Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Borgias: The Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Habemus Scandalous.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 18, 2013

Our task is vengeance.

One would like to imagine that behind the scenes of the Vatican, deep in the heart of the church, and within the very soul of the man tasked with leading it all -- the Holy Pope himself -- that only the good of the world, the needs of the people, and the Word and will of God would be of concern to those entrusted with such a position. Of course, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Certainly the church is full of good people with honest, legitimate, spiritually inclined and morally sound values and visions, but as with any institution there are bound to be bad apples and, sometimes, downright rotten fruit even at the very top of the organization. That's the core story of The Borgias, Showtime's scandalous tale of a Renaissance-era pope with everything but the work of God on his mind. It's more Spartacus than it is a tale of faithful servants of God doing His business. But the drama just wouldn't be there if everything was hunky-dory. Sex, manipulation, sibling rivalry, hate, fear, war, sickness, and all sorts of unholy conniving and business dealings define the bulk of the program, a program that's also well acted and beautifully designed from the ground up.

Let's hurry this up. My mistress is waiting.

It's been some time since Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) finagled his way into the Papacy and became the worldly, power-hungry, lustful, and conniving Pope Alexander VI. He's successfully fended off the advances of his primary adversary, Giuliano della Rovere (Colm Feore) and warded off a French invasion by forging an alliance with King Charles and granting him authority over Naples, a region under the plague's despair, decay, and death. Now, with the Papacy fully under his control and his adversaries seemingly out of the way and unable to fully challenge his legitimacy, Alexander sets out for blood, this time to ruin those houses that dared stand against him. Alexander's daughter Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) is nursing her newborn baby but finds herself ever wary of her father's and the church's corruption and also must come to terms with the schism formed in her family over the identity of her baby's father. Meanwhile, the sibling rivalry only grows between Alexander's sons, Cesare (François Arnaud) and Juan (David Oakes), and Alexander's favoritism only serves to further the divide. Meanwhile, Alexander continues to engage in salacious, immoral, and certainly not Christ-like living, determined to hold onto power at all costs and engage in all manner of lurid behavior. He'll have to be aware, however, as old enemies effort to strike again, and it will take the entire family, divided though it may be, to repel all manner of attack from outside and, sometimes, inside.

Hopefully there will be nothing quite so ugly under the leadership of the newly elected Pope Francis I. In The Borgias, misdeeds are commonplace, sin is everywhere, and the lust for the flesh and the craving of power reigns supreme. It's certainly enticing, and the combination of blending hardcore scandal with the deepest inner workings of the church will either disgust viewers or enthrall them. It's certainly a fresh, unique setting for an adult television drama, an unexpected venue for such things, even as still today tales of scandal shape much of the public's perception of the Catholic church. Season two is largely much of the same, with different dilemmas and new schemes and fresh and renewed rivalries, but at its center it's almost exactly the same things that shaped season one. In many ways that's a good thing, but the show also feels just a slight bit stale. It's still enticing, smart, and oh-so-dark, but it doesn't always feel like it's headed anywhere other than towards the same general plot lines only reshaped for a new season. Still, the family dysfunction, the political intrigue, the sex, the scandal, the power grabbing, the conniving, it's all here and in generous quantities. Chances are fans of season one will devour season two, and those turned off -- for whatever reason -- by season one have no reason to enter season two expecting anything different.

With that "more of the same" also comes a consistent stream of excellent acting and production. The cast is stellar; Jeremy Irons remains firmly entrenched in the role, finding a really creepy vibe that he pulls off beautifully. The visual juxtaposition of the physical reminders of his position in the church set against the realities of his actual dealings and doings and countless sinful activities is made all the more striking by Irons' performance, one that so vividly captures the personal drive towards physical pleasures and the emotional, deep down need to win every situation and see his foes defeated while raising his own position. It's a remarkable effort and inspired casting. The rest of the main cast is fine, though certainly somewhat lost beneath Irons' domination of the lead role. The show looks just as fabulous as it is acted and written. It's so detailed that audiences are instantly transported into the Renaissance era, where every little structural detail, stitch of clothing, and the general environment of the outside world create a full, faultless experience. It's both resplendent and repulsive, capturing the period's separation between the upper classes of the church and ruling families and the struggles of the peasantry. It's a wonderfully designed show, right up there with the finest in the new wave of old history dramas so captivating television audiences these past few years.

The Borgias: The Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Borgias: The Complete Second Season looks fantastic. The image is impeccably detailed right down to the finest little stitches in clothing, lines on faces, and textures on surfaces. It is remarkably clear and lifelike, perhaps very slightly flat from the HD video sourcing, but still a pristine example of the digital medium's ability to strike a fantastic balance between cleanness, efficiency, and remarkable detailing. Colors are also brilliant. Whether bright exteriors or low-light interiors, whether vibrant shades of red or dull grays, the entire palette takes on an authentic, sometimes even spellbinding appearance. Noise and banding are minimal, black levels are strong, and flesh tones pure. This is a no-nonsense, no hassle sort of transfer that does pretty much everything as well as can be expected of a modern program brought to Blu-ray.

The Borgias: The Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Borgias: The Complete Second Season arrives on Blu-ray with a very well constructed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation enjoys a wide, spacious feel, grounded by a strong and balanced low end and defined by crisp, accurate notes through the remainder of the listening area. There's a very natural immersion to the music, and the same may be said of the many opportunities to surround the listener into the world of Renaissance Europe. The track regularly springs to life to yield some fantastic sound elements, whether heavy effects or gentle atmospherics. Nearly every scene produces a lifelike environment that should delight listeners. Sounds of action are also delivered without flaw; clanking swords, for instance, come across with striking realism. Rounded out by flawless dialogue reproduction, The Borgias: The Complete Second Season sounds just about as good as one could hope.

The Borgias: The Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of The Borgias: The Complete Second Season's supplements are available through disc three's BD-Live portal. That's frustrating and not happening for users without an active internet connection paired to their Blu-ray playback devices. It's also slow and inefficient.

• Californication Episodes: Season five, episodes one and two.
• House of Lies Episodes: Season one, episodes one and two.
• Showtime Original: Interviews and Behind the Scenes: A short look into the plots, themes, and character developments in season two.
• World of Borgias: Several shorts on specific topics: Vicar of Rome, Gunpowder Revolution, Love, Renaissance, and Sex.

The Borgias: The Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Borgias: The Complete Second Season remains an electric but also in many ways unsettling television series. It's lurid and sinful but at the same time enticing and largely engrossing. It's strongly acted and beautifully produced. Season two plays with a very slight air of staleness to it; it's often more of a case of the pieces rearranged rather than new ones added or the current ones used in a different manner. No matter. It's not a problem -- yet -- and season two is sure to delight audiences captivated by the first, but on the other hand it won't draw in too many newcomers. Paramount's Blu-ray release of The Borgias: The Complete Second Season features beautiful video and robust audio. Show-related supplements are weak and only available through a BD-Live portal. Recommended to fans.