Jude Law stars as a power-hungry pontiff in HBO's "The Young Pope" which premiered in the US on January 15. The drama is getting mixed reactions, and it even spawned a lot of memes.
The series is written by Oscar-winning Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino. It tells the story of Lenny Belardo, a 47-year-old, an American Archbishop who got elected by the College of Cardinals to lead the Catholic Church. He assumed the name Pius XIII when he took over Vatican. It is a story about an inexperienced politician who gained enormous power - a theme which resonates to current issues.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the 10-episode miniseries will amuse viewers with its bold, always-aiming-up satire. Law's character is insecure, image-obsessed, egomaniacal, greedy, hedonistic, and morally ambiguous. He did acknowledge at one point that he is a contradiction.
The smug Pius XIII wears a multi-colored garb, similar to those that you would see in "Game of Thrones," Rolling Stones reported. When he took the proverbial stage to deliver his first papal address, he told thousands of crowds: "What else have we forgotten? We have forgotten to masturbate! To use contraception! To get abortions!"
Pius XIII is a totalitarian, and he takes control the image of his position while humiliating his adversaries. Once he got to power, he refused to bend to standards or popular opinion. Critics say that this character is an insecure, lonely man who has daddy issues, being raised by a nun (Diane Keaton).
The show is unapologetic in being blunt. What makes the show interesting is that given the naughtiness, the pope is actually still celibate. He is not sexual, and the clergy is even afraid of how conservative the young pope is. He does not tolerate criticisms, and cruel towards disabled women. He is definitely not the typical leader that the clergy is hoping for.
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