The wicked Pope Alexander VI

As I watched the Showtime show The Borgias, I was appalled by the wickedness of Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI). The power of the Pope during the early to middle history of the Catholic church was so vast that I was not surprise it created some very wicked Popes. After all, power corrupts most men. The Pope then even controls the monarchs. Fear of excommunication from the church has kept most of the European monarch under the control of the Pope. And any laymen who questioned that doctrine and practices of the church were hanged as heretics or burnt as witches. I can not stand this hypocrisy. I am so glad that present day society does not fear the church as it did. We are now smart enough not to fall prey to idol threats of excommunication or going to hell. The church can still be influential but at least nobody is being sent to death because they do not obey the church.

But I digress. The Borgias is primarily about Rodrigo Borgias who became Pope through bribery and un-Christian ways. When he was Pope, he used his position to advance his family. Yes he had children that he acknowledged. He even elevated one of his young son as Cardinal. And not only did he have a "wife" that bore him 4 children when he was already a cleric, he also had a mistress while he was the Pope. And the worst, he committed murder to protect his position and power as Pope. What a hypocrite! Not only was he suppose to be chase but to engage in nepotism and murder, that is another level of wickedness. I love this show not only for the historically correct storyline but also for the fantastic costumes and set. I almost felt like I was really observing these events as it happened in the past. Jeremy Irons played Rodrigo and boy he did evoke disgust in me for his portrayal of the wicked Pope Alexander VI. That is the mark of good acting. I am looking forward to watch Season 2 of this show. I definitely recommend it as an entertaining and educational show. I will give it a 4 stars out of 5.


Here is the trailer for the second season: