More to the point, I don't know enough about this family or the papacy to be able to point out every historical error, so I don't really care. It's a drama that happens to be set in Rome, 1492. More than anything, I think historical dramas work because they provide a different context for storytelling. I'm always a little surprised when shows like this do well in the ratings (The Borgias and Game of Thrones have both been picked up for a second season), but ultimately it makes sense. We've all seen the same kinds of shows, in the same settings, with the same stock characters a thousand times. If you've seen one crime procedural, medical show, legal show, or family drama, you've seen them all. Seemingly, every story has been done, every character explored, and every once original idea worn down to the point of cliche. Setting a show in the past or future or parallel universe or whatever gives the writers a new set of rules to play by, new constraints within which their characters have to work, and a different social and political landscape to navigate. Are the characters of a period piece all that fundamentally different from modern characters? Not really, but they're faced with situations that we don't see every day, so they seem more unique and more original by association. The only current, modern setting I can think of that has had a similar effect on me is with Justified. Classic characters, but when set in rural Kentucky, it feels like a whole new ball game.
The time and setting make for a fresher narrative than usual, but that also sets the stage for some disturbingly accurate historical occurrences. I mentioned how unsettling the storyline for Lucrezia (and Daenerys in Thrones, in a shocking parallel) was elsewhere on this blog, but holy hell Sunday's episode was hard to watch. Seriously, between Lucrezia and Daenerys, I've never been so thrilled to live in the current day and age
and that I'm not a doe-eyed blond teenage girl who's been married off to some brute for political gain. Man alive, their stories are hauntingly similar and just as difficult to watch. I spent the better part of each episode cringing, particularly with poor Lucrezia.Rape is never a comfortable subject to address, but with the historical setting, it somehow makes it even more unsettling. Not only was Lucrezia raped by her husband several times during the episode, but in terms of the norms of the day, not only was that probably pretty common, but largely accepted. Submitting to the sometimes violent sexual proclivities of a husband was part of a woman's "marital duties." Indeed, the idea of a wife being raped by her husband is a pretty new concept. I can't remember the specific dates, but it wasn't even on the books as a possibility, let alone a crime, until the 20the century. This knowledge made the injustice even harder to endure. That said, I was very pleased to see that even in the setting of the show, this isn't how it's supposed to be. It may not be a crime technically, but everyone knows that it's wrong. When Lucrezia is being bathed by her servant and she asks her what she knows of marriage, I think the servant echoed the audience's sentiments exactly in responding, "It should not be thus." Damn straight. God, that poor girl. Holliday Grainger, who plays Lucrezia, is devastatingly convincing in her terror and agony during the rapes. Just the look in her face as her husband is approaching the bed was heartbreaking enough. Were this to continue for many episodes to come, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep going.
Enter Paulo, stage right. Paulo, who is played by the delectable Luke Pasqualino, is kind of my hero after this episode. I loved this actor in Skins (he played Freddie--I specify
because with the new, unfortunate period haircut, I hardly recognized him) and its so nice to see him back on the air. It was nice to see that he recognized how horrifyingly Lucrezia had been treated and totally on board with any plan that would end her pain. As though I didn't love him enough for reminding me of his awesomeness on Skins, Paulo was just so adorably casual about his, "You know, I could... adjust... his saddle for you," plan that I couldn't help but to smile. That smile turned to all out sadistic snickering as the doctor reset Sforza's broken left after a freak riding accident. The look on Lucrezia's face when her servant (stifling a smile) told her that her lord had been injured was classic. Best of all, after watching several scenes of Lucrezia counting until the rape was over, Lucrezia got to count down to the searing pain of a bone being reset. Awesome. And, kind of a genius plan. For all intents and purposes, Sforza is going to be in agony for many months to come and Lucrezia will be safe, all while her marriage still aids her fathers bid for absolute power.Speaking of, I was glad they addressed why Lucrezia hadn't contacted her family about the abuse. From the first rape, I was basically yelling at the TV for Lucrezia to send a letter to Cesare or her father so this would end, but enduring the torture is Lucrezia's way of helping her beloved father. I'd have said to hell with his empire and contacted Cesare immediately, but that's me. It's hard to put people's actions into the full context of the show because it's so removed from modernity. It's part of what makes period pieces interesting to watch. For a modern setting, it's easier to put yourself in the shoes of the characters and reliably predict the outcome. For a 15th century setting, it's harder to nail down character motivations and options. For Lucrezia, enduring the repeated rapes or calling for help was a difficult decision to make and it's one where she chose
her family over her own safety. Put this situation in a modern context and I'd be horrified that the battered wife hadn't gotten the hell out of there immediately. For the Borgias, its a while other situation. Were Lucrezia to call up Cesare (who, I have no doubt, would gut Sforza like a fish for this), it would undermine her father's empire building and could potentially bring down her entire family as a result. It's a situation that makes Paulo's plan all the more genius. Brutally breaking Sforza's leg in an "accident" means that Lucrezia gets the best of both worlds. Her husband is too injured to harm her and her father retains the support of Sforza's armies. Don't get me wrong, I'm still hoping that his leg gets horribly infected and that sick, twisted bastard dies a slow, agonizing, grotesque death, but at least Lucrezia is safe for now.I'm more than a little worried for what this all means for Paulo though. Based on the previews for episodes to come, Lucrezia and Paulo will begin an affair and I'm already worried about Sforza finding out. I'm thrilled at the idea of Lucrezia having a positive sexual experience with someone as wonderful and attractive as Paulo, but I think the fallout is going to be brutal. I have a sinking feeling that Sforza is going to find out about the affair, kill Paulo, and threaten to destroy Lucrezia. I'm predicting that this will be the final straw and Lucrezia will call on Cesare to help. Somehow, some way, there's going to be a showdown between Sforza and Cesare, I'm sure of it. They've done so much foreshadowing in that regard to have nothing come of it. The sooner the better, I say. Cesare is becoming more and more of a badass with each episode and I would love to see him go toe-to-toe with Sforza.
Speaking of Cesare and Lucrezia, the potentially inappropriate nature of their relationship doesn't bother me at all. Logically, the idea of incest is beyond icky, but in terms of this show, it doesn't seem so off-putting. As with Game of Thrones, the actualities of marriage are so horrifying, so
disturbing, and so violent, that it makes the idea of siblings having sex much more palatable. Geez, at least siblings care about each other and generally have their sibling's best interests at heart. All these non-incestuous relationships are making it seem like a much more viable option. Along with that, I think that knowing full well that these people aren't related in real life is making me much more comfortable with the whole notion than I should be. To boot, the incestuous underpinnings were established right from the start, so it's not like viewers grew to know and love these characters as brothers and sisters over time and then were met with the notion of incest. Neither Game of Thrones nor The Borgias gave viewers much time to get to know these characters before this was an issue, so it's not really an issue at all. Quite frankly, with all the perverseness going on, incest just seems like par for the course.I was going to keep rambling, but I just accidentally posted the incomplete version of this, so I guess I'll just call it a day. Final note? The relationship between Cesare and Lucrezia may not actually be incestuous, but did anyone else notice that his new paramour looks a hell of a lot like his sister? Yeah, that's no accident. Cesare, as much as I enjoy watching you liberate what's-her-name by killing her husband, you really need to take those skills and apply them to your sister's marriage.
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