Borgias, The: Season 1
Showtime (2011)
Crime, Drama, History
In Collection
#1938
0*
Seen ItYes
IMDB   8.0
10 hr 0 mins USA / English
DVD  Region 1   TV-MA
Jeremy Irons Rodrigo Borgia
François Arnaud Cesare Borgia
Derek Jacobi Cardinal Orsini
Joanne Whalley Vanossa
Elyes Gabel Djem
Holly Grainger Lucrezia Borgia
Aidan Alexander Joffre Borgia
Holliday Grainger Lucrezia Borgia
Lotte Verbeek Giulia Farnese
David Oakes Juan Borgia
Colm Feore Giuliano Della Rovere
Peter Sullivan Cardinal Ascanio Sforza
Ronan Vibert Giovanni Sforza
Director
Neil Jordan
Jeremy Podeswa
Producer Neil Jordan
Jack Rapke
Writer Neil Jordan
Cinematography Paul Sarossy
Musician Trevor Morris


The Showtime Original Series The Borgias is the sordid saga of one of the most remarkable and legendary families in history. Set in 15th century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, The Borgias chronicles the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia (Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons) to the papacy, where he proceeds to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family. The unbounded audacity of this original crime family went on to inspire Machiavelli's The Prince and Mario Puzo's The Godfather. Don't miss a minute of the lavish, sexy, scandalous drama from the creative mind of Academy Award winner Neil Jordan.
Episodes
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    4/3/2011  1.  The Poisoned Chalice
Rodrigo Borgia bullies and bribes his way into an election as the new Pope Alexander VI then wastes no time consolidating power by elevating his sons into high office and his daughter into a politically motivated marriage.
Director:  Neil Jordan  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    4/3/2011  2.  The Assassin
With Cardinal Orsini's assassin in custody, Cesare Borgia plots to ensure the man's loyalty but Cardinal Della Rovere isn't so sure that the man knows nothing and also seeks his loyalty. The Cardinal soon organizes those who voted against the Pope and searches for a legal means to dethrone the him For his part, the Pope installs a new mistress, Giulia Farnese, in Orsini's palace. The Pope's 14 year-old daughter Lucrezia tells her mother of Giulia's presence in the Papal rooms leading to a major confrontation. It may also provide Della Rovere what he needs to depose him. The Pope moves to neutralize Della Rovere and announces the appointment of 13 new Cardinals, including his son Cesare.
Director:  Neil Jordan  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    4/10/2011  3.  The Moor
His coffers depleted by his expensive rise to power, Rodrigo seeks funds through a profitable marriage for Lucrezia that will ally with him Milan, and charges a fee for safe haven in the Holy City to Jews displaced by the Spanish Inquisition; the Borgias host a charming Turkish prince; Micheletto is ordered to rid his patrons of the ongoing threat posed by Della Rovere.
Director:  Simon Cellan Jones  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    4/17/2011  4.  Lucrezia's Wedding
Lucrezia's financially and politically motivated wedding to Milanese nobleman Giovanni Sforza is a disaster thanks to Juan's inappropriately bawdy play in his sister's honor, Cesare's brazen flirting with a married baroness, and the arrival of the Borgia children's illegitimate mother; Della Rovere seeks the aid of the illustrious Medici family and their counselor, Machiavelli.
Director:  Simon Cellan Jones  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    4/24/2011  5.  The Borgias in Love
Alternately neglected and abused by her cruel husband, Lucrezia has an affair with Paolo, a handsome stable boy; Cesare strikes a bargain with Machiavelli: deny French troops passage across his masters' lands in exchange for suppression of Savonarola, a fiery preacher of anti-Medici sermons; in love with baroness Ursula, Cesare takes drastic action to get rid of her husband.
Director:  John Maybury  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    5/1/2011  6.  The French King
Della Rovere reaches France and strikes a bargain with its ruler to invade Italy and install him on the Papal throne in exchange for control of Naples; Rodrigo attempts to thwart the invasion through an alliance by marrying his youngest son Joffre to Princess Sancia of Naples (guest star Emmannuelle Chriqui), but Juan nearly sabotages the plan by seducing his prospective sister-in-law.
Director:  John Maybury  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    5/8/2011  7.  Death, on a Pale Horse
The invasion by King Charles of France and Della Rovere proceeds with victory seemingly inevitable as the French sack the city of Lucca and the Italian powers flee to their banner, with Lucrezia's husband Giovanni Sforza poised to join them in the name of Milan; inventor Leonardo Da Vinci (guest star John Lynch) shows his drawings and blueprints for war machinery to the invaders.
Director:  Jeremy Podeswa  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    5/15/2011  8.  The Art of War
The invaders capture a fleeing and pregnant Lucrezia as they march on Rome, but she charms King Charles and is allowed to persuade her brother Juan to withdraw his hopelessly outmatched defensive troops; Pope Alexander VI awaits to learn of his fate as Charles enters the city and makes his way to the Vatican.
Director:  Jeremy Podeswa  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
    Seen it: Yes   1 hr 0 mins    5/22/2011  9.  Nessuno (Nobody)
Abandoned by even his cardinals, Alexander meets King Charles with humility and saves his throne, even eliciting a confession from the conqueror he crowns as the new "King of France and Naples;" Della Rovere despairs as Charles abandons him; Lucrezia safely gives birth to a son in a convent as the Borgias secure an annulment of her marriage and plot revenge on their enemies.
Director:  Jeremy Podeswa  Writer:  Neil Jordan 
Edition Details
No. of Disks/Tapes 1