The Young Pope Episode 4 Recap: He’ll Make You See God
Holy hell, it’s the religious calm before the storm. Lenny actually shows off his pope-ing skills in our recap of HBO’s limited series The Young Pope Episode 4.
It’s easy to have a love-hate relationship with religion. Some people see it as a strict guide to life, and others believe you’re a fool for worshiping an invisible deity. All that gets blown to kingdom come in HBO’s limited series The Young Pope Episode 4. After being hit with the chaos and manipulation stick for three episodes, we finally see the good in Pope Pius XIII. But there’s still a lot of doubt about who Lenny Belardo really is.
A Man and His Stigmata
We first are introduced to Tonino, a shepherd who claims he is stricken with the wounds of Christ. Though Catholics from across the globe are coming to see his supposed healing powers, letters and requests to the Vatican for miracle status have gone unfulfilled. Even a cheerful television interview with Tonino (who had his lawyer sitting behind him the whole time) wasn’t enough to sway Pope Pius XIII, who’s watching the whole thing from his holy TV set. He’s clearly casting doubt on the legitimacy of this ‘miracle,’ and much of that doubt starts spreading to other factions of the church.
With Lenny at the helm, faith in God is at an all-time low. We see the same opening credits as Episode 3’s. Lenny may still be illuminating the world, but at the expense of a deep divide in religious beliefs. Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando) takes this the hardest, as he sees Lenny being Pope Dickus the First to everyone in his sights. He wants to outlaw homosexuality and pedophilia in the church (he sees these as identical sins against God), he berates a Sri Lankan nun for grieving over her sister’s casket, and he belittles the prime minister of Greenland (Carolina Carlsson) due to his own pent up frustrations. Lenny’s a hot mess, thanks to his own stigmata: the God-sized hole in his heart.
Courting a Pope
Lenny has an interesting conversation with the Sri Lankan nun we mentioned above. The entire time, we find out her hearing-aid has been going in and out, leaving a fuzzy static over nearly everything Lenny says. They are both honest about doubting the existence of God, but we’re still left wondering if Lenny was just telling her what she wanted to hear. Maybe this episode, where we see some of Lenny’s actual religious convictions is all just what we wanted to hear as well.
The only person who actually sees Pope Pius XIII as a peacemaker-in-training is Esther (Ludivine Sagnier). She gets blackmailed by Voiello (who knows about her affair with one of Pius’ staffers) into giving him information so he can oust Lenny. Esther reluctantly goes along with it, but Lenny isn’t out for anything sinister. He genuinely likes speaking with her because she reminds him of an old girlfriend he had before joining the seminary. Lenny even gives some religous advice for once, telling Esther she should pray to Mother Mary if she wants to have a baby.
But Voiello isn’t letting her leave his clutches without information. They get into a verbal tussle at her home, both of them accusing the other of not knowing who Lenny is. Actually, at this point, we don’t know who he is either, and we’re nearly halfway through the series.
Everyone’s Seeing God
The prime minister of Greenland is actually the first foreign dignitary Pope Pius XIII has greeted. And unfortunately, this meeting was just as cold as a baptismal ceremony where he couldn’t even be bothered to look at each couple. Lenny discusses the dwindling Catholic population in her country. “Under all that ice could be God,” he says before the room goes silent. Lenny just made an indisputable point because everyone in that room believes in God. Points, Lenny. But does everyone actually feel his presence or are they just saying they do?
That all culminates one night in the Vatican gardens, as Lenny strolls solo he spies his vigilant kangaroo before walking past Esther’s home. She and her husband Peter, a Vatican guard, decide to try for a baby, even though they’re supposedly infertile. Lenny catches a glimpse of them roughly doin’ it against the window. What does he do? He starts praying. Hard. He prays to Mary that she must make this miracle happen for the couple. In between the “musts” and thrusts, it’s clear Esther and Peter are actually enjoying this encounter. It’s nothing like the yawnfest that opened Episode 2.
Lenny and Esther ‘saw God’ together, and whatever sexual tension between them seems to have dissipated (for now). His Holiness just prayed it all out instead of breaking the vows of chastity.
A Holy Mission
Lenny also sends away his confidant Monsignor Gutierrez (Javier Camara), so he can help squash a pedophilia case looming in New York City. He’s scared because he’s barely left the Vatican grounds, but a vision of Mother Mary in the same place he found God let him know he’s ready.
“How do you overcome fear?” he asks the Holy Father. “By giving in to the complex and unfathomable architecture that God has designed for us,” answers an honest Lenny. Reaching that God peak has seemed to do wonders for him.
The episode ends on the prime minister of Greenland dancing alone in one of the Vatican’s rooms as the credits roll. She seems happy, so maybe she found God in the rhythm of “Senza Un Perché,” a haunting melody by Italian artist Nada which was a benchmark in this episode. Have a listen below.
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What’s Next?
We have to remember that Lenny isn’t necessarily the good guy. He’s done some pretty messed up things so far. He is a very complex man with a whole well of insecurities, so for now, we’ll give him half-a-kudos. But next week, the fireworks are getting lit back up. The papal tiara has arrived from Washington, and Lenny is set to give his speech to the Cardinals, with the ornate hat on. Naturally.
Tune in Sunday, January 29th and Monday, January 30th at 9 p.m. eastern on HBO for The Young Pope Episodes 5 and 6.