MovieChat Forums > The Young Pope (2017) Discussion > Does any one else hate this show?

Does any one else hate this show?


It's not often a program jumps the shark from the get-go, especially the expensive, cable ones.

The premise is inscrutable, the script tells us nothing about the characters motivation, the acting is wooden. Is Lenny crazy? Is he playing the long con? Is he yanking our chain? Impossible to know, as his character changes his mood like he doesn't change wardrobes. Even the opening credits, when Lenny smiles and winks at the camera contradicts his actual actions in the program, so far at least.

I'll grant you, the cinematography is gorgeous, but so was it in Heaven's Gate. But then, Heaven's gate made more sense than this program. A rambling collection of great shots does not a mini-series make.

Oh I'll keep watching. But it will be a struggle not the throw my remote at the screen.

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I love that I'm completely in the dark about Lenny. It is like a dream kind of, but you have to wonder what would happen to the church if they had a pope like him. So freaking frustrating but I'm still all in. I'm hoping that they make more.

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It's not that I hate this show, but I cannot make heads nor tails of it. Is Lenny supposed to be a true saint, masquerading as one, maybe a demon trying to sow discord or just a guy way in over his head? I can't make it out from watching the show.

Nor can I tell what kind of story it is supposed to be telling. Sometimes it is hilariously funny laugh out loud, and at other times Lenny seems to be cruel and thoughtless and a hideous conservative reactionary - for instance his demands of the Italian Prime Minister were absolutely cringe-worthy, almost as if he were trying to set up a Papal Caliphate in Italy. Shame on him for thinking such demands are worth considering anymore.

I really don't get the point of the story. There were great scenes though looked at from a cinematographic point of view and the accents of some of the cardinals were hilarious, thigh-slapping funny and contributed to a sort of surreal atmosphere.

But overall, the series was a huge disappointment. I don't understand the high ratings.

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I'm with you on this. Although I like the acting in it, I can't see for the life of me where this is all going. Dead kangaroo,(which I never understood why it was ever significant in the first place), Peter and Esther just taking off without any notice, and his hippie parents (seemingly), an obsession to him.

I get the part about all the subterfuge, political posturing and plots against one another, but with just 2 episodes left, I can't see how they are going to tie it all together.

What was up with that damned kangaroo anyways?

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Dead kangaroo,(which I never understood why it was ever significant in the first place), Peter and Esther just taking off without any notice, and his hippie parents (seemingly), an obsession to him.


This is just SPECULATION ...

but remember how the DETECTIVE came to see them about the other guy with the SHEEP ...

(who also wanted to start his OWN CHURCH) ...

because he's MISSING and they threatened to throw him into QUICKSAND???

The DEATH of the KANGAROO may be RELATED to the other MISSING MAN with the SHEEP.

Because if the SHEEP gives the other man POWERS, then whoever wants REVENGE for the DEATH of the other MISSING MAN may also assume that killing the KANGAROO will take away LENNY'S POWER.

The YOUNG COUPLE were being STALKED by LENNY.

HE DROPPED the BABY in the HOSPITAL ROOM.

Then when he wants to CHANGE it's DIAPER they were also NOT HAPPY about that because they were also AFRAID he might DROP the BABY again.

So they LEAVE to get away from LENNY, and from the way that he also wants to HELP THEM TAKE CARE of it and RAISE IT, because they DON'T TRUST HIM with the BABY, and they simply also don't like his BEING AROUND THEM and their BABY all of the time.

Being ABANDONED by his PARENTS was a TRAMATIC THING for him. Imagine if you were 7 YEARS OLD and your PARENTS LEFT YOU without telling you the reason why.

How would you feel???

ABANDONMENT of a CHILD can wreck all kinds of HAVOK on the MIND of that child.

Even the UNINTENTIONAL DEATH of a PARENT can also have the SAME EFFECT.

LENNY probably also SUFFERED PTSD (POST TRAMATIC SHOCK DISORDER) as a result of what he went through.

And he may also STILL SUFFER from it if he's never had therapy for it.

In other words, LENNY may also be CO MORBID or suffer from having more than just ONE DISORDER.



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I love that I'm completely in the dark about Lenny.



Same here!!!

There are way too many other shows that SPOON FOOD everything to you as if one were still a BABY SITTING sitting in a HIGH CHAIR.

So whenever one encounters a show like this that FORCES one to THINK, one feels as if they're in HEAVEN to be treated like an ADULT who can figure things out for themselves.


[quote]the script tells us nothing about the characters motivation


On the Contrary, the MENTOR SPELLS it OUT for us QUITE CLEARLY when he tells LENNY he's UPSET about being ABANDONED by his PARENTS and wants the REST of the WORLD to PAY for it.

There's his MOTIVATION in a NUT SHELL.

LENNY is doing this because his parents were HIPPIES, and he wants to do away with any kind of LIBERAL THINKING that's connected with them.

His other friend killed by the GANGSTER was also right when he said LENNY NEVER GREW UP which LENNY also ADMITS in the DIALOGUE found in this link:

http://observer.com/2017/02/young-pope-episode-7-recap-cardinal-dussolier-narcos/

Lenny and Andrew’s meeting on the roof, which is your standard “what happened to you, man” talk between old friends except the entire fate of the Holy Catholic Church hangs in the balance.

“When are you going to grow up ?” Andrew asks, saying what the world is thinking.

“Never,” Lenny answers.

“A priest never grows up because he can never become a father. He’ll always be a son. That is why we imposed the vow of celibacy on ourselves 13 centuries ago.”


his character changes his mood like he doesn't change wardrobes



People who are ABANDONED or NEGLECTED as children can end up with what's called a BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER.

And MOOD CHANGES are also a BIG PART of having this DISORDER.

They also tend to see people in terms of BLACK or WHITE, where they either IDEALIZE THEM or DEMONIZE THEM.

And LENNY also fits into this category as well.

https://www.verywell.com/borderline-personality-disorder-symptoms-425175

frequent and intense mood changes (for example, going from feeling okay to feeling totally despairing in a matter of minutes or hours


https://www.helpguide.org/articles/personality-disorders/helping-someone-with-borderline-personality-disorder.htm

People in a close relationship with a borderline adult often liken talking with their loved one to arguing with a small child. People with BPD have trouble reading body language or understanding the nonverbal content of a conversation. They may say things that are cruel, unfair, or irrational.

Their fear of abandonment can cause them to overreact to any perceived slight, no matter how small, and their aggression can result in impulsive fits of rage, verbal abuse, or even violence.


So if he's a BORDERLINE PERSONALITY, then that may also be the answer to your IS HE CRAZY QUESTION.

When he walks past the FAMOUS PAINTINGS he probably also WINKS because of the WAY the KEYS to the KINGDOM were DROPPED instead of being HANDED OVER,

and because that SCENE with the MOVING PAINTINGS also ENDS with THE COMET HITTING and KNOCKING OVER the OLDER POPE.

And LENNY is also a YOUNGER POPE, which means one would also expect him to be MORE LIBERAL than an OLDER POPE, but IRONICALLY he's not only LESS LIBERAL but is FANATICALLY CONSERVATIVE in his VIEWS.

HOPE that helps.

If you have any more questions, please also feel free to ask them, and one will also try to do one's best to try to answer them for you.



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Does any one else hate this show?

No.

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When I watched the first episode, I didn't like it at all, but I continued to watch and now I love it. Even if it's not clear as to what is going on exactly, it is visually beautiful.

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When I watched the first episode, I really didn't know if I liked it or not, BUT I wanted more. It is not like anything I've seen on TV and it keeps me wanting to see the next episode.

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Exactly!! I had to watch it for several episodes to really get into it, but then I got hooked. After seeing the whole series, still don't understand all of it, but I am going to re-watch it soon because I really love it now. ❤️

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Not me!

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Agreed. This show is a mess. No story whatsoever and confusingly ambiguous. Nothing makes sense about this pope, he is not believable at all. He doesn't represent a real relatable human and it looks like his character is invented and reinvented on the fly during each episode. Hardly any continuity and as said, way too ambiguous. One day he behaves almost compassionately, the next he is an evil vindictive bully, so much so that i though at one time that he was suspiciously close to a devil/Antichrist figure right up until they started to insinuate he is actually a saint with a direct line to God.

One day in a dream he advocates for acceptance and understanding of bodily urges and exhibits an open-mindedness towards homosexuality, the next he humiliates the priest who had the courage of being honest by blatantly pressing the button under his desk.

So, we are supposed to believe that this psychopath is a saint? Common now. And i have nothing against ruthless amoral characters if they are well written and make sense, i love Frank Underwood for instance, because he happens to make sense and is totally believable. Actually, that's pretty much what i would expect from a successful politician, that's how good it is, but this? Nope. Another good example of a believable amoral character is Jeremy Irons' pope in Borgias, that's a well written, believable and nuanced character, that's a believable pope. But Lenny Belardo? Gimme a break.

The guy displays all the male character flaws in the handbook, is angry, vindictive, egocentric, megalomaniac, arrogant, narcissistic, disrespectful, but not attracted to sex or the female body one bit? For me, that doesn't add up. At least, Jeremy Iron's Alexander IV made more sense in that regard, made him human and relatable.

Yeah, as said, a complete mess. 4/10 only because Jude is not bad at all in the role and also because between 2 nonsensical scenes, there are also some good shots and pleasing cinematography. Unfortunately, said cinematography is in the service of nothing, as the show is pretty much devoid of any real substance beyond shock value. And that's coming from an atheist and i have watched all eps.

If you want to know about the papacy and what it once meant to be a pope, watch the Borgias, not this. If you want to watch a well written, ruthless, cunning and powerful character, and a nice cinematography on top of that, watch House of Cards, not this.

My 2 cents.


People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs

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One day he behaves almost compassionately, the next he is an evil vindictive bully, so much so that i though at one time that he was suspiciously close to a devil/Antichrist figure right up until they started to insinuate he is actually a saint with a direct line to God.

One day in a dream he advocates for acceptance and understanding of bodily urges and exhibits an open-mindedness towards homosexuality, the next he humiliates the priest who had the courage of being honest by blatantly pressing the button under his desk.

So, we are supposed to believe that this psychopath is a saint?

The guy displays all the male character flaws in the handbook, is angry, vindictive, egocentric, megalomaniac, arrogant, narcissistic, disrespectful,




And what if we're watching a show about a MENTALLY ILL POPE???

Then wouldn't all of the DEFECTS that you've LISTED with the show also MAKE MORE SENSE???

And wouldn't we also have an EXCELLENT CHARACTER STUDY of what can happen whenever someone with some SERIOUS MENTAL ISSUES and NO IMPLUSE CONTROL is placed into power???




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