Netflix’s The Leopard: You had me at longing glances

Episode 2 recap and review

Whilst I was watching the ballroom scene where Colonel Count Bombello stared at Concetta as she danced with other men and repeatedly, desperately, tried to seek her out, I thought, yes, yes, this is what period dramas are for. Give me all the longing glances across polite society! But also, ick. Her father Don Fabrizio used her in his continued effort to steer his family through the revolution. I would like to binge watch The Leopard so I could see where this was going, but I have committed to writing a recap after each episode, so here we are. Would I be watching Alessandro Sperduti’s filmography after this? I thought he looked familiar but didn’t realise until later that he was Piero de Medici in Medici: Masters of Florence (an excellent series!).

It was two months after Tancredi left his family to fight with Garibaldi’s forces, and they were successful. Sicily was an island changed. The governor who not too long ago ordered red shirts shot now welcomed them with open arms. He was no longer the law that Don Fabrizio needed to kowtow to. The man whose signature the Prince needed so he and his family could make their annual pilgrimage to their castle in Donnafugata was young Colonel Bombello.

It was fascinating to watch the Prince try to play the Count. At their first meeting, Don Fabrizio tried to appeal to their shared noble lineage. He even asked how the young man would prefer to be addressed (Colonel, not Count). Next, as his guest at his palace, Don Fabrizio tried to leverage his attendance to the liberation ball for the Colonel’s signature. Bombello may have been lovestruck at first sight of Concetta, but his integrity came first, and he refused the Prince’s offer. At the liberation ball, however, which the Prince did eventually consent to attend, after the Prince tortured him by making him watch Concetta dance with other men (her brother and her cousin Tancredi), Bombello gave in. He finally agreed to the signature Don Fabrizio had been wanting.

Did the Prince and his family truly needed to leave for Donnafugata? Don Fabrizio’s insistence on being allowed to travel seemed more of an assurance to himself that he still stood above others, that he was not bound by the same laws as those socially beneath him. Everyone else could not leave the city. He could. Never mind that he used his daughter to feel this fleeting power.

His constant staring notwithstanding, there wasn’t anything particularly objectionable about Colonel Bombello. He was a suitable match to Concetta. But, Concetta had already fallen in love with Tancredi. Tancredi played the restless revolutionary whose mind was at his very important work, but privately, he asked Concetta to run away with him. Did she suddenly become that much more desirable because he saw how another man (the Colonel) fell hopelessly in love with her almost the instant he saw her?

She refused. Concetta was in love, but she was also a dutiful noblewoman who knew she could not just elope with her cousin. Instead, she played the family priest so she could play her father. She confessed her love for Tancredi, knowing full well that Father Pirrone would break the seal of confession and tell her parents. Because they were aristocrats, Concetta and Tancredi being cousins was not objectionable to the Prince and Princess. But what about Bombello who asked to write to Concetta? I am going to be moderately upset if this dude turns out to be unworthy of Concetta (As I am writing this, I still haven’t seen the rest of the series and remain un-spoiled on the endgame).

Mere minutes after Concetta confessed her love for Tancredi, a new arrival caught his eye. The mayor’s daughter, Angelica Sedara, was now 18 years old, and of surpassing beauty. Go back to the city and dress for another ball, Concetta. But, was Don Fabrizio eyeing Angelica as well? I will be disciplined, I will watch one episode at a time, I will not spoil myself. 

This is a gorgeously shot episode that made me appreciate even more what a lavish production The Leopard is. The series was made with care. I could never have enough of shows like this and I look forward seeing what happens next.

Strays

👑Tancredi was already a Captain here, with an injured eye. I agree with the Princess – Concetta, control yourself.

👑Tancredi wouldn’t tell Concetta how his eye was injured.

👑There were a couple of scenes that showed Colonel Bombello wiping sweat off his face, which was a nice reminder that this was during a Sicilian summer, which would have felt very hot for a soldier from Milan.

👑An aristocrat from Milan and an aristocrat from Sicily. The Colonel called this a war, the Prince called it an occupation. Alessandro Sperduti’s soft-spoken Colonel held his own in scenes with Kim Rossi Stuart’s imperious Prince. I wish they had more scenes together.

👑Poor Father Pirrone had to wait in the carriage whilst Don Fabrizio was with his mistress. The comic timing on their squabble was excellent.

👑Don Fabrizio really had the Colonel stand on a table to take a closer look at a fresco of Janus, the god of passages. Petty, funny, and cultured – Don Fabrizio was a well-written character. 

👑Paolo clocked what Don Fabrizio was trying to do with Concetta. Paolo was angry about a lot of things, including Don Fabrizio’s mistress. His punishment for speaking out was getting left behind in Palermo whilst the rest of the family trooped to Donnafugata.

👑The nobles attended the ball, but no one danced until Don Fabrizio and his family danced. Society still took their social cues from him. 

👑Tancredi really just asked Concetta to elope. Concetta wanted to tell her father so they could marry properly. This just doesn’t seem like an honest, passionate offer, and I look forward to digging deeper into this in a separate post. Later, Tancredi apologised to Concetta about asking her to run away with him. When Concetta told him that she loved him, he looked uneasy.

👑Mayor Sedara made such a fuss to welcome the Prince and his family. A band, a cheering crowd. He even knelt down in greeting. Mayor Sedara was giving Russo vibes; they both knelt to the Prince but something felt off. 

👑Don Fabrizio noted that there was no flag raised, neither the old one nor the new one. Mayor Sedara said he thought it was best to wait, as all towns would be allowed to vote on whether they wanted to unify with the mainland or not. Don Fabrizio gave the order to raise the old flag. He still viewed Garibaldi’s army as occupiers. 

👑Watch Mayor Sedara’s face as Don Fabrizio addressed the crowd. That man is no friend to the Prince. 

👑Mayor Sedara and his wife were invited to dinner by Don Fabrizio. Mayor Sedara accepted but he said his wife was unwell, and that he would take his daughter Angelica instead. Don Fabrizio commented how the Mayor would say the same thing about his wife every year.

👑The Princess took the idea of Concetta marrying far better than the Prince. 

Rating: A-

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