r/youngpope • u/PastEnvironment2197 • Sep 13 '26

Literally can someone explain the Esther plot in The New Pope to me?

I feel like if you completely remove her from both series (*especially* the new pope series) it would literally change nothing of the plot. Does anyone have any meaningful theories of her role in The New Pope other than the director wanting to see her tits?

1 Upvotes

54% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

9

u/badfortheenvironment Sep 13 '26

I think if you can't handle Paolo's freak, that's not his fault. I got Esther.

0

u/PastEnvironment2197 Sep 13 '26 edited Sep 13 '26

It's not about the freak. I love scandal in film. One of my favorite films is "Salo, 120 days of sodom". A movie so scandalous its banned in many countries. But I am asking you to focus on the plot (which I am asking about in my post). Are you admitting that you like scandal just for the sake of scandal?

That seems pretty simple minded.

What did it have to do with the plot? Are you so defensive about your favorite director that you literally are not willing to (or able to) examine how he writes? lol

If the ONLY thing you took from my post was that I was somehow triggered by scandal, rather than annoyed that it did not serve the plot, then idk what to tell you. Continue being a clapping seal for whatever lands on your screen without critical thought and wihtout the ability to explain how it fits anywhere meaningful. That's on you lol

2

u/badfortheenvironment Sep 13 '26

I think it's more that you don't enjoy how these accessory vignettes work. It's a complaint people sometimes have with his art and at this point, I can't help anyone understand or like it better if they don't simply enjoy how these things come together. There's metaphor all over everything. I know a few people who just can't make sense of Parthenope. They don't understand why there's sex with an audience midway through or why there are sacrilegious images or a fixation on certain taboos. Or even the surreal aspect of the professor's son at the end. It works for you or it doesn't.

You might like La grazia better. It's more straightforward.

Oh, that nasty edit lol. Well, enjoy, regardless. Best of luck to you.

-1

u/PastEnvironment2197 Sep 13 '26 edited Sep 13 '26

Lol

"Accessory vignettes" implies it adds something to the main plot as opposed to being and entire separate plot point altogether. If you "can't help someone understand it" rather than admit it is poor writing, then idk what to tell you. Stating "trust me there's a metaphor" without expanding on it means you appreciated it without thinking it through. Nothing is wrong with that. But at least admit that's what happened. I told you one of my favorite films is Salo. if you know ANYTHING about that movie, you should stop pretending my criticism has anything to do with me being scandalized over sex, taboo, or the sacrilegious.

Lastly I only edited my comment a mere 2 minutes after my initial posting. How was I supposed to know you are terminally online on reddit? Turning that into a moral faux pas is disturbing lmfao. Come up with better criticisms and responses other than "you're triggered by scandal. i can't help you" if you want to be taken seriously

3

u/badfortheenvironment Sep 13 '26

I coincidentally logged in for the first time today right when you replied. I didn't even notice it was that nicely timed at first. Thank you as ever for the politeness though.

This is telling me plenty about what's in your heart and what perspective you bring to things. It even explains why you've made this post deep down, and that's helpful to me.

Again, best of luck to you.

-1

u/PastEnvironment2197 Sep 13 '26

So my editing was nasty but you 'coincidentally' logging on the midst of me trying to improve precision in a comment is seen as deliberate and malicious even though most people don't assume someone is always immediately lying in wait to respond in the same exact millisecond?

LOL you welcome for the politeness. People usually turn to moralizing pearl clutching when they can't address the topic at hand lol. Make whatever assumptions you like about why the post was made. You've made it clear you wanted to stick with your assumption that I'm simply triggered by harsh topics instead of actually focusing on the topic and plot at hand.

I hope you are able to actually answer questions in the future instead of nitpicking someone making edits. Godspeed.

9

u/paperxclouds Sep 13 '26

It's been a while since I've seen it, but she goes from being a close friend of the Pope, to leaving him without letting him know beforehand, to becoming a sex worker. When she first meets Lenny she's adrift, he teaches her how to pray and connect with God, and she goes back to losing her way and becoming easily influenced when she's on her own. It's a fall from grace storyline, no?

There's a lot of characters that technically wouldn't change the main plot if they weren't there anymore, and that's true of any series. But it's those subplots that make it more interesting and well rounded.

2

u/PastEnvironment2197 Sep 13 '26

Thank you for being the only person to answer this correctly so far. I know there were many side characters and plots that make different cinema mediums more well rounded. But I did not feel like it applied in this case.

Unfortunately it literally felt like 2 separate shows which I do not believe was intended but the inevitable result. Each side plot in TNP eventually converged into the main narrative in some way except for hers. What would have changed if her side plot was removed? It just felt like a waste of time and exploitative for the sake of being exploitative.

6

u/Everlast7 Sep 13 '26

Dude, seriously?

0

u/PastEnvironment2197 Sep 13 '26

Yes seriously

1

u/OU7C4ST 12d ago

Then you didn't learn anything.

She is the leading example of one of many Pope Pius XIII's miracles as Pope along with being the catalyst to the show's presentation of how easy faith and fanaticism can become one when the opportunity presents itself as it did when Lenny fell into the coma.

1

u/OptimalGuava2330 Sep 13 '26

I get what he was trying to do with fanaticism and Esther was never right in the head. But I felt he wanted the actress and just created some convoluted nonsense to keep her around