Exactly my analysis as well. Jude Law kept me in it, and crawling out of a mound of babies was, interesting.. but if dry religion drama and no action continues, ill be dissapointed.First, I'll agree - the first 20 minutes was freaking weird.
Second, if you stuck with it, it wasn't bad after that. Not sure it's good, but it wasn't bad.
I was intrigued at the concept and I like Law well enough, but then I saw him on Colbert the other night. He said he knew nothing about the Pope, wasn't raised Catholic, etc. and tried to read the Bible to get an understanding but it didn't do anything for him. At a loss, he said he called the writer to ask for ideas to better understand the character, and the writer told him just to stick to the script, which he did. Didn't give me much hope for the series.
Haven't seen the series (and probably won't), but having been raised Catholic (and attending Catholic schools through high school), I agree. I also agree about the absurdity of an English Pope. Having spent a lot of time in England this past summer, one theme that rang clear throughout was the almost universal British sense that man was above the church, which is antithetical to everything to do with Catholicism.No matter what one's feeling is about Catholicism, there is an elegance to the church and to its ceremonies, but this character seems to undermine that elegance completely. There were two ways to play the character and make it credible: 1) make him refined and subtle, as one would expect from any man that rose up the ladder of an organization so hierarchical and steeped in tradition, or 2) make him the "peasant pope", as the gentle outsider that started with nothing but is still a man of God. Either direction would still allow for a lot of flexibility with the ultimate plot of the show. Either direction would also allow for a Pope that questions the foundation of the religion, which seems to be where the show is going.
Instead, Jude Law is playing it as if he was someone out of a Guy Ritchie movie. I think an English Pope is unrealistic to begin with, and it seems ridiculous that some of the character's behaviors would not have been caught somewhere along his ascension to the Papacy. Maybe some of this will come together with the next episode, so I will stick with it a little longer.
I was intrigued at the concept and I like Law well enough, but then I saw him on Colbert the other night. He said he knew nothing about the Pope, wasn't raised Catholic, etc. and tried to read the Bible to get an understanding but it didn't do anything for him. At a loss, he said he called the writer to ask for ideas to better understand the character, and the writer told him just to stick to the script, which he did. Didn't give me much hope for the series.
No matter what one's feeling is about Catholicism, there is an elegance to the church and to its ceremonies, but this character seems to undermine that elegance completely. There were two ways to play the character and make it credible: 1) make him refined and subtle, as one would expect from any man that rose up the ladder of an organization so hierarchical and steeped in tradition, or 2) make him the "peasant pope", as the gentle outsider that started with nothing but is still a man of God. Either direction would still allow for a lot of flexibility with the ultimate plot of the show. Either direction would also allow for a Pope that questions the foundation of the religion, which seems to be where the show is going.
Instead, Jude Law is playing it as if he was someone out of a Guy Ritchie movie. I think an English Pope is unrealistic to begin with, and it seems ridiculous that some of the character's behaviors would not have been caught somewhere along his ascension to the Papacy. Maybe some of this will come together with the next episode, so I will stick with it a little longer.
First, I'll agree - the first 20 minutes was freaking weird.
Second, if you stuck with it, it wasn't bad after that. Not sure it's good, but it wasn't bad.
My initial reaction is that the Pope character not credible, and I think Jude Law is miscast. I will give it one more episode.
After watching the 1st 2 episodes, I get the feeling that the title character is suffering from manic depression, crisis of faith, & the enormity of pressure of the burden that has been cast upon him. He is at the same time trying to right the historic wrongs that exist in the church's hierarchy. By rebelling against the Church's infrastructure, he is trying to act as a true leader & not be just the puppet face of the Church. I'll give it a couple of more episodes before making a decision on whether to cut ties.
I know you were responding to Nelson, but fwiw my reference to a British Pope was based on the fact that Law is British; and I obviously haven't watched it, either.He's an American Pope. You obviously didn't even watch the show and you're just talking out of your butt again.
I was intrigued at the concept and I like Law well enough, but then I saw him on Colbert the other night. He said he knew nothing about the Pope, wasn't raised Catholic, etc. and tried to read the Bible to get an understanding but it didn't do anything for him. At a loss, he said he called the writer to ask for ideas to better understand the character, and the writer told him just to stick to the script, which he did. Didn't give me much hope for the series.
Not sure if I'd say one of the last things, but I get your point. My point about Law was more to highlight his absolute lack of any sense about it whatsoever, and he was almost dismissive about it, like "Yeah, I just don't get this Pope thing at all." Just seemed arrogant and kind of rubbed me the wrong way I guess.Reading the Bible is one of the last things I'd recommend if someone wants to know about Catholicism. I'd suggest a week shadowing a priest, and watching both Borgias series, beginning to end.
Instead, Jude Law is playing it as if he was someone out of a Guy Ritchie movie. I think an English Pope is unrealistic to begin with, and it seems ridiculous that some of the character's behaviors would not have been caught somewhere along his ascension to the Papacy. Maybe some of this will come together with the next episode, so I will stick with it a little longer.
I know you were responding to Nelson, but fwiw my reference to a British Pope was based on the fact that Law is British; and I obviously haven't watched it, either.
This show is really quirky, but it has my attention. Of course "John From Cincinnati" had my attention too.
I think the scene in the second episode when Pious hits the button and the Nun comes in to tell him it was snack time was pretty hilarious.
I am concerned about the "John from Cincinnati" risk every time I start investing time in an unusual show. To this day, I am not sure if John from Cincinnati was awesome or terrible.