betabong Fantastic performances and absolutely stunning pictures! Jude Law had a few great roles in the past, but this is definitely his best performance in the recent time. The directing is a masterpiece. One of the best series I've had the pleasure to watch. It's a real shame they have cancelled it.

Hank Yank This one of the best series I have ever seen.It's a pure search into finding God. Showing people as they are; sinners, driven by power, driven by fear, driven by egocentric motives. It drives away from the thought that god wants us to be good girls and good boys. What's the essence of finding god? What does god really wants from us?Are we able to say what we really think is true in our heart and takes the consequences and accept the fear that might accompany it?That's the story of this young pope, honestly trying to find and speaking out his ideas of a true relationship with god. Throwing away all clichés of what a god loving person is. All superficiality's. Yes this pope smokes, but does that make him a sinner?I think when we are all nicely dressed in church on Sunday, aren't we just wallowing in pride. Showing of how good we look. Are we truly searching god? Really accepting the body and blood of Christ? Does church help us find god? Where is the mystery? The divine aspect? Why look at the pope while god is always in and with us. Christ taught us that to be truthful. And this pope is truthful. How can we be truthful?This series is beautiful attempt in addressing the very essential questions on God in our lives in a new way.Paolo Sorrentino is an absolute master. Thank you for making this. And for anyone willing a true relationship with god this is a great way in finding new and challenging old perspectives.

Charles Herold (cherold) I liked this series from the first minutes. Jude Law is fascinating as Lenny, the first North American Pope, who is strange, charismatic, and arrogant. This is the Pope as a disruptor, and while such stories are often told in terms of opening the church (i.e. Going My Way), this follows the 21st century twist of disruption from the right; the hip, edgy, homophobic, harsh pope. The dialogue is sharp, the characters are detailed and complex, and the cinematography is slick and stylish.The series is also quite odd, often reminding me of Fellini in its surreal touches and the way it keeps viewers off balance. I was surprised that the user reviews I looked at didn't mention this; perhaps people just think the Catholic Church is so inherently weird that they take all the strange elements in stride, causing them to view this as a basic political drama when it strikes me as much more than that.Or did. The above is what I wrote after 4 or 5 episodes. But then I started losing interest. I found Lenny more and more awful, and the series became more about the politics than the weirdness; less Fellini, more House of Cards (which I don't like).Episodes 6 & 7 were such a slog that I simply gave up on the series after that. I just didn't care what happened to any of those people. If only the series had managed to wrap it up in 5 episodes I would give it 9 stars. At this point my 7 stars is probably overly generous.

ratzkiwatzki-45851 The Young Pope reminds me of a book by Frederick Rolfe called Hadrian the Seventh (1904). The book is on a Guardian list of the 100 Best Novels at No37. It was subsequently made into a play produced in London and on Broadway.Frederick Rolfe aka "Baron Corvo" was a tragic, self destructive person. He was peculiarly old fashioned very English and homosexual. He alienated everyone, even those who tried to help him. He died alone, cold and starving on a gondola in Venice. Rolfe was a teacher and journalist who converted to the Roman Catholic Church. He tried to become a Priest a few times but was always rejected. On one occasion he was physically thrown out of a seminary. He sometimes used the initials FR Rolfe to give the impression he was a priest (Father Rolfe) – which he was not. Rolfe had one great achievement we should never forget. He wrote a masterpiece: "Hadrian the Seventh." There has only ever been one English Pope, Hadrian IV (William Breakspeare ) 1154 -1159.The story of Hadrian the Seventh is wish fulfillment. It tells the story of a chain smoking priest who by accident becomes Pope to break a voting deadlock when a new Pope is being elected. Hadrian causes havoc at the Vatican with his extreme conservative traditional views and dogma. In the end he is assassinated by a pope-hating Ulsterman.