I’ve rewatched a couple of times at this point and I’m always catching something new! A few cool details:

* The exchange between Juan and Cesare in Paolo, when Juan asks if he loves him - Cesare says “As I love myself” - in history, Cesare famously signed his letters to his siblings as “Your brother, who loves you as himself”

* Technically when Machiavelli gives the owl to the roving band of kids in Florence, he is “giving them the bird”

* A huge number of scenes rhyme/are echoed between seasons with small changes. For example, the final scene in the show is blocked almost exactly like the first scene between Cesare and Lucrezia in Lucrezia’s Wedding, and have the same (tragic) subjects.

What did you notice in your rewatch?

I just finished a rewatch and there are a few scenes I found myself really dwelling on/are permanently tattooed in my brain. For me it's:

• Trial by fire for Savanarola. The cinematography of this alone scratches my brain in the most insane ways. The grey of Florence splashed with orange and the red of Cesare's cardinal robes, intercut with the ecclesiastical curse and Cesare mouthing "burn" as Savanarola makes his way through the pyre. Pure cinema, peak television.

• Honestly actually the whole of World of Wonders because the second half is incredible too. The whole Borgia family in red, the most Macbeth vibes ever vibed. Holliday Grainger looking like that.

• The first scene with Machiavelli in The Prince, where they discuss the perfect crime. Inject the Cesare/Machiavelli dynamic in this show directly into my veins.

• Rodrigo doing a costume change to manipulate King Charles in season one. I feel like especially in later seasons Rodrigo became rather bumbling, and it was so exciting to see him at his most canny and manipulative.

• Rodrigo "UNBURDEN YOUR SOUL"

• Cesare and Lucrezia's first scene in the pilot. SO much happening here.

• Lucrezia convincing Juan to turn the papal armies around and allow the French into Rome. I feel we really lost out on seeing unity/amity between Juan and the other Borgia sibs after season 1, and it was so much fun to see the care they still had for each other at this point along with Lucrezia's total conviction that she could bend the king to her will.

What are yours?

It took a long time to come to do it. But here it is, 1% of the giant flawlessness.

I must admit to reluctantly being one of those people

Which moment made you laugh the most?

Cesare Borgia: I will send the papal army ahead of me under cover of night.

Alexander VI: What, no grand departure? No cheering crowd?

Cesare Borgia: No, nothing like that. And it is better if you know nothing of my progress. I will have them at the borders of Florence before Florence awakes.

Alexander VI: Well, we cannot justify to the Florentine ambassador-

Cesare Borgia: You will not have to. I have his assurance we can skirt their territories and move on.

Alexander VI: Hm, well, as Socrates said, "True wisdom is knowing that you know nothing."

Cesare Borgia: I will carve you out an empire, Father.

Alexander VI: But who will rule it after we are gone, huh? All this rancour, this discord. Votes in conclave bought and sold. Families and factions, blade against blade. Would it not be simpler just to hand on the keys of St. Peter's from father to son? Primogeniture. It's the simplest and most efficient transfer of power known to man.

Cesare Borgia: Like... like a monarchy.

Alexander VI: Hm... God's true kingdom, here on earth.

Cesare Borgia: Handed from father to son?

Alexander VI: Is God served well by the papal elections? Is the College of Cardinals mentioned in the gospels? No. That is the past. Primogeniture is the future. Simple, preordained.

Cesare Borgia: The world would not tolerate...

Alexander VI: Not yet. But... See, we have the power to make and unmake monarchies but we have no kingdom of our own. No, if you create for us a kingdom, we will write the book of our future. The future of the church, of the world we live in, will be ours- yours, and your children's. You say nothing?

Cesare Borgia: I am... stunned into silence.

Alexander VI: Why do you think we wished you a cardinal, hm? So you would be pope one day. Carve us out a kingdom, Cesare. And be both king and pope. Hm?

#francoisarnaud as #cesareborgia in #theborgias 2011 forever

Jeremy Irons & Lotte Verbeek’s Brilliant Acting. Neil Jordan’s Genius Writing | "The Borgias" 2011

The Borgias casting uncanny resemblance... chills.