Let me start by saying that I was hoping for the best but not expecting much. I was so surprised. One word could describe the pilot; "Beautiful". First of all, the credits sequence images and music were mystifying and haunting. The greatest accomplishment of this pilot was the setting, the atmosphere with the music, the lighting, the production design and the cinematography, all of which reminded me so much of what you would see in a feature film! Some scenes were just breath-taking. One that jumps to my mind specifically would be the Pope's coronation. Words can't possibly do it justice.
Some scenes can feel a little long winded but things happen so quickly and yet so subtly that it leaves you feeling like, "Wait, what just happened?" in a very good sense, of course. Keeps you on your toes and demands your attention. In a very similar way, Jeremy Irons owns every scene he's in. A paper bag could play opposite of Jeremy Irons skills and leave you believing it was a worthy actor.
As for the rest of the cast, everyone has superb chemistry with one- another (as evidenced by the many gifs and youtube videos of Lucrezia and Cesare together.) They are all incredibly believable. For example, I had no knowledge of the story of the Borgias before watching this Pilot and Francois displays an intense internal turmoil between the good and bad. In what direction he goes remains to be seen. Although we are given a lot of foreshadowing.
I could go on and on about this show. It is a must watch. So much intrigue and so many intertwining story lines. The possibilities are endless and I'm loving all the directions my mind is taking them.
Some scenes can feel a little long winded but things happen so quickly and yet so subtly that it leaves you feeling like, "Wait, what just happened?" in a very good sense, of course. Keeps you on your toes and demands your attention. In a very similar way, Jeremy Irons owns every scene he's in. A paper bag could play opposite of Jeremy Irons skills and leave you believing it was a worthy actor.
As for the rest of the cast, everyone has superb chemistry with one- another (as evidenced by the many gifs and youtube videos of Lucrezia and Cesare together.) They are all incredibly believable. For example, I had no knowledge of the story of the Borgias before watching this Pilot and Francois displays an intense internal turmoil between the good and bad. In what direction he goes remains to be seen. Although we are given a lot of foreshadowing.
I could go on and on about this show. It is a must watch. So much intrigue and so many intertwining story lines. The possibilities are endless and I'm loving all the directions my mind is taking them.