Da Vinci’s Demons Episode 1.04 “The Magician”
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Let’s kick off with our regular introduction from series creator David S Goyer…
[VAMS]Synopsis: The conflict between Rome and Florence intensifies as both armies are locked into battle. As Riario, at the helm of the Roman army, orders Lorenzo to surrender, da Vinci unveils his latest weapon to deter them.
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• There’s a great little flashback to da Vinci’s early life (in Vinci – you did realise da Vinci wasn’t his surname? It means “Of Vinci”. Although at one point in the episode a character does refer to him by his full birth name: Leonardo di ser Piero)
• There are two (very) brief appearances from people not seen in person since the pilot, in very different circumstances
• There’s also cameo from another Renaissance artist. He seems a bit of a tit
• Da Vinci’s employer, Verrocchio, paraphrases Churchill a few centuries early
• Da Vinci is finally progressing with his portrait of Lucrezia
• Is Lucrezia’s Da Vinci’s impossible girl?
• Riario hosts a Renaissance quiz show with a booby prize nobody wants to win
• Da Vinci is starting to have doubts about the morality of his new career
• There are a lot of dead bodies. A LOT
• Guiliano is unexpectedly the voice of reason and has a new mission in life
• Da Vinci’s mate Zoroaster clearly hopes the people of Florence are rubbish at human biology
• There is a particularly gruesome and sadistic execution
• “Unfortnate anal blockage”
• Riario produces some serious facial furniture
• “Why the pomegranates?”
• Da Vinci knows his history
• Da Vinci destroys his own work, spectacularly
• Riario employs Lord Horse Horse for some propaganda (this is probably the worse pun ever on this site)
• Blimey, look at the size of that thing! How did they get THAT through the gates? Oh, right. Bloody impressive, though…
• The cliffhanger is unexpected. Not the fact that it’s a cliffhanger and it comes at the end (that’s pretty expected); more in the kind of cliffhanger it is. This show never seems to go quite the way you’re expecting…
Da Vinci’s Demons airs in the UK on FOX, Fridays at 10pm