The Borgias

The DVD set of Season One just came out and I'm renting it. No one ever talks about this here, and I'm wondering if anyone here watches or has watched it. Jeremy Irons, unfortunately, is an awful ham, and he reads all his lines with a Liza Minnelli slur. It's just become worse and worse over the years. Joanne Whalley is pretty good as his cast-off mistress--I'm sorry Hollywood never really knew what to do with her. She's not untalented, and she's beautiful. So far none of the younger men are very cute. The costumes and CGI recreations of Rome are incredible--even better than what they had for THE TUDORS.

• I believe there was a thread about it here last year when it was first broadcast. I think we talked a lot about French Canadian actor Francois Arnaud who plays Caesera Borgia. He is from Québec, is quite hot, and is rumored to be gay.

• I really tried to get into it but found it to be dreadfully boring and neither of the older sons is hot in any way, shape or form. They're both bland and forgettable. I've watched other shows before that weren't that good because I found one of the male characters attractive. The Borgias fails on many different levels.

• Most people I know seem to think that both Francois Arnaud and David Oakes are hot, and they both did some nudity last season.

• None of the younger actors really pops or seems especially distinct. Also, a few of them seem ill-suited for period roles - just way too modern. It looks gorgeous, but is otherwise totally meh.

• Jeremy Irons' voice is becoming a distraction - it is so hoarse and scratchy because of all the chain smoking.

• I know that Lurezia was little and blonde in real life, but the actress who plays her looks like a tiny china doll. She creeps me out.

• Part-way through Season 1, Lucretia becomes involved with an Italian twink from the British version of 'Skins'. (Luke Pasqualino) He shows his twinky ass in 2 scenes.

• I meant Lucrezia, not Lurezia--sorry.

  r6

• Looking forward to season 2. I've re-watched some of season 1 on demand, and while it is not Emmy material, it is more than good enough to keep me interested. Irons paints a creepy, conflicted portrait of a dad, husband, lover and Pope. Arnaud as Cesare is hot, and very good in the role. The other siblings I can do without. But my favorite supporting actor--putting the cute stable boy twink r7 mentions aside-- is Colm Feore as Borgia nemesis Cardinal De la Rovere (or whatever), who is delicious in his scheming against the crown.

• Luke Pasqualino backstage, appearing to wrestle on the ground with a male castmate:

  http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/10400000/Behind-the-Scenes-luke-pasqualino-10447371-510-383.jpg

• Luke kissing another guy:

  http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2715/4384241064_f62772f13b.jpg

• Luke:

  http://5.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpucvaiaH31qzjj3co1_500.png

• Luke's twinky body:

  http://da.img.v4.skyrock.net/dad/luke-pasqualino-sd/pics/2502528123_1.jpg

• Luke down on the ground with a male friend on top:

  http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2zw63TWXf1qc39pwo1_500.jpg

• Luke in skimpy outfit

  http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqx6wwpBPb1r200y4o1_400.jpg

• .gif of Luke being whipped by his master in The Borgias:

  http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqgceln4ld1qln2ixo6_500.gif

• Hmm.

  http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lq59ww5MPI1qbj8ybo1_400.jpg

• Ass to Ass with you

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Drx4n1llq3Yw

• Luke sucking the ear of a male co-star:

  http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmgt9fGBQ91ql58t8o1_400.jpg

• Luke getting his face licked by male co-star

  http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh7b5jyMLe1qc0anlo1_400.jpg

• Luke having more fun with male co-stars:

  http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lezbopDAgp1qewmr6o1_400.png

• Luke in pool with 4 guys:

• Luke in shorts:

  http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l98d63sAVY1qbft97o1_400.jpg

• Luke jerking off:

  http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l95up99Ish1qbugr6.gif

• Luke in Torso of the week

  http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l4554lLw631qbwz7ro1_400.jpg

• Luke all over his male co-star

  http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwtq5jDAhL1qzdll0o1_500.jpg

• Luke as Cosmopolitan centrefold:

  http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cZ40dBYoZRg/TUG9NE96KEI/AAAAAAAABC0/tETPqG8QHIE/s1600/cosmo1t.jpg

• Luke's naked twink ass:

  http://www.thecelebarchive.net/public/ca/Luke%20Pasqualino/241475199518420111151706.jpg

• Luke's naked ass on 'The Borgias'

  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lrt4hajiEcI/Tb7UYqUw3xI/AAAAAAAAGvI/iXw5QGhp6mk/s1600/Luke+Pasqualino+05.jpg

• Luke's naked ass on 'The Borgias'

  http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CDSiTs83wSE/Tb7VAGWV-8I/AAAAAAAAGvQ/_VrsqranNZA/s1600/Luke+Pasqualino+04.jpg

• Luke's naked ass on 'The Borgias'

  http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cYTdtHuLFys/Tb7UYKfb1yI/AAAAAAAAGu4/ARiqRG8XhJI/s1600/Luke+Pasqualino+07.jpg

• Luke's naked ass on 'The Borgias'

  http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Dwja8DFZI4/Tb7UXxZZ9fI/AAAAAAAAGuw/2yB2_XEp79c/s1600/Luke+Pasqualino+08.jpg

• I appreciate the Luke Pasqualino spam. He is gorgeous. Another Skins UK is going to be in this show. Sebastian de Souza, who played Matty.

  http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0zbdbtxaN1qexsq2o1_500.png

• LOL how did this turn from a Borgias thread to a Luke Pasqualino thread?

• Luke has a google alert on his name, found the thread and "helpfully" provided pics of himself.

• So does anyone else agree that the pics above indicate Luke is gay?

• Lots of open minded straight kids have pictures of themselves "kissing" their other male friends. He's not actually kissing anyone in the pics either. Not mouth-to-mouth.

• Well, that would be going a bit far to do that in public, R37, but he's pretty much doing everything else - wrestling on the ground with other guys, licking their faces, nibbling their ears, wearing pink clothes etc.

• The producers said there won't be any hot Cesare/Lucrezia incest sex so I didn't even start watching it

• I really tried to like this, but I didn't. I love period dramas and hate the Catholic Church, so you would think I would be the perfect demo. I watched Season One, but am out.

• It's good...not great like Game of Thrones. For those who love period dramas with treachery and intrigue it is adequate. Even though Jeremy Irons is a ham, I do enjoy him.

• [quote]For those who love period dramas with treachery and intrigue it is adequate. I love period dramas but I could not get through the first season. This show is even worse than The Tudors. It somehow makes treachery and intrigue BORING. I don't know if it's the writing, acting, or both, but it never clicked for me.

• Game of Thrones is decent, but it pales in comparison to I, Claudius and ROME.

• I like Rome but it too campy. Game of Thrones is more epic in scale also. Rome felt very rushed but then again if you only had 2 seasons to tell the entire story of Caesar and Augustus then it would make since that it all fell short. Damn HBO for canceling it.

• 'Game of Throne's has moments where it is great and has epic potential, but I don't think it reaches the heights of 'The Lord of the Rings'. It's writing is also very unmemorable. The only line that stood out from Season 1 was 'A Lannister always pays his debts'.

• Anybody getting excited about this coming back? I was in Paris two weeks ago and there were promo posters for it; the living son and the daughter were featured, only behind them was another guy, not Jeremy Irons, dressed in white priest's robes. I don't know if Irons has left the show or if maybe the French version has another actor, or if maybe it's a new character. Anybody know anything about this??

•  

• Anything on the guy who plays Cesare?

• So far there are no comments on the third season.

• Hey R49, I haven't seen a thread until now. I think a lot of people are like me, they record the show and watch it during the week. Saw the season premier two nights ago and it was okay. Yeah, there's going to be more of the same... The Borgias vs the Sforzas. How the Pope, whose power is so absolute, is somehow unable to put them down is beyond me. Doesn't he have an entire army? From the previews they saw, it looks like Caterina Sforza makes nice (though not really I'm sure) with the Borgia Pope. I LOVE some of the scenes.. The burning of the heretic priest last season... The grimy, gritty gay assassin who works for Cesare... I'm in love with him and want to see more scene of he and his apparent boyfriend. I think that character would have an awesome back story and obviously is hiding things and I'd love to see it explored. We could do with less Lucrecia IMO, but looks like she's going to have the long suggested fling with her brother; apparently they're in love. I find her tiresome though. LOVE the Pope's wife and wish we'd see more of her.

• If gay marriage is legal, could I marry Cesare?

  Pope Alexander the Sixth

• It's good, not great. I end up getting mad at it just about every time I watch it because of how dumbed down it is. Guess they figure no one knows the history. But I'm still watching

• Will this season give us more Michelino homosex?

  Facundo

• [quote]It's good...not great like Game of Thrones. For those who love period dramas with treachery and intrigue it is adequate. Even though Jeremy Irons is a ham, I do enjoy him. Exactly as I feel. It's totally watchable when there's nothing else on. And I must say, it does look incredible. The sets and costumes are astonishing, especially when you compare them with their awful counterparts in DAVINCI'S DEMONS, which takes place at roughly the same time, yes?

• Da Vinci's Demons takes place roughly 25 years before The Borgias.