Medici: The Magnificent season 3 premiere recap: Survival

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 18: (L-R) Matilda Bernabei, executive producer Frank Spotnitz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Bradley James, Synnove Karlsen and executive producer Luca Bernabei attend the premiere of "MEDICI: The Magnificent" at The Soho Hotel on January 18, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 18: (L-R) Matilda Bernabei, executive producer Frank Spotnitz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Bradley James, Synnove Karlsen and executive producer Luca Bernabei attend the premiere of "MEDICI: The Magnificent" at The Soho Hotel on January 18, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

In the season 3 premiere of Rai 1/Netflix series Medici: The Magnificent, Lorenzo quarrels with the Pope after the failed Pazzi conspiracy. Also, Giuliano has a son!

Previously on Medici: The Magnificent, the Pazzi conspiracy made life bloody for the Medici, and the retaliation was swift, if not instantaneous. In other words, it was a significant hurdle to Lorenzo (Daniel Sharman) in his quest to make Florence, Italy, a true republic.

While he mourns the loss of his brother, Giuliano de’ Medici (Bradley James), the man’s death during Catholic Mass functions almost as an odd bargaining chip for Lorenzo (more on that later).

Giulio’s escape

The Medici: The Magnificent premiere kicks off in the Florentine countryside of 1478, where a young boy named Giulio (Zukki DeAbaitua) heads to Father Timoteo (Fabrizio Rizzolo) to escape Ricci (David Brooks Miller), a henchman of Riario (Jack Roth). His mother, Fioretta Gorini (Chiara Baschetti), is killed as Giulio hides beneath floorboards. He narrowly escaped, ultimately finding is way to the Medici family home as more of a haven.

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However, we see that Lorenzo has been commissioning art depicting the Pazzi hangings to artist Sandro Botticelli (Sebastian De Souza). So young Giulio probably still isn’t entirely safe. Pope Sixtus IV (John Lynch) is now threatening war and is part of both the Pazzi conspiracy and, at least by proxy, the attempt on Giulio’s life.

Giulio’s crime? He is the bastard son Giuliano de’, Medici. Riario himself later stabs someone for failing to kill the young lad. Lucrezia de’ Medici (Sarah Parish) becomes Giulio’s most prominent advocate when he arrives at their doorstep.

Lorenzo’s wife, Clarice (Synnove Karlsen), says Lorenzo can’t carry these burdens on his own.

At the same time, Botticelli also tries to curb the man’s revenge impulse, knowing it could threaten to cripple Florence. The lynch mob hanging of Francesco Salviati (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), the archbishop of Pisa, is considered an insult to the Pope.

However, Lorenzo will later argue that the Pazzi family murdered his brother during mass, as a form of leverage when being faced by the Pope’s defenders. Nevertheless, Florence is declared excommunicated by Sixtus, and the Medici have no committed allies. It’s not exactly the best place to be!

Exploring his options

What are Lorenzo’s options during this unique period? Lorenzo maintains that he’d be killed in Rome and that Riario from Imola could take over, which practically no one in Florence wants. Dominican monk Girolamo Savonarola (Francesco Montanari) urges Lorenzo to expose the Pope’s selfish motives while demonstrating how he is different.

It’s evident that Riario also wants power, just like Jacopo Pazzi (Sean Bean) and his clan did. The Pope has a compelling angle, though — he’s the Pope! For many, it would be considered heresy to even accuse the Pope of having selfish motives. We see a random woman approach Clarice expressing concerns over her sick baby dying and possibly going to Hell due to the ex-communication.

On that note, Lorenzo frees Cardinal Raffaele (Loris De Luna) as a minor peace offering, out of hope that the Pope will not harm Carlo de’ Medici (Callum Blake), who happens to be a Priest held captive under the Papal branch of the Pazzi conspiracy.

Pope Sixtus IV meets Cardinal Raffaele, and they discuss the terms Lorenzo offers, which includes Florence giving back all the territories they’ve taken in the last 20 years. The condition? The Pope must admit he was part of the conspiracy to murder Lorenzo’s brother!

The Pope does have Carlo released, but it’s still clear that Riario Riaro wants war. Bruno Bernardi (Johnny Harris) — apparently a fictional, composite character created for Medici: The Magnificent — advises Lorenzo, but it’s unclear how many of Lorenzo’s decisions are his own or reached by group decision. Meanwhile, although Carlo is freed, he is still attacked by his escort, but he fends them off.

The Bishops of Tuscany

Medici: The Magnificent gets a little more into Sandro Boticelli’s character, showing him teaching Giulio about art. He also stresses that he doesn’t want to paint more executed people. Perhaps this is fresh on Lorenzo’s fictionalized mind when he meets the Bishops of Tuscany, urging them to form their court to keep Pope Sixtus IV’s territoriality in check.

After allowing Giulio the privilege to stay, Giulio hands Lorenzo a ring with a sentimental value between Lorenzo and his Giuliano. He also asks for a knife against the man who killed his mother, showing that he also has a strong desire for revenge.

When the Tuscany Bishops challenge the ex-communication of Florence, it outrages the Pope enough to march his army into Florence, right around the time a newly freed Carlo arrives in town.

What are your thoughts on Medici: The Magnificent? Let us know in the comments!