BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / The Borgias

**Posted by jimella** June 15, 2012 10:09 am

Who has watched/is watching this series?

I have just finished the 1st season and I am hooked on this. Still on the fence about Jeremy Irons' acting but his son Cesare (I forgot the name of the actor. Francois something?) is really good.

**Posted by Irene Adler** June 15, 2012 10:27 am

I'm now watching the second season, I've seen three episodes so far. François Arnaud is good, but... on the fence about Jeremy? I think he is absolutely superb (as always). But I can't be objective, I love him since I was like 15...

**Posted by jimella** June 15, 2012 10:54 am

I guess I just wanted him to be more..."villain-y"? I don't know. :D
But I guess Cesare (Thanks for posting his name, btw) makes up for that part. I mean, he is supposed to be pope and all so maybe he has to lay off on being too much of the bad guy.

**Posted by Irene Adler** June 15, 2012 11:26 am

jimella wrote:
I guess I just wanted him to be more..."villain-y"? I don't know. :D
But I guess Cesare (Thanks for posting his name, btw) makes up for that part. I mean, he is supposed to be pope and all so maybe he has to lay off on being too much of the bad guy.

Well, maybe he could be more "villain-y" as you say, but I think that's one of the best things on this show. Nobody is a complete villain and nobody is a complete angel. All characters have good and bad things... pretty realistic in fact. I agree Cesare makes up a bit for that, but also Juan... though I can't remember now much of the first season (I saw it last year) but in season two I think you'll find Juan to be a complete... bastard? Well, not very nice, indeed...

**Posted by jimella** June 18, 2012 9:12 am

^ Now I can't wait to see the 2nd season! I thought Juan lacked a bit of airtime in the 1st season...even Lucrezia's sub story had more "flesh".

**Posted by jimella** June 20, 2012 4:45 am

I was at the bookstore yesterday and they had a 2012 The Borgias calendar -- 50% off I was tempted to get it because of the beautiful pictures. But it's already the middle of the year so I decided not to buy. Oh well.
It's funny, even in the calendar, the mother is missing. Come on, I thought it was just in Lucrezia's wedding

**Posted by kazza474** June 22, 2012 7:59 am

Hmm, I am about to attempt watching the start of this series again.
I tried a few weeks ago but couldn't get interested in it.
We shall see what this weekend brings I guess.

**Posted by Irene Adler** June 22, 2012 8:46 am

Jimella, you will see a lot of Juan in series 2, believe me. I have only two episodes left to finish it and this second series has been quite interesting

By the way, I always plan to count how many times the say "indeed" in each episode but I end up forgetting, always... I should do it someday

**Posted by Davina** June 23, 2012 12:38 pm

Indeed? Indeed!

**Posted by jimella** July 15, 2012 11:20 am

I will be watching the 2nd season of the Borgias this weekend. I am very excited to see Cesare again
Irene: do you like it better than the first season?

**Posted by Irene Adler** July 15, 2012 11:40 am

jimella wrote:
I will be watching the 2nd season of the Borgias this weekend. I am very excited to see Cesare again
Irene: do you like it better than the first season?

I really can't tell... both seasons are great in my opinion. Anyway, I can tell you the second half of the second season is really brilliant, I enjoyed it a lot. Not that the first half isn't good, but the second one is just great.
I'm looking forward to read what you think about it

**Posted by jimella** August 2, 2012 1:18 pm

Irene, you were absolutely right. I am really loving season 2. Wicked, wicked Juan!

**Posted by Irene Adler** August 2, 2012 2:04 pm

jimella wrote:
Irene, you were absolutely right. I am really loving season 2. Wicked, wicked Juan!

I'm glad we agree
Have you finished it?

**Posted by jimella** February 1, 2013 4:45 pm

Season 3 is taking a looooong time to come out...

**Posted by QuiteExtraordinary** February 13, 2013 5:20 pm

Has anybody seen "Borgia", the European version by Tom Fontana? With John Doman as the pope, the wonderful Mark Ryder as Cesare, Diarmuid Noyes as Alessandro Farnese and so on.
I think it's even better than "The Borgias" and certainly more historically correct. Pretty brutal though, but still one of my favourite series. Season 2 will be aired in March or April probably.

**Posted by QuiteExtraordinary** February 13, 2013 7:50 pm

Personally, I would say "The Borgias" is more like a soap opera in historical setting (that's why I didn't like it very much), while "Borgia" rather tries to retell the historical events in an entertaining way.
It won't be an endless drama because the people involved did not have very long lives.
I can recommend watching both series - you can learn a lot about the influence of the vatican on Europe in the late 15th century. And the actors are great (and good-looking) and the costumes are amazing and the plot ...

**Posted by Davina** February 13, 2013 10:19 pm

Borgias and Medicis= fascinating.

**Posted by QuiteExtraordinary** February 13, 2013 10:29 pm

Swanpride wrote:
Ah, I know a lot about the Borgias...I'm kind of a history buff...which is why I'm interested in the first place, but not really keen on the soap opera route....

Well, the European "Borgia" series is quite accurate regarding the historical facts, but of course it's meant as entertainment and not as a history lesson, so they left some things out and added other things to fill some gaps. And all the violence is a little disturbing, but apparently the writers of historical drama think that is what their audience wants.
"The Borgias" is more like "The Tudors", I think.

**Posted by Timothysla** July 5, 2013 1:25 am

The Borgias is a complex, unvarnished portrait of one of history’s most intriguing families. The Borgias follows the rise of the Borgia family to the pinnacle of the Roman Catholic Church and their struggles to maintain their grip on power.

**Posted by nicbooful** July 5, 2013 10:06 am

I heard this will be the last series. Gutted!

Last edited by nicbooful (July 5, 2013 10:06 am)