Season 2 Episode 4
Cesare's Army
Cesare's 'beautiful deception' may have spared Rome, but not the outlying villages, including the convent of St. Cecilia. The scouts sent ahead by the retreating French army brutally murdered the nuns, including Ursula. Cesare vows vengeance, a word I hear a lot on this show, and instructs Micheletto to find other 'stray dogs' in Rome, Micheletto-esque men who have no masters.
Before Cesare and Micheletto found Ursula's body, Cesare looked up at the fresco he commissioned, the one he forced Ursula to model for. It is a sad reminder that in their last contact shown, Cesare was not exactly kind to the woman he claimed to love. How powerful could this scene have been had Ursula and Cesare actually had chemistry? I am not hating on Ruta Gedmintas --- I think she is beautiful and I liked her very much in The Tudors --- but I do believe she was not the right fit for the Ursula role.
Micheletto gathered the other 'stray dogs' who hate each other, but who hate the French even more. Cesare proposes guerrilla tactics to harass the French army. Micheletto gives them lessons in stealth, and Cesare shows them an array of weapons --- light crossbows, Spanish garrote, trident and the like.
Cesare and his new army quickly put their new tactics to test, and prevail. They lure the French scouts into a village made to look like the site of a wedding party. Many of the French scouts were taken alive, on Cesare's orders, to be questioned.
Inside what appears to be a torture room (though not nearly as elaborate as King Ferrante of Naples' dungeon), Cesare threatens the bound men with weeks of pain unless they talk. One of them breaks first and says they were told there was sport to be had in the convent that had Cesare's protection. Who told them this? Giovanni Sforza, Lucrezia's erstwhile husband. Cesare wants to know about French troop movement, canon and such like, and leaves Micheletto to charm the truth out of the prisoners.
Micheletto, of course, manages to persuade one of the soldiers to talk, though the soldier would only talk to Cesare because he said he knows what Micheletto's pleasures are. I do not understand what Micheletto's 'pleasures' have to do with the soldier's information. Does he refuse to talk to Micheletto because Micheletto is gay? That does not make sense; he has no choice but to talk to Micheletto, and he has. He is already under Micheletto's mercy. Why refuse to give the information based on Micheletto's 'pleasures?' Anyway, the soldier said the powder for the French canon are hidden in the kitchen waggons, disguised as food. Cesare tells Micheletto to release the prisoner, and Micheletto kills him.
The Italian League
Ludovico of Milan, who allowed the French forces free passage through his land, now wants to form a league with other Italian families to expel the French. He goes to Rome, along with the Duke of Mantua and his wife, the lovely Bianca, whom we first met nekkid in a bath with the Pope earlier in the season. The French have laid waste to the Italian countryside, and Venice, Milan and Mantua will join forces to get rid of them, with the blessing of the Pope. Cesare does not care for this plan, but Rodrigo educates his son --- The league cannot beat the French, and the French cannot beat the league. With a weakened Venice, Milan and Mantua, who benefits? Why, the Borgias, of course.
Giulia seems suspicious as to why Rodrigo wants to go bless the troops himself. Rather than protesting, however, she asks for leave to investigate the office of public works further.
The Pope rides north with Cesare and Cardinal Sforza, leaving Lucrezia in charge of the Curia. Before leaving, Rodrigo quizzes Cesare on his night time activities. Rumours of his 'dark son' has reached him. Cesare admits he has a secret. Well Cesare, if the rumours have reached your father, your secret is not so secret after all. As the Pope and company leave Rome, Cardinal Della Rovere watches with his Dominican friend.
The French King requests a private audience with the Pope at a small church. King Charles is still obviously sick, but he threatens to destroy the Italian armies and drag the Pope to Avignon in chains unless his army is allowed to go back to France unimpeded. The Pope informs the Italian commanders of the French King's proposal, which they reject. The Duke of Mantua asks the pope to give the troops his blessing, hear his confession, and retire to his castle. During the confession, the Pope manages to get the Duke to pledge all the spoils of war to the Church with a 'God's blessing comes with a price.'
Duchessa Bianca welcomes the Pope, Cardinal Sforza and Cesare to the castle. The Pope, even at supper table, is preoccupied with rain, which he thinks will render the gunpowder, and the canon they power, useless. Later, Cesare sees Bianca walk to the Pope's room before he leaves to meet with his army.
While the Pope sh@gs Bianca (he refused, initially), Cesare and company sneak into the French camp and destroy the French supply of gunpowder. The Pope hears the explosion and assumes it is thunder. The following day, the Pope tours the muddy battlefield. The injured Duke of Mantua tells the Pope that they owe their victory to some brave Roman souls who destroyed the French munitions during the night. The Duke may not be so grateful if he knew what the Pope and his wife were up to while he prepared for battle.
Later, the Pope asks Cesare if he has anything to confess. Cesare tells Rodrigo his night was 'as satisfactory as I'm sure was yours.' Could this be Cesare lightly spanking his father for sleeping with Bianca on the eve of battle?
Good Works For The Ladies
Giulia takes Lucrezia to see orphans living in a filthy area that used to be a fountain and where crystal spring water used to flow. She says they need to outwit those who divert funds from the poor, and that she wants Vanozza to help. Vanozza is initially not thrilled at the thought of working with her husband's new mistress, but she eventually suggests they go to the brothels of Rome.
Lucrezia gives the consistory a lesson in baking, a barely veiled metaphor for the Curia stealing funds meant for the poor. The lesson seems to work, for the fountain is restored.
The scenes with the ladies felt like filler to me, but I suspect (hope) these might be to set up future Giulia stories. Both Lucrezia and Vanozza seem well-meaning enough, but they also strike me as doing good works because there was nothing else for them to do. Giulia, however, seemed genuinely interested and committed to the work. She is obviously capable, as she went through the complex accounts herself. Real life Giulia was said to be an able administrator who later became governor of Carbognano. I wish this facet of Giulia would be explored more in the show.
Show: The Borgias (Showtime)
Season: Two
Episode Number in Series: 13
Episode Number in Season: Four
Episode Title: Stray Dogs
Episode Writer: Neil Jordan
Episode Director: Jon Amiel
Original Air Date: April 29, 2012
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