocking against one and other and building slowly but surely. The Borgias is so exquisite and rich that it sometimes feels a little too much for my palette. The dialogue too poetic, the sets too extravagant and the treachery too treacherous. It feels a little too over the top to watch 2 episodes in one sitting, much like eating too much of a rich cake and feeling sick with the sheer over indulgence of sugar. So here€™s a tip, don€™t be greedy. Watch one at a time.