The standout sequence of Episode 3? The torture of a rival cardinal’s confidant. Borgia doesn’t shy away like The Tudors did. You see the rope, the water, the quiet desperation of a man who knows he’s already dead. It’s not gratuitous—it’s a statement: This is how popes were made.
Borgia season 1, episode 3, titled "Sacred Filter" or "Sacrilegium," plunges into the chaotic aftermath of Rodrigo Borgia's ascension, focusing on his paranoia as Pope Alexander VI. The episode highlights the intense, treasonous, and murderous environment of Rome as the family fights to solidify their power and control. It also showcases the deepening, contrasting paths of the Borgia children, with Cesare grappling with his unwilling clerical life, Juan enjoying unearned military authority, and young Lucrezia beginning to understand her role as a pawn in the family’s political machinations. Share public link borgia 1x03 full
: Sent away to an abbey in Subiaco to recover from a fever. While there, she reflects on the life of St. Petronilla and begins to use her illness and isolation strategically. The standout sequence of Episode 3
Recognizing the threat, Cesare Borgia dispatches the assassin to follow Della Rovere. Micheletto attempts a garrote assassination in a crowded public bath, but the mission fails, allowing the Cardinal to continue his plotting against the papal throne. Financing the Papacy You see the rope, the water, the quiet