3.4 The Labrys If this is confusing to you, what with the creepy cave echoing with chanting voices and the child that Da Vinci doesn’t have, no need to feel like you’ve been missing anything, because none of it’s true. The marriage, the farm, the child… it’s all fake. The camera travels from Da Vinci and Andrea to the depths of the cave to reveal Leonardo Da Vinci, strapped to a rack, eyes held open by the Clockwork Orange eyeball clamps, the drip-drip-drip of water and/or hallucinogens a constant reminder that Leonardo Da Vinci isn’t a married householder, but a prisoner of the Labyrinth undergoing some hard-core brainwashing. The episode functions as a sort-of Last Temptation of Leonardo Da Vinci, where Leo faces up to a life he could have if he made the choice to join up with the Labyrinth. He’s isolated from their politics and the world, having beaten back the Sons of Mithras and saved Italy from the Turks, earning himself legendary status among the Labyrinth while his former friends Zoroaster, Nico, and Vanessa are part of the resistance movement. Carlo Medici comes calling, Zo and Vanessa are hiding in the cellar, Nico is dead, and Leo has to choose sides. Will Leo go with the Labyrinth or the Sons of Mithras, or will he use his ability to read the Book of Leaves on both sides? It’d definitely not a subtle way to show the war going on within Da Vinci, and it’s not the most elegantly staged, either. The scenes with Andrea do a good job of invoking younger Da Vinci from flash-backs, but the fight scenes are dark and a little muddled in Alex Pillai’s hands. To be fair, that could be the way I watched the episode, but even on a bright television things will probably be a little dark, and it will definitely be confusing as Zo, Vanessa, Carlo, and the rest of the Labyrinth goons are all wearing black. Worse, it lacks a lot of emotional punch when you know it’s a hallucination and you know that everyone dying will be back on screen the next time we snap to Florence. That said, there’s some fun in seeing Leo at odds with his closest allies, and it’s also nice to see Da Vinci working through his problems in his subconscious with a little additional Da Vinci Vision. However, it feels as though it’s mostly a wasted episode. All the time is spent either with the Labyrinth people talking about Da Vinci’s fate or Da Vinci wasting time in his dream world where everyone he loves may or may not be getting killed because of his unwillingness to get involved in the war (or, technically, the post-war governance). He’s going to have to pick a side, or pick neither side and use the Book of Leaves to nuke both collectives at the same time and potentially destroy the world. Read Ron’s review of the previous episode, Modus Operandi, here. US Correspondent Ron Hogan just wonders what Da Vinci’s Demons is going to do for an end game this season, as it seems like they’re only just now starting to untangle the conspiracies. Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi. Da Vinci’s Demons: The Final Season Sundays at 9pm on FOX
