Posted on 02/14/2020 5:20:29 AM PST by Kaslin
HBO is currently running a dark little miniseries called "The New Pope," which is basically a reboot of the 2016 series "The Young Pope." Both sprang from the mind of Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, and both are scabrously anti-Catholic, which never hurts you when it comes to the elites in Manhattan and Hollywood.
"The Young Pope" starred Jude Law as the first American pope, painted as so doctrinaire that he wanted to end the sexual abuse problem in the Catholic Church by drumming all the homosexuals out of the priesthood. A cardinal protested saying: "It would be a war that would leave the ground littered with corpses, Holy Father. Do you want to know how many corpses would litter the ground?" The pontiff replied, "Two-thirds of the clergy." Then they both compared the church to a Third World dictatorship.
"The New Pope" stars John Malkovich as an effete English pontiff who threatens to shred the Bible and open the church to same-sex marriage. The first show ended with the pope going into cardiac arrest. Now he's in a coma, having had three failed heart transplants. In his place the cardinals elect a Franciscan named Francis II, but he proposes selling off all the church's wealth, and he ends up dead. Then they turn to the Malkovich character, who chooses the name Pope John Paul III. This is a wicked little joke that suggests Pope John Paul I, who died 33 days into his papacy in 1978, was bumped off.
This new pope is enamored with American celebrities who are the opposite of Catholic such as rock singer Marilyn Manson. His 1996 album "Antichrist Superstar" included a song that mocks God with these lyrics: "'He is the maker/ He is the taker/ He is the savior/ He is the raper."
Later on, Sharon Stone pleads for an end to the "pointless taboo" on gay marriage. "Can't the Bible be upgraded?" she asks. He replies, "Alas, the Bible is not an iPhone." And yet, at the end of this episode, HBO's fantasy pope proclaims: "I intend to state that I am in favor of marriage for priests both gay and straight. We have to legitimize possible love so as to divert people from aberrant love, which is a form of violence. ... A small step and hopefully less tears in the great ocean of human history."
The TV critics are split. Hank Stuever of The Washington Post found the second miniseries quite inferior to the first, insulting it as "the longest Madonna video ever made." He concluded that the show was so dull "even the most faithful watchers will have lapsed into their own comas."
John Anderson at The Wall Street Journal touted it as "outrageous, audacious, seductive, sexy and byzantine, to say nothing of visually voluptuous." He adores the "writing that is pure mischief."
It's not just Catholics in the crosshairs at HBO. Last year, it ran "The Righteous Gemstones," centered on a greedy televangelist family who runs a megachurch. The patriarch is played by John Goodman. In the show's first hour, the F-word was used 41 times, and the Lord's name was taken in vain 28 times.
Speaking of "pure mischief," imagine the possibilities of Bill Maher's channel going off in a different direction with a mischievous miniseries called "The New Ayatollah." Instead of uncorking wild and crazy conspiracy theories in Vatican City, it could be based in Tehran. Iran's highest religious authorities could be shown to be corrupted by power and addicted to sex. Hollywood celebrities could drop by to demand a Quran upgrade.
Somehow, the Christians are always caricatured, and the Muslims are never touched. So how brave are these godless showrunners?
“so doctrinaire that he wanted to end the sexual abuse problem in the Catholic Church by drumming all the homosexuals out of the priesthood”
Not seeing the downside.
Badmouth a muzzie and get put on a list you don’t want to be on.
This is how Muslims are portrayed by places like HBO.
Hip, woke, feminist young lady in a hijab (because hijab = diversity).+1 if she is shown really into “coding” or is a track star.
Any guys are shown as just any old American young man trope. chasing girls, listing to rap or rock, making pop culture references, goes to parties, complains that “everyone thinks I’m a terrorist”.
Both are shown getting random insults from whites just for walking down the street.
Showtime had an anti-pope series that got cancelled because it was too expensive to continue.
Showtime had an anti-pope series that got cancelled because it was too expensive to continue.
Not seeing the downside.
I actually watched the “Young Pope” a few months ago. I found the series entertaining as a traditional Catholic. I didn’t watch it when it first came out because I couldn’t imagine HBO producing a series about the Vatican that I would not be sent into a rage watching.
But I was listening to a pod caste that described the series depiction of the young pope as a radical traditionalist. So, I decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised.
I watched the first two episodes of the New Pope and have not found it as engaging.
I may go back to it. I have to imagine that the Young Pope will be resurrected in the series sometime. Why else would he be lingering in a coma?
In the Collectivist’s Cup the rest of the also rans broke down or pulled up in the turn for home. Down the stretch it was Marx (non religion) vs Mohammed (religion).
At the wire it was Mohammed...by a head.
Strong horse.
Who is breaking down The United States of America?
Given the choice of collectives, which would you choose?
(It wouldn’t be the likeness of Nancy or Bernie’s bloody severed head)
Sometimes, the people who make television shows end up making something that’s pretty good by accident. The Archie Bunker Effect. I might have to give Young Pope a shot.
I liked both shows—the old one and the new. I like John Malkivich’s portrayal.
Leave one "celibate" queer in place in the US because he brings in big donors and before you know it, there are dozens of other queers like him most of whom are picking up any asshole they meet in a bar like queers almost always do.
Exactly! They are blind, not stupid. They know that if they mock mohamedanism, they become a target for some ‘true believer’ jihadi to strike them down. Since their worldview omits God, this life is all they have and they don’t want to risk their lives. Little do they know that eternity awaits, either in darkness, despair and hurt, or in Light and Love.
It is a blessing to mankind that so few mohamedans practice their faith as MadMo instructed them. It is disappointing that so few Christians (including me) live our lives as Jesus lived and instructed us to live. Imagine a world where we, who go by Jesus name, lived as He instructed us! Overcoming the flesh is a difficult battle. We are often prone to failure. God help us.
Hollywood was paying attention to Salman Rushdie’s ordeal. Having a fatwa put out against you is possibly lethal, but certainly bad for business. It is not complicated.
“Leave one “celibate” queer in place in the US because he brings in big donors and before you know it, there are dozens of other queers like him most of whom are picking up any asshole they meet in a bar like queers almost always do.”
Normal people go to great lengths to avoid the reality of how these perverts actually live. Averting one’s eyes from something gross is not the same thing as believing that it doesn’t exist. They are NOT just like everyone, but “happen” to “love” someone of the same sex. The documentary, “The Gift”, should be required viewing for anyone who thinks along those lines.
Nothing says sexual abuse like throwing a homosexual off a roof.
There is definitely some of that in the series.
The Young Pope is portrayed as a flawed man. But all men are flawed.
The series is satirical of Vatican court intrigue and shows the young pope outwitting the Vatican secretary of state who they portray as the power behind the throne.
IF you watch the series I recommend watching the behind the scenes mini show after each episode that has the screen writer explain the episode.
I haven’t heard anything about him in a long time.
I wonder if he is still in hiding.
There is no statute of limitations on a Fatwa, so I suppose he is.
He had another book published after the ‘Satanic Verses’ but I don’t remember anything after that book.
Hell Box Office.
HBO ain’t stupid.
They don’t wanna be beheaded or bombed.
The first season wasn’t bad at all though the idiots managed to alienate many Catholics with the trailer. The trailer showed what appeared to be a demonic pope. Turned out it was the pope having a nightmare (I think over his first speech). The second season is almost unwatchable esp if your Catholic which I’m not. Our only interest is in whether the new pope dies (again or is assassinated again) andr the young pope recovers and they force the new pope out. I can’t really recommend watching it.
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