User Reviews

Season 1 may have had a slow start, but the episodes still managed to be never less than good with so many fine things that outweighed the unevenness of the writing and pacing. It was with "The French King" where things properly got settled and got back on track after a slight slump, where the writing and pacing had improved, and the good things got even better and more numerous. The previous episode "Death on a Pale Horse" saw the season have its first great episode.

The penultimate episode of the first "The Art of War" is every bit as great as "Death on a Pale Horse" and one of Season 1's best. Its numerous strengths are pretty much exactly the same as those of "Death on a Pale Horse", their impact about equal, and issues are less. Things are progressing, tensions mounting and although purposefully unpleasant (calling the characters unpleasant should not really be a flaw, as the Borgias in real life were not what one would call likeable) the characterisation is getting richer.

Could care less for the Cesare and Ursula subplot, which was always rather soapy in the writing and the chemistry never really ignited. Never was a fan of Ursula or her bland personality either, to the extent that you are not sure what Cesare saw in her.

Otherwise, to me the episode was great. Personally did not have a problem with the writing for Juan and his role in the episode, sure his behaviour is far from subtle and could be seen as distasteful but it added to his increasing loathsome-ness. David Oakes brings that out with great confidence and his chemistry with Francois Arnaud's Cesare is both tense and in a way oddly entertaining. The most interesting subplot here though was with Lucrezia, Giulia and the French. Lucrezia continues to grow in development and in character and Lotte Verbeek's ravishing Giulia, absolutely great that she is playing a bigger role and more than being the mistress to the Pope, continues to be one of the show's best assets. Love their chemistry together and actually did like their mind games. Michel Muler is less hammy here which is a good thing.

Brought to the forefront too is the war battle, which is every bit as gut-wrenching and intense as the scene in Luca in "Death on a Pale Horse". There are other highlights too, the flies in a spiders web feel with the Pope and the cardinals, Jeremy Irons relishing his quite chilling lines in the scene with the ambassador, the unexpected final scene, the Pope's/Rodrigo's speech and the hilarity of hearing the Pope saying the ten letter word (probably prohibited here) beginning with w and ending with e, concerning Juan's behaviour. Continue to love the chemistry between Rodrigo and Cesare and the writing has come on a lot. The pace likewise, thanks to more going on and the tension mounting.

Jeremy Irons chills in the ambassador and counsel scenes as well as when he learns of the retreat, but he equally excels in the quieter moments where Rodrigo is guilt ridden where his line delivery is more understated and his eyes and face tell such a lot. Arnaud and Holliday Grainger continue being more comfortable, Cesare being the most interesting character by now along with Rodrigo, Sean Harris continues to unsettle as Micheletto, Oakes is suitably loathsome and Verbeek is a major bright spot.

Visually, 'The Borgias' continues to have very high production values with "The Art of War", that was never a problem and continually one of the best of the good things about the show. The exquisitely designed and richly coloured costumes, especially Lucrezia's and Giulia's, and scenery and interiors are wow-worthy, and the beautiful photography rivals period dramas on film. The music still has the beauty and intensity that were present in the previous episodes. Meanwhile the opening titles sequences and main theme still give me the chills. one of my favourite opening titles sequences of all time (film and television). The main theme is incredible, the sheer intensity, grandeur and drama (already sending chills down the spine and induces goosebumps before the episode's even begun) makes it one of my favourite main themes for any show. Matched by splendidly and cleverly designed visuals.

All in all, one of the season's best. 9/10

Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese escaping and the first charming the King of France. Now that's a plot that instantly seemed exciting and the intriguing war arc well developed in the past installment made it even more desirable. You really have to see them riding horses in the woods while crepuscular rays irradiate their natural beauty and colorful outfits. Moreover with the French army marching toward Rome I was wondering how they would encounter the King. So in a way it was almost like a Little Red Riding Hood adaptation, very short but definitely refreshing.

Once in the hands of the enemy the ladies met the cardinal in black, Giuliano della Rovere. Right before Colm Feore entered the stage, Holliday Grainger (Lucrezia) and Lotte Verbeek (Giulia) gently reminded us of some past sequence. Indeed in the premiere the second taught the first that women had weapons like beauty and wit to defend themselves. So it was quite interesting to see Lucrezia challenging the cardinal intellectually, asking the questions that disturb and doing the right move to settle her own pieces on the board. Sadly their inevitable mind game with the King wasn't as twisted and subtle as I hoped it would be. First Giulia was in Lucrezia's shadow when her skills are obviously superior. The second doesn't have enough experience yet and we still await the lessons she was supposed to received from the Pope's mistress. Second after all what the cardinal did, specially convincing the French to march over Rome, muting him was a dreadful mistake because it made Lucrezia even less believable as a puppet master. Otherwise I still enjoyed their childish Beauty and the Beast game, even if I wish more players had participated. After all how such an ugly man could resist such a pretty damsel ? I also appreciated a possible reference to Cyrano de Bergerac.

In Rome the Pope and Cesare Borgia had to convince the other cardinals in red not to flee the city. His speech was full of confidence and Jeremy Irons performance was good but for some reason it ended abruptly. The most interesting part was probably about the trial and the element was brought up again later and mentioned as a test. As for Juan Borgia you should really want to slap his face because David Oakes made him even more ridiculous. Dancing with the whores and a real drunk puppet enduring his bragging talk about war strategy and tactics was painful, the good way. The best part was probably when he compared himself to… Well I let you appreciate it because it should either make you throw up or want to struggle him even more ! As for the battle itself it was the perfect sequel to the Death on a Pale Horse brutal events. Moreover the presence of Lucrezia made things even more intense and I had no idea how it would end. You should be on the verge of your seat the whole time ! Last but not least the chain-cannonballs, also known as chain-shots (Boulets chaînés in French), were also back with a bloody vengeance. You have to understand that it's only at the end of the XVIII century that French explosive cannonballs were engineered.

As for the cardinals and other people revolving around the Pope they really acted like insects trapped in a spider web. A complain about the episode would be that it was a few minutes shorter than the others and I worry that they decided to censor the battle. An other disappointing element, almost annoying, was Cesare Borgia dealing with his former mistress again. He talks way too much and doesn't act. I have nicknamed him the "if" cardinal. However I understand how hard it is to be a good brother because you can't help wanting to protect your sisters from other men but when they're far away you feel just powerless. Anyway he's not the story bastard, playboy Juan is. As for the last scene featuring Jeremy Irons it was nearly in the same vein as the procession in the premiere, not as creative but definitely unexpected and fueled by the recurrent wicked confessions we had witnessed so far.

In this episode you will see magnificent costumes and an deeply human story of redemption, faith and love. It is not a waste of time. The topic is surprisingly profound and a nice showcase how it should be. I am really surprised that this project is abandoned.