Well, here it is, the series finale of

It occurs to me that this is one of the fundamental flaws of the Borgia clan. Rodrigo has long-term plans in mind, and that has been clear from the start. Setting up Juan as the general for the Vatican’s armies and Cesare as an influential cardinal, with Lucrezia available for political marriages to secure alliances, was meant to achieve some future end. Setting up Cesare to be the next Pope was clearly in the cards, with Juan carving out a kingdom for the Vatican that would secure the line. But one must wonder: wouldn’t it have gone better if Cesare and Juan were aware of how they were meant to rule together?

It’s the fatal flaw of many a manipulative mind, and given that Cesare has fallen into similar habits, it leads directly into the behaviors that he will display in the future. Despite how Machiavelli is perceived in popular culture, and even in this series, his work on “The Prince” was not praise for Cesare Borgia’s behavior and choices. It was a scathing, satirical condemnation. And when one reflects on how Rodrigo’s better angels were often subverted by a desire for power, it’s not surprising that his less-principled son would take that to the next level.

But The Borgias has been clever in showing the good with the bad, and delving into complicated motivations. Cesare’s victory at Forli follows some of the historical accounts fairly well, right down to how the walls were brought down. His decision to be relatively gentle to Caterina Sforza, even when delivering her in humiliating fashion to her enemies, belies the cruel streak that has dominated over the past three seasons.

In those respects, having Cesare become the man that his father wanted him to be is a reasonable culmination of their character arcs. Yes, there is definitely more to the story, but we see Cesare becoming the ruthless man that history portrays him as being. Another season would have likely found time and misfortune catching up with them, but for now, they have achieved the sense of control they sought.

This is also the culmination of Lucrezia’s second marriage, with Alfonso pushing his luck too far, and finally getting killed by Cesare in the process. There’s no doubt that this is more or less what Cesare and Lucrezia wanted, in terms of having nothing to stand between them. But the family’s designs on Naples, and Lucrezia’s semi-defeat in her own schemes, suggest that their complex sexual relationship would have continued to stray into odd directions. Whatever the case, Lucrezia’s growing penchant for poisons comes to a meaningful stage in this finale; she eventually gives Alfonso a merciful death.

Some plot threads remain unfulfilled. Della Rovere is still out there, plotting his way back to power, and it’s well known that he ascends to the Chair of St. Peter in the near future. This is hardly the end of Caterina Sforza’s story, or the story of the struggle to control the Italian city-states. But there are worse places that this series could have ended, and unlike some shows cut down a season too early, there are no cliffhangers to leave fans in complete frustration.

John Keegan is Editor-in-Chief for Critical Myth, a partner site of SciFi Vision.