(Lenny Belardo), a young, handsome American who the Vatican hierarchy expects to be a manageable, media-friendly figurehead. Instead, Lenny reveals himself to be a staunchly conservative, acerbic traditionalist who refuses to be seen by the public, believing that mystery is more alluring than transparency. The Young Pope - Wikiquote
It is impossible to discuss without acknowledging Jude Law’s tour de force. Law disappears into Lenny Belardo. He is icy, cruel, and mesmerizing. One moment he is delivering a homily so beautiful it brings nuns to tears; the next, he is humiliating a cardinal for suggesting a new marketing campaign for the Church.
The visual language of The Young Pope is heavily surrealist. Images of a kangaroo roaming the papal gardens at night, a dream sequence where Lenny emerges from a pyramid of babies, and a glowing, breathing statue of the Virgin Mary elevate the show from a standard drama to a work of magical realism. The Young Pope Season 1
Lenny’s childhood friend who struggles with the harsh realities of the Church. Sofia Dubois
The cunning, astute power broker who realizes too late that he cannot control Pius XIII. (Lenny Belardo), a young, handsome American who the
The season’s narrative engine is simple: Lenny did not want to be Pope; he was a compromise candidate engineered by the calculating Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando). Once elected, however, Lenny doesn’t play the puppet. He plays the tyrant. The first season follows his war against the various factions of the Curia, his manipulation of world politics, and his slow, painful unraveling of his own childhood abandonment.
The series begins with an institutional shockwave. Lenny Belardo (Jude Law), a relatively young and strikingly handsome American cardinal, is elected to the papacy as Pope Pius XIII. The senior hierarchy of the Catholic Church, led by the cunning Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Voiello (Silvio Orlando), mistakenly believes they have elected a malleable, media-friendly puppet whom they can easily manipulate to modernize the Church's image. Law disappears into Lenny Belardo
Following the success of , HBO released a follow-up titled The New Pope (2020), which continues Lenny’s story. However, the first season remains a complete work. It does not end on a cliffhanger; it ends on a mystery. You can watch these 10 episodes and feel entirely satisfied by the arc of Lenny Belardo—from monster to martyr, from orphan to father.
Pros:
Lenny stands on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Empty. He has ordered the crowds to wait. He lights a cigarette—the smoke curls heavenward, a profane incense.
A surreal, dreamlike atmosphere (including a recurring kangaroo).