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. I’ll certainly be interesting in finding out.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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