Medici The Magnificent Recap 'Old Scores'

Season 2 Episode 1

Near the beginning of Medici: The Magnificent, the second season of this chronicle of the lives of one of history's most famously powerful families, there was a scene that showed brothers Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici riding hard as they tried to protect their father Piero from assassins who accosted them on their way from their villa in Tuscany to their seat of power in Florence. Daniel Sharman and Bradley James looked like the perfect princes of one's childhood imagination, dashing and brave, as they rushed toward danger rather than cower from it. When Piero was hit with an arrow from an archer hidden amongst the trees, Giuliano remained with him whilst Lorenzo tried to locate the 15th century equivalent of a sniper. They struggled, and Lorenzo, young, not yet holding the reigns of Medici power, killed a man for the first time.

Masters of Florence showed the Medicis in acquisition mode; Giovanni di Bicci de Medici was a wool merchant and founder of the Medici bank, and his son Cosimo was the first member of the Medici family to serve as de facto ruler of Florence. By the time Lorenzo was born to Cosimo's son Piero and his wife Lucrezia, he was already destined as both a business and political leader. That he would someday lead the family was a destiny imparted by his grandmother Contessina (a very welcome cameo by the magnificent Annabel Scholey). Lorenzo grew up with an awareness of his exalted position and the responsibilities that came with it. When it came time for him to reach for power, behind the back of his injured and seriously ill father, he did so, with barely any hesitation though with much regret.

In a report published by Oxfam in early 2018, they showed that 82% of the global wealth generated went to the wealthiest 1%. In their time, the Medicis were at the very top of the one percent. Lorenzo knelt and prayed before he announced to the council that he was taking over as head of the Medici family; whilst this young man was on his knees, my eyes wandered to the rich mural that was his backdrop. We are supposed to care for the inner turmoil of this young man of unimaginable wealth, when the most many of us could hope to afford was a lovely wallpaper. Yet stories of the wealthy has always had an audience. The bedtime stories I grew up with were that of princes and princesses. When The Borgias first aired on Showtime, I hoped that we would also get a show focused on The Medicis. Wealth, and the power that comes with it, can be mined for arresting stories to be enjoyed by those of us who do not have it. The tale of the Medicis have endured through the ages not only because of the breadth of their power, but because of their contributions primarily to art and architecture. Lorenzo, at least, the depiction of Lorenzo in Medici The Magnificent, was a young man who tried to do right by his city just as he tried to retain the power of his family.

The Lorenzo of history was described as plain of appearance and of average height, a contrast to the very handsome Daniel Sharman. It was his brother Giuliano who was the 'golden boy' and who was even used as a model by Botticelli. Giuliano of Medici: The Magnificent was hot tempered and proud, and did not possess his brother Lorenzo's patience for diplomacy. When Giuliano and their boyhood friend Botticelli found the Pazzi seal in the inn where one of the would be assassins stayed, Lorenzo wanted the proof brought to Jacopo de Pazzi. Jacopo's nephew Francesco (portrayed by Matteo Martari, the highlight of the season for me during my initial viewing) and Giuliano were clearly not friends; Francesco managed to goad Giuliano into drawing his sword. Giuliano accidentally injured Jacopo, and was arrested. 

The assassination attempt on Piero de Medici was but one of the major issues the Medici family was facing. Unbeknownst to the family, Piero had ordered the recall of loans from small businesses in an effort to prevent the bank's insolvency. Piero also invited the Duke of Milan to try to persuade him to repay his father's loan. The Duke of Milan could afford to put powdered gold on his food but he could not repay the loan; what he had, however, was a large army that he offered to Piero. The Sforza army would sack Florence; in exchange, Piero would consider the debt repaid.

Piero's wife Lucrezia was horrified when she learnt of her husband's plan. Lorenzo, too, only found out about the bank's troubles when he was accosted by merchants who now had to live on the streets because their loans were recalled. Without a word to his father, Lorenzo called the council to tell them that he was assuming leadership of the family. If they agreed to give him his father's seat in the restricted council, he would cancel the loan recall and send the Duke of Milan away. Everyone voted for Lorenzo, including Jacopo de Pazzi.

True to his word, Lorenzo met the Duke of Milan at the gate of Florence. Retreat, he told the Duke, and he would write a letter stating that he implored Sforza to protect the city. The Duke of Milan would be seen as a hero rather than a criminal. Though his debt would remain unpaid, the Duke of Milan agreed, and withdrew his troops.

'You did it. You saved Florence without so much as raising a sword.' Sandro Botticelli was almost in awe of his friend and patron. From the beginning, Lorenzo was presented as a thoughtful young man. At the end of the episode, he already had in his hands the power of Florence.

Strays:

♕ The episode started with Lorenzo amidst a city at war. Alone, Jacopo de' Pazzi would attack him. Keep this scene in mind as you watch the whole series, as the final episode of Medici: The Magnificent would return to this.

♕ The Tuscany scenes near the beginning of Medici: The Magnificent were from the year 1469.  The The fight between Lorenzo and Jacopo happened in 1478.  

♕ Taking screenshots for this recap made me realise that Daniel Sharman is perfect from every angle.

♕ Lorenzo's sister Bianca is in a secret relationship with Franceso de Pazzi's brother Guglielmo. To be honest, I barely cared about Bianca and Guglielmo's relationship in this episode.

♕ Unaware of his sister's secret romance, Lorenzo agreed to Bianca's marriage to the son of another council member.

♕ During his trial for wounding of Jacopo de Pazzi, Jacopo wanted Giuliano to apologise. It was Lorenzo who apologised for his brother.

♕ Lorenzo had a married lover, Lucrezia Donati.

♕ Franceso de Pazzi had Giuliano de Medici attacked and beaten on the streets. As part of his bargain with the council, Lorenzo declared that he would forgive Jacopo de Pazzi for his nephew's attack on Giuliano.

♕ Lorenzo: 'This settling of old scores has never settled anything.'