S01.E04: Episode 4

[PrincessPurrsALot 38,350]

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Following an audience with Marilyn Manson, Brannix decides to pay a visit to Pius XIII and is confronted by the intensity of his predecessor's followers.  Later, Brannox appoints Cardinal Spalletta, with whom he shares a past, to a new role.  Voiello prepares for a long war with Sister Lisette after the nuns go on strike.  The Church faces the prospect of bankruptcy as the Italian government looks to make changes. Gutierrez has a clandestine meeting which he later confesses to the pontiff.

Original air date 2020.02.03

[DoctorAtomic 11,625]

Can nuns go on strike? 

[WaltersHair 13,814]

What's in the silver box?

My attention is waning fast. Who knew Malkovich could be this boring?

[peridot 1,997]

This is such an odd show.  Marilyn Manson?!

The sexuality is bumped up a lot from last season,  prostitution and glory holes seem to be out of place.

The random scene of the cardinal dancing made me laugh. The other guys WTF looks made it even funnier.

I have no idea where all of this is going.

[cpcathy 10,987]

The whole show is cuckoo, but I'm loving the dancing cardinal, every time he's on screen I laugh.

[Athena5217 1,717]

On 2/3/2020 at 12:34 AM, DoctorAtomic said:

Can nuns go on strike? 

Apparently, they can:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/kcbc-slams-nuns-strike-terms-it-against-christian-values/articleshow/65936748.cms

 

[Starchild 4,207]

On 2/4/2020 at 10:44 AM, peridot said:

This is such an odd show.  Marilyn Manson?!

The sexuality is bumped up a lot from last season,  prostitution and glory holes seem to be out of place.

The random scene of the cardinal dancing made me laugh. The other guys WTF looks made it even funnier.

I have no idea where all of this is going.

He mentioned in an earlier episode that he liked MM, and if he became pope would he be able to meet him. I love that MM thought he was meeting Pius. Even the show knows that it's not nearly as good without Law front and center.

[MV713 1,536]

ok what are we to think at the final scene where Pius XIII's head falls to the side?

[scrb 10,601]

On 2/4/2020 at 7:44 AM, peridot said:

This is such an odd show.  Marilyn Manson?!

The sexuality is bumped up a lot from last season,  prostitution and glory holes seem to be out of place.

The random scene of the cardinal dancing made me laugh. The other guys WTF looks made it even funnier.

I have no idea where all of this is going.

I thought they moved the narrative forward significantly.

The palace intrigue and competition between Voiello and Spalletta really clarified for me what the show runner seems to be attempting.  The stunned look of both Voiello and Sofia when they discovered Spalletta had broken into their monopoly over access and counsel to the new pope was amusing.

Seems to be an uncharitable look at the flawed men who run the Church.  They’re all able to sound holy, say the right things, but they’re able to throw elbows, like Voiello threatening the politicians who’ve proposed to cut off Italian govt. funding of the Church.

Or spying on the nuns to blackmail them, while throwing them the occasional crumbs but treating them like serfs.

Gutierrez doesn’t seem to feel guilty that he violated his vow of chasity, just that he wasn’t emotionally satisfied afterwards.

Brannox doesn’t hide all the familial resentments which still animate him.  Meanwhile he has unholy fantasies about Sofia.

Esther meanwhile is manipulated into prostituting herself by having her faith questioned — she can’t be devout enough if she’s unwilling to do the dirty work.

But I get the sense that if Lenny was still in charge, a lot of these things might not be happening.

I wonder if the Vatican gave them access for filming.  The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Square look real.

Would they find these depictions of the inner sanctums flattering?

 

 

 

[pasdetrois 15,208]

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The whole show is cuckoo, but I'm loving the dancing cardinal, every time he's on screen I laugh.

I love this guy. The actor makes the most of his limited screen time. The scene where he and Gutierrez met at their connecting hotel door was very well done. Very sad.

If we're going to be forced to watch female frontal nudity, then we need equal time with the dudes.

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I thought they moved the narrative forward significantly.

Agree. I was absorbed in the story for the first time. Usually I just gaze at the arresting visuals. A bit of palace intrigue never hurts a story. The new usurper cardinal is deliciously reptilian.

The MM scene was funny. He held his own against Malcovich.

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by pasdetrois

[buttercupia 1,082]

this show is so confusing but so gorgeous I don't even care.

[PrincessPurrsALot 38,350]

On 2/5/2020 at 10:07 AM, MV713 said:

ok what are we to think at the final scene where Pius XIII's head falls to the side?

They are slowly showing signs that Lenny might wake up.

[DoctorAtomic 11,625]

On 2/4/2020 at 8:44 AM, peridot said:

The sexuality is bumped up a lot from last season,  prostitution and glory holes seem to be out of place.

There was a gay bathhouse on one of the Vatican owned apartments irl. 

Casting - so you going to play a nun. But... 

[DoctorAtomic 11,625]

On 2/5/2020 at 11:20 PM, scrb said:

Meanwhile he has unholy fantasies about Sofia.

Yeah well he can get in line. 

She knows it though. They're totally going to fuck and the husband wants to watch. 

[MyPeopleAreNordic 34,970]

On 2/4/2020 at 9:16 AM, WaltersHair said:

My attention is waning fast. Who knew Malkovich could be this boring?

I am kind of shocked at how bored I've been at least half the time by Malkovich. I'm not sure if it's the character or the character's story line (rather than Malkovich's acting), but ugh.  Pope Malkovich's story line has had some glimmers of hope for becoming interesting, but I'm much more bored by Pope Malkovich than I expected. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by MyPeopleAreNordic