Episode Discussion Post: 3x01 "The Face of Death"

[sherrilina]

Please join us for a live discussion of tonight's episode 3x01 "The Face of Death" tonight at 10 pm EST. And if you can't join us live, still feel free to leave your thoughts and discuss after the fact! If you need viewing assistance, please see the previous post.

Comments

[caffconcious]

Your interpretation of the "what is this game" during the bedroom scene is indeed really good. I have the impression even though Cesare has been wanting to fulfill his desire for Lucrezia for a long time (well, at least since their first scene together in episode 1), he would never really do anything - unless she was the one who took the first step.

I see Cesare as this deeply dark subject with no moral sense... Except when it comes to Lucrezia. He would kill and torture anyone easily (even his own brother), but he wouldn't even touch her if she objected. And we can guess he is aware of how inappropriate his feelings are (the teasers show us Cesare saying "We cannot" when Lucrezia goes to his bed, after all), and while after her marriage to Sforza he doesn't see her as child anymore, he still does consider her somewhat sacred and untouchable. So yes, I totally had not noticed he murmurs a quiet "at last" before kissing her... And this MOST PRECIOUS detail is simply brilliant!

And yes again, Cesare and Lucrezia's dark sides are always paralleled. I remember when Cesare was killing Ursula's husband, Lucrezia was plotting to get Sforza's leg broken; when Cesare was starting to think how convenient it would be if Juan died so he could command Vatican's armies, Lucrezia was actually trying to get him killed with the chandelier; when Lucrezia asks about poison, Cesare finally decides to take an action which has pretty much been already mentally taken. Not only both of them have their cruel sides, but these sides are every now and then displayed in symmetric moments...