The Borgias 1.6-1.7

[meganbmoore]

1.6:

What I didn’t like:

1. That the only scene with dialogue that Giulia had was a sex scene.
2. That Sancha didn’t even get one scene that wasn’t about sexing up Juan. (Also, I have a bizarre and VERY WRONG adoration that that had sex on a table in a room FULL OF STUFFED CORPSES. Having sex outside while she was talking to Joffre…well, that was crass and wrong of her AND REALLY QUITE AWFUL, but given that she was almost literally sold to the Borgias I have difficulty holding going after the one she wants when she’s never even spoken with Joffre before against her, but having sex with your [literally] kid brother’s wife in [literally] the next room is a whole other level.)
3. Juan is an idiot. Wait, that’s not a dislike, just a fact.
4. The apparent setup of Lucrezia vs. Sancha.

What I liked:

1. Sancha’s UTTER SHAMELESSNESS. I am so eager for Sancha/Cesare that I have no words. I’m so sorry, Joffre.
2. Ursula DOES NOT DO ANYTHING BY HALVES. Needs a knight in shining armor? She goes for CESARE BORGIA. Learns that her boyfriend has been lying to her and killed her husband and dumped his body in the river? BECOMES A NUN OUT OF PENANCE. And tells him to sod off when he becomes all sociopath-obsessive-devoted-stalkery. … 15th century Italy is probably lucky that she (A) is fictional and (B) was a woman. Can you imagine that those extremes in someone with social and legal power?
3. Lucrezia thinking maybe Sforza wasn’t so bad after all when he said he misjudged her, and then having sex with the stable boy in a creaky bed DIRECTLY OVER HIS HEAD when he said he “forgave” her icky Borgia blood.
4. The TOTALLY SUBTLE cutting between Lucrezia and Cesare having sex with their respective lovers for the first time. Oh, this show and its idea of “absolutely no incest.” (And was I the only one who was raising her eyebrows over Sancha and Alfonso? Or am I still just keyed to Cantarella?)
5. Rodrigo may be a hypocrite, but he’s the best kind. “Forget the fact that I ditched her and hooked up with a-woman-of-undetermined-age-but-who-definitely-is-not-16-because-no-one-wants-Jeremy-Irons-sexing-up-a-teenager-all-the-time-no-matter-how-much-they-love-him-sometimes-historical-inaccuracy-protects-the-brain five minutes later, HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE YOUR MOTHER IN HER HOME OR ELSEWHERE YOU ARE THE WORST SON EVER GO GROVEL TO YOUR MOTHER THIS INSTANT OR I’LL SIC YOUR BROTHER ON YOU AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID TO THE LAST PERSON WHO INSULTED HER! Also, I’m still made at you. THWAP!”
6. The look Vannozza gave Giulia. Please let them have scenes!

1.7:

1. IT IS FORBIDDEN! FORBIDDEN! I am sad we are not keeping Ursula forever.
2. Sancha tops. No matter how much Juan wants to.
3. CATERINA SFORZA. We need more of her. And not just because I like Gina McGee. I love how utterly irrelevant Sforza was in the scene with Giulia, and neither one cared if he knew it.
4. I love Lucrezia’s hardcoreness about keeping him out of her bed. Almost as much as I love her glee at his pain.
5. They are keeping Giulia hiding Lucrezia during her pregnancy! I was so worried we wouldn’t get that.
6. Cesare seems to have cut back on the black leather. Pity.

Comments

[bigbrasskey]

I was reading episode summaries of the other Borgias series that's coming out, and it was talking about Lucrezia and Giulia being at each other throats and I was like :( :( :( FAIL.

But god, I love every scene between them, and Giulia watchfully staying back as Lucrezia plays her game, and giving her the little approving look in episode eight (you'll see what I mean when you get to it. It's just such a partners moment even though their eyes don't even really meet, proud of her companion and in some ways pupil.)

And I agree on every count with Sancia. (...including the bit with Alfonso.) SHE IS SO FABULOUS. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER PLAY OFF SOMEONE OTHER THAN JUAN. And I was all D: over Sancia vs Lucrezia, too. But I hope they handle that better.

I had a D: moment when he was being all apologetic and you could see her kind of wondering/softening (THOSE ACTIONS WERE UNFORGIVEABLE TOWARDS ANYONE even though I could understand her, so young and trapped there, wanting a more amenable outlook) but I went back and finished the scene and was happy again. She is so fierce and so young and adorable and sweet at the same time, I love that they let her have that.

I adore Ursula and I don't even care. SHUT UP, FANDOM EVERYWHERE.

[meganbmoore]

What other Borgias series?

Alfonso was simultaneously DESPERATE for Sancha to be happy about it and bitter about the idea that she was leaving/going to be happy with someone else.

With Lucrezia v Sancha-when Lucrezia said she hated Sancha, I read it as "I hate her because she's more beautiful and elegant than me and she's going to be happy and loved in my city and with my family and I'm going to be stuk in the country with a man I hate" and am sticking with it being that and not REAL hate.

Most of my friends watching love Ursula, but i understand a lot of people hate her for stealing lucrezia's airtime or whatever. (I actually don't think lucrezia's screentime has gone down. I'd say that, if anything, Vannozza is the one getting less screentime lately.)