The Borgias Recap: Carving Out An Empire, Closing A Series

'The Prince'

This is it, the final episode of The Borgias, unless the fan campaign succeeds and the show is given a new lease in life. I meant to write this recap last September, but life got too busy and I lost my notes on this episode. On December, when I started blogging again, I became busy with a new show, Reign. This blog is a labour of love, I only recap the shows I feel like recapping and, amongst the shows featured on this blog, The Borgias is my favourite to recap. It feels good to be writing about it again. I do not consider it a near perfect show; I have nitpicked it often enough on this blog. Yet it is a very good show, one that deserves a far wider audience than it had during its run. It feels gratifying to be on Twitter and read tweets of people who are discovering the show for the first time, and loving it. I am sure the creative team behind The Borgias and the network have their reasons for not renewing the show for a fourth season, but I cannot help but feel a certain amount of sadness at the thought of stories left untold, of not seeing the show's phenomenal actors close their characters' journeys. On the upside, the show left on a high note with The Prince (the whole third season has been outstanding, really). If this truly is the end of The Borgias, it is not at all a bad way to go.


Rome

The episode opens with Cesare and Machiavelli; Machiavelli, perhaps to explain why he is stoking his own fire, and underline the privacy of their conversation, says he has no servants in Rome because Florence can no longer afford them. Cesare mentions democracy and Machiavelli grudgingly says some people believe it has merits. He asks Cesare what he thinks is the perfect crime. Cesare replies that it is one without a victim. Or one without a suspect, according to Machiavelli. He says he often thinks that whoever killed Juan remained unsuspected, yet made a suspect of everybody. Such a person committed the perfect crime, and may one day make the perfect prince. So, the final episode of The Borgias began by mentioning Juan (I still miss David Oakes) and alluding to real life Machiavelli's political treatise The Prince where he mentioned real life Cesare. Excellent.

Cesare asks how one can be a prince without a principality. Machiavelli replies one cannot, which is why Cesare is there to see him. Cesare asks what Florence will do if Rome moves against Forli. Machiavelli replies Florence will do what it always does, nothing. Cesare says his army must cross the borders of Florence to get to Forli. Machiavelli tells him to do so at night, then cautions that armies make noise. Cesare promises to make sure they move quietly and that there will be no disturbance, no pillage. Machiavelli mentions that Cesare has two armies. Cesare whispers a secret to his BFF --- the French army is already well beyond Florentine borders, hidden at the Romania forest.

We get a glimpse of the French army on the march; the soldiers, the cannons, even the animals pulling the waggons containing the cannons, are all camouflaged.

Cesare tells the Pope he will send the papal army ahead of him. There will be no need to go to the Florentine ambassador; Florence will turn a blind eye on the passing papal army. Cesare again promises his father he will carve him an empire. Rodrigo wonders at who will rule it once he is gone; there is a lot of infighting during papal selection. He muses if it were not simpler to just hand over the keys to St. Peter's from father to son. He calls primogeniture 'the simplest and most efficient transfer of power known to man.' Cesare says the world will not tolerate it. Rodrigo concedes that the world will not tolerate it yet, but if Cesare carves a kingdom, the Borgias can write their own future. Cesare is without words, and Rodrigo gently asks why he (Cesare) thinks he (Rodrigo) wanted him to be a Cardinal --- it is so he can be Pope. Rodrigo tells his son to carve an empire, and be both king and pope.

Did you know Francois Arnaud is 6'2"? I did not, until a fellow The Borgias fan on Twitter told me. According to IMDb, he is 6' 1 1/2", which is little enough difference. The point is, he is tall. How weird is it that I watched The Borgias when it first came out and loyally followed it to its final episode, yet never realised Cesare is that tall? Anyway, Cesare looks fetching in his warrior garb as he gives instructions to his lieutenants and his soldiers chant something I am not certain I heard right (Was it Aut Caesar, aut nihil?). The papal army begins marching at night.

Lucrezia tells Cesare that Alfonso knows about them. How could he not, really? The siblings almost kiss, and Lucrezia says Cesare has spent a lifetime pulling away from her. She is tired of that, tired of her husband, tired of life; the only one she is not tired of is Cesare. Lucrezia wonders why they are cursed with this feeling; she manages to forget Cesare when he is away, but one touch and everything comes back. Cesare, standing apart from his sister, does not seem that into all these feelings talk, and tells her he must leave soon. He asks what could console her, and Lucrezia says maybe another child.

A drunk Alfonso arrives with his shadows, Cesare's men. Lucrezia brings up Juan, who used to get as drunk as Alfonso. Because I adore David Oakes, and I think his casting and subsequent performance as Juan was pitch perfect, I am loving these Juan mentions. Juan was pivotal to the series; it seems fitting that he is included in the final episode.

Alfonso says he can hear the army marching and asks if he can join them. He says he is useless in Rome but he can wield a sword. He draws his sword, which Cesare effortlessly swats. Cesare pulls his brother in law in a headlock and tells him he (Cesare) will consider a commission when he returns. I felt so, so bad for Alfonso in this scene; I still remember that shot of him with a big umbrella, 'another innocent caught in the Borgia web.'

On horseback. Rufio watches the papal army march out of Rome.

Cesare's next scene is with Vanozza; he confides that he misses Micheletto. I miss him too, Cesare. Vanozza brings up her past as a whore (Courtesan, Cesare corrects her), and the discussion veers to Cesare's fear to even think of Rodrigo's ambition, to his fears concerning Lucrezia.

Forli

Rufio rides hard to Forli and informs her the papal army is marching. Caterina says they have ten days to prepare. Rufio is all, 'Good. You can count.' Did you just sass your mistress, Rufio? After we get another shot of the French army nearing Forli, we see Caterina giving instructions. The plan is to stock up to outlast any siege; grain and livestock are to be brought to the city. The forest around Forli is to be cut, so that there is to be a clear field of fire. As Caterina continues to detail her plan, Rufio keeps trying to interrupt. When Caterina finally heeds him, mistress and assassin run atop the battlements and see the French army. Rufio deduces that Cesare has two armies; Caterina frets, 'We're under siege already, and winter is coming!' I wonder if this is a deliberate nod to Game of Thrones. The French army begins battering the walls of Forli with canon fire.

At the papal court, Cardinal Sforza interrupts Cardinal Farnese's audience with the Pope, to tell Rodrigo that the siege of Forli has began. Several ambassadors demand an audience; Rodrigo says their questions are to be addressed to Cesare, the Gonfalonier of the Papal Army. Cardinal Sforza asks where Cesare might be; Rodrigo replies he is presumably with his army, wherever his army may be.

Rodrigo enters Cesare's darkened room, and finds his son asleep. Rodrigo opens a curtain, which wakes Cesare, and says he would have appreciated being told of Cesare's plan. He says there is a price to pay for the French involvement --- Naples. He wants Lucrezia spared of further discomfiture. Cesare tells his father he (Cesare) was not there and he (Rodrigo) has not seen him (Cesare). Father and son embrace briefly before Cesare leaves.

Cesare rides hard and overtakes the papal army. In the ruins of a castle, he meets with Machiavelli. Louis of France is in Milan, and Cesare wants Machiavelli to advise the French King that once Cesare has taken Forli, he (Cesare) will deal with Naples. Lucrezia will act as Louis' regent and rule in his stead. Machiavelli asks if Lucrezia knows this is her future. Cesare sidesteps the question and says Lucrezia is the most capable person he knows. Machiavelli asks about Alfonso, and in Cesare's steely silence, he realises he should not have asked that.

Cesare's army continue firing at Forli; inside the walls are frightened civilians and soldiers ducking from the debris. Cesare asks Vitelli why siege towers are being built when they have canon. Vitelli replies that the walls of Forli are 12 feet thick and have never been breached; they may need other options if the canon cannot bring it down.

Inside her castle, Caterina sits by an unlit fireplace, a sword in her hands. Rufio encourages her to eat. Caterina says this is the end; she has lost her son and her people starve. Rufio the optimist says something will come. I wonder what sort of help Rufio was thinking about. A rescue from one of Caterina's many relatives, perhaps? The unforeseen death of Rodrigo or Cesare? In any case, Rufio says Caterina has no option but to fight because she has nothing to negotiate with. Caterina mentions her body, which she says is no longer young; yet her body pleased Cesare once. I remember. Rufio says he has heard rumours. Caterina mentions her legend, but says it demands that she go down in flames, or live and triumph. Yet she knows there is no triumph to be had. Her walls cannot be breached with canon fire. Her choice is to starve slowly or surrender; she would never surrender. She asks Rufio to promise her not to let Cesare take her alive. She also says that if Rufio survives, he ought to consider his future. Cesare Borgia may be the future. Rufio, your mistress just gave you her blessing to seek employment with her enemy. Isn't she the coolest ever?

Cesare sleeps inside his tent. A hand reaches for, but does not touch, his face. It is Micheletto. It is heartbreaking how Micheletto fell apart after the revelation of Pascal's treachery; in his eyes he failed one love (Cesare) and killed another (Pascal). Cesare wakes up and holds out his dagger; he asks his ever faithful servant where he has been. Micheletto says he has been talking to God. Cesare asks what God said; Micheletto says nothing. Cesare asks if Micheletto is with him once more. Rather than answering, Micheletto moves to the table where maps are laid out and says battering the walls of Forli for weeks will have no effect. Micheletto, who was born in Forli, tells Cesare there is an old Roman quarry that runs beneath the north tower next to the gate. If a marker can be placed above a specific spot, and that spot hit, the tower will fall. Cesare says Micheletto cannot just leave like that. 'Who's to stop me? You?' Micheletto takes Cesare's hand and places it over his heart. 'I am dead.' He then tells Cesare to follow an old riverbed; where there are low-hanging vines, he will find an entrance. Master and servant nod at each other, and Micheletto says goodbye. No, Micheletto! Come back!

That is it. That is Micheletto's one and final scene, and what a scene it is. Sean Harris is effing brilliant. I did not recap Season 1 but now I really, really want to, if only so I can watch the beginning of the partnership that is Cesare and Micheletto.

Cesare, with another man, finds the quarry where Micheletto said it was and begin their measurements. Back with his army, there is some argument over whether the plan will work or not. Cesare is determined to execute it; he carries a white flag and marches toward Forli's walls with drummers and an escort of guards. As Cesare walks, the man he went to the quarry with counts.

Atop the battlements, Caterina takes a crossbow from one of her soldiers and aims at Cesare. As Cesare stops, she yells that she ought to kill him now. Cesare says he bears a white flag and they can talk. Caterina says not with a Borgia. Cesare says he is not his brother. Maybe I ought to keep count how many times Juan is mentioned or alluded to in his episode. Caterina says Cesare does not torture boys, he only kills them. Cesare lays down his terms --- surrender, and he will spare the populace. Caterina declares she will never bow to the 'whore-master of Rome,' and shoots. Cesare is immediately surrounded by his shield-carrying guards, and they retreat to their line. The white flag has been planted.

Cesare instructs Vitelli to strike the ground beneath the wall, where the white flag is. Vitelli warns him there will be laughter, but he acquiesces. As the canon hits the ground, Forli soldiers laugh. They yell insults, and even the stressed Caterina breaks into a smile. The quarry ceiling begins to give way underneath. With more canon fire, the ground collapses, then the wall. The Roman and French soldiers cheer as panic spreads inside Forli.

Cesare orders the charge, and his two armies attack Forli. This is barely a fight; Cesare's forces are clearly superior in number, and they quickly overwhelm and surround the Forli soldiers and civilians. Cesare calls a halt to the attack and yells, 'I don't want a massacre!' 'You want me?' Caterina yells from a balcony. There is a noose around her neck, and her arms are spread wide. 'Have me! Blow me into a thousand pieces! Come on, aim your bows, everyone of them. I want to spread a hundred arrows, like a porcupine!' I have mentioned on this blog that I worship Caterina, right? Cesare goes to a soldier holding a gun and instructs him to aim for the rope. He then tells Caterina she can have her life. 'But I don't want it anymore. Come on, give me a legendary death!' Caterina looks at the mass of soldiers unwilling to loose an arrow, and laughs. 'Does it take a Caterina Sforza to kill a Caterina Sforza?' She jumps, and the soldier with a gun fires. Caterina falls rather than strangles, and Cesare, along with two other soldiers, catch her. Caterina curses Cesare and calls him a 'Spanish half-breed.' Cesare tells her she will live, because he wants her to.

Inside her chambers, Caterina is on her bed, her arms in chains, her hair a mess, her face dirty. There are guards watching her. Maids come in carrying dresses. Cesare arrives, takes the key from one of the guards, and unlocks Caterina's chains. Caterina tells him she should have stabbed him on this bed. Ah, good times. 'We both know that, but you didn't.' When Cesare checks the gowns the maids carried, Caterina lunges at him. 'Do not touch my dresses!' Cesare pushes her back to the bed by her throat. 'Forgive me, but I would not have you seen in public like that.' Caterina asks why he cares. 'I have tamed a legend, the tigress of Forli. I would have you dressed for the occasion.' Cesare pushes Caterina to her elbows and knees on the bed, and chooses her gown. 'Yellow and black. Tiger stripes.' Cesare is rough with Caterina here yet, heaven help me, as appalled as I am to watch a man manhandle a woman, I still marvel at their fiery chemistry. Also, Cesare, I love you, but I do not believe you have tamed Caterina at all. You have chained her, but not tamed her.

Outside, Forli soldiers are chained and walking in line, including Rufio. Cesare gives instructions for Caterina's elaborate golden cage. He also says premises are to be prepared for Caterina at Castel Sant'Angelo. He notices Rufio, and walks alongside him. As Cesare speaks of Caterina's assassin, Rufio keeps his head slightly lowered, but gives nothing else away. Cesare says Rufio is to be brought to Castel Sant'Angelo as well.

Caterina, wearing the gown Cesare chose, is escorted by Cesare to her golden cage. They bicker a bit about Caterina taking Cesare's arm ('This is my wake, not my wedding.'). Inside her cage, Caterina's wrists are fastened with golden chains. Villagers watch as the procession of soldiers and Tigress of Forli commence.

Rome

Inside the Castel Sant'Angelo, Cesare opens Caterina's cage and Rodrigo steps in. Rodrigo asks if it would not have been simpler if Caterina had come to Rome on her own free will. Caterina replies that in the end it would have been the same. She then asks if she is to be put to the rack. Rodrigo says no, rooms have been prepared that are fit to her station. Rodrigo mockingly holds out his papal ring. 'Don't be so rash, Your Holiness. I still have teeth.' Caterina makes a biting and snapping motion toward Rodrigo's hand.

Cesare talks to Rufio while Lucrezia talks to Rodrigo while in confession; the scenes are interspersed with one another. Cesare speaks of having a man like Rufio once, 'capable of any task, beyond virtue, beyond good and evil, beyond everything but loyalty.' Cesare is not directly offering Rufio employment; rather, he is giving the assassin a kind of trial task. Cesare says he needs someone done away with in such a way that suspicion can never fall on him, his family, or anyone connected to him --- Alfonso of Naples.

As though sensing her brother's plan. Lucrezia asks Rodrigo to meet her at confession because it is the only place where she cannot be overheard by Cesare's spies. Lucrezia says she heard rumours that Cesare has designs for Naples; if this were true, her husband is as good as dead. Rodrigo's 'Don't listen to rumour' does not convince Lucrezia; instead, Rodrigo's subsequent silence confirms her fears for her husband.

Rufio stands in the shadows while Cesare enters Lucrezia's villa. Cesare tells the guards to leave, then calls out to Lucrezia. Alfonso emerges and tells his brother in law that Lucrezia is indisposed. Rufio is already inside, yet remains in the shadows. Alfonso asks if Cesare has come to release them; Cesare says yes, he is free to go where he wants. Alfonso asks if he is to go alone, the way Juan went. 'An anonymous blade, splashed in the Tiber. Or was the blade your own?' Cesare calls him 'Brother'; Alfonso grabs Cesare's sword and attacks. 'Prince to you, not brother!' Cesare tries to get Alfonso to stop; Alfonso keeps lunging but never hits Cesare. Finally, Cesare disarms Alfonso and kicks him to the ground. After Cesare picks up the sword, Alfonso tackles him; they both fall to the ground, with the sword sticking out of Alfonso's back.

A horrified Lucrezia screams and runs to Alfonso. Cesare tries to tell his sister what actually happened; Lucrezia yells at him to call a doctor. Alfonso, gasping for breath, says, 'He's killed me, love. Just as you both wanted.' Later, a screaming Alfonso is carried to his bed, with maids, a doctor, and Lucrezia around him. Downstairs, Cesare tells Rufio to stay because they may need a professional. While Lucrezia fusses over Alfonso, the doctor tells Cesare there is nothing that can be done but wait for Alfonso to die.

Alfonso tells Lucrezia, 'I know you have the means to end this agony. So if you ever loved me, you will do me this one last favour.' Lucrezia says she cannot. 'Yes you can. You're a Borgia.' Alfonso was never a favourite of mine in this show, but he is breaking my heart here.

In another room, Lucrezia pours potion into a glass while Cesare sits on the bed. 'Is that all I am now, brother? Borgia?' As Lucrezia leaves to serve her husband a glass of Borgia mercy, Cesare murmurs, 'Professional.'

Cesare walks in and finds Alfonso dead, with Lucrezia draped unmoving over his body. Cesare goes to his sister, who says, 'I will never wash this blood away.' Cesare wets a cloth and gently dabs her face with it. 'You will be naked, clean. Bloodless again. And mine.' He kisses her gently, then buries his face beside hers.

Show: The Borgias (Showtime)

Season: Three
Episode Number in Season: Ten
Episode Number in Series: Twenty-nine

Episode Title: The Prince

Episode Writer: Neil Jordan

Episode Director: Neil Jordan
Original Air Date: June 16, 2013