# "The Borgias": Anyone watching? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401 "2011-05-10T15:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/1 "2011-05-10T15:43:50Z")
I’ve been mildly entertained by this for the first few episodes, but this week’s seem to have stepped things up a notch now that France is invading Italy. Jeromy Irons kind of stands out as almost too good an actor in a field of unknowns (at least to me, other than the guy how played Cicero in _Rome_, but his part is pretty small). Anyone else watching? I’ll give this a solid “B”. Half a notch higher than _Game of Thrones_, which I’m enjoying, but just think it has way too much going on. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/2 "2011-05-10T15:47:38Z")
Yeah, I’m watching – started a thread the 1st week. Mildly engrossed. I’m also watching Game of Thrones, and in the same week both shows had episodes in which a young maiden is married off for political reasons to a brutish nobleman, and her servant gives her lessons in the Ways of Love and she winds up domesticating him. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/3 "2011-05-10T15:56:04Z")
I’m still hanging in, although I haven’t watched the last episode off the DVR yet. It is moving kind of slow and I’m thinking Jeromy Irons is kind of overacting at times but I think I’ll make it through the whole first season. I’m waiting for Lucretia to grow into her assigned history. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/4 "2011-05-10T16:01:20Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I’m still hanging in, although I haven’t watched the last episode off the DVR yet. It is moving kind of slow and I’m thinking Jeromy Irons is kind of overacting at times but I think I’ll make it through the whole first season. Yep, that’s exactly how I felt until watching this latest episode, which I think really picks up the pace. I’ll be interested in seeing what you think once you watch it. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/5 "2011-05-10T17:46:27Z")
Haven’t seen the most recent episode, but have watched the others. Good show - not “great” so far, but good enough to keep watching. Now you have me wanting to watch this episode sooner than later - maybe I will have time tonight or tomorrow. I know that Papal crown must be heavy and hurt his head, but that sock on his head just kind of grosses me out - can’t explain why. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/6 "2011-05-10T18:13:19Z")
Gave up on it as being pretty much terminally boring. Also, I’ve always had a problem with Jeremy Irons. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/7 "2011-05-10T18:13:31Z")
Watching! Loving it! Wish I didn’t know how it ends… Is it me, or does Lord Sforza look like Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs? The show is great! I like that they feature 2 sadistic badasses in the lead roles (Colm Feore - The Chronicles of Riddick and Jeremy Irons - Scar, and Hans Gruber’s lil bro from Die Hard III) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/8 "2011-05-10T19:21:38Z")
I’m enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/9 "2011-05-10T19:42:34Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > HI know that Papal crown must be heavy and hurt his head, but that sock on his head just kind of grosses me out - can’t explain why. Interestingly, the current pope has resurrected that head gear, and wears it often. I think it’s been quite awhile since that was “in style”. ---
**Author:** ![Feyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/fbc32d/32.png) [@Feyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feyrat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/10 "2011-05-10T19:45:59Z")
I’m watching, it’s a bit “meh,” but it’s entertaining enough. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/11 "2011-05-10T23:14:12Z")
I’m amused by the weirdly high-pitched voice of Prince Alphonso of Naples and also his cackle of a laugh. I kind of like the show for the pomp and the name-dropping of Renaissance figures (like Machiavelli). ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/12 "2011-05-10T23:42:32Z")
I was getting bored with all the emphasis on bed hopping the last two or three episodes, and considering dropping it, but the last episode was interesting enough that I’ll probably keep going. It also kinda lacks for interesting characters, though they’re getting a little better. I like when it deals with how people like Pope Alexander VI reconcile being simultaneously very honestly religious and yet also very ammoral, even by the standards of their own times. I’m not sure why none of they (and the Tudors) don’t take a page from Rome’s playbook and add some non-historical characters. It would let them add some plotlines that weren’t constrained by history, and let us see how some of the lower classes who didn’t get their lives recorded in history lived. Its certainly pretty, anyways. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/13 "2011-05-11T03:12:12Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I was getting bored with all the emphasis on bed hopping the last two or three episodes, and considering dropping it, but the last episode was interesting enough that I’ll probably keep going. It also kinda lacks for interesting characters, though they’re getting a little better. > > I like when it deals with how people like Pope Alexander VI reconcile being simultaneously very honestly religious and yet also very ammoral, even by the standards of their own times. > > I’m not sure why none of they (and the Tudors) don’t take a page from Rome’s playbook and add some non-historical characters. It would let them add some plotlines that weren’t constrained by history, and let us see how some of the lower classes who didn’t get their lives recorded in history lived. > > Its certainly pretty, anyways. Just a note: Vorenus and Pullo are historical characters, although not much is know about them and pretty much everything the writers wrote about them was made up. But yeah, one of the things that made \*Rome \*so good was seeing how the different classes lived. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/14 "2011-05-11T04:15:24Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I’m not sure why none of they (and the Tudors) don’t take a page from Rome’s playbook and add some non-historical characters. It would let them add some plotlines that weren’t constrained by history, and let us see how some of the lower classes who didn’t get their lives recorded in history lived. > > Its certainly pretty, anyways. Cesare’s bit of wopsy is fictitious, I think. It’ll be hard to say until the series plays out but I hope they aren’t using her as a tool for making him more sympathetic. Speaking of pretty, the scene with he and the new Sister Martha had some tremendous lighting work that made it look like a Caravaggio painting. Either that, or standard def sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/15 "2011-05-11T04:26:18Z")
> [@Annie](#): > > Cesare’s bit of wopsy is fictitious, I think. It’ll be hard to say until the series plays out but I hope they aren’t using her as a tool for making him more sympathetic. Well, so far she’s caused him to kill a dude and hit on a nun. So I don’t think there’s to much risk of her making him much more sympathetic. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/16 "2011-05-12T14:56:14Z")
Is it just me or does anybody else find it amusing to hear British actors portraying Spaniards and Italians? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-borgias-anyone-watching/581401/17 "2011-05-12T15:08:47Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > Is it just me or does anybody else find it amusing to hear British actors portraying Spaniards and Italians? Nah. After years of Masterpiece Theater I’ve come to expect British accents in any historical drama.