Instruments of Torture The Borgias Season 2 - Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Pete

Описание: The Borgias is a historical drama television series created by Neil Jordan. It ran for three seasons from 2011 to 2013, when it was cancelled. Set in Renaissance-era Italy, the series follows the Borgia family in their scandalous ascension to the papacy. It stars Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander VI with François Arnaud as Cesare, Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia and David Oakes as Juan. Colm Feore also stars as Cardinal della Rovere.

The Borgias premiered on April 3, 2011 on Showtime in the US and Bravo! in Canada. That June it received its major television network premiere on the CTV Television Network. The second season followed on April 8, 2012 and the third on April 14, 2013. In June 2013, Showtime canceled the series, a season short of Jordan's planned four-season arc for the series. The cancellation was implied to be due to the expense of production, with plans for a two-hour wrap-up finale also scrapped. A fan campaign attempted to convince Showtime to revive the series, and in August it was announced that the series finale script would be released as an ebook, as a movie would be too expensive to produce.

Plot overview
The series follows the rise of the Borgia family to the pinnacle of the Catholic Church and their struggles to maintain their grip on power. The beginning of the first season depicts the election of Rodrigo Borgia to the papacy through simony and bribery, with the help of his sons, Cesare and Juan. Upon winning the election, Rodrigo Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI, which then thrusts him and his family deep into the murky heart of politics in fifteenth-century Europe: from shifting loyalties within the College of Cardinals to the ambitions of the kings of Europe to the venomous rivalries between the noble families of Italy at the time.

Meanwhile, enraged by his loss of the election to Borgia, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere travels across Italy and France, seeking allies to depose or kill Alexander: this would force another papal conclave and race for Pope which della Rovere is convinced he would win without Borgia to oppose him.

The series also follows the complicated sibling relationships between Cesare, Juan, and Lucrezia. Between Cesare and Juan, there is deep rivalry, with jealousy and resentment on Cesare's side; inferiority and aggression on Juan's. Juan's descent into addiction, illness, malice, and madness in the second season leads to a shocking confrontation between him and Cesare which forever changes the family. Between Cesare and Lucrezia, there is an abiding intimacy and closeness which finally devolves into incest in Season 3, as the show's take on the persistent rumors about the real-life siblings. Their youngest sibling, Gioffre, is a minor player in the first season, not seen at all in the second, and does not become a major plot point until the third and final season.

The show also addressed Lucrezia's first and second marriage, her illegitimate child, the affair between Alexander VI and Giulia "La Bella" Farnese, the rise of Girolamo Savonarola in Florence, his Bonfire of the Vanities and eventual burning for heresy.

The series cancellation prevented the death of Pope Alexander VI and the succession of Pope Julius II from being explored, and the downfall of Cesare Borgia.

Cast
Main cast
Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia / Pope Alexander VI: An ambitious clergyman and patriarch of the Borgia family, he uses his position to acquire wealth, power and influence, becoming pope in 1492. Shrewd and scheming, he is utterly devoted to his family but enjoys the company of beautiful women, as well.[2] The Pope, despite his corruption and cunning, believes he is doing what is right but often questions himself and his actions when innocents are caught in the crossfire. His favourite child is clearly shown to be Lucrezia, and he has a special fondness for her mother, Vanozza.
François Arnaud as Cesare Borgia
Joanne Whalley as Vanozza Cattaneo
Lotte Verbeek as Giulia Farnese
Sean Harris as Micheletto Corella
Aidan Alexander as Gioffre Borgia:
Gina McKee as Caterina Sforza