A tragic duality of light and dark emerges as Pope Pius XIII makes his very first speech to his flock in HBO’s limited series The Young Pope Episode 2.
The first episode of HBO’s explosive new series led us to believe we were dealing with a man wrestling with his faith as the new Pontiff. Now, in The Young Pope Episode 2, we see just how great Lenny’s divide between light and dark really is. And everyone around him can be considered collateral damage as he further figures himself out.
The Calm Before the Darkness
We start the episode by meeting a young woman named Esther, who we rudely interrupt in an intimate moment with her husband. However, this isn’t very good for her, since she stares up at the crucifix hanging over their marital bed the entire time. She tells her husband, a Vatican guard, that sex is only for procreation. And with that, we’re treated to the rest of the Vatican workers’ morning routines. Nuns play soccer in the sunlight, a Cardinal puffs a cigarette in between breaths of oxygen, and one man gets a morning shot of some kind of needle medication right in the buttocks. It’s a calming sequence, becoming a sort of “Last Supper/Breakfast” before Lenny brings the storm to shake the entire foundation of Catholicism.
Pope Pius XIII is long overdue for his first papal homily. He meets with the Vatican’s marketing director Sofia (Cécile de France), who wants his face plastered on everything, from lighters to plates, to towels and more. But Lenny is having none of it. Instead, he intends to stay as shrouded in mystery for as long as he possibly can, even requesting no photographs, and having his first speech be given among the shadows. Sofia is intrigued by a pope with as much mystery as Banksy or J.D. Salinger, who Lenny name drops, and things seem like a go, despite the unorthodox approach. Lenny wants to be a pope who is hidden in plain sight, just like the kangaroo that is now living on Vatican grounds; A gift from the Australian Foreign Ministry. Yes, really.
A Man and His Mother
This episode opens Lenny up and really allows the audience to see him wrestle with his morality and position within the church. We’re also introduced to Cardinal Andrew Dussolier (Scott Shepherd), who grew up in the New York orphanage alongside Lenny. The only difference is during that flashback scene, Sister Mary tells a crying Andrew to call her “Ma,” when Lenny was told to call her “Sister Mary.” Lenny’s resentment for the only maternal figure he’s ever known comes to light more and more in this episode. He presses her on information about his birth parents, who he finds out were a couple of hippies who abandoned him at the orphanage. Sister Mary also oddly keeps referring to Lenny as a ‘saint,’ but it’s becoming more and more clear she’s the only one who tenuously believes it.
It doesn’t help that Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando) is letting the pope know the Sister is using “we” when she refers to papal decisions. He successfully throws a wrench into the odd dynamic of their relationship, all the while keeping his head down and playing the game as to not antagonize Pius XIII any further.
Throwing Out the Rule Book
As Lenny struggles with writing his first speech, and not liking anything Cardinal Voiello wrote for him, he starts taking out his lack of faith on everyone else. He relieves Cardinal Mario Assente (Maurizio Lombardi) of his duty as Congregation for the Clergy, simply because he is a homosexual. This is also after Cardinal Assente says he didn’t vote for Pius XIII in the conclave because his mentor, Cardinal Michael Spencer (James Cromwell) is far too conservative for his taste.
This leads to another scene of surrogate parental disgust when Lenny visits Cardinal Spencer, who remains in recovery from his suicide attempt. Spencer has no time for Lenny, and even accuses him of betraying him in the conclave. It’s the first time we see Lenny acting vulnerable, saying things like, “Don’t talk to me like that, you’re hurting me.” It adds another layer to an increasingly large bank of both mommy and daddy issues for Lenny.
Dark Words, Dark Speech
Lenny’s lack of hearing God seems to boil over during his first speech, where he throws out the script written for him and launches into a tirade about being the only thing closest to God. But he will not lead his own flock into God’s light, instead telling them to find the higher power for themselves. All the while Pope Pius XIII is shrouded in shadows, just like he wanted. But the Cardinals on either side of St. Peter’s balcony are bathed in light. As news crews and the devout try to get a glimpse at their new pope, someone points a green laser pointer at Lenny, causing him to break mid-speech. He storms off, telling the faithful, “I don’t know if you deserve me.”
Esther, the young woman from the beginning of the episode, is seemingly the only one touched by Lenny’s speech. Everyone else is horrified, including God, since a rainstorm breaks out moments after Pius XIII leaves the podium.
Next: The Young Pope Episode 1 Recap: Heaven Help Us All
The Young Pope Episode 2 bounces around a lot as Lenny tries to find the balance between his piety and moral convictions, all the while settling into his role as the world’s most holy man. Make sure to tune in next Sunday and Monday at 9 p.m. eastern on HBO, where Episodes 3 and 4 of this limited series will run.