The papacy is, generally speaking, seen as a leadership role. The pope gives guidance to the world’s Catholics, directing their moral and spiritual energies, and using their God-given wisdom to speak to the faithful—and to the rest of the Church. But in The Young Pope, and especially now in The New Pope, the papacy appears to be a rough equivalent to a Catholic’s bar mitzvah: a time for a young boy to puff up his chest, muddle his way through a made-up interpretation of the Bible, and claim to be a man.
During this episode, John Brannox moves from reticence to acceptance to, finally, excitement about being the pope, before he is officially elected. As he does this, we get a much better sense of who he is—a kid, trapped in a state of arrested development.
He delights in childish things, like eagerly showing Sofia one of his favorite movies (Easy Rider). He notes that Gutierrez has formed an opinion of him as a socialite, to which Gutierrez responds: “Socializing is important. Think of how many remarkable things happened for Jesus during the Last Supper. That was a social event.” (Absolutely incredible.) And he makes a big show of feeling put-upon as a social being who apparently has to give fashion advice to Meghan Markle, a joke that is almost funnier for being already out of date.
He makes a big, juvenile show of maybe not wanting to be pope, forcing the other cardinals to engage in a sort of drawn-out dance of persuasion. Even though Brannox has all but decided to accept, he still tells the assembled Vatican officials that he is not up to the task of being pope. Voiello, thankfully, is up to the challenge of getting Brannox to Rome—he masterfully manipulates the man into taking the papacy out of pride by claiming that they’ve found a different cardinal from a noble family (this one French). Sorrentino’s camera focuses on Voiello, the real person with power in this scene, as Brannox, unable to help himself, asks—purely out of curiosity, of course—who the new pope is going to be. Brannox’s voice cracks up while he asks, another rare moment of letting the mask slip.
And, most importantly, Brannox blows up at his parents before leaving them for Rome. During this scene, the hinge of the entire episode, John Malkovich finally gets the chance to let loose and remove the mask from Brannox’s chilly persona. It almost feels like a supervillain speech, particularly when Brannox snarls, “I will be pope.” It’s hard to blame him, given that his father literally says “God doesn’t like you.” Maybe Lenny got off easy.
The scene concludes with the camera behind Brannox, on the receiving end of the gaze of his ailing parents, their younger selves, and himself and Adam as teenaged priests. Later, as Brannox talks to his brother’s grave, Lenny makes his only appearance of the episode to declare: “God didn’t like me either.” It’s a tender moment, the two boys bonding over the shared burden of adulthood.
Brannox’s first speech as john Paul III is, accordingly, about not knowing, about not having authority. He stresses the importance and beauty of family, even though his own family is in tatters. He stresses tenderness, though he has never known it. The homily is the most abstract, meandering part of an episode that lives in an abstract, meandering space, slowly spinning out the subplots that have been building for the first third of the season. Like Brannox himself, it’s mesmerizing in the moment, but leaves more questions than answers by the end—does he really know what he’s talking about?
As John Paul III begins his papacy, ordinary people are lost in the shuffle. The nuns’ plea to get money for one of their number to visit her sick mother falls on the deaf ears of Voiello’s second-in-command. Faisal, the refugee boy living in a shed in the Vatican, manages to survive only because Voiello refuses to sound the alarm. And Esther, poor Esther, is saddled with easily the worst part of the season so far.
Esther is now without a husband (we learn that Peter has left her for some reason). The creepy priest she’s been staying with claims that landlords have rights, then tells her she needs to get out and find a new way to make a living—a new miracle. That “miracle” presents itself in the form of Fabiano, a caricature of a slick Italian guy and a pimp who, after seducing Esther, makes her an offer: having sex with a “deformed” young man to appease his wealthy mother. Basically everything about this sucks, from the classic horror framing of Esther reaching for the boy’s door (what kind of monster will emerge?) to the way Fabiano frames it as a proposition of Christian charity. The development highlights Sorrentino’s issues with disability and physical difference—and the result is not flattering.
If there’s an even slightly-redeeming element of this subplot, it’s the degree to which Esther seems to be detached from the events themselves. Her scenes are often shot through a window, and she turns to the camera to tell the audience that she’s been abandoned—even by Lenny. It raises a set of questions around why she is being led along a set path to a hoary sex work plot, questions that I hope, but do not expect, Sorrentino to explore further. It’s also of a piece with the episode’s other referential, self-consciously childish touches, including Brannox claiming that John Malkovich “doesn’t do much for me.” It’s funny the first time, depending on your feelings about Being John Malkovich.
The adult in the room is, it turns out, Voiello, who has emerged as a shockingly consistent voice of firm, yet pragmatic moral clarity. He allows Faisal to keep living in the Vatican. He asserts that Hernández cannot be pope, because of his past covering up sexual abuse. And though he is not informed of the plight of the nuns, it’s hard not to imagine him doing something to help them. Instead, the nuns are pissed—and they are, as the episode ends, giving each other ominous tattoos of a nun with a raised fist. John Paul III might be entering his spiritual adulthood, but he’s walking into a churchyard brawl.
Stray observations:
- According to Adam, the millipede we’ve seen throughout the season so far is apparently God.
- Brannox’s favorite celebrities are Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Sharon Stone, and Marilyn Manson. Meeting celebrities: a good reason to want to be pope!
- In what will hopefully be the final conclave for a while, Brannox gets 115 of 116 votes, with a single cardinal voting for Lenny Belardo.
26 Comments
Sofia: “My favorite actor is John Malkovich”Pope John Paul III: “……Never did anything for me.”I’m probably going to hell for this but I so look forward to peeking in at NunRave each week with Virgin Mary spinning.Get thee to a nunnery indeed. There is simply nothing else like this series.
There is simply nothing else like this series.That frightening way the television broadcast of the anti-Christian extremist speech is shot. Something terrible is going to happen.It is the surreal moments that are most telling.
I so look forward to peeking in at NunRave each week with Virgin Mary spinning.I would attend and bring my glow crosses.This show is bonkers and I am here for what it’s putting down. From the performances of these excellent actors, to the crazy twists in the narrative, it is as unique as it is a treat.
Bizarre and subversive, in a good way. Dancing nuns!
Well I actually don’t think Viello would help the nuns considering when they were yelling after him he turned and walked away
The nun subplot is probably going to be good I think, because the one thing every Catholic learns as a kid is never piss off the nuns, you will be sorry.
I’m ahead of this episode and as much as I’m enjoying Malkovich’s performance I’m really ready for Law’s Pius XIII to wake up.Also. This season is easily weirder than the first, which is quite a feat.
Its always best to remember this show is at heart a satire/pastiche of Prestige TV, with every factor turned up to 11, but aside from the incredibly eurotrash Fabiano (is that a wig?), the Esther subplot is pretty grim viewing. Im interested to see how it develops and eventually folds back into the other plots, but even a couple of episodes ahead it doesn’t seem particularly well judged, and it’s unclear why she’s even still a character in the show at this point. Definitely the low point of the season, luckily everything else is pretty phenomenal.
I’m at episode 6. Her sub plot gets more…uncomfortable. But her story hasn’t seemed misplaced to me; her actions, like all the others, are having an impact on the *real* pope Jude Law. Pious needs her.
According to Adam, the millipede we’ve seen throughout the season so far is apparently God.I read that as an expression of Ignatian spirituality. “Finding God in all things” and whatnot.
A character explicitly states that it is God and it acts as the hand of God as the series continues, appearing in other places when God-magic happens. I’m an atheist, so I could be off on that last term.
The filming of the pre-Rome shots at Manor Brannox have reminded me of scenes from Edward Gorey.
“And he makes a big show of feeling put-upon as a social being who apparently has to give fashion advice to Meghan Markle, a joke that is almost funnier for being already out of date.”
I didn’t think this was out of date, but instead, by happenstance, explains why her and Harry left the Royals. No more fashion advice from Brannox!
And Meghan Markle looks best in jewel tones, not yellows! xP
I absolutely adore this series. It’s incredibly fun.I love getting to see Malkovich just go for broke and have fun.Thank you for the continued reviews.
I’m willing to stick this out a bit longer without Jude Law being brought back to consciousness, but I’m starting to fear that he’s going to stay in a coma the entire season and they’re going to use him as they have been, as a ghost who appears just to comfort people and move boxes around.
I’ve watched the previews for the season and it looks like he’s going to rise from his coma at some point, but that could just be skillful editing of the trailers to keep us interested.
SPOILERS but maybe it’ll be like the Twin Peaks Return. We eventually get our hero back but only in a very abbreviated form.
Missed being elected unanimously by one vote, kind of like Derek Jeter..
My guess is Brannox was the lone holdout who didn’t vote for himself.
He’s an Anglo-Saxon Pope yet his Papal Stole when he addresses the Cardinals has little ruby triquetras. What a vain and indecent appropriation. I love it!
I can’t believe Sir John Brannox single handedly made Markle SparkleI can’t believe the true Markle Sparkle was the Holy Spirit.
Obviously I could be wrong, but I just assumed that it was Brannox who voted for Lenny rather than voting for himself in the conclave.
I love that this show has become Vatican Veep.Which one of the lads in white will end up in Ketchikan? Will Gutierrez find love? I hope Esther wins the lottery or something.
I assume the one vote for Lenny was from Brannox, because it would be pretty sad voting for yourself. But maybe I’m giving him too much credit.
The visuals alone have me obsessed..I think it’s even more amazing than The Young Pope. Of course I love the whole thing..it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve seen on TV or film, the plot, the irreverence the characters, the spiritual conundrums that are voiced. I plan to watch it all again as soon as the last episode airs.