The Borgias 2.06 Day of Ashes
In which Ash Wednesday is used in various ways, and lots of screentime for the women makes me happy.
"Theatre", a sceptical Cardinal della Rovere snarls when his co-conspirator, while they observe the Pope washing the feet of an old peasant woman, asks whether Rodrigo might have turned over a new leaf. Of course, not only is the Pope washing the feet of various old men part of the Lent ceremonies (in reminiscence of Jesus doing this for the apostles) but it is also a connecting and contrasting counterpoint to the other Ash Wednesday ceremony, this one conducted by Savanarola in Florence. Savanarola the ascetic cuts off the hair and gets rid of the dress of a rich Florentine woman (who volunteers, and btw, that's appreciated and also true to form - the majority of Florentines was really caught up in Savanarola's crusade - for a while), standing above her the whole time, while Rodrigo the hedonist and corrupt kneels at the feet of a peasant woman and cleans them. Both ceremonies are theatre, and both are sincere; Savanarola believes in his mission, and Rodrigo, at this point, believes in doing penance in order to appease God. (Not to mention that both Savonarola and Rodrigo are power players with no interest in sharing that power.) I love how the show lets it all intertwine. Later on, Rodrigo's decision (once Ascanio Sforza told him that the offer of higher office for Savanarola as an attempt to bribe/contain him didn't work) to start the the process of actions that will eventually end in Savonarola's execution by fire has reasons of power (the man is a threat to both his spiritual and worldly authority) but also has a reason directly connected to Rodrigo's complicated relationship with his own fate. The moment when he makes the decision is directly after Cardinal Sforza tells him Savonarola claims God speaks directly to him. (This kind of thing, btw, contributed to getting Joan of Arc burned, so yes, there is the matter of powerplay and attack on Catholic hierarchy, but as Rodrigo's earlier attempt to pray in the confession chair shows, it's more personal than that, because he feels God does not talk to him. (See why I've always said Kai Winn of DS9 is such a Rennaissance figure?)
Of course, the symbolism of Cesare bursting in when Rodrigo asks God whom he's supposed to confess to (presumably the old Spanish friar left after last season's finale), wanting to make a confession of his own, is obvious. Rodrigo treats the church as the other Renaissance princes treat their property, as the family business and heritage, and therein lies his chief problem. On a lighter note, I love Jeremy Irons' expression and facepalming when Cesare confesses that instead of winning Caterina Sforza over, he managed to have sex with her and to kill Giovanni Sforza, thereby ensuring a military confrontation with the Sforzas. On a more serious note, it's interesting that for all of Cesare's devotion to Lucrezia, his later enterprise to secure the money from the Medici banks in order to finance the not yet much existing Papal army isn't justified by him as preventing what Rodrigo points out, that this Sforza thing means they need to marry Lucrezia off again in order to secure a new political alliance; no, he is in business for hiimself, in the latest attempt to convince his father to let him leave the clergy. (At this juncture, it very much looks like the version of Juan Borgia's death the show will go with is the explanation that Cesare kills him as the ultimate gesture to force his father to let him leave the clergy and make him leader of the army instead. Though this might also be a red herring; we'll see.) In vain, of course; not because Rodrigo doesn't value him enough, but precisely because Rodrigo considers him indispensible (and is still bent on making Cesare his successor, presumably, which is a really bad idea, because as opposed to Rodrigo who for all his corruption genuinenly does see his faith as quintessential to his being, Cesare just doesn't want either faith or clergical position.
Great as the entire Triad of Awesome versus the Cardinals to improve the situation for the poor in Rome is, I was wondering when someone would point out that the Borgia family income is entirely due to just what Lucrezia (correctly) accuses the other Cardinals off. Lucrezia and her siblings were raised with that kind of money. So thanks for the episode to let someone make that point in dialogue. I continue to have a soft spot for Ascanio Sforza and his matter of fact reaction, though, both his predicting that Rodrigo's current penant streak will have exhausted itself by Easter and to advise the other Cardinals they should just cave to Lucrezia, Vannozza and Giulia and get on with the restauration of the building for the poor already.
So apparantly the late Alfonso of Naples will be replaced by two fictional brothers in the role his historical counterpart played as Lucrezia's second husband? Oookay then. We'll see how that works out on the show. (Presumably lethally for one or both of the brothers, if history!Alfonso's fate is anything to go by.) It did provide the excuse for a couple of excellent scenes between Lucrezia and Rodrigo, and Lucrezia and Vannozza, and Vannozza and Rodrigo. Vannozza clearly hasn't forgiven Rodrigo yet for a) dumping her and b) excluding her from the first wedding (nor should she), but also is too much of a realist not to make the best of the situation, and I loved her pointed "lent" reminder to Rodrigo and the "not if the water had grown cold" put down as well as the satisfaction that was also there about the fact he does still notice she's attractice. And their conversations about their children continue to have this very married air (I don't know about your parents, but mine do this "your daughter" thing as well in that type of dialogue *g*) And Lucrezia, as I said more than once this season, has a far more adult position towards her father than she used to have, and of course has the family talent for elegant sarcasm; that comment about the dog was perfect (as was the exchange of looks between Vannozza and Rodrigo afterwards).
Back to Florence: that was a good use of a historical fact, Savanorala's children's squads - I think they were called "white shirts" or "purity angels" by him. And thet attacks on "Sodomites" as well as Micheletto's reaction makes it look as if the show is going somewhere beyond backstory with last episode's revelations about Micheletto. I'm pretty sure we'll see the big bonfire of vanities - where paintings of Botticelli were burned, thrown in by Botticelli himself after he converted to Savonarola, along with a great many art works, a lot of hair, wigs, and clothing - this season, but I wonder whether instead of a sobered up Florence handing over Savonarola to the papal authories some time later we'll see Micheletto kidnap him a la Giovanni Sforza last season instead, due to personal reasons to resent the good friar.
Which will probably also coincide with the climax of the grand poisoning plot. (Especially given the season opening was that warning poisoning of della Rovere.) Now Rodrigo obviously won't die (yet), ditto Cesare, but I'm sure della Rovere will manage to poison someone (other than the unfortunate foretaster) by accident. And suddenly I'm worried for Ascanio Sforza again. Or, if the poison attempt takes place not in the Vatican but at a family dinner, for Vannozza or Giulia. (Since the fates of Alfonso and Giovanni Sforza taught us history is no protection.) Gulp.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/780446.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
"Theatre", a sceptical Cardinal della Rovere snarls when his co-conspirator, while they observe the Pope washing the feet of an old peasant woman, asks whether Rodrigo might have turned over a new leaf. Of course, not only is the Pope washing the feet of various old men part of the Lent ceremonies (in reminiscence of Jesus doing this for the apostles) but it is also a connecting and contrasting counterpoint to the other Ash Wednesday ceremony, this one conducted by Savanarola in Florence. Savanarola the ascetic cuts off the hair and gets rid of the dress of a rich Florentine woman (who volunteers, and btw, that's appreciated and also true to form - the majority of Florentines was really caught up in Savanarola's crusade - for a while), standing above her the whole time, while Rodrigo the hedonist and corrupt kneels at the feet of a peasant woman and cleans them. Both ceremonies are theatre, and both are sincere; Savanarola believes in his mission, and Rodrigo, at this point, believes in doing penance in order to appease God. (Not to mention that both Savonarola and Rodrigo are power players with no interest in sharing that power.) I love how the show lets it all intertwine. Later on, Rodrigo's decision (once Ascanio Sforza told him that the offer of higher office for Savanarola as an attempt to bribe/contain him didn't work) to start the the process of actions that will eventually end in Savonarola's execution by fire has reasons of power (the man is a threat to both his spiritual and worldly authority) but also has a reason directly connected to Rodrigo's complicated relationship with his own fate. The moment when he makes the decision is directly after Cardinal Sforza tells him Savonarola claims God speaks directly to him. (This kind of thing, btw, contributed to getting Joan of Arc burned, so yes, there is the matter of powerplay and attack on Catholic hierarchy, but as Rodrigo's earlier attempt to pray in the confession chair shows, it's more personal than that, because he feels God does not talk to him. (See why I've always said Kai Winn of DS9 is such a Rennaissance figure?)
Of course, the symbolism of Cesare bursting in when Rodrigo asks God whom he's supposed to confess to (presumably the old Spanish friar left after last season's finale), wanting to make a confession of his own, is obvious. Rodrigo treats the church as the other Renaissance princes treat their property, as the family business and heritage, and therein lies his chief problem. On a lighter note, I love Jeremy Irons' expression and facepalming when Cesare confesses that instead of winning Caterina Sforza over, he managed to have sex with her and to kill Giovanni Sforza, thereby ensuring a military confrontation with the Sforzas. On a more serious note, it's interesting that for all of Cesare's devotion to Lucrezia, his later enterprise to secure the money from the Medici banks in order to finance the not yet much existing Papal army isn't justified by him as preventing what Rodrigo points out, that this Sforza thing means they need to marry Lucrezia off again in order to secure a new political alliance; no, he is in business for hiimself, in the latest attempt to convince his father to let him leave the clergy. (At this juncture, it very much looks like the version of Juan Borgia's death the show will go with is the explanation that Cesare kills him as the ultimate gesture to force his father to let him leave the clergy and make him leader of the army instead. Though this might also be a red herring; we'll see.) In vain, of course; not because Rodrigo doesn't value him enough, but precisely because Rodrigo considers him indispensible (and is still bent on making Cesare his successor, presumably, which is a really bad idea, because as opposed to Rodrigo who for all his corruption genuinenly does see his faith as quintessential to his being, Cesare just doesn't want either faith or clergical position.
Great as the entire Triad of Awesome versus the Cardinals to improve the situation for the poor in Rome is, I was wondering when someone would point out that the Borgia family income is entirely due to just what Lucrezia (correctly) accuses the other Cardinals off. Lucrezia and her siblings were raised with that kind of money. So thanks for the episode to let someone make that point in dialogue. I continue to have a soft spot for Ascanio Sforza and his matter of fact reaction, though, both his predicting that Rodrigo's current penant streak will have exhausted itself by Easter and to advise the other Cardinals they should just cave to Lucrezia, Vannozza and Giulia and get on with the restauration of the building for the poor already.
So apparantly the late Alfonso of Naples will be replaced by two fictional brothers in the role his historical counterpart played as Lucrezia's second husband? Oookay then. We'll see how that works out on the show. (Presumably lethally for one or both of the brothers, if history!Alfonso's fate is anything to go by.) It did provide the excuse for a couple of excellent scenes between Lucrezia and Rodrigo, and Lucrezia and Vannozza, and Vannozza and Rodrigo. Vannozza clearly hasn't forgiven Rodrigo yet for a) dumping her and b) excluding her from the first wedding (nor should she), but also is too much of a realist not to make the best of the situation, and I loved her pointed "lent" reminder to Rodrigo and the "not if the water had grown cold" put down as well as the satisfaction that was also there about the fact he does still notice she's attractice. And their conversations about their children continue to have this very married air (I don't know about your parents, but mine do this "your daughter" thing as well in that type of dialogue *g*) And Lucrezia, as I said more than once this season, has a far more adult position towards her father than she used to have, and of course has the family talent for elegant sarcasm; that comment about the dog was perfect (as was the exchange of looks between Vannozza and Rodrigo afterwards).
Back to Florence: that was a good use of a historical fact, Savanorala's children's squads - I think they were called "white shirts" or "purity angels" by him. And thet attacks on "Sodomites" as well as Micheletto's reaction makes it look as if the show is going somewhere beyond backstory with last episode's revelations about Micheletto. I'm pretty sure we'll see the big bonfire of vanities - where paintings of Botticelli were burned, thrown in by Botticelli himself after he converted to Savonarola, along with a great many art works, a lot of hair, wigs, and clothing - this season, but I wonder whether instead of a sobered up Florence handing over Savonarola to the papal authories some time later we'll see Micheletto kidnap him a la Giovanni Sforza last season instead, due to personal reasons to resent the good friar.
Which will probably also coincide with the climax of the grand poisoning plot. (Especially given the season opening was that warning poisoning of della Rovere.) Now Rodrigo obviously won't die (yet), ditto Cesare, but I'm sure della Rovere will manage to poison someone (other than the unfortunate foretaster) by accident. And suddenly I'm worried for Ascanio Sforza again. Or, if the poison attempt takes place not in the Vatican but at a family dinner, for Vannozza or Giulia. (Since the fates of Alfonso and Giovanni Sforza taught us history is no protection.) Gulp.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/780446.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.