The Young Pope Episode 5 Recap: In Lenny We Trust

It’s our first journey into the Sistine Chapel as the volley for the papacy begins. We have our recap of HBO’s limited Series The Young Pope Episode 5.

The papacy of Pope Pius XIII has been met with anger and confusion, but with some kind of message woven through the unprecedented event. Lenny Belardo (Jude Law) is at his most honest in HBO’s limited series The Young Pope Episode 5, and now we’re seeing what kind of holy light he’s ready to let shine forth.

‘The Young Pope’ photo: Gianni Fiorito/HBO

Papa Can You Hear Me

Lenny’s parental abandonment issues are on full display this week. Right off the bat, we see a recreation of a dream Lenny had from Episode 3, where he chased after his hippie parents dressed as a lil’ pope, only to watch them ride off on an old barge. He sees them ride off again, only this time, the little boy has grown up, and still isn’t past his issues.

But before he can give his belated speech to the Cardinals, we see several flashbacks of his childhood relationship with Andrew Dussolier (Scott Shepherd). We see Andrew and Lenny as young kids running away from the orphanage. They seem to have a nice time on the road together, but when Andrew decides it’s time to go back, Little Lenny just won’t stop until he finds his parents. A little while later, he returns to the orphanage, Sister Mary and Andrew standing by and waiting.

It nicely parallels what feels like Lenny’s final jaunt with his friend Andrew. Both priests head out on their own and go on a cigarette run. Since no one has actually seen Pope Pius XIII’s face, he and Andrew settle in a hotel, where they have a strange encounter with a lady of the night. She claims she sees God in Lenny’s eyes, which she proves with a photo on her iPhone. This shakes Lenny enough to where he and Andrew bolt from the hotel, and are greeted warmly by Sister Mary (Diane Keaton) who is waiting on the Vatican steps. Lenny is constantly on the search for familial figures, but it’s unclear if he realizes they’ve been there the entire time.

‘The Young Pope’ photo: Gianni Fiorito/HBO

Honesty in the Garden

Mother figure extraordinaire Esther (Ludivine Sagnier) continues Cardinal Voiello’s plan to extract a scandal out of Lenny. There comes a moment when she meets him in the Vatican gardens, and places his hand on her bare stomach. At first, it seems harmless, since she may have a baby brewing in her stomach and she’s only asking for the pope’s blessing. However, she moves her hand up slightly, putting Lenny’s hand on her breast. A photographer’s camera snap can be heard from the bushes as Voiello (Silvio Orlando) completes his master plan.

Lenny refuses her. From what we’ve seen of Lenny, he’s constantly battling with the idea of God and who God is to him. Earlier in this episode, he even confessed to Father Tommaso that God has left the building, but him refusing Esther shows he has at least some piety. He confesses to her “I’m unhappy like all priests. I’m not a man, I’m a coward, like all priests.”

These words seem to touch Voiello more than he expected. He hands over the jump drive containing the boob grabbing photos to Sister Mary. “Your pope really is a saint,” he tells her, to which she agrees. But do a few holy words make a saintly man? Lenny answers this question as another holy package arrives at the Vatican: the papal tiara. With the holy relic finally in his grasp, it seems Lenny flaunts his power more than ever.

He lets loose to Voiello that he knows about his plan to draw scandal, (and he knows about Monsignor Gutierrez’s drinking problem, a point of contention Voiello also hoped to exploit). Lenny literally stands above Voiello on a garden wall, brandishing just how much closer to God he is. “I am the young pope,” Lenny remarks, “I put no stock in consensus.”

No Turning Back

It’s the moment of truth. Now that Lenny has proved he has what it takes to stay on top, he can finally deliver his first speech to the Vatican Cardinals. Just for good measure, there’s a sequence of Lenny putting on all of his lavish regalia, set to the tune of “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO. The papal tiara is finally revealed to us in a very Pulp Fiction suitcase-esque way. With the ornate relic on his head, Lenny is paraded into the chapel by servants carrying him on a portable throne. He stands, hands out and eyes shut, becoming a religious relic in his own right.

Lenny then gives this bone-chilling speech you can watch above, talking about the absolute devotion his holy men must have to God. Nowhere in this speech do we believe Lenny is ever talking about anyone else but God. However, the tone of this episode allows us to question who exactly God is to Lenny. He wants complete unflinching support for God, expecting the secrecy he’s wrapped the church in will be enticing enough for the world’s Catholic’s to follow.

He slips a ruby-colored shoe out from under his ornate robes, waiting for the first faithful to kiss it. Surprisingly it’s Cardinal Spencer who steps out first. We’re not sure if he’s going to throw his hat at the Holy Father and storm out, but he doesn’t. He kisses Lenny’s foot, followed by Cardinal Dussolier and Voiello, who needs a firm push from Lenny’s other foot to fully kiss it. The tension practically blows through the Vatican as we can only watch as to what else Lenny has planned.

‘The Young Pope’ photo: Gianni Fiorito/HBO

What’s Next?

The final shot is that of farmer Tonino, who comes back to his moderate farmhouse to find the freakin’ pope sitting in his living room, surrounded by four Cardinals. “Tonino Pettola,” Voiello starts, “You’ve busted our balls.” Cut to black. Will this religious mafia just make this guy “disappear?” We may find out in Episode 6, which is out tomorrow.

From the preview, it looks like the ousting of Pius XIII has begun. A group of monks wants him out but it’s clear Lenny won’t give up without a fight. There seems to be some more infighting between the pope and Cardinal Dussolier, so we’ll have to wait and see.

We’ll recap The Young Pope Episode 6 for you after it airs tomorrow, Jan. 30 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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