Medici: The Magnificent season 2, episode 6 recap: Alliance

In episode 206 of Netflix series Medici: The Magnificent, Giuliano gets found out, Pazzi plots prove murderous and Lorenzo brokers peace.

Previously on Medici: The Magnificent, important relationships were severed and Lorenzo risked war with the Pope. Specifically, Francesco Pazzi (Matteo Martari) had left, leaving the Medici clan, as well as his wife, Novella (Francesca Del Fa). Now Novella’s father, Andrea Foscari (Maurizio Lombardi) meets with Lorenzo de’ Medici (Daniel Sharman) and Duke Galeazzo Sforza (Tam Mutu) to discuss the Pope problem. The Pope controls Imola.

However, if they play their cards right, Milan could theoretically come to their aid. The Duke says Milan can’t risk making an enemy of the Pope, so Lorenzo’s brother, Giuliano (Bradley James), Giuliano heads out to meet the Gonfaloniere (narrowly escaping a riot in Città di Castello). Lorenzo says Vitelli is overtaxing the citizens.

Meanwhile, Jacopo de’ Pazzi (Sean Bean) says he will run against Petrucci (David Brandon) in the upcoming election. Also, because the Medici clan lost the Papal accounts, Jacopo wants to use that against them in his ongoing war with them. To help stem his scheme, Giuliano will meet Marco Vespucci (Alessio Vassallo) as Lorenzo meets Nicolò Ardinghelli (Pietro Ragusa).

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To complicate those meetings, Giuliano’s been having an affair with Marco’s wife, Simonetta (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz), and Lorenzo’s been a long-time lover of Ardinghelli’s wife, Lucrezia Donati (Alessandra Mastronardi). Lorenzo gets a negative reply regarding support. Then, when Giuliano meets a sickly Simonetta, she says “You and I were less than nothing” ⁠— hinting at the troubles ahead.

Pazzi’s plan in action?

Medici: The Magnificent looks closely at Jacopo’s scheme. Luca Soderini (Filippo Nigro) tells Pazzi he will not betray the Medici. However, Jacopo has some major dirt on him: Soderini planned the attack on Piero’s (Julian Sands) life! While one may fault Jacopo with some things, this is about as valid as blackmail gets. Initially, Soderini offers his vote but refuses to accept the man’s bribe of gold. Of course, Lorenzo was already scrambling to avoid Jacopo’s scheming with the Pope.

Lorenz’s wife, Clarice (Synnøve Karlsen), suggests talking to Pope Sixtus IV (Raoul Bova) face-to-face. Unfortunately, when he does so, he quickly rejects Lorenzo’s peace offer. Meanwhile, to gain the favor of Ardinghelli, Clarice meets with Lucrezia Donati, assuring her that what Lorenzo does is not for himself. Clarice goes even further to assert his genuine nature, showing Lucrezia that he had written love poems about her during their affair. Incredibly, it seems like it may help Ardinghelli side with him.

Support Pazzi or perish!

Feeling the Pazzi pressure, Luca Soderini tells Lorenzo he must support Pazzi. He doesn’t want to do that, though. He instead desires a treaty with Venice and Milan, which may be powerful enough to reduce Papal power. To sabotage those plans, Francesco Pazzi visits Simonetta’s husband, confronting him about his wife’s affair with Giuliano. Being cruel (and not in an open relationship), Marco throws his wife in a basement cell!

This happens as Giuliano tries to broker peace between Venice and Milan, emphasizing that Florence needs their joint help. On the other side of the fence, Soderini pulls another about-face, saying he won’t betray Lorenzo after all (despite, you know, having tried to kill Lorenzo’s dad!). This prompts Jacopo to step out of bounds, having Soderini murdered in the alley (Medici: The Magnificent requires at least one death per episode, right?).

Soon after that, Lorenzo helps Vitelli, who pays the ransom to the Pope. However, Vespucci will join Jacopo, due to Giuliano’s affair. Speaking of which: Giuliano tries to free Simonetta, but she dies ⁠— assuring his lack of love for Marco Vespucci. There are prospects for peace, though, as there is soon a tentative treaty between Venice, Milan, and Florence!

The agreement is simple: Each will come to each other’s defense if attacked. Also, out of respect for the murdered Soderini, Lorenzo suggests his son, Bastiano (Jacopo Olmo Antinori), take over his position. Petrucci seems to be on the up-and-up, while Jacopo’s plan is faltering. As another sign of this, Galeazzo Sforza is also murdered (presumably by Pazzi’s men). So what is that, three deaths? Maybe power isn’t so great after all!

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