The Borgias Ep. 4, Lucrezia's Wedding - Review

Della Rovere meets the lesser-known employee of the Pit of Despair.

I know there are those who would criticize this show for being rather event-of-the-week driven. I, for one, think that's a little harsh; not because it's untrue, no, certainly not, but because the events thus far have barely qualified as such. For every bitchin' assassination there are about 600 dry expository conversations deconstructing said assassination until it barely even rocks anymore. So, this week's unabashedly event-driven episode was, for me, quite fantastically welcome.

What's impressive about this show is that its writers have the unique ability to suggest a lot of time passing each week, and make the hour feel like at least two, without actually boring the viewer. Or at least, this viewer. An episode that encompasses the entirety of Lucrezia's wedding, from the earliest stages of planning to the heartbreaking aftermath, plus a few subplots, without me feeling like I've been cheated, deserves a thumbs-up.

The costume department really outdid themselves, as well as whatever choreographer they hired to do up the wedding dance scene. The more I think about it, the more mind-busting it is that they allotted the principals that much time to learn such detailed choreography, and that the DPs figured out how to shoot it. My one complaint, vis-à-vis the costumes, is that it seems sometimes that the characters dress the same, regardless of how formal the event, which I can't imagine is true to the actual time period. Even Rome, a series which had even more justification to show off to their viewers, took care to distinguish between daywear and evening wear.

The introduction of the Medicis and Machiavelli was, if I may, boring, although it will be hard to match the sheer legititude of Augustus Prew and his unbeatably enjoyable Alfonso last week. Their Girolamo Savonarola, however, fulfills all of my most sensational wishes. He is intense, almost too cartoonish; but oh, what a breath of fresh air on a show that, it seems, has made a concerted effort to otherwise cast normal people across the board. Not in this case. Steven Berkoff is crazy-looking, and even crazier-acting.

Talking of Alfonso, another character I fear we might never see again is the kidnapped former resident of the Americas that historical evil bastard Christopher Columbus brought back to show the pope. The actor has exactly one line, two if you count a single word as a line, and he was on screen for less that 2 minutes, but I swear to god I was nearly in tears. I think Cesare felt the same. (We're synergetic like that.) I'm not saying this show has a minority quotient they need to fulfill, but I think this kid could stand in for Djem as an outsider character giving us an outsider's perspective, and I think Lucrezia needs another friend her own age. And I want to see more, much more, of the actor. I fear, however, that the scene was merely jammed in their to teach us a historical lesson and to use that conquistador costume they've been holding for months.

The Theo story arc, concerning Vanossa's exiled (though amiable) husband, promises to yield something juicy, since it seems that there is bad blood between him and Cesare - horrible, poisonous blood - and we all know that having bad blood with our dear Chezzie is never a good career choice. I'm looking forward to the moment when Michelotto just starts making checklists of people to cheese-cut and getting Cesare to initial them.

Speaking of Michelotto, that embarrassing excuse for an assassin he sent after Della Rovere is really starting to eat away at my goodwill for him, which is difficult to do, because I forgive gingers a lot.

But Ronan Vibert as Giovanni Sforza - well, I can't really say that he shines, because he doesn't. He snarls and stands about awkwardly, he waddles and looks for the most part like he is never sure exactly how much to clench his buttocks. He is a pure personification of both snobbery and crassness, of both apathy and brutality, and his final scene with Lucrezia makes me sick to my stomach. Sick, and chomping at the bit to see more.