DaVinci's Demons - Season 3 Will Be Final Season

In news that probably won't shock anyone really, it has been confirmed after months of relative silence surrounding this series that the upcoming third season of fantasy historical drama, DaVinci's Demons will now serve as it's last.

The show which debuted in 2013 on Starz network and stars Tom Riley as the titular DaVinci had been a hit for the cable station but it was announced last week that Season 3 will mark the end for the show. The season will comprise of ten episodes and will be executive produced by The X-Files John Shiban, following the departure of creator David S. Goyer.

I have to admit that like with a lot of cancellations this year (Atlantis, Revenge, Hannibal) that I'm not actually that shocked by this news. The fact that Starz have yet to produce a series that goes beyond three seasons (excluding Spartacus) aside, I actually three seasons is a good place to end the series as well. It's been a fun show but unfortunately while it's likely that I will see the episodes when they air, due to circumstances, I may not be able to review them as such. I am though looking forward to this final season.

Season 3 Trailer/Press Release: http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/07/da-vincis-demons-season-3-to-be-its.html

DaVinci's Demons third and final season will air Saturdays 8pm on Starz from October 24th and will air shortly afterwards for UK viewers on FOX UK.

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x10: "The Sins Of Daedalus"

Written by Brian Nelson And Corey Reed And Marco Ramirez
Directed by Peter Hoar

Lucrezia: “The deaths that happen have to happen.”

On that cryptic note – this definitely was the best way of ending the current season of this show. With the confidence of knowing it will return for a third run next year, the final few minutes set up such an impressive bout of storylines that should ensure that nearly everyone will have something to do.

DaVinci for instance without even looking finally found his mother. She turned out to be that cryptic seer who’s currently on the Ottoman boats with Bayezid and his advisor and Piero looked more shocked to see her than Leonardo did himself.

I knew there was more to the Seer that met the eye but even I was a bit surprised to learn that she was DaVinci’s mother. With the Book of leaves still being an unresolved plotline, at least adding DaVinci’s mother into the mix should help speed things along. Assuming her boat isn’t blown to bits that is.

As for the Ottoman Empire – they used Lucrezia to try and broker some terms with Sixtus, Lorenzo and Alfonso and the latter three refused them all, which meant that war was declared and while DaVinci didn’t want to totally align himself with destroying the Ottoman Empire, he did however give Alfonso a bit of an advantage though.

As a character, Alfonso continued to grate in this episode but due to the situation at hand, he was forced to repress his Joffrey like tendencies and actually allow both Lorenzo and DaVinci to help him. Assuming there will be casualties from this war, is it too much to hope that Alfonso will become one of them? Even when he’s slightly neutered, he’s still annoying to watch with even Sixtus wasting no time to get away from him as quickly as possible.

Speaking of Sixtus – Lucrezia finally exposed him for the fraud that he has been and while this should eventually lead to his downfall (along with his brother escaping), it didn’t make much difference to Lucrezia here as she was thrown into a dungeon and almost killed by a vengeful Lorenzo. It might be me but I have a feeling that Lorenzo might hold a grudge too well, not that Lucrezia did much to curry his favour in this episode.

However, while I didn’t particularly care for the angst with Lucrezia and DaVinci, I actually do think it was wise for him to set her free. With Lorenzo and Alfonso keeping her locked up, one of them would’ve killed her eventually and it would be nice to see Lucrezia actually get justice for her sister, though next time she might be wiser not setting two empires against each other as her antics with Bayezid have resulted in war.

Keeping with Leonardo though for a bit longer – I really do want to see him get revenge on Carlo but perhaps Piero was right to advise him against dying in vain too. Piero behaved more like a father to DaVinci in this one episode than he’s ever done in the maestro’s life. It’s because of this that I really have changed my mind about the character a great deal.

As for Florence – I really thought Vanessa’s paranoia about Clarice wanting to take her son was going to be justified so it was more a relief when the latter left and put the former in charge, even if it was down to Nico being somewhat crafty as well. The idea of Vanessa ruling Florence while both Lorenzo and Clarice are absent has great potential story wise. It’s probably the most exciting plot the whole episode did as well.

Last but not least though there was also Riario. He spent most of this episode being eye tortured by the Enemies of Man before converting to their way and being introduced to Carlo. It’s sort of sad that Riario has aligned himself with more fanatics but it’s not exactly out of character and hopefully we’ll get some decent scope on this lot next season too.

Also in “The Sins Of Daedalus”

I loved the flashback with DaVinci and Andreas at the start of the episode. I’m going to miss the latter.

Andreas (to DaVinci): “Time has come for you to go out on your own. To become a maestro. Let your work speak for what you believe and love.”

Nico revealed himself to be that Nico when Clarice took exception to him challenging her authority over Vanessa’s safety.

DaVinci: “Your quest has already changed me.”
Al-Rahim: “Do you even know where you’re going?”

Riario: “What do you want from me?”
Enemies Of Man: “We want nothing from you, brother. We want something for you.”

Vanessa named her boy, Giuliano and we saw Nico forge her signature as well, giving her power over Florence as Regent. I couldn’t make out her surname though.

Seer (to Bayezid): “I prefer these chains to yours. Mine are the kind I can see.”

DaVinci: “Why are you doing this?”
Lucrezia: “Because of him. The man you know as Pope Sixtus is not the true Pope but an imposter.”

I’m going to assume that Clarice is personally off to get revenge on Carlo, giving that she was reminded how easily he deceived her by Vanessa.

Alfonso: “Bore a hold?”
DaVinci: “Yes, much in the same way you bore a room.”

Clarice (to Vanessa): “I know it’s a terrible decision but the things we do, we do them for Florence.”

I quite liked Zoroaster being less whiny in this episode and more helpful. I hope we get to see that side of him more next season.

Lorenzo (re Lucrezia): “You still wear her ring? You’re in love with someone ultimately incapable of it.”
DaVinci: “Perhaps the same could be said of me.”
Lorenzo: “Perhaps you deserve one another.”

Chronology: From where “The Enemies Of Man” left off.

This season has certainly been an improvement on the first one with a better selection of stories, some great character moments and some excellent set up material for next season. “The Sins Of Daedalus” was a satisfying way of concluding this season.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x09: "The Enemies Of Man"

Written by Allison Moore And Marco Ramirez And Brian Nelson
Directed by Justin Molotnikov

DaVinci: “I will fix this, maestro. I swear I will make this right.”
Andreas: “I know you will, boy. You know no other way.”

It hadn’t been since about three episodes since we’ve had an important death and with Riario losing poor Zita back in the New World, in this episode DaVinci ended up losing the one person who was anything in the way of a parental figure and all because another character revealed their true colours at the worst time.

I actually wasn’t expecting either Andreas to wind up getting the axe quite literally or even Carlo to be revealed as part of the Enemies of Man, but it certainly made the last five minutes of the episode all the more interesting as well. However, both outcomes are also something of a shame as well.

I’ve always enjoyed Andreas and his protective nature over DaVinci and it’s sad to see the latter lose him as well but I’m also sad that Carlo turned out to be a baddie after all. Maybe it’s because his concern for Clarice always seemed genuine or maybe it was just down to the fact that now he’ll probably be dead by a vengeful DaVinci or someone else in the finale but either way, it’s kind of a bummer.

However, dealing with the Enemies of Man has been rather overdue and this episode did delve into an interestingly shared history with Mama DaVinci (who’s still alive it seems) and Carlo while at the same time, actually proving that the Book of Leaves was nearer to Leonardo than he thought. In fact Carlo seemed to point out that it was closer than DaVinci actually thought as well.

I really do hope that by the finale, this Book of Leaves segment is done with once and for all. It started off as fascinating, petered a little, got a bit more interesting again and now it does feel like it’s a storyline that needs wrapping up. At the very least we need to know where it is before the Enemies of Man get their hands on it.

Keeping with the Enemies of Man – I don’t think it was too shocking that Riario ended up being recruited by them. He knew in this episode that his allegiance with DaVinci was over once they returned to Florence. Also given that he burnt his bridges with both his own father and Lucrezia’s, I guess joining another fanatical cult bent on ultimate power was probably the most logical thing for Riario to have done in the circumstances.

As for Florence itself – why didn’t previous episodes actually show the city being sacked properly by Duke Federico before DaVinci and his gang managed to defeat the sadistic ruler and Clarice went from being enslaved to killing her slaver as well? I feel it would’ve helped benefit the series had that been played out a bit instead of being skimmed over for the context of this episode alone.

However Florence wasn’t completely out of danger though. With Carlo and Riario showing their hands again, we also had the misfortune of Alfonso killing his father and denying any peace with Lorenzo as Sixtus looked pretty pleased with himself. I know I’ve complained about Alfonso all season but he’s still a tedious villain lacking any kind of depth and back story and the sooner he’s bumped off the better in my book.

Also in “The Enemies Of Man”

Was it me or did Riario look a tiny bit disappointed when DaVinci told him that their truce would come to an end when they returned to Florence?

DaVinci: “You do realise that Sixtus may show you none?”
Riario: “Perhaps that is what I deserve for worshipping false idols.”

Lucrezia’s ‘torture’ involved being asked the same three questions multiple times before she unwitting revealed information about her father. It’s interesting that her ‘torturer’ seems to think Lucrezia’s father is dangerous though.

DaVinci: “Lorenzo would never abandon Florence.”
Federico: “Yet here I am sitting on his throne, among his many luxuries.”

DaVinci (to Zoroaster): “We’re not leaving Florence. We have to take the city back.”

There were some nice moments in this episode with Nico trying to protect Vanessa from being raped by a guard and Zoroaster and Amerigo’s various exchanges as well.

Bayezid (to Lucrezia): “I trust you are as happy to see me as I am to see you.”

Federico: “I will be judged by my fellow heads of state.”
Clarice: “That you will. Guilty.”

I’m guessing from the bath Lucrezia was getting in this episode, she’s either about to be killed off or married off to someone.

Clarice: “Where does this humility come from? It doesn’t suit you.”
DaVinci: “I’ve had an enlightening few months.”

Carlo was revealed to having killed Cossimo in this episode, Andreas fixed the Brazen Head while DaVinci revealed that he learned to play the lute at eight as a girl and boy were involved.

Riario: “Who are you?”
EOM: “We are the Enemies of Man.”

Chronology: Not long from where “The Fall From Heaven” left off.

“The Enemies Of Man” - something of an engaging episode. It’s a shame that Riario fell into old patterns and that Carlo was revealed as a baddie but it was certainly an interesting to Florence nonetheless and the finale should be pretty interesting when we see it in a fortnight.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x08: "The Fall From Heaven"

Written by Jonathan Hickman And Corey Reed
Directed by Peter Hoar

DaVinci (to Riario): “For me, the quest is far from over.”

Okay, this episode was brilliant in most regards but it was also disappointing in some others. The obvious one being that this show has unwisely decided to extend the Book Of Leaves plotline while adding a pit stop as well to proceedings.

Despite all the trouble and craziness that DaVinci, Zoroaster, Nico and Riario have gone through to try and find the bloody book and DaVinci’s mother, this episode made sure they barely escaped with their lives from Ima and her people and left the New World empty handed as well.

It might have been fun for the last few weeks exploring the New World and perhaps in light of the show officially being confirmed for a third season, it’s understandable that DaVinci didn’t succeed in his goals but it does make things rather frustrating though. Even Riario seemed pretty defeated to contrast DaVinci’s strange jubilation at the end of this episode.

It’s all well and good the writers wanting to hold off on DaVinci getting the Book of Leaves and reuniting with his mother but it could end up being the show’s undoing as well. I do think this episode should’ve resolved one or the other, aside from revealing that Ima’s people were in possession of neither.

Speaking of Ima – I kind of felt bad for her this week. Yes, she led hunt on DaVinci and came close to sacrificing her dreamer and Riario to her God but her genuine despair when she realised her own people were doomed was actually a little heartbreaking. I might not have agreed with her methods but I at least understood them and I have a feeling that she herself probably ended up being sacrificed as DaVinci and company escaped from the New World.

Keeping with the escape – Lorenzo just cannot seem to catch a break, can he? When it finally looked like he was making progress with Ferrante (thanks to Ippolita’s scheming), Alfonso had to sour the mood by bringing Sixtus to Naples and really put Lorenzo in the crapper as well. Have I mentioned my dislike for Alfonso? He does seem to excel with each appearance and manages to also remain deeply uninteresting as a result.

When he wasn’t endangering Lorenzo’s life yet again, he was also attacking Bayezid on Sixtus’s orders. To be honest, it’s a bloody shame that both Bayezid and Lucrezia’s assassin didn’t get to kill him but with two episodes left and DaVinci returning, surely Alfonso will meet his maker soon, right? I literally don’t care who kills the man, just as long as someone does it and fast.

As for Bayezid – I actually did feel sorry for the bloke. He foolishly thought he could reason with Sixtus and ended up getting rightly humiliated for it, which does prove that Lucrezia’s propensity for endangering people is still there. As for Lucrezia – I did laugh a little how the Sultan’s advisor figured out rather easily who she was. It also seems that there’s at least one bloke that’s immune to her charms as well if that advisor had zero qualms with setting his right hand woman on Lucrezia.

Also in “The Fall From Heaven”

Riario being manipulated into murdering his own mother answered a question from the previous season. It was also pretty grim to watch as well.

Lorenzo: “I have to do this. I must fight for what I hold dear.”
Ippolita: “As must I.”

I don’t think anyone was shocked to see Lorenzo sleep with Ippolita in this episode. However I am betting that she won’t make in the next two though.

Riario: “We have failed, artiste. We should accept that.”
DaVinci: “Never.”

Ima: “Wait for me in the next life, Leonardo.”

This week we had escapes via parachutes, diversions courtesy of exploding animal fat and a creepy golden mechanical doll that made DaVinci think he was hearing his mother.

Bayezid: “I came in the hope of peace.”
Sixtus: “Your dream of diplomacy is entertaining. Utterly misguided.”

Nico: “I hate flying.”

We saw something of a darker side to Nico during the escape attempt. Even Zoroaster was shocked with how easily he attacked the guards.

Ima: “Don’t take the book away from my people, please.”
DaVinci: “There was no book.”
Ima: “Then we are doomed.”

DaVinci (to Zoroaster, re Riario): “He’s coming with us. There’s been enough death.”

There was no Clarice, Carlo, Andreas or Vanessa in this episode. That’s two episodes this season that have been Florence-less.

Riario (to DaVinci): “How foolish I have been to follow the Book Of Leaves to the end of the world, thinking it could absolve me from my sins.”

Chronology: From where “The Vault Of Heaven” left off.

Certainly this was a strong episode in other regards but I do wish “The Fall From Heaven” had offered some permanent closure with either the Book Of Leaves or DaVinci’s mother instead of possibly extending the stories beyond their natural life. However, I am now looking forward to see the gang back in Florence next week though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x07: "The Vault Of Heaven"

Written by Brian Nelson And Marco Ramirez
Directed by Peter Hoar

Ima (to DaVinci): “I am sorry my dreamer, our visions were very clear. You are to lead me to this point and die in return and lead my people into salvation, no matter the cost.”

Hmm, I can’t help but this is rather an extreme version of sour grapes, Ima. I knew her and DaVinci were doomed thanks to that opening scene in the premiere episode a few weeks back but did she really have to threaten to kill DaVinci and his gang just because he entered the Vault of Heaven without her?

DaVinci might not have had any intention of waiting for her but Ima herself chose not to follow through with the various trials, so she can’t entirely blame her dreamer for not taking her to the Vault of Heaven either.

Speaking of the trials – they were inventive, puzzling and the right side of perilous but served more to open up an interesting dialogue with DaVinci, Riario, Nico and Zoroaster than anything else. While there’s a part of me that thinks Zoroaster was absolutely right not to trust Riario at all, there was also another part of me that found him annoying throughout the episode. I hate to say it but aside from Alfonso, I think Zoroaster has become the weakest character this season or at the very most, the least developed one too.

There’s only so much of his laddish humour and complaining I can take with Zoroaster and the show has gotten to a point of exhausting it now. At least Nico tried to keep a level head and managed to persuade Riario to spare Zoroaster. In a crisis, I think you would want Nico at your side more than Zoroaster. That’s what I learned from this episode.

As for DaVinci and Riario – they actually managed to be more civil with each other. Sure, both of them were a little competitive over seeing the Book of Leaves but at the same time, they also worked pretty well together too. It’s just a shame that Ima and her tribe took it upon themselves to shorten their partnership by the episode’s end.

As for DaVinci’s mother – I guess it makes sense that she was in the Vault Of Heaven, even if we didn’t see her. I assume we will do by next week though and hopefully this whole Book of Leaves plot will be resolved too. I’m still interested in it as a whole but it’s a loose end that needs tying up though.

Speaking of loose ends – I liked Carlo’s method of dealing with hostile bankers and protecting Clarice. He’s slowly becoming my new favourite character this season and while his affair with Clarice is pretty predictable plotting, I do think they work together rather well. Carlo certainly seems to have given Clarice a steely determination that Lorenzo certainly wasn’t.

Last but not least – Lucrezia and the Sultan’s son. It did seem like things were going a little too smoothly at first in Istanbul so having the former being kept captive while the latter decided to go to Rome was probably a good idea. However knowing Lucrezia, I’m pretty sure she’ll manage to get herself out of the sticky situation fairly soon. After all, she does have three weapons at her disposal as the Sultan’s son seemed a little too eager to point out.

Also in “The Vault Of Heaven”

Sixtus seems to have cottoned on to the fact that Lupo’s faith in him is dwindling. I wonder will he pick up on the fact that Lupo’s also removed something important from the Secret Archives too.

DaVinci (to Zoroaster): “We need to go home. We need to get what we came for.”

Clarice seemed a little kinder but still patronising to Vanessa in this episode. I did like that Vanessa stood up for herself though.

Ima: “How many years do you think we’ve been at this problem?”
Zoroaster: “Maybe you just need a bigger spear?”

Vanessa (to Clarice): “The man I chose to bed will not define me. One receives as much respect as one demands.”

Lucrezia went by Amelia’s name when she met up with the Sultan and dressed for the occasion too.

Carlo (to banker): “As you reminded me, I am a bastard.”

Clarice (to Carlo): “What I’m doing is what I damn well please.”

This episode didn’t feature anything in relation to Naples at all. I think only DaVinci and Zoroaster have appeared in every episode so far this season.

Bayezid (to Lucrezia): “Charm, beauty, intelligence. I cannot trust a woman with so many weapons at her disposal.”

Chronology: Not long since “The Rope Of The Dead”.

Not quite as strong as previous episodes have been but certainly, “The Vault Of Heaven” had it’s moments and overall, it was enjoyable to watch. However I do think it is probably time to wrap up the Book of Leaves plot now.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x06: "The Rope Of The Dead"

Written by David S. Goyer And Matt Fraction
Directed by Jon Jones

Riario: “Know this, DaVinci. If we depart this place without the Book Of Leaves, I will kill you myself.”

And knowing Riario, you just know that he will give it a good try too, even if DaVinci managed to best him in the end. It’s not just a certain show on NBC that’s getting into the spirit of entwining two enemies together and forcing them to work together but on this show too, both DaVinci and Riario were rather dependant on each other’s survival courtesy of Ima and her people running the mother of all tests.

If it wasn’t for Riario being forced into sacrificing poor Zita, I actually would’ve thought that he fared the best in his trial in the cornfield. He was certainly battering the crap out of the various Incans that tried to kill him and he certainly was able to surprise them at various turns but then they got their own back and poor Zita died as a measure.

As much as I was sad to see Zita go (great character potential there), I did like that her death further illustrated Riario’s kinder side. He took zero pleasure in having to kill her and he certainly took no comfort when DaVinci told him that Zita forgave him as well. Even though DaVinci wasn’t responsible for Zita’s death, I can see why Riario might view him as though.

Speaking of DaVinci – when he wasn’t being struck by his archenemy, he was getting married of sorts to Ima, poisoned by a snake and then entering a rather trippy dream sequence with various dead people trying to tempt him with future knowledge as well as offering cryptic clues about the Book Of Leaves.

It’s kind of amazing that this show has only lightly shown anything really supernatural so for this episode to go almost all out (and not just with DaVinci) was actually a rather pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the scenes DaVinci had with his older self as well as the ones with Giuliano and Solomon that it was almost a shame they weren’t a little longer though. However they did seem to serve their purpose and that of course was the point of the whole episode.

Keeping with the supernatural stuff – it is right to possibly assume that Al Rahim might not actually be alive either? DaVinci saw him amongst the dead and even Lucrezia herself briefly met the man and her sister Amelia again while her assassin friend was drugged. I’m hoping we do get a definitive answer on whether Al Rahim is actually alive or not but either way, I will admit that I am continuing to enjoy Lucrezia a little more this season compared to the previous. I’m hoping her adventures in Constantinople will be interesting to watch as well.

As for Lorenzo – his anger of Giuliano’s death made a lot of sense given that he hadn’t really given time to grieve at all in the previous episodes, between nearly dying himself and having the Pazzis almost wipe out his family but I am glad that anger manifested (along with ghost Giuliano) into besting both Ferrante and Alfonso this week. I’m also hoping within the next four episodes that Lorenzo and Ippolita actually do take out the tyrant father and his tedious son as well. Ferrante is a sadist that needs putting down and Alfonso is an awful character who I can’t see getting interesting any time soon.

Also in “The Rope Of The Dead”

Ima, I’m pretty sure you didn’t need to drug DaVinci into having sex with you. Just saying is all.

DaVinci: “Is this a marriage proposal?”
Ima: “Are you destined to another?”
DaVinci: “No.”

DaVinci might not be ‘destined’ to anyone but he did have great reluctance in handing over Lucrezia’s ring to Ima though.

Zita (re Riario): “You will never understand him.”
Zoroaster: “There we agree.”

Ima (re DaVinci/Riario): “Both of your fates are entwined.”
Riario: “How very poetic.”

Solomon’s commentary on the Mona Lisa and DaVinci’s mother was pretty amusing to watch. Plus anyone who says that painting isn’t DaVinci’s best work – yeah, I’m inclined to agree with them.

Al Rahim (to Lucrezia): “As I said, Leonardo trusts me. Would you want to know why?”

Solomon (re Mona Lisa): “Not your best work in my opinion.”
DaVinci: “Who’s that woman?”

The Mona Lisa might not be DaVinci’s mother but I have a feeling that Ima and her tribe may be keeping her somewhere else though.

Older DaVinci: “I forgot how petulant I can be.”
DaVinci: “Apparently there’s one thing that doesn’t fade with age.”

No Sixtus, Clarice, Carlo, Vanessa or Andreas in this episode. Actually this was the first episode with nothing Florence related at all in it.

DaVinci: “Why are we in chains?”
Older DaVinci: “Because I failed.”

Giuliano: “No-one ever wants to say it but part of us hates the dead for leaving us.”
Lorenzo: “God damn you for dying.”

Chronology: Not long from where “The Sun And The Moon” left off.

It’s actually amazing to see what a difference a season can do to a show and within six episodes of this season, the show has gotten much better. “The Rope Of The Dead” was an engaging story, filled with some lovely characters beats, shocks, some fun at the expense of DaVinci’s expense and overall just bloody fantastic.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x05: "The Sun And The Moon"

Written by Dan Hess And Corey Reed
Directed by Jon Jones

Ima (to DaVinci): “You are not the first of your kind to arrive.”

Not only that but DaVinci, Zoroaster and Amerigo were even beaten by Riario, Nico and Zita in terms of landing in the New World. I had been waiting for the show to finally get there and it seems like it’s going to be a rather interesting set of events with the Incas, their high priestess Ima and of course, the further plotlines about the Book Of Leaves.

In this episode alone we got some moments of wonder with DaVinci and the gang exploring a whole new world before getting captured by the Incas and nearly sacrificed until DaVinci managed to figure out at the last minute what their little test actually meant. He certainly took his time because Zoroaster came pretty close to being killed off in this episode, which almost wouldn’t have been a bad thing.

Getting to Zoroaster – I like the character for the most part and I certainly don’t have a problem with him questioning DaVinci’s pursuit of knowledge from time to time but while every other character has shown some flourishes of character development this season – he hasn’t.

In fact all Zoroaster really did in this episode was mostly whine and make some lewd comments and it grated for the first time in what was otherwise an interesting episode. Well, he also attacked Riario in Nico’s honour but his whining and risky attempts of escaping captivity just didn’t do the character any favours this week.

As for the Inca tribe – the power struggle between the masked Lord and Ima was certainly interesting to watch. It wasn’t too shocking that she was eager for DaVinci and his crew to survive and the fact that she has links to his mother was a satisfying enough twist as well. I’m quite intrigued to see where the writers are going to go with Ima and DaVinci and I’m certainly intrigued by the proposed alliance with DaVinci and Riario as well.

Speaking of alliances – I’m also enjoying the one with Clarice and Carlo as well for good measure. I liked that their scheming managed to sort out the Medici banking problem and current dissent for the time being but the fact that they began sleeping together was probably only a shocker because Vanessa witnessed it. Aside from that, it was fairly predictable but enjoyable stuff nonetheless and at least Clarice is having better luck than her husband at the moment.

If everyone else was making some progress this week, then Lorenzo and Piero were definitely on the opposite end of the scale. Along with Alfonso being a right prick to them by spiking their food, his father Ferrante is also a right sadist but at least he’s threatening in a way that Alfonso clearly isn’t. On the plus side, I get the feeling that Ippolita will end up helping both Lorenzo and Piero before her father in law can gut the pair of them.

Also in “The Sun And The Moon”

I did laugh at Amerigo deciding to name the New World “Vespuccia”. Come on, Amerigo, it’ll come to you.

Amerigo: “I’ll mourn you as I’m celebrated for discovering this land.”
Zoroaster: “Of course you’d take the credit cos you’re a buzzard’s conkasaurus.”

The marking on DaVinci’s key were seen in the trees and amongst the Incan tribe. The puzzle turned out to be about life – water, corn, the soil etc too.

Lorenzo: “Clarice has her virtues.”
Ippolita: “Do you read poetry together?”

Carlo: “You’re as clever as you are beautiful.”
Clarice: “Don’t waste your time flattering me.”

Given that Carlo and Clarice are now sleeping together, it won’t be too much of a shock to see Lorenzo and his ex, Ippolita do the same thing next week.

Ferrante (to Lorenzo): “You speak of fear. I will show you fear.”

DaVinci (re Ima): “Whatever’s about to happen, she’s not happy about it.”
Zoroaster: “Yeah, makes two of us.”

This episode didn’t feature Lucrezia or Pope Sixtus at all. I don’t even think the former was even mentioned really.

DaVinci: “Count.”
Riario: “Artiste.”

Chronology: Several weeks or even months since “The Ends Of The Earth” considering DaVinci’s new hairdo and Vanessa visibly show her pregnancy.

“The Sun And The Moon” might be the best episode of the season especially that every plot worked well and Wales has surprisingly been made to look convincing enough as the New World. I definitely can’t wait to see where the remainder of this season now goes after the interesting first half we’ve had.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x04: "The Ends Of The Earth"

Written by Marco Ramirez
Directed by Charles Sturridge

Nico (to Riario): "Told you. We're all gonna die."

I'm beginning to wonder if last week's episode title was the one that should've been given to this one. DaVinci might have spent a while talking about the Earth being round and failing to get his newly acquired crew to trust him but it was really this episode in which the voyage really did feel like it was damned.

I don't think I can blame the crew for having their misgivings about DaVinci's credentials as an expert of the sea given that it took him until practically the end of the episode to actually figure out where they were actually going but at the same time, their mutiny put DaVinci in a pretty unenviable position. Zoroaster might have been right to be disgusted with his friends putting Yana and her company back in chains but given Amerigo's suggestions, it might have been the better of the two options here.

It's a shame that the mutinous crew ended up embarking on a suicide pact instead just as DaVinci had managed to reach out to them as well. If things are going this bad now, I can imagine what they will be like once DaVinci and company actually enter the New World. Well, that and the fact that we already have a certain scene from the opening episode to look forward to once again anyways.

As for Riario, things weren't exactly going well for him either. Nico managed to needle him about his beliefs (along with bedding Zita) and the storm at the end also proved that Nico had a point. That being said, this was another superb episode for Riario. When he wasn't trying to manipulate Nico, we also saw his tender side with Zita as well and then there was those flashbacks to behold too.

It's nice that we didn't have to wait too long to find out that Amelia was actually Lucrezia's younger sister and that Riario had tried to have the girl spared were it not for his homicidal uncle usurping Lucrezia's father for papacy. I think this is the first time we've had a real insight into Lucrezia's past and it managed to do a far better job outlining her motivations than most of last season did.

Lucrezia might still be a lukewarm character for me but she has gotten better in the last few episodes (keeping her away from DaVinci/Lorenzo seems to have done that for her) and her grudging alliance with Lupo while trying to grudgingly let her father orchestrate her uncle's downfall has managed to become rather interesting to watch. As for that sword she's managed to acquire - well, I am hoping that her trip to Constantinople will continue to see the character on the interesting path she's now been put on by the writers this season.

Last but not least - I quite enjoyed the Lorenzo and Piero scenes but them getting captured came as no shock at all. It was nice that between being attacked by one lot and then snared by another that Lorenzo managed to get Piero to open up about his volatile relationship with Leonardo, even if it didn't reveal anything we hadn't already known from back in "The Tower". Still, Lorenzo's attempts of getting to Naples has managed to hit an obvious snag so far. I wonder how both him and Piero will get out of this one?

Also in "The Ends Of The Earth"

Sixtus himself was mainly relegated to flashbacks in this episode. The way he snapped Amelia's neck though - that was pretty chilling.

DaVinci (re slaves): "I can show them the world is round. Teach them."
Amerigo: "You don't teach their sort."

I missed not seeing Clarice and Carlo in this episode. I was kind of hoping for at least one scene with the two, especially given how the latter was introduced last week. Also no Vanessa as well.

Zita: "There is goodness in you. There is piety. There is grace."
Riario: "No, no-one looks on me and sees that."
Zita: "I do."

Yana (to the crew, re DaVinci): "He sails us to our doom."

Riario's long hair in the flashbacks managed to make him look somewhat younger too. Overall those flashbacks were actually nicely shot too.

DaVinci: "I understand why they don't trust me but you should."
Zoroaster: "Because you're a great artist?"

Lucrezia (to her assassin): "We will endure this friend. I've endured worse."

Chronology: A few weeks since the events of "The Voyage Of The Damned"

Again, there's no denying that this show has improved this season. Maybe it's the less focus on the sex, maybe it's more of a concentration on better plots but "The Ends Of The Earth" certainly made for an interesting hour nonetheless. However I am glad that by next week, it does look like we'll finally be in the New World though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x03: "The Voyage Of The Damned"

Written by Brian Nelson
Directed by Peter Hoar

Alfonso: “Time to accept your fate, DaVinci.”
DaVinci: “I must confess I was distracted by the thought of your imminent defeat.”

When an episode of this show opens with a scene where DaVinci impersonates Count Riario in one of the most delightfully exaggerated performances, there are two things that will disappoint. One is the fact that the episode itself does not feature the fearsome count and the other would be that as a baddie, Ferrante’s son, Alfonso is somewhat lacking by comparison.

Granted I assume there are more appearances to come from Kieran Bew on the show but I have to admit that I wasn’t best impressed with Alfonso in this episode. He might have exposed DaVinci’s ploy and even defeated him in an opening sword battle by being ambidextrous as well but as a menace, I’m not really sure he’s menacing to be honest.

He also doesn’t seem to be particularly complex either and his presence somewhat made me miss Riario all the more because of that. His scenes where he terrorised slaves and threatened Yana did serve to prove that he was a nasty piece of work but one that was also rather easily bested in the end when DaVinci, Amerigo and Zoroaster invaded his ship and freed the slaves before getting rid of Alfonso for good measure.

Getting Alfonso’s ship in order to catch up with Riario did form a major part of this episode and the ‘invention’ of the submarine for this one was pretty daft but interesting nonetheless. While it did just about manage to work, I think it’s also something that DaVinci might want to develop a bit more. I know myself if I had been travelling in that thing I would’ve freaked out on a bigger scale than Zoroaster did when it sprang a leak.

Speaking of Zoroaster – I kind of liked Amerigo needling him about his friendship with Leonardo and in general, the banter with the two of them was rather fun to watch. This season has been hinting at some conflict with DaVinci and his friends and it does seem to be moving a subtle pace for the moment. Plus there’s also the issue of getting Nico back as well, which DaVinci almost seemed less focused on too.

As for the Medicis – this was something of a mixed bag for them. Pope Sixtus IV managed to get some kind of victory with the ex-communication tactic but it also seemed that Lorenzo and Clarice were mostly at loggerheads in this one too. I did like that she revealed Lucrezia’s role as a spy but I also think she could’ve handled things a lot better. As for Lorenzo’s plans to go to Naples – I’m not entirely sure how that one is going to pan out for him.

Last but not least – Lucrezia had storyline I actually enjoyed in this one. Not only did she manage to get her silent assassin to rough up Lupo a bit but she also managed to turn the idiot against the Pope when she revealed about a certain prisoner that the Pope was stashing away. I think this episode does actually prove that away from DaVinci and Lorenzo, Lucrezia can actually be a far better character to watch. I hope for more of this in the remaining episodes this season.

Also in “The Voyage Of The Damned”

I really hope now there’s a scene where Riario gets to impersonate DaVinci, even down to the clothing as well.

Alfonso: “Arrogant bastard, aren’t you?”
DaVinci: “Bastard, yes. It’s hardly arrogant to speak the truth.”

Remove one word and this episode is close to a title of a certain episode of Doctor Who – a series in which Tom Riley will also be making a guest appearance in this year.

Vanessa: “I think I should decide what’s best for my child. I think I am capable of that on my own.”
Clarice: “I don’t believe that.”

I have to admit that while I get it, I don’t enjoy seeing Clarice being horrible to Vanessa. I’m also intrigued by the sudden arrival of Carlo Medici as well.

Amerigo: “You must know you’re mad.”
DaVinci: “I’ve heard it said.”

Clarice: “You blame me for Giuliano’s death?”
Lorenzo: “I wasn’t making that exact point.”

DaVinci’s inspiration for the submarine seemed to come from a turtle, a lamprey and a trout. I can’t wait to see what he conjures up in the New World.

Lucrezia (to Lupo): “Now you have to choose – to serve the true Pope or a deceiver.”

Anyone notice that the music in the closing credits seems to have a darker tone? I quite like it myself.

DaVinci (to Al Rahim): “Everything I have achieved has been accomplished by fighting to exhaustion. I have no other way.”

Chronology: Not that long from where “The Blood Of Brothers” left off.

I think this season really has improved. “The Voyage Of The Damned”, while not as good as the previous episode certainly had it’s moments (DaVinci as Riario – stroke of genius) and overall the show has managed to make characters I previously didn’t care about (Pope Sixtus, Lupo) and those I’ve been hit and miss on (Lucrezia) a lot more engaging than last season. That itself is certainly a good sign.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x02: "The Blood Of Brothers"

Written by Jami O’Brien
Directed by Peter Hoar

Lorenzo: “It’s time to save our city, Leonardo. Our future.”

Well, this was certainly an interesting episode for Lorenzo. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the character go through the gamut of so many emotions in one episode until now. That’s not entirely a criticism as it did manage to work in Lorenzo’s favour this week.

The wanting to kill DaVinci over bedding Lucrezia was thankfully dispatched pretty fast when Lorenzo realised his city was being sacked and his brother was dead. The fact that he was also due to become an uncle thanks to Vanessa also might have helped move things along but while Lorenzo has been a lukewarm character at times, this was a great episode for him though.

I liked that he was initially despondent about his abilities to rule until DaVinci also helped to snap him out of it by publicly shaming the Pazzis and getting Lorenzo to appeal to his people. It managed to stop the riots for the time being, it also managed to get Lorenzo reunited with Clarice and more to the point, and the Pazzis have been taken out for the time being as well.

I wasn’t saddened to see Clarice’s brother and the annoying Francesco being killed off this week but while Lorenzo managed to gain some kind of victory this week, he was also savvy enough to realise that more attacks would happen and DaVinci was more useful to him alive than dead. It’s because of this that I get why Lorenzo wasn’t particularly keen on DaVinci doing some globetrotting for the Book Of Leaves until Cossimo’s swords made him see otherwise.

The one thing I’ve enjoyed about the first two episodes this season is that it does seem like things are moving forward. DaVinci might have been swindled out of a boat by Riario but thanks to Lucrezia and Zoroaster, he was introduced to Amerigo Vespucci, so his journey to the New World to get the Book, defeat Riario and save Nico can continue on.

Speaking of Riario – I do like the dynamic with him and Nico. He had no problem with getting rid of Zoroaster and Lucrezia but spared Nico simply because he liked him. I think it’s probably more that Riario sees a kindred spirit of sorts in Nico but either way, it’s an interesting character move as was his having sex with his freed slave in this episode. It’s nice that Riario still retains the ability to surprise in that regard. It certainly bodes well for him this season.

As for Lucrezia and Zoroaster – it was hardly a shocker that they survived but I did actually enjoyed their scenes together and I will admit that Lucrezia came good for DaVinci this week as well, which worked in her character’s favour. However I’m more interested in seeing Lucrezia actually try to get revenge on the Pope than I am watching her mooning over DaVinci though. More of the former than the latter would be better for the character.

Keeping with the Pope – it’s nice to see that he doesn’t waste time either. His allegiance with King Ferrante of Naples could definitely be a very interesting one now that Riario isn’t around. It’s strange but compared to most of the first season, the scenes with Sixtus this season so far have been a lot more interesting to watch. I do hope it remains that way.

Also in “The Blood Of Brothers”

Blood transfusions last week and this week, amplifiers. I can’t wait to see DaVinci ‘invents’ next week.

DaVinci (to Lorenzo): “It doesn’t matter what you want, fate made you a leader.”

Much as I enjoyed seeing Clarice taking down bankers and the like this week, I wasn’t too impressed with her attitude towards Vanessa (who now has to stay with the Medicis), even if I could understand.

Nico: “”Why are you keeping me alive?”
Riario: “Because I like you.”

Clarice: “Now Dragonetti. Now we apprehend the Pazzi traitors.”
Dragonetti: “My pleasure.”

Ferrante’s son, Alfonso was scared and left the room when his father pulled out a tooth. That’s both comical and extremely amusing though.

Zoroaster: “Has anyone ever told you you’d make a beautiful man?”
Lucrezia: “Has anyone ever told you you’re bit of a pig?”

Zoroaster (to DaVinci): “I don’t care about your Book Of Leaves.”

It’s been mentioned in interviews but it really does look like we’re getting some foreshadowing that both Nico and Zoroaster might fall out with DaVinci this season.

Vespucci: “I like you, Senior.”
DaVinci: “Ah, DaVinci.”
Vespucci: “Leonardo DaVinci – Lorenzo’s bastard war engineer? The pleasure is all mine.”

Chronology: Easter Monday according to this episode and from where “The Blood Of Man” left off.

An extremely delightful second episode. “The Blood Of Brothers” forged and further cemented some great connections while hinting at the fracturing of others as well. If the show can keep this sort of momentum up, this will certainly be a great season. Now let’s just get to the New World, shall we?

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 2x01: "The Blood Of Man"

Written by David S. Goyer And Corey Reed
Directed by Charles Sturridge

Riario: “Did you ever think we’d see the end together?”
DaVinci: “I never believed I would be facing an end at all.”

I have to give the show it’s due – opening with a flash forward to South America was an interesting move. In a five minute scene, we had both DaVinci and Riario in a dungeon mulling over their respective fates before being taken for sacrifice as new character Ima watched over them.

In fact I enjoyed that scene so much that I was kind of disappointed that we had to go back to Florence but considering how the previous season had ended, it did make sense to explain what happened next. Which mainly involved the Pazzis and Pope trying to take over Florence and the Medicis desperately trying to survive and having their respective protectors come through for them.

While Piero could’ve been of better use to Clarice, I like the fact that Dragonetti stepped up to the plate several times for her in this episode. Not only did he prevent one of Clarice’s youngest children from being killed in a baying crowd but he also saved her from a more direct hit much later in the episode. Not only was Clarice grateful for the man’s renewed loyalty to the Medici clan but even I found myself pleased that he had such a prominent role throughout the episode.

I also admired the fact that despite being seperated from Lorenzo and having mercenaries trying to kill her, Clarice showed a steely determination to stay put. Florence really has become her home and with her own brother betraying her, it’s not like Clarice really would be any more safer outside of Florence than in it for the moment.

As for Lorenzo – well, he generally pissed me off in this episode. I can understand why he’s mad at DaVinci for sleeping with Lucrezia but it doesn’t alter the fact that I don’t care either way. DaVinci even risked his own life in this episode with a blood transfusion in order to save Lorenzo and the latter decided to repay him with a little attempted murder.

Unfortunately because of this stuff, it’s continuing to blur my feelings on Lucrezia just that bit more. Yes, she’s beautiful, mysterious and a little bit unpredictable but if I have to see any more scenes with DaVinci and Lorenzo fighting and fawning over her this season, I really am going to need the fast forward button. Neither of these relationships are that interesting to watch now.

Thankfully aside from one dream sequence, Lucrezia didn’t actually interact with either of her lovers and spent most of this episode being held captive by Riario before being chucked into the water with Zoroaster. I want to like Lucrezia more as a character but the writing for her needs to be a lot better and the sooner the better in that regard.

One character who really was a highlight of this episode was in fact Riario. Yes, he was a brutish thug to Lucrezia and for some reason decided to hold onto Nico but he was also oodles of fun to actually watch and the scene where he allowed his servant girl to follow him certainly spoke some volumes. Perhaps there’s a tiny bit of decency in Riario after all.

Also in “The Blood Of Man”

We got treated to Al Rahim in a dream telling DaVinci that he failed and another dangerous force is pursuing the Book Of Leaves.

DaVinci: “There might be a way out of this. You just have to play dead.”
Lorenzo: “I’m already dead.”

I don’t think you have to be a genius to figure out where exactly this show will go with Vanessa’s pregnancy once a certain person finds out, do you?

Clarice (to Dragonetti): “I am in your debt for the life of my child but if you ever betray the Medici clan again, I will have you gutted like a pig.”

Andreas: “There are other Medicis to replace Lorenzo. There is only one Leonardo DaVinci.”
DaVinci: “And look what Florence has become without Lorenzo.”

Maybe I missed something but who was Amelia? Lucrezia wasn’t best pleased when Riario mentioned the character. I also hope we get some more scenes with Pope Sixtus IV and Lucrezia’s father.

DaVinci (re his friends/Riario): “What do they want?”
Lucrezia: “They want what we all want, Leonardo. They want you.”

Andreas (to DaVinci): “I’m sorry my boy, but there’s already been too much death this day.”

I think the title sequence has been adjusted a little with a few new names thrown into the mix, including Carolina Guerra as Ima.

Al Rahim: “You have failed, DaVinci. You are not the one we hoped. It’s a dark hour and your arrogant belief that you are capable of anything has made it darker.”

Chronology: From where “The Lovers” left off and of course, six months later for the opening scene.

Following the reception in some parts this show generated for it’s first season, it’s unlikely that audiences will have completely returned for the second season but if they have, then this was a fine opening episode. “The Blood Of Man” certainly hinted at some very interesting times for our characters to come over the next few weeks.

Rating: 7 out of 10

DaVinci's Demons - Season 2: Live Cast Chat/Cast Photos

Last blog for this show before sitting down and watching the second season as we draw nearer to DaVinci's Demons. A month exactly.

Over the past few weeks, Starz have released further cast shots as well as a slew of interesting posters. So far we've had - DaVinci/Riario, Lucrezia/Pope Sixtus, Clarice/Vanessa and recently Lorenzo/Alfonso, the latter a new villain added into the mix and who will be played by Kieran Bew as well. We've also learned due to recent cast interview (such as yesterday's Google/FOX UK chat with Tom Riley, Eros Vlahos and Greg Chillin) that Rome actor, Lee Boardman will be playing the role of Amerigo Vespucci and that his character has a past with Zoroaster (Gregg Chillin).

It does seem from the trailers that a good chunk of this season will be with DaVinci and the gang in the new world and that Carolina Guerra's character, Ima will be prominent to proceedings. It also seem that Lucrezia (Laura Haddock) will be interacting with other characters as well as never being too far away from DaVinci (I know it won't happen but I have no desire to see them rekindle their flame) while the latter and Riario (Blake Ritson) will have to work together, which does sound more interesting. Any chance though the show might actually explore the lead character's bisexuality though doesn't seem hopeful though, given the lack of spoilers on that front.

Season 2 Cast Pictures: http://www.farfarawaysite.com/section/demons/gallery4/gallery.htm
Cast FOX/Google Chat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhN9rNfUCnA

DaVinci's Demons Season 2 will air Saturdays 9pm on Starz from March 22nd and Fridays at 10pm on FOX UK from April 4th.

DaVinci's Demons - Season 2 Airdate/Spoilers/New Trailer

DaVinci (to Riario): I never believed that I would be facing an end at all.

DaVinci's Demons may have been a show that divided viewers more than it wowed them in it's first season (despite advertisers being more than keen to remind us that it came from David S. Goyer, who was involved in The Dark Knight trilogy) but the first trailer for it's upcoming second season back in October was tantalising enough. The trailer now released following the cast's recent attendance at the Television Critics Association 2014 however does show some further signs that perhaps it's second season might be worth a gander.

For a start, not only are we having the Same Genius in a New World (this season's slogan), but throughout the ten episode second season, it seems that both DaVinci (Tom Riley) and Count Riario (Blake Ritson) are going to be forced into working together as well, while audience members will finally figure what exactly makes Lucrezia (Laura Haddock) tick as a character too as she will become the glue of the season. Goyer also has mentioned that the show has found it's tone now and that the second year will be darker compared to it's first one but that it's always been a historical fantasy series. However, the trailer had an odd sense of finality to it and the move to a different day does make me wonder about the show's immediate future.

Season 2 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-KYOREcZ_8
Season 2 Cast Pictures: http://www.starz.com/originals/davincisdemons/

DaVinci's Demons second season will air Saturdays at 9pm on Starz from March 22nd and will debut on FOXUK, Fridays 10pm from March 28th.

DaVinci's Demons - Season 2 First Look

It might have divided viewers upon it's debut on both Starz and FOXUK back in April of this year but DaVinci's Demons did manage to do enough to merit a second season and at the New York Comic Con last month, a trailer for the second season was released, along with some interesting cast pictures.

The trailer starts with the fallout of the attack on the Medici clan and DaVinci (Tom Riley) being chastised by Al Rahim (Alexander Siddig) for abandoning his destiny while hints of a force more ancient and dangerous than the Vatican are emerging. As the trailer progresses, it's made clear that both DaVinci and his crew, including Lucrezia (Laura Haddock) along with Riario (Blake Ritson) are destined to touch on the New World.

The season is set to introduce a few new characters, one of whom includes Incan princess, Ima (Carolina Guerra) and there are clips where it seems like her and DaVinci will connect. Other interesting clips include both Lucrezia and Zoroaster (Gregg Chillin) walking the plank, Riario hooking up with a mysterious woman, DaVinci sword fighting on a boat, a few grisly torture scenes, some sex scenes involving Clarice (Lara Pulver) and someone being hanged. The most interesting clip though comes around the end where it looks like our hero might be getting sacrificed as well as a comment on tempting fate. While I still kind of wish this show would make an effort to flesh out DaVinci's sexuality more, I do think the second season could be an improvement on the first one, which was a bit ropey in places. Here's hoping I'm right in that regard.

Season 2 Cast Pictures: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/10/10/da-vincis-demons-starz-sneak-peek-season-2/2953713/
Season 2 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFpk2zzqCfU

DaVinci's Demons second season will air in April 2014 on both Starz and FOXUK. The first season is available on DVD for US viewers now.

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 1x08: "The Lovers"

Written by Brian Nelson And Corey Reed And David S. Goyer
Directed by Michael J. Bassett

Riario: “God’s vengeance is upon you.”

Well, I’d say a religious fanatic with a big gun is upon Lorenzo and DaVinci but that might be considered nitpicking, even if it is the bloody truth though. As a cliff hanger scene goes, it’s pretty good but this episode really does feel like the sum of it’s parts to be honest.

The attempts of assassinating the Medici clan was always going to be a mixed bag because not only would they have the likes of DaVinci, Lucrezia and even Dragonetti (who suddenly changed his mind about betraying them) on their side but of course, Francesco’s impatience would also go against Riario’s grand scheming as well.

Francesco could barely contain his bile towards the Medicis during Easter mass and when Giuliano managed to make into the church after surviving both Lucrezia’s stab wound and Dragonetti’s fickle mind (seriously, there’s no motivation whatsoever as to why that guy switches teams halfway through the episode), all hell managed to break loose in big style but it felt kind of off to be honest.

Maybe it was after seeing the shock of a certain Red Wedding on another show this week, but the near extermination of the Medici clan just didn’t feel as shocking as it could’ve been. It was certainly violent alright with Giuliano being stabbed to death and Vanessa telling him that she was carrying his boy but the rest of it was a bit on the meh side of things. Giuliano however as a character will be missed though. He certainly did surprise and charm over the course of the first season and the fallout with Vanessa’s pregnancy next season should be interesting to explore too.

However as for the rest of the Medicis – Clarice and her daughter came close to death, only for Lucrezia to do something good for a change and kill their would be assassin. I can see that the writers are going to try and redeem Lucrezia next season and while saving Clarice and the children (as well as her kindness to the blind man in the church) is a good start, it’s going to take more than that to convince me she should stick around.

Having Lucrezia revealed as a traitor to everyone other than Lorenzo is certainly going to make things difficult for her next season as well as the fact that she was revealed to be Riario’s cousin too. I can’t help thinking maybe the finale should’ve killed her off too because all of her actions this season have amounted to nothing.

The father that she was desperate to free declined DaVinci’s offer of escape and this was something he had no problem telling Lucrezia when he finally confronted her on her betrayal and the same father in question also turned out to be Pope Sixtus IV’s brother as well, which I guess wasn’t that shocking in the end.

Then there’s Lorenzo too. He came pretty close to death in this episode and probably would’ve died had DaVinci not listened to Lucrezia and saved his life at the last minute. Of course this would also turn out to be the same time that Lorenzo would find out about his artist and mistress shagging around and decided to threaten their lives while Riario was trying to end his own. Lorenzo really should learn to prioritise at times, shouldn’t he?

Keeping with DaVinci, this episode made a few more advancements on the Book Of Leaves by having Cossimo’s Mariner’s Astrolabe come in handy for an overseas journey with Nico and Zoroaster. It might have been better for DaVinci had he listened properly to Al-Rahim and his friends just this once as well and just left Florence when he had the chance. If he survives Lorenzo’s wrath next season, he’ll probably end up being banished from court anyways.

Also in “The Lovers”

Another title for this episode probably should’ve been The Chariot if Zoroaster’s Tarot cards were anything to go by this week.

Al-Rahim: “I’m afraid I cannot give you any reassurances. If the future indicated by these signs comes to pass, only one of us will live to see it.”
Cossimo: “So, which lucky one gets to survive?”

According to Solomon, it’s the unlucky one who outlives the Sons Of Mithras, which means that a grisly is probably awaiting Al-Rahim as we speak.

DaVinci: “This particular man is tired of being manipulated.”
Al-Rahim: “If you are lost in a forest, you see a landmark. Is that landmark manipulating you along a certain path? I am merely your guide.”

DaVinci: “The question answered.”
Verrocchio: “Which leads to another question.”

A falcon lead to DaVinci finding Al-Rahim yet again and it was the use of axis that got him Cossimo’s Mariner’s Astrolabe as well.

Dragonetti: “That’s not what spurs me.”
Giuliano: “Then what does?”
Dragonetti: “A desire for a Florence that fears God, not it’s monsters.”

DaVinci (to Lucrezia): “I couldn’t care less what they do. Let the politicians kill each other. It’s their forte.”

Not only is Lucrezia’s father played by the same actor playing Sixtus but I could swear the music in the opening/closing credits was done a little differently in this episode.

DaVinci: “I think I’d rather go down fighting.”
Francesco: “As you wish.”

Chronology: As we were told several times throughout this episode, it’s Easter in Florence.

“The Lovers” was a solid enough finale for the show but I can’t help thinking that it could’ve been better though. Perhaps that’s the overall feeling of the show in general – a lot of interesting things but often it could be better. Perhaps next season it will. It’ll certainly be interesting finding out.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 1x07: "The Hierophant"

Written by Sarah Goldfinger And Corey Reed
Directed by Michael J. Bassett

Riario: “I see you escaped.”
DaVinci: “And I see a key you’ll be giving to me.”
Riario: “You best kill me first. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth to retrieve what is mine.”

Well, well, Riario. Even when he’s bound and gagged to a tree and outsmarted by both Nico and Zoroaster, he still manages to get the last word in and I don’t doubt he’ll deliver on his promise to kill one of DaVinci’s loved ones in the next episode. I suppose the question does remain as to who it will be though.

It could be both Nico and Zoroaster who managed to make a fool of him this week or maybe even Lorenzo, given another plot outlined in this episode. Lucrezia is also a viable candidate for a finale death, in fact possibly the most given her antics here but either way, I’ll be surprised if Riario doesn’t deliver on his promise to kill someone next week.

It was certainly an interesting episode for Riario, wasn’t it? The joy he seemed to take in baiting Nico was one thing but losing the second key he had been keeping from DaVinci was an oversight for him though. Still, I guess he can still use DaVinci to find the Book Of Leaves for him though, so maybe it wasn’t all bad for him this week.

Speaking of DaVinci – the scuba suit looked more like a strange fetish outfit but it did manage to do the job into sneaking into Pope Sixtus IV and the confrontation between the artist and the fanatical zealot was a highlight of this episode. For the first time, Sixtus actually came across as an interesting character rather than a one dimensional baddie for a change.

I knew his attempts of trying to entice DaVinci into becoming an explorer of the Secret Archive were more of a distraction than anything else but it did seem like for a moment, Sixtus believed he could genuinely get DaVinci on board. He even played the mother card and DaVinci still managed to stick to his guns and escape the place with some help from some ancient weaponry.

As for Lucrezia – this was her episode in a lot of ways too. While it’s been blatantly obvious from the first episode that the only reason she was a Medici spy was because Riario was holding her father captive, at least this episode confirmed it by revealing the prisoner to DaVinci who in turn realised what Lucrezia was really up to all along.

Unfortunately learning this information hasn’t done anything to make me sympathetic towards Lucrezia’s plight in the slightest. Her father might be a prisoner but seemingly one that doesn’t want to be set free and factoring both Lucrezia’s husband and aunt only reminded me of the damage her actions have caused over the last few weeks.

More to the point – Lucrezia stabbed Giuliano. While there might be a chance he’ll actually survive being stabbed by her, any sympathy I might have had for Lucrezia pretty much died in that moment. I was even feeling sorry for her when Riario’s men were inches away from killing her but not when Giuliano took his anger out on Lucrezia and she stabbed him for realising she was the traitor. I’m not sure how the show is going to be able to justify keeping Lucrezia for next season because right about now, it really does feel like she should pay the consequences for her actions over the last few weeks.

Last but not least – was anyone surprised by the assassination plotting on the Medici family? It makes sense for Francesco to come up with such a scheme whilst pretending to humour an arranged marriage with Giuliano and his sister and the fact that Dragonetti is also in cahoots with him wasn’t that great a shock either to be honest. Hopefully this does mean they’re both dispatched by the end of the finale though.

Also in “The Hierophant”

Hierophant means a person who brings religious congregants in the presence of what is deemed holy and it did seem to tie in nicely with the assassination plot of this episode.

Giuliano: “I always knew I’d pay for being me.”

Giuliano at least did manage to have sex with Vanessa in this episode. Vanessa didn’t seem adverse to the idea of becoming his mistress either.

Lucrezia (to DaVinci): “It is easier to resist in the beginning than it is in the end but then again, perhaps you’re not capable of love.”

Giuliano: “You’re a saint.”
Vanessa: “I think we disproved that last night.”

Clarice’s brother was one of the conspirators in Francesco’s meeting. He seemed a little too casual about potentially murdering her along with Giuliano and Lorenzo.

Pope Sixtus IV: “You make quite an entrance.”
DaVinci: “I had to ensure a private audience.”

Francesco: “That is how the Medicis will die – quickly. Stand with us or not at all.”

In the Secret Archives we saw a sword in a stone, a spear of destiny (which DaVinci used to kill someone) and even a manuscript that changed texts.

Pope Sixtus IV (to DaVinci): “The world needs secrets. Powerful ideas can wreak havoc if unleashed before their time.”

Zoroaster: “I wish I could see his face when he figures it out.”
Riario: “Wishes come true.”

Chronology: Not much time since “The Devil” and Lucrezia was revealed to be a Gemini in this episode, which seemed appropriate in a few ways too.

As a lead in for the finale, “The Hierophant” was definitely an interesting episode to go with. Not sure what will end up happening next week but it does look delightfully chaotic for DaVinci and company, doesn’t it?

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 1x06: "The Devil"

Written by Brian Nelson And Marco Ramirez
Directed by Paul Wilmshurst

Vlad The Third: “May I share a confession with you?”
DaVinci: “Yes, if it pleases my Lord.”
Vlad The Third: “I know that I’m mad.”

Geez, I wonder what gave it away really – having one prisoner savaged by dogs or the other one trapped in a torture device that would kill him upon release from it? This episode was certainly best approached by not taking it too seriously at all.

In a lot of ways, I was delighted that DaVinci decided to spend an episode out of Florence and if it meant going on a mission for Al-Rahim to learn more about his destiny with Nico and Zoroaster and rescue a Turkish ambassador named Solomon, then this episode was better for it. It certainly was a diverting episode nonetheless.

I didn’t think when this show would air that one of the storylines we’d get was an encounter with Vlad the Impaler. I’m also hoping that despite that nasty fall and stab wound he got that this episode won’t be the last time we see the sadistic warlord, especially given that he was able to survive being set alight and poisoned as well.

The scenes with Vlad and DaVinci were some of the most amusing scene I think we’ve had in the six episodes that have aired so far. I have to admit that DaVinci’s flattery in order Vlad on side was utterly amusing and up until a certain moment, Vlad gave the impression that he thought he had met a fellow kindred spirit in DaVinci but he’s not a man who takes betrayal very easily.

DaVinci, Nico and Zoroaster just about managed to escape from Vlad’s castle with Solomon alive and even then their great mission didn’t yield too much when Solomon died shortly afterwards as well. What exactly did DaVinci already learn here that he hadn’t already known as well?

Solomon alluded to his mother being alive but didn’t previous episodes seem to indicate that DaVinci suspected as much anyways? Al-Rahim similarly wasn’t that helpful even if he did provide an explanation for a younger DaVinci seeing his older self that Steven Moffat’s been using for the last three series of Doctor Who to get himself out of writing situations.

Still, the episode wins points for Vlad himself. The actor playing him was delightfully OTT and silly at some point and even a little terrifying here and there too. The macabre humour he displayed for his own tastes worked pretty well and did I mention just how brilliant his scenes with DaVinci were?

He was far more entertaining to watch than Pope Sixtus IV at the very least. I think I can speak for most viewers when I say that I really can live without seeing Sixtus starkers and while I certainly had no qualms with him nearly drowning Mercuri, I did feel a tad sorry for Riario, who was rightly humiliated by his uncle in front of Lucrezia this week.

I think another success of this episode was the brief glimmers of vulnerability we actually got to see here with Riario. I get the impression that while he mostly agrees with everything the Vatican are trying to do, it doesn’t mean that he’s immune to challenging them either. Unfortunately for him though it means getting smacked about by Sixtus for his troubles though.

Then there’s Lucrezia – doing all the spy work and letting Sixtus know about Lorenzo and DaVinci’s activities this week while at the same time getting a target on her head by Riario. Somehow I have a feeling that Lucrezia will end up surviving her imminent assassination attempt but mainly because this episode indicated that Giuliano was closing in on her.

Giuliano has been the surprise of this series as well. He could’ve been an idiot but he’s proven to being smarter than Lorenzo and with Vanessa and Clarice’s support, he focused his energies on continuing to try and find the real Medici court spy. Too bad Lorenzo decided to reward that genius by arranging a marriage with Francesco’s sister though when he wasn’t siding up to volatile dukes for further alliances against Rome.

Also in “The Devil”

I just realised this is the second episode in a row where both DaVinci and Lorenzo have not interacted with each other and the first where Lucrezia hasn’t had sex with either of them.

Moses: “My lady it’s time.”
Clarice (to Giuliano): “Oh my personal torture has arrived.”

Clarice’s bid to produce a male heir has resorted to Lorenzo shagging her from behind and drinking strange concoctions.

DaVinci (to Solomon): “I have a knack for rising to the occasion if I might only be told what the occasion is.”

Vlad The Third: “We shall talk more at dinner.”
Zoroaster: “As long as the dinner’s not us.”

Keeping with Vlad, they did make a point of mentioning that he was the Third and of course we did get the reference to Transylvania as the main action took place there.

Vlad The Third (to DaVinci): “I’m sadly at home in dungeons. As a child, my father sent my brother and me to be hostages by the Turkish Sultan.”

Vlad The Third (to DaVinci): “My tastes are not universally shared, it’s true. Let us retire.”

The coins on the floor to test his soldiers loyalty was an interesting method of Vlad’s as was the use of star signs like Capricorn and Aquarius to identify those violated curfew in Florence. Giuliano is a Sagittarius.

Vlad The Third (to DaVinci): “You’re an arrogant little fool aren’t you? I’ve endured every dragon poison known to man. I fought off the Ottoman empire. Did you really think that I would die at the hands of a fucking Florentine?”

DaVinci: “The Turk said that I would save you.”
Solomon: “And so you have – someday but not today.”

Chronology: Exactly from where “The Tower” left off.

“The Devil” will not go down as the most gruesome or frightening episode of a genre show I’ll have ever seen but it will be one of those episodes that I might want to watch again during the Halloween period. It provided an interesting take on Vlad the Impaler, which I don’t think can be denied.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 1x05: "The Tower"

Written by Joe Ahearne
Directed by Paul Wilmshurst

DaVinci (to Jacopo): “No-one defines me.”

And here we have it – the game changing episode that wasn’t quite the game changer it should’ve been. Never mind about DaVinci overreaching, it’s the handling of his sexuality that has rubbed viewers up the wrong way and sadly for the show itself and Tom Riley (in spite of his best intentions with his recent interviews with The Backlot concerning this episode), it could also be the show’s undoing to an extent.

It’s not a secret that the ratings have slid since the premiere episode and a large part of this does seem to stem from viewers annoyance over the ‘straight washing’ of DaVinci as a character. Having him on trial for sodomy was a way of addressing this dilemma head on and coming out the other side but on that note, the episode became a mixed bag.

The male prostitute that DaVinci had spurned in the first episode – Jacopo Saltarelli managed to get himself coerced into testifying against the artist mainly because of the rejection that he had felt from DaVinci. He didn’t want the artist killed but he certainly wanted revenge and when Leonardo did communicate with him towards the end of the episode, we got some strange insight here.

For some people, it seemed that this episode implied that DaVinci was bi-curious at best but Jacopo seemed to think that Leonardo was only suppressing his homosexuality out of fear along with at least a kiss between the two of them. I’d like to think that Jacopo is actually right and that creator David S. Goyer will actually live up to his promise and deliver on DaVinci’s relationships with both men and women but as interesting as this episode was, I’m starting to doubt such a thing will happen to be honest.

It also didn’t help for some strange reason to include a bath scene of sorts with DaVinci and Lucrezia straight after the former had said goodbye to his former male lover. I get that maybe they were trying to set up DaVinci realising Lucrezia being the one who wrote the denouncement but for an episode that went to lengths to not define DaVinci sexually, it felt like a bad narrative choice to be honest.

As for using bestiality (aka the corrupt magistrate glued to a pig and sort of exposed projection style to Florence), that part bothered me less for some reason. I kind of liked DaVinci being a bit more vindictive in his pursuit of freeing himself and given that Rome were going to town on disgracing him, perhaps he had the right to incite some vengeance of his own, extreme as it were.

One of the plus points about the trial wasn’t seeing a beaten, dirty, scruffy DaVinci nearly losing his mind but it was mainly getting more insight as to why Piero hated him so much. It’s a simple but effective explanation and while Piero won’t exactly be embracing his bastard son anytime soon, this episode did manage to humanise him a little more, especially given that he was also tasked with defending his son in court and did mostly a good job of it as well.

Of course the other important component of DaVinci this week was realising that the hanged man from his youth was actually him. Al-Rahim’s return came at an interesting time too, especially given that little else about the Book Of Leaves was explored in this episode but I’m still not entirely sure if DaVinci should trust him all that much.

As for the non trial elements of the episode – Giuliano was brilliant in this episode. I loved that he decked Lorenzo (who really deserved it this week) and managed to get the crowd going for Vanessa’s version of The Decameron and his comments about the city having a pig or two were nicely timed as well.

Lorenzo and Clarice had less to really do in this one, other than schmooze with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to get support, which they eventually managed to get in spite of their visitors initially being a rather joyless lot.

Also in “The Tower”

If Piero is improving as a character, then Dragonetti is still pretty one dimensional and dull. Did we really need him taunting DaVinci that much this week?

Piero: “You are demented if you think these charges will simply vanish.”
DaVinci: “They must. They will.”

I liked DaVinci using the cluster bombs and the bats to cause a distraction for escape. He really does owe Zoroaster for that too.

Clarice (to Lorenzo, re Giuliano): “Like you, he has his talents. You impress, he charms.”

Piero: “I warned you Leonardo about overreaching.”

Clarice had some works by Donatello, which didn’t exactly seem to go down too well with Isabella.

DaVinci (to Piero, re his mother): “I remind you of her. That’s why you can’t stand to look at me. Because she left you.”

DaVinci (to his friends): “I will be no man’s pawn. They put me on display to be ridiculed as a tool to sodomise Lorenzo. They took away my liberty and now they will taste the same bile that I have.”

Giuliano shared a kiss with Vanessa in this episode and we learned that she was deflowered by DaVinci as well. Oddly enough she mentioned that to Zoroaster during the trial.

Vanessa: “And the pig, sir?”
Giuliano: “Stays in. For what’s our city without a pig or two.”

Jacopo: “What you have with the women isn’t love. You’re with them out of fear.”
DaVinci: “I’m curious by nature. Desire, it’s not as simple as one sex or the other. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Chronology: Historically, it should’ve been a month since “The Magician” but it seems for behind the scenes reasons with the show, it’s a few days. I also missed not seeing Riario in this one, especially given how annoying Francesco was.

Overall, it’s an odd episode. “The Tower” failed in it’s delivery of trying to appeal to viewers annoyed over the show’s handling of DaVinci’s sexuality but taking that out of the equation, it’s almost the best episode we’ve had in some respects. It was certainly character driven and the reintroduction of Al-Rahim came at an interesting time too as well as a magnetic performance from Riley, so those are the reasons why it’s getting a higher rating than it arguably deserves.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of DaVinci's Demons 1x04: "The Magician"

Written by David S. Goyer And Jami O’Brien
Directed by Jamie Payne

Lucrezia (to DaVinci): “I hope you kill that bastard, Riario.”

Now, now, Lucrezia – that’s not very nice. What did Riario ever do to you? Oh yeah, that’s right – made you into his little spy and assassin to Becchi. Well, I assume that Riario might have instructed Lucrezia to have bumped off the already framed Becchi but it’s more likely she did that one of her own volition to be honest.

For Lucrezia, stabbing the man with a poisonous blade from the Secret Archives was her attempts of being merciful to Becchi. I would imagine not framing the poor fellow in the first place would’ve been a lot more merciful but this episode did try to make us feel bad for Lucrezia with her act of treachery. The problem is that I don’t feel bad for her. I get why she’s doing the things she’s doing but my sympathy for her is beginning to wane a little.

Lucrezia didn’t need to kill Becchi in the first place. She could’ve tried to pin the spy in the Medici court on someone else or even confessed to Lorenzo herself that she’s the traitor and appeal to his better nature to spare her. It might not have worked but Becchi’s death is now on her conscience and she had better hope for her own sake that someone takes out Riario because she’s more likely to suffer than he is at the moment.

The scenes in the marketplace where she watched a man getting tortured for sport because he betrayed Lorenzo was surprisingly more graphic than I expected but it didn’t make me feel that sympathetic for her plight. And neither did her second sex scene with DaVinci but at least she wasn’t bullshitting she told him that she hoped he would kill Riario. Eventually that type of confrontation is going to happen between DaVinci and Riario but clearly not just yet though.

Instead this show finally decided to pull out the sodomy charges against DaVinci in his closing moments when he had finally won confidence with the Medici. I wasn’t surprised that the show decided to go down this route but I am surprised that they’ve done it rather early though. Surely it would’ve made a better cliff-hanger in the finale after we had actually seen DaVinci indulge in some guy on guy action.

Which leads me to my next point – sodomy charges aside, are we actually going to see that side of DaVinci dealt with onscreen? The side where he has male lovers and it’s not just sex scenes with Lucrezia or a past history with Vanessa or even a choice moment with the artist and Clarice? With a second season already confirmed, I do hope the show actually delivers on it’s promise to explore DaVinci’s sexuality truthfully, especially given that this one of the issues as to why the show itself has largely divided most viewers.

At least when DaVinci was arrested and Nico was trying to protest his friend’s innocence, there was a nice look that definitely implied DaVinci had been sleeping with men and I also quite liked that in spite of his frustrations with DaVinci in this episode, it was Lorenzo who really tried to prevent his military strategist from getting arrested.

Getting to the best part of this episode was seeing the faith and frustration that Lorenzo placed and expressed with DaVinci in this episode. Leonardo wrecked his head by damaging the muskets but amended the situation when he came up with the cluster bombs as an alternative, though even those were rather deceptive.

Similarly, Giuliano’s faith in Becchi was sad to watch as he tried in vain to get the man freed. I liked that Giuliano didn’t believe that Becchi could be a traitor and I liked the implication that Clarice felt similarly as well. Obviously what I didn’t like was the fact that Giuliano coming to Lucrezia for help resulted in Becchi being killed by her but sadly you can’t have everything, eh?

Also in “The Magician”

The title referred to Lorenzo and Giuliano’s grandfather, Cossimo who was revealed to be another member of the Sons Of Mithras. The statue that DaVinci kept seeing in previous episodes also stemmed from him.

DaVinci (to Lucrezia): “Painting. It’s, it’s about more than just strokes. It’s about perspective. I mean, do I paint you from below or do I paint you from above?”

We learned that in this episode Piero had sold DaVinci to Andrea for a cheap price when he realised Leonardo’s talents at 14. He was also less annoying in this episode but not by a great margin though.

Pope Sixtus IV: “This will requite more than funds. Resurrection requires death and in this case, the sacrifice for Rome’s rebirth will be Florence.”

Lorenzo: “I will show no mercy to those who betray the Medici name.”

Riario and Pope Sixtus IV definitely seemed to be upping their attempts of seizing Florence, especially given the open tortures/killings, issuing Lorenzo with demands and presumably setting DaVinci up for arrest as well.

Becchi (to Giuliano): “There is a traitor in our midst. After I’m dead and Lorenzo lowers his guard, the traitor will still be here.”

DaVinci (to Lorenzo): “When all your enemy knows is killing, a simple deception can suffice.”

Riario said something during his confrontation with DaVinci and Lorenzo (I think it was the second time) that kind of supports my theory about him having Al-Rahim as a prisoner.

Clarice (to DaVinci): “I didn’t come to Florence to be under Rome’s rule.”

Lucrezia: “You’re better than this, Leonardo.”
DaVinci: “I thought I could save Florence. I thought my talents could be enough but they’re not.”

Clarice seemed to be wearing a trouser suit when she was talking to DaVinci in this episode and the thing with the pomegranates having ‘magic’ – colourful dialogue or something more meaningful in future episodes?

Lorenzo: “You can’t keep on bluffing Rome forever.”
DaVinci: “Can’t we? Life’s precious, Lorenzo.”

Chronology: Still 1477 I presume.

Definitely a promising episode. “The Magician” might have split people with the sodomy charge debate and the lack of onscreen guy on guy action with DaVinci but at least his quest to find America/the Vault Of Heaven/Book Of Leaves continues apace and something tells me that what’s going to happen next week, it won’t result in Leonardo being burned.

Rating: 7 out of 10