The New Pope Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Odd Fellow
Lisa Babick
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Sir John is an odd fellow.
He couldn't decide if he wanted to take on the challenge of being the new pope on The New Pope Season 1 Episode 2 and danced around Voiello and the other cardinals (and Sofia) as he decided what to do.
One thing that might be hindering him is a big secret that only one other cardinal knows.
But it may be the key to convincing Sir John to take the post.
Not even Sir John's longtime butler, Duillo, knows the secret, but Cardinal Spalletta divulged the tease (though not the secret) so that Duillo would help with the efforts to get Sir John to take the big chair.
Whatever this secret is, it's clear that Sir John isn't aware that anyone knows about it.
John Malkovich does a superb job playing the mysterious and odd Sir John.
The guy isn't beholden to anyone, and he plays according to his own rules.
If the Vatican wants him in that spot, Voiello and the others are going to have to play his games.
He's a philosophical kind of guy who needs some sort of box in order to sleep.
He also has a tremendous guilt -- or maybe even unresolved jealousy -- over his long dead twin brother.
Sir John's parents stay with him, though they're as odd as he is, sitting in their room staring at pictures of their dead son.
Yes, Esther, your story gives us hope.
News reporter
The hour wasn't as intriguing as The New Pope Season 1 Episode 1.
Its main purpose seemed to be to show the oddity of Sir John -- to build up the legend.
We also don't know why Voiello's advisor wants this guy as pope as bad as he does. Or even why Voiello is willing to go along with it.
Sofia seems to be in on the behind-the-scenes movement as well.
She's got a strange relationship with Tomas who likes to have Sofia on her knees in front of him as he masturbates.
And she likes to masturbate to his image while on the phone with him.
We are under siege. Do you understand that?
Voiella
There's a lot of that going on this series.
Even Lenny got in on the act with his spirit self visiting with each of the crew at Sir John's home.
He silently watched Sofia, touched her shoulder, when she was done and went on to the next guy.
Duillo has a crush on Sofia, and considering how she seductively teased the Franciscan monks in a Vatican garden, there's no doubt she'll use her sexuality to get what she wants.
It was even mentioned to her that Sir John was a "good looking guy," so maybe she'll try to use sex as a last-ditch effort to convince him to become pope if everything else fails.
But it doesn't seem to be something he would go for, even if he did look at her twice at her at one point.
For him, being pope is a philosophical thing. He doesn't seem to be quite religious, but he's serious about his outlook on the Vatican.
The pope is a serious position with serious responsibilities. He sees it as a guiding force much in the same way Lenny did.
I want a new pope on the first vote.
Voiella
The people still love Lenny, and they're becoming suspicious of what's going on behind the scenes at the Vatican, especially with Francis' abrupt death.
Lenny is still in a coma, and while it might seem he "knows" what's happening, what makes more sense is that his presence is felt by all those he touched.
So as each of them are doing their own thing at Sir John's house, Lenny is there in thought even if they don't want him to be.
For Voiello, life would be much easier if Lenny would just wake up so they could go about their business. Maybe it would be better for all of them.
Voiello was rather low-key, and although he's probably thinking about how to position himself if Sir John takes the job, his main concern was trying to get the guy to go along with their plan.
He's a magnificent person, but he's also fragile.Like a piece of porcelain.
Sir John's butler
And he was very interested in Sir John's philosophical nature and his philosophical questions to them all.
Voiello probably never met a man like Sir John before and isn't sure how he'll be able to manipulate him when the time comes.
He sees that Sir John isn't one to be easily persuaded which might pose a problem for Voiello in the future.
The ball is in Sir John's hands at the moment. Whether he chooses to play ball with the boys from the Vatican is anyone's guess.
If he doesn't, the Cardinals are going to have to return to the drawing board and start the drama all over again. It's going to be interesting for sure.
Over to you.
What did you think of Sir John?
Does he have what it takes to be pope?
What's his big secret?
Will Sofia be the one to convince him?
Will Lenny ever wake up?
Hit the comments and share your thoughts!
If you need to catch up, you can watch The New Pope online right here via TV Fanatic!
