For the recap index, go HERE.
"1492"
- March, 1492. The peninsula of Italy is threatened by invasion from France, and the Muslim Turks. Italy itself is divided into 10 warring kingdoms. At the center are the Papal States, ruled by Pope Innocent VIII. Rome, it's capital, is also divided into warring factions—the Orsini, the Colonna, and... the Borgia.
It opens with Cesare's Establishing Character Moment: A Contrast Montage, cutting back and forth between him delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown while explaning And This Is for...—and him flagellating himself at a chapel. In the beatdown scene, friend tells him to stop, and he won't—but then a girl tells him too, and he does. He kisses her too.
After a brief scene of Lucrezia who has First Period Panic, we go to the Vatican, where Rodrigo Borgia and Giuliano della Rovere are engaging in petty rivalry. Rodrigo—a Spaniard—wants the Spanish to be named the Most Catholic Majesty, and Giuliano wants it to go to France. They put it to a vote, and Rodrigo wins by a landslide. With that under his belt, he goes on to ask a favor for someone he knows...
In Pisa, Cesare and his friends are in seminary school. A letter arrives, for Giovanni de Medici—it's the favor Rodrigo was asking for: He's been named a cardinal. Cesare watches jealously, but goes over and gives the guy a kiss anyways.
Rodrigo is playing cards with some other patriarchs, talking politics. Rodrigo points out that Divided We Fall, but the others don't listen. Tempers are short, and someone pulls a knife because he was accused of cheating—but then Rodrigo steps in, Invoking Enemy Mine. "When the city is safe, you can kill each other." They agree, grudgingly.
Back to Lucrezia, who claims she will become an Old Maid because she doesn't have anyone to arrange a marriage for her. Her mother Vannozza says her uncle Rodrigo of course will—and that she should stop hurrying to get married anyways. Lucrezia says Tell Me About My Father, and Vannozza obliges. Then she says Lucrezia is Wrong Genre Savvy and Thinks Like a Romance Novel—"I'm sad to say, but soon you will learn there is very little real romance in the world."
Juan arrives in Rome from Valencia, to tell Rodrigo that Pedro Luis is dead. Rodrigo tells him to go to Pisa to bring Cesare home at once.
In Pisa, Cesare is playing ball with his friend Alessandro when Juan arrives with the news. He says Pedro Luis was killed by assassins, sent by the Moors—though he killed all the assassins before he could learn much.
Rodrigo goes to talk to to Vannozza, lamenting the pain of Outliving One's Offspring. He wants his other kids closer to him—namely, his daughter Lucrezia. He still can't acknowledge his children as his thought, and Goffredo most of all—Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe, and while Vannozza says Goffredo's his, he doesn't believe her.
Lucrezia moves in with Rodrigo, and their cousin Adriana shows her around—Lucrezia seems happy, but in private starts to cry because I Want My Mommy!.
They all go to Pedro Luis's funeral. Juan has a Held Gaze with some girl a row behind them.
After the funeral, Rodrigo sits Juan and Cesare down for a serious chat. The Pope is going to die soon, and when he does, it's going to be a Orsini-Colonna-Borgia bloodbath... unless they can keep them focused on della Rovere as a common enemy. Pedro Luis was Duke of Gandia, and with him dead, either Juan or Cesare will become the next one. He Invokes Sibling Rivalry between them, thinking it will drive both boys to be the best they can be. He gives him both missions: Juan is to go butter up Virginio Orsini, and convince him the Borgia side with them, and turn him against della Rovere. Cesare is to do the same with Fabrizio Colonna.
Cesare gets mad at Fabrizio's nephew Marcantonio, and spits in his face. After he leaves, Marcantonio vows to kill him.
Rodrigo is furious at Cesare, and proud of Juan. Juan becomes the next Duke of Gandia.
The cardinals come over for dinner—the Pope needs money. Lucrezia, Cesare, and Juan talk outside—Juan rubs his new dukedom is Cesare's face. It looks like it's just back to Pisa and the priesthood for Cesare. Lucrezia would even prefer that Juan tuck her in than Cesare—he's shaping up to be Always Second Best.
Alessando's hanging out with his sister, Giulia, and her husband, Monoculus. Giulia and Monoculus are living here in Rome because of Monoculus's mom, Adriana, is a Borgia cousin. But Monoculus wants to move out, and asks Rodrigo if he can. Giulia gives Rodrigo a Meaningful Look, and Rodrigo says that Monoculus can go, but Giulia needs to stay. Giulia gives Adriana another Meaningful Look, and she agrees: Giulia needs to stay.
The next scene explain it all: Giulia, and Rodrigo are fucking.
Adriana is Lucrezia's Matron Chaperone of sorts, and they're having a battle of wills over learning needlepoint. Giulia backs up Adriana, and Lucrezia gives her a "You're not my mother!". Giulia stabs Lucrezia with a needle.
A whole line of naked cardinals covering themselves with their hands come into the courtyard. They were robbed by highwaymen, just outside Rome. They claim the highwaymen were from Milan.
Juan, Cesare, and Alessando meet some Colonna men in the street. Cesare wants to fight them; Juan insists they go another away.
Remember Juan's Held Gaze girl from Pedro Luis's funeral? He goes to see her later. He uses Enter Stage Window, and they fuck.
Giulia is with Rodrigo. There's a Kiss-Kiss-Slap when he says he's only truly loved two women in his life. "Monster. No woman wants two names on such a list. Especially when the other is Vannozza Catanei." She says she's leaving with Monoculus tomorrow—unless he can get Lucrezia to show her respect. He kisses her hand. She's satisfied, and they fuck. Lucrezia sees them, though she doesn't say anything.
Back with Juan, he's getting dressed, and Held Gaze girl says Come Back to Bed, Honey. Then her husband walks in. It's Fabrizio Colonna. Juan escapes on a Lover's Ledge. She girl doesn't. Fabrizio kills her.
Cesare goes to Rodrigo, asking if he has any grand plans for him, as he does for Juan. Rodrigo says no, not really: Cesare needs to go back to Pisa and become a priest.
Rodrigo tells Lucrezia she needs to treat Giulia with respect, and bribes her with a bracelet.
Cesare is hanging out with Alessandro again. (He's also having a servant hold a lit candle, and trying to a whip to put it out.) Juan shows up. He's mad about Fabrizio, so Cesare suggests they go after Marcantonio for revenge. (Remember Marcantonio? The guy who's face Cesare spat in?)
So they go off to a nunnery, where Marcantonio is having sex with Naughty Nuns. Juan and Cesare go Bash Brothers on him.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo's trying to make Cesare Bishop of Valencia.
Later, Rodrigo pulls Juan and Cesare in for a lecture: "You, my nephews, separately and in tandem, have—at a time when we need friends—created enemies. Sleeping with another man's wife must be based on the husband's lack of character, not the woman's lust. Before beating a man senseless, learn his family's history. The Colonna invented vendetta." To smooth things over with the Colonna, Rodrigo has to help make Fabrizio prefect of Rome.
Cesare still becomes Bishop of Valencia, though.
Cesare goes home to pout. His mother Vannozza says "I'm So Proud of You," but Cesare points out that it's all Nepotism, and he didn't earn it in any way. They talk about if he can make something of his new position. Cesare tells his mother he knows he's Rodrigo's son, and that he can't go back to Pisa because there's a girl—he can't do the Vow of Celibacy thing. Vannozza asks an Armor-Piercing Question: "You will rule the world. Question is, with that make you any happier?"
Giulia found out Rodrigo bribed Lucrezia to play nice. Rodrigo says, "Bribe is a harsh word." She says Lucrezia needs to get married, and get out of here—soon. Rodrigo gives Giulia a necklace to pacify her.
He's found a fiance for Lucrezia: Querubi de Centelles, Lord of Val d'Ayora, son a Spanish nobelman. She's excited. Giulia is trying to play nice.
Juan, Cesare, and Alessandro see Marcantonio again. They get into a Bar Brawl, and cut off one of Marcantonio's fingers.
When they come home after that, Rodrigo sees them, and at first the boys think he's going to rant at them again... but he doesn't, and just tells them to keep their weapons ready.
