#the borgias is a show that doesn't exactly shoot for historical accuracy

[borgialucrezia]

99.9% of the show's fandom hated the script because cesare x lucrezia weren't endgame!

i never denied that there are history nerds around but it was nowhere near the reason why people hated the script because the historical accuracy in the show had already been butchered since the first season, so it wasn't exactly the issue here. (historical fiction can still be great without the accuracy)

read my post again! neil was kind enough to offer us the borgia apocalypse because the fans were upset after the show's cancelation and they needed any content. it was a first draft and it wasn't even cooked yet.

neil would never trash his own show and the characters for petty reasons! if he had any vendetta it would be against the network and not his project! that doesn't make sense.

"cesare's character progression would not have led him to murder innocents." cesare had been enjoying torture and poisoning since the very beginning of the show! here's mr. françois arnaud himself who took machiavelli's 'the prince' (a book that describes cesare borgia as cruel, ruthless leader who solves his issues with violence) as his bible to portray his character:

i have been a fan of the show for 11 years now so i don't see the point of assuming that i'm new? that being said, even new fans are allowed to like the script because neil didn't stray away from the characterization he had planned for cesare. it's a road from an innocent man with genuine intentions to an ambitious megalomaniac man consumed by the need for power.

i appreciate the book recommendation! but i fear i've already read g.j meyer's 'the borgias, the hidden history'. still, it doesn't change the fact that the show is entirely different than real history. and i wasn't even discussing history in my post. just the script and why do i find it good.

hot take but the borgia apocalypse script was actually pretty good, and the characterizations were spot on. it's mindboggling how some fans hated on it solely because they expected a sunshine and rainbows ending between cesare and lucrezia. the truth is, they were never meant to be a pure fairytale couple. the most compelling aspect of their relationship is their intense toxic codependency and destructive dynamic. their obsession with each other consumed the energy, love, affection, and innocence of those around them, leading to tragic outcomes for anyone who got close to them. neil jordan stayed true to the plot with the apocalypse script, unlike what we saw in the s3 finale. despite cesare proclaiming his devotion to lucrezia and claiming to prioritize her happiness, he hurt her by killing alfonso and betraying her, alongside rodrigo, while keeping her in the dark about their plan. cesare ultimately turned out to be just like his father—his mirror image, his favorite chess piece, and a future king and pope. it was captivating to watch both rodrigo and cesare spiral into ambition and murder, becoming sociopaths. personally, i'm fascinated with the idea of cesare and lucrezia's relationship growing darker and cesare prioritizing his political gain, which terrifies lucrezia. this is the direction cesare's character would have headed if the show hadn't been canceled and if showtime had allowed neil jordan to film the script. 'world of wonders' should have been the episode that made the audience realize cesare was a manipulative, self-contradicting psychopath but alas! anyway, in the apocalypse script, he reaches the last stage of becoming a complete monster (for example, *spoilers* when he cuts off catrina's lips and poisons naples' water, killing half the city). this transformation occurs as he loses the remaining traces of humanity that were present in the first three seasons. valid criticism of the rushed nature of the script is understandable. jordan didn't have time to edit it and only released it to console devastated fans. i'm confident that his final draft would have been 100% better than what we have. in short, there's no way someone as genius as him would ruin the show he created with a disappointing ending or ooc moments. so if there's an opportunity for him to adapt it for the screen, it would be a serve as i enjoyed the overall conclusion of the story