Incompetent writing has murdered this serial. I have watched the entire first season and I'm done with it. I love period dramas, and could not imagine that I would be BORED TO TEARS with this one, but the writing is CBS mini-series level only.
Plotting is simplistic, obvious and unrealistic. There are few surprises, and the viewer is never left to discover anything for themselves, as the Borgia's tedious plans and schemes are waved slowly before our eyes and carefully previewed in dialog 'info-dumps'. Dialog is pitiful, there is scarcely a line of it that sparkles, or leads to character development (which is non-existent) and much of the time it does not even advance the plot, only wastes our time until the next scene comes along.
I get the impression that the writers were bored with this project, in over their heads, and just throwing words on the page to draw a paycheck.
SHOWTIME is no HBO, and they never will be if they can't understand that a great show starts with a brilliant script.
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