The New Pope I

last watched: s1e03

i am going to watch every television series on hbo. some back-of-the-envelope math tells me this will take maybe two years, depending on how much of my time i dedicate to watching tv (which is very little currently, but due to the coronavirus this may change).

i have already watched a solid amount of shows that the premium television network has to offer (including some long ones like game of thrones, sopranos, entourage) which will give me a jump out of the gate. i'll catalogue what i've seen/what's left in a future post.

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i do not have any concrete order for how i'll go about this. i'm thinking maybe i start with shows that have a single season to knock out some low hanging fruit. maybe i start with the shows i want to watch the most or maybe i get some of the awful ones out of the way first? all options to consider.

nevertheless, as i type this i am watching The New Pope s1e04. why start my journey here? i don't know. it makes even less sense that i didn't start with The Young Pope, which takes place chronologically before the events depicted in The New Pope. but i'm already 4 eps deep and there's only one season, so i'll continue on.

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A follow-up to "The Young Pope" from Oscar®-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, this series picks up with Jude Law's Pope Pius XIII in a coma and the Holy See searching for his replacement. Out of the fray rises Sir John Brannox (John Malkovich), a religiously moderate, sophisticated and sensitive intellectual who has secrets and insecurities of his own.

i am finding it a little difficult to follow exactly what's happening. maybe the result of my divided attention and the thick italian accents. however even with the context removed, john malkovich has a very pleasant speaking voice. i will also add that it is shot beautifully and the title sequence slaps.

i don't have much else to say about the show yet. it seems like things are just starting to 'heat up'. the young pope is still in his coma and i'm guessing the show gets more interesting once jude law enters the screen. quick aside - the other night i watched The Talented Mr. Ripley with jude law and matt damon. it's kind of like a spy thriller except there's no spies and also all the characters are gay? anyway it was pretty good, go watch it on netlix.

alright that's it for now. i'll post again after the young pope wakes up.