Tonight on The Borgias: Paolo

One of my favorite parts of the first season of The Borgias was the affair between Lucretzia and stable boy Paolo. There was something so young and innocent about their interactions that they were impossibly charming, particularly since she lit up around him, only dimming in the presence of her abusive husband. The goodbye they had, though quite sad, was softened by the birth of baby Giovanni, the living embodiment of the boy that helped save Lucretzia from a miserable future with the Sforza.

Due to the birth of the baby, you had to wonder if (and/or when) Narcissus would head to Rome and try to win the hand of his love. Like all great love stories, there's no keeping two young, wild hearts apart, but Paolo arrived even earlier than I anticipated. On tonight's episode of The Borgias, the former lovers meet once again by the water; only this time, it's the town fountain and Juan doesn't take too kindly to a commoner approaching the daughter of the papacy. Juan's being...well, Juan, all histrionics, violence, and ignorance, as Lucretzia sets up a meeting with Paolo right under his nose. Can the two manage to steal quiet moments together without anyone noticing?

Elsewhere, Giulia Farnese and Rodrigo are basking in the glow of the fire that's been brought back into their relationship. In the premiere, Vannozza advised her husband's mistress to allow him to wander in order to keep him and Giulia seems to have responded to that quite emphatically. You have to wonder just how long she can go bed hopping with the pope and keep her pride on pause, though. Giulia may love Rodrigo (and love the power that he has at his disposal even more), but unless she fully embraces the idea of being non-exclusive, I don't know if she can stay with him for the long haul. But for now, at least, their connection got recharged and then some.

The Borgias airs tonight at 10:00 on Showtime.