Sgt_Gath
Diamond Member
- Jul 25, 2014
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Well'p! It's finally happened. I've found a show so dark and nihilistic that even I can't stand to watch it. 
The American series - "The Borgias" - was always sort of underwhelming, IMO. As was the case with "The Tudors," it played out more like a sex-obsessed soap opera than an actual historical drama. This (European) version doesn't really have that problem.
It plays more like Game of Thrones with all of the focus on "honorable" characters and fantasy adventure elements cut out, or House of Cards without the dry sense of humor for which it is famous. It's pretty much nothing but irredeemably nasty people, doing nasty things, for an hour at a time, while showing little to no remorse, or even self-awareness of that fact.
I made it to episode three. After...
I'd simply had enough.
As far as the show's other merits are concerned, it's not too bad. The casting and acting are decent, but not as good as the American version. It also makes some odd decisions in certain places.
For example, roughly 95% of the cast is Italian, and therefore delivers their English lines through heavy accents (somewhat limiting their acting range, and stilting some of the dialogue). Rodrigo Borgia himself, however, is an American, who sounds almost sort of "cowboyish" by way of comparison. This is a bit jarring at first, to say the least.
The writing, on the other hand, is actually pretty good, for the most part. It definitely feels a lot more "authentic" than its American counter-part, though I also suspect that they are exaggerating certain historical elements in the interests of shock value (and, quite possibly, an anti-Catholic ideological message).
If that sounds like something you'd be into, go ahead and give a shot. I might give it another try myself if I find myself with nothing better to do.
Be forewarned, however, it's not really a "happy" program.
The American series - "The Borgias" - was always sort of underwhelming, IMO. As was the case with "The Tudors," it played out more like a sex-obsessed soap opera than an actual historical drama. This (European) version doesn't really have that problem.
It plays more like Game of Thrones with all of the focus on "honorable" characters and fantasy adventure elements cut out, or House of Cards without the dry sense of humor for which it is famous. It's pretty much nothing but irredeemably nasty people, doing nasty things, for an hour at a time, while showing little to no remorse, or even self-awareness of that fact.
I made it to episode three. After...
watching a man casually club his wife to death, another man be systemically bludgeoned to death limb by limb with a giant mallet, a man's wife being raped, and A NEWBORN INFANT BEING OFFERED UP TO GOD AS A HUMAN SACRIFICE (Ummm... Wtf? :screwy)
I'd simply had enough.
As far as the show's other merits are concerned, it's not too bad. The casting and acting are decent, but not as good as the American version. It also makes some odd decisions in certain places.
For example, roughly 95% of the cast is Italian, and therefore delivers their English lines through heavy accents (somewhat limiting their acting range, and stilting some of the dialogue). Rodrigo Borgia himself, however, is an American, who sounds almost sort of "cowboyish" by way of comparison. This is a bit jarring at first, to say the least.
The writing, on the other hand, is actually pretty good, for the most part. It definitely feels a lot more "authentic" than its American counter-part, though I also suspect that they are exaggerating certain historical elements in the interests of shock value (and, quite possibly, an anti-Catholic ideological message).
If that sounds like something you'd be into, go ahead and give a shot. I might give it another try myself if I find myself with nothing better to do.
Be forewarned, however, it's not really a "happy" program.
