Because it's always nice to start your monday with a smile

Two different ways to induce a fannish aww from me. This, because it's funny and it showcases how young they were.




And this one because it's one of the most beautiful photos in the recently published collection of Linda McCartney's photos. I must confess that "men & babies" works most times for me, no matter who they are, but in this case the effect is heightened by the fact that Paul being a great father is one of the non-musical reasons why he's my favourite of the four:

The Borgias 1.09

The season finale, in which Rodrigo Borgia has the time of his life, Giovanni Sforza does not, and I can't believe it'll be 2012 before I see another season of this gorgeous show. I don't know whether I'll have the time to do a season overlooking "The Borgias, how I love them, let me count the ways" post, so here, quickly, the main reasons why I am so in love:

1) The characters, both writing and acting wise. You can sell me any number of historical liberties if you make me care about the characters. As
this post notes, it's a Neil Jordan trademark that he writes about messed up people, but he does so not from an outside perspective, but from inside, i.e. we're not invited to look at them and judge them from a distance but the narrative draws us into their own povs, and it makes you feel with them. Also, there wasn't one instance where I thought "why the hell did they cast actor X as character Y?"

2) The fact that while everyone comes to screen life and gets development, the character whose arc is the most compelling and whose development is the core of the narrative turns out to be... Lucrezia. Not Cesare, not Rodrigo (much I like and appreciate the characterisation of either), but Lucrezia.

3) Which brings me to: women! As in, not one or two with only a few lines and there to display their nude bodies, but four with in depth characterisation (Lucrezia, Giulia Farnese, Vannozza and Ursula), and two more are already introduced in short scenes who will be important in future seasons (Sancia and Caterina Sforza). One of the key relationships and unexpected delights of the first season was the one between Lucrezia and Giulia, which was treated as importantly by the show as any between male characters or between female and male characters.

4) Gorgeous cinematography. Just look at my icon. (That's the scene in which Lucrezia meets Giulia for the first time.)The show really makes the most of its Renaissance setting.

Now, onto a review of the last - sob! - episode of this season.

( Let us give thanks )