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The Best Episodes of The Borgias

Every episode of The Borgias ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Borgias!

Set in 15th century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, The Borgias chronicles the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia to the papacy, where he proceeds to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family.

Genres:DramaCrime
Network:Showtime

Top Episode Ratings Summary

The best episode of "The Borgias" is "The Confession", rated 8.7/10 from 658 user votes. It was directed by David Leland and written by N/A. "The Confession" aired on 6/17/2012 and is rated 0.3 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "The Beautiful Deception".

  • The Confession
    8.7/10 658 votes

    #1 - The Confession

    Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 6/17/2012

    Tragic news for the Borgia family is followed by a shocking revelation from Cesare; Lucrezia surprises herself by falling for a new suitor, Alfonso of Aragon, and accepts his proposal of marriage; Cesare tortures the rebel leader Savonarola but can't extract a confession, so he fakes one and burns the heretic; the assassin finally strikes with a poisoned chalice of wine.

    Director: David Leland

    Writer: N/A

  • The Beautiful Deception
    8.4/10 658 votes

    #2 - The Beautiful Deception

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 4/22/2012

    Alexander VI refuses to allow a Catholic burial for Paolo, despite his doubts about the stable boy’s suicide, causing Lucrezia to embark on a hunger strike that threatens the life of her infant son; the French army heads back to Rome, allied with Sforza; Della Rovere slips back into the city unnoticed to launch a plot against the Pope’s life.

    Director: Jon Amiel

    Writer: N/A

  • World of Wonders
    8.4/10 581 votes

    #3 - World of Wonders

    Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 6/10/2012

    It's Easter and Alexander makes plans for a celebration to end his pious fast even as Della Rovere's assassin ascends to the position of the Pope's taster. Lucrezia's lover asks for her hand in marriage but her father dismisses him and his request. Juan's wild behavior threatens the life of Lucrezia's child, forcing Cesare to make a chilling decision about his brother.

    Director: David Leland

    Writer: N/A

  • The Face of Death
    8.2/10 627 votes

    #4 - The Face of Death

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 4/14/2013

    Pope Alexander fights for his life; the cardinals fight for control of the papacy; Cesare and Micheletto track the assassin; Della Rovere prepares to make his move.

    Director: Kari Skogland

    Writer: N/A

  • The Prince
    8.1/10 563 votes

    #5 - The Prince

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 6/16/2013

    Micheletto returns to Cesare briefly to help him destroy the walls of Forli and capture Caterina Sforza and later recruit her assassin Rufio.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Art of War
    8.0/10 630 votes

    #6 - The Art of War

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 5/15/2011

    The invaders capture a fleeing and pregnant Lucrezia as they march on Rome, but she charms King Charles and is allowed to persuade her brother Juan to withdraw his hopelessly outmatched defensive troops; Pope Alexander VI awaits to learn of his fate as Charles enters the city and makes his way to the Vatican.

    Director: Jeremy Podeswa

    Writer: N/A

  • Nessuno (Nobody)
    8.0/10 645 votes

    #7 - Nessuno (Nobody)

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 5/22/2011

    Abandoned by even his cardinals, Alexander meets King Charles with humility and saves his throne, even eliciting a confession from the conqueror he crowns as the new "King of France and Naples;" Della Rovere despairs as Charles abandons him; Lucrezia safely gives birth to a son in a convent as the Borgias secure an annulment of her marriage and plot revenge on their enemies.

    Director: Jeremy Podeswa

    Writer: N/A

  • The Choice
    8.0/10 586 votes

    #8 - The Choice

    Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 5/6/2012

    Cesare deals with the cunning Sforzas decisively; Alexander disguises himself and travels to Florence to hear the fiery preacher Savonarola, not realizing that Della Rovere is trying to recruit the rebellious holy man to his cause.

    Director: Kari Skogland

    Writer: N/A

  • The Siege at Forli
    8.0/10 567 votes

    #9 - The Siege at Forli

    Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 5/20/2012

    Juan's triumphant return from Spain is marred by his unsuccessful siege of the Sforza castle; Lucrezia purposely scuttles a scheme to marry her off to a rich Genovese merchant; Savonarola's forces conduct the infamous "Bonfire of the Vanities".

    Director: Kari Skogland

    Writer: N/A

  • Stray Dogs
    7.9/10 565 votes

    #10 - Stray Dogs

    Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 4/29/2012

    Cesare recruits a band of mercenaries with the help of Micheletto to seek revenge on the retreating French troops for burning the nunnery where his beloved Ursula lived; the Pope forges more strategic alliances and enriches himself in the bargain; Lucrezia joins Giulia's quest to aid Rome's poor.

    Director: Jon Amiel

    Writer: N/A

  • The Purge
    7.9/10 537 votes

    #11 - The Purge

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 4/21/2013

    Alexander tasks Cardinal Sforza with purging the College of Cardinals, old Roman families conspire against the Pope, and Lucrezia tries to seduce Cesare.

    Director: Kari Skogland

    Writer: N/A

  • Siblings
    7.9/10 556 votes

    #12 - Siblings

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 4/28/2013

    The King of Naples refuses to accept Lucrzia's child as part of the marriage agreement and pointedly invites Caterins Sforza and other Borgia enemies to the wedding.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Tears of Blood
    7.9/10 488 votes

    #13 - Tears of Blood

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 6/2/2013

    Micheleto learns his kept lover is a Sforza informant, Caterina Sforza mounts the Shroud of Turin as a rival holy relic, and Alfonso puts Lucrezia under house arrest.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Gunpowder Plot
    7.9/10 476 votes

    #14 - The Gunpowder Plot

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 6/9/2013

    Lucrezia escapes with Alfonso and her baby from Naples while the Pope corners the market in sulfur, restricting others from manufacturing gunpowder.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Moor
    7.8/10 785 votes

    #15 - The Moor

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/10/2011

    His coffers depleted by his expensive rise to power, Rodrigo seeks funds through a profitable marriage for Lucrezia that will ally with him Milan, and charges a fee for safe haven in the Holy City to Jews displaced by the Spanish Inquisition; the Borgias host a charming Turkish prince; Micheletto is ordered to rid his patrons of the ongoing threat posed by Della Rovere.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Death, on a Pale Horse
    7.8/10 634 votes

    #16 - Death, on a Pale Horse

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 5/8/2011

    The invasion by King Charles of France and Della Rovere proceeds with victory seemingly inevitable as the French sack the city of Lucca and the Italian powers flee to their banner, with Lucrezia's husband Giovanni Sforza poised to join them in the name of Milan; inventor Leonardo Da Vinci (guest star John Lynch) shows his drawings and blueprints for war machinery to the invaders.

    Director: Jeremy Podeswa

    Writer: N/A

  • The Borgia Bull
    7.8/10 671 votes

    #17 - The Borgia Bull

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 4/8/2012

    Pope Alexander VI takes a new lover and throws a grand, pagan fete for the citizens of Rome when a cache of ancient artifacts is discovered; the rivalry between brothers Cesare and Juan spills into the streets; Lucrezia tends to her newborn child; now a pastoral priest once again, Della Rovere narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Paolo
    7.8/10 598 votes

    #18 - Paolo

    Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 4/15/2012

    The stable boy who fathered Lucrezia's child travels to Rome to rendezvous with her but suffers an unfortunate fate at the hands of Juan; the Pope's lovers Giulia and Vittoria take him in disguise on a revelatory tour of Rome's indigent.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Day of Ashes
    7.8/10 536 votes

    #19 - Day of Ashes

    Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 5/13/2012

    Alexander is convinced that a lightning strike on St. Peter's Basilica during mass was a sign of God's disapproval; Cesare tries to prove his worth as a military commander; the Pope pressures the reluctant Lucrezia to enter another political marriage.

    Director: John Maybury

    Writer: N/A

  • Truth and Lies
    7.8/10 541 votes

    #20 - Truth and Lies

    Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 6/3/2012

    Juan returns to Rome trying to spin his combat injury as proof of his valor, but Cesare exposes his brother's ignoble behavior; Lucrezia takes a lover in her intended husband's younger brother; Della Rovere has recruited an angel-faced young friar as his suicide assassin, and the young man advances their agenda with a bold move against the Pope's food taster.

    Director: John Maybury

    Writer: N/A

  • The Banquet of Chestnuts
    7.8/10 515 votes

    #21 - The Banquet of Chestnuts

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 5/5/2013

    Cardinal Farnese exposes the embezzlement of Cardinal Versucci while the King of Naples insists the consummation of Lucrezia's marriage to his cousin be witnessed.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Wolf and the Lamb
    7.8/10 497 votes

    #22 - The Wolf and the Lamb

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 5/12/2013

    Lucrezia and Micheletto plot the death of King Ferdinand when he refuses her her baby as Cesare's promise of an annulment for Louis X!. gain him a wife and army.

    Director: Kari Skogland

    Writer: N/A

  • The Assassin
    7.7/10 863 votes

    #23 - The Assassin

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/3/2011

    The new Pope wastes no time consolidating power and balancing opposition to him in the College of Cardinals by elevating his children to high office, installing Juan as head of the papal armies and Cesare as a cardinal and his successor, while seeking a politically fortuitous marriage for daughter Lucrezia.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Lucrezia's Wedding
    7.7/10 721 votes

    #24 - Lucrezia's Wedding

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/17/2011

    Lucrezia's financially and politically motivated wedding to Milanese nobleman Giovanni Sforza is a disaster thanks to Juan's inappropriately bawdy play in his sister's honor, Cesare's brazen flirting with a married baroness, and the arrival of the Borgia children's illegitimate mother; Della Rovere seeks the aid of the illustrious Medici family and their counselor, Machiavelli.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Relics
    7.7/10 471 votes

    #25 - Relics

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 5/19/2013

    Cesare unites the sons of the five Romagna families with his own army against Forli, and the Pope negotiates for a with Constantinople Jews for a holy relic.

    Director: Kari Skogland

    Writer: N/A