Instead of being a puppet, Pius XIII proves to be a hardline traditionalist. He refuses to show his face to the public, demands absolute devotion, and introduces radical policies that shock both the Vatican and the world.
"He prays three hours a night. To which God, I wonder? The one in the books, or the one he lost as an orphan?"
While most characters have solid arcs, some reviewers felt the Pope's personal growth in the finale felt sudden.
They couldn't have been more wrong. Lenny is not a liberal reformer; he is a hardline reactionary, a man who wants to return the Church to its most obscure, mysterious, and uncompromising roots. He bans the sale of merchandise with his face on it, delivers his first homily from the shadows to remain invisible to the faithful, and demands absolute, terrifying devotion. Jude Law’s Career-Defining Performance
He flicks the cigarette into the empty square. It lands like a tiny, burning comet.
The finale of is one of the most audacious in television history. Without spoiling too much, the episode takes place largely in Venice, where the Pope goes to confront a mystical, bed-ridden priest named Father Cheyenne. What follows is a hallucinatory sequence involving a turtle, a confession, and a miracle. The final shot—Lenny addressing a massive crowd in St. Peter’s Square—is ambiguous. Does he finally believe? Does God answer? The camera holds on Law’s face, and the answer is written in terror and grace.