Dragon Hunt

 

A distressed Salvatore Landucci hires Mac to help him find his brother Adriano who went off in search of a cursed silver statuette of the mythical Mesopotamian dragon Humbaba. Leo is able to solve the substitution cipher, the only clue to the dragon's whereabouts. Mac is quickly ditched by Salvatore in favor of Leo who of course ignores Mac's suspicions that he is not all he appears to be. Off they go to the piazza to find out which way the shadow of a statue points at 3 hours to noon. 

Leo calculating where the statue's shadow will fall

They follow the subsequent trail of clues to a well outside of Florence and Leo is lowered down to investigate. Sure enough, the silver dragon Humbaba is safely nestled in a niche and Leo sends it up the rope to Salvatore's eagerly waiting hands. Of course, having gotten hold of his long-awaited prize Salvatore pulls up the rope and runs away, leaving Leo trapped in the well. He is excessively annoyed to find that Adriano is trapped in the well too and was tricked in the same way. He seems to have spent his time underground eating beetles and raving about what a genius he is. 

Unable to solve the clues, Mac tries finding Humbaba in a more traditional way

Meanwhile, Mac is disgruntled at his usurpation and he sets out to prove that he can find the dragon just as well as Leo. He and Tom misinterpret the clues and land up in the Medici palace which is on high alert following an attempted assassination of the Duke of Florence. Naturally, the botched attempt is the work of Piero who blames it on Milanese plotters. 

 Mac and Tom evade the guards at the palace and catch sight of Salvatore. When they confront him on the whereabouts of Leo, he bursts into tears and claims the curse has killed Leo and his brother Adriano. Mac is instantly suspicious and quickly concocts a tale of a second dragon, realizing that only Leo can follow the clues and it will be easier to tail the greedy Salvatore. 

Fool me twice: Leo and Adriano abandoned in the well

Salvatore hotfoots it back to the well to take possession of the second dragon allowing Mac and Tom rescue Leo from the well. The three leave the two brothers to argue over the dragon which begins to glow eerily (It's cursed!). Back at the Medici palace Piero at last manages to dispatch his cousin by poisoning him and pretending that he died of his wounds. It is noteworthy that after almost two series of plotting and planning, Piero has at last killed off the Duke. However, the Duke's last words hint that his long-lost son and heir Rocco is not quite so dead as everyone believes. I'd bet my nonexistent DVD of series one that he will likely show up in the next episode to step into the power vacuum and derail Piero's ambitions once again.

"At last my evil plans have come to fruition!"

Cat and Mouse

Leo has been hard at work perfecting an early version of his "Mona Lisa" painting. Naturally, Lisa is the one who's secretly posing for it in her famous pink dress. Verrocchio is tired of Leo's "freelancing" and temporarily banishes him from the workshop to work on a mural. While he's gone Verrocchio sells his painting to an art dealer. Leo is upset as the painting is not yet up to his standards. Tom persuades Verrocchio to retrieve the painting and he gives it back to Leo.

"Bellissimo!"

Meanwhile, Lorenzo is hurtling down the path to matrimony. When his parents go to Pisa to arrange his wedding date he meets Bruno, an old acquaintance of Mac's who is looking for help with a "job". He befriends Lorenzo who is flattered by his attention and tries to impress him by showing him Leo's bicycle. In a fit of recklessness he decides to show Bruno that he is not a spineless, obedient little son.

Lorenzo and Bruno hard at play

They proceed to wreck the Medici palace fencing on the dining table and breaking priceless ornaments. Mac tries to warn Lorenzo that Bruno is only interested in his money, but as usual no one listens to Mac.

"If people would take my advice we would have 50% less bad stuff happen to us!"

That night while Lorenzo sleeps Bruno sneaks out of the Medici palace to rob his employer, the hook-handed queen of thieves Mazzola. Bruno uses Lorenzo for an alibi as he believes that Bruno has been in his house all night. In a particularly nasty move, Bruno lies and tells Mazzola that Mac has been bragging about a big haul. When she searches Mac's house she finds a locket from her stash that Bruno planted. Lorenzo finds Bruno gloating over his loot and realizes that he's been used. Lorenzo helps Mazzola find Bruno who is drinking up his profits at a local tavern. He disarms him in a fencing bout and hands him over to Mazzola's tender mercies.

Mazzola's tender mercies

Lorenzo makes the requisite apology to Mac for ignoring his good advice and rushes to clean up the palace before his parents come home.

Sadly, some things will have to be chucked

This episode is notable for the appearance of Pam St Clement, most famous for her role as Pat Butcher on East Enders. She plays the fearsome Mazzola, so frightening that even the swashbuckling Bruno is afraid of her. She does make a lovely villain all decked out in a leopard fur coat and waving her hook around menacingly.

Pam St Clement as Mazzola

On a more historical note, in this episode Leo is working on the "Mona Lisa". Now everyone knows that the Mona Lisa wasn't painted until at least 1500, more than 30 years after this episode takes place. It's fun to think that Leonardo spent years perfecting his masterpiece, one of the most recognizable paintings in the world, even if it's completely improbable (Let's be honest; if we pick the series apart historically speaking we will be here all day!). What is really interesting about this is that it means in this timeline Tom (real name Lisa Gherardini) will one day marry Francesco del Giocondo and have five children. Two of these children were named Andrea (presumably after Verrocchio in the Leonardo universe) and Piero!

Leo's early version of the "Mona Lisa"

Another brief historical reference is the mention of Leo's work on a mural at the Pazzi Chapel which in fact is a real chapel in Florence. Although there is no evidence that Leonardo Da Vinci ever painted a mural in the chapel, it was still being finished in the 1460s, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility that he did some work there. The patron family of the chapel (The Pazzis) also made an attempt on Lorenzo's life in 1478, about a decade after this story takes place and after his scheming (in the Leonardo universe) father had died.

A 19th century painting of the Pazzi Chapel

The Betrothal Ball

After last week's defeat of Piero's Evil Scheme surely Leo and Company will settle down to a nice quiet life? Wrong! Piero is not yet subdued and has multiple Evil Schemes up his Florentine sleeve. This week he has decided to expand his horizons and forge an alliance with the wealthy Visconti family from Pisa. The forging will be accomplished through an arranged marriage between the unwitting Lorenzo and the beautiful, but oh-so-haughty Angelica Visconti. Florence is abuzz as it's Carnevale and the Medicis are throwing a lavish masqued ball. Lorenzo is flabbergasted when his father suggests he invite Tom, Mac and Leo to the ball. This leads to a very awkward moment when Lorenzo hands out invites to his friends who still haven't quite forgiven him for siding with Piero. At first they don't want to go, but the lure of an exclusive shindig is too much to resist and Tom has her eye on a fancy ball gown. Leo find himself agreeing to both attend and accompany Lorenzo on his new invention, the viola organista. Excited to be back in Leo's good graces, Lorenzo presents him with a fancy new doublet for the ball; and he has the matching version!

Music hath charms

Coincidentally, when Tom gets to the ball she discovers that her fabulous new gown is a copy of Angelica's designer original. Angelica is not pleased and gives Tom the cold shoulder. Mac spends the ball in a jealous stew as Tom is feted by the eligible young men at the party. He trips up when Leo switches masques with Lorenzo. Thinking he is Lorenzo, Mac complains that Tom is so obsessed with Leo that she doesn't notice that he loves her. Leo is astonished to hear this and Mac quickly covers up by pretending he knew it was Leo the whole time and was joking. Leo then mistakenly confides in Angelica (who he thinks is Tom) that Mac has just claimed that she likes him. Leo then blabs to Tom that Mac likes her, which she doesn't believe. Before Leo can muck up everything, Lorenzo drags Leo away to play for him while he sings.

Comedy of errors: Tom and Angelica realize they are wearing the same dress

Lorenzo's mother takes the opportunity to announce Lorenzo's betrothal to Angelica, mistakenly pulling Tom in from the crowd. Suddenly, smoke fills the ballroom and when it clears Tom and Lorenzo are gone. Piero can't disguise the shock on his face when Angelica announces she has not been kidnapped as that was his plan all along. Meanwhile, Tom and Lorenzo are escorted at gunpoint by a masqued man through the back alleys of Florence.

Tom is no slouch and has left feathers from her costume along the way as clues, allowing Mac and Leo to follow her. She also manages to distract the kidnapper long enough for Lorenzo to get away. He runs for help to some nearby cut purses, who decide to kidnap him for ransom instead. Leo, Tom and Mac follow him and rescue him from the cut purses. The masqued kidnapper is waylaid by Piero who is furious that he allowed Lorenzo to be kidnapped. He warns the kidnapper not to forget their deal and when Lorenzo returns safely the kidnapper falsely testifies that the Duke of Milan hired him to kidnap Lorenzo and Angelica. Piero's cousin The Duke of Florence decides he must hasten to Milan to prevent a war.

"I'm sure there will be absolutely zero plotting while I'm gone!"

The episode's tensions are left unresolved when Leo appears to have forgotten the whole "Mac likes Tom and she likes Leo" incident. Or has he?

Third wheel

In this episode we get to see Colin Ryan show off his vocal training as he sings the English version of a medieval frottola by Renaissance composer Bartolomeo Tromboncino. Piero is given a bit more dimension in this episode when his son is kidnapped and he seems to genuinely be upset (The only legitimately non-evil emotion he has shown this season).

Medicis stick together

On a historical note, Leo's invention of the viola organista was a real-life creation of Lenardo Da Vinci, although his design was somewhat different.

Drawing of viola organista from Leonardo Da Vinci's notebook

Illusion Part 2: Perspective

It's part two of the second series premiere and we find Maestro Verrocchio where we last left him: in jail for the murder of Signor Costa. Leo tries to get the witness to confess he was lying about seeing the murder, but only earns the outrage of his father for tampering with a witness.

Leo's father gives everyone a good scolding despite—you know—totally being in the wrong and everything

Out of options, Leo goes to Piero and begs him to free Verrocchio. Piero feigns ignorance and Leo watches helplessly as Verrocchio is condemned to death for a murder he did not commit. To Lorenzo's shock his father freely admits that he framed Verrocchio. He secretly hopes that Lorenzo will return to his friends. Disgusted with his father's complicity Lorenzo apologizes to Leo and lends him his horse to help free Verrocchio. Meanwhile Tom and Mac have hatched their own scheme to break Verrocchio out of jail.

No one will ever guess

Tom disguises herself as Verrocchio's grieving "mother" and Mac Wambas it up as a priest who only knows one line of Latin. They bring along a fellow "priest" who is really a life-sized dummy they hope to exchange for Verrocchio when the jailer's back is turned. The jailer is not fooled and gives them a night in his cells for their pains.

Mac begins to see the upside of incarceration

Leonardo shows up to rescue his maestro and is thrown in with him. Unlike Mac and Tom however, this is all part of his plan. Together with Verrocchio, Leo spends the night painting a false cell wall. in the morning the two hide behind the canvas and to the astonished eyes of the jailer it seems as if they have escaped.

"Why yes, this wall does make a lovely pair of drapes!"

When the jailer is raising the alarm he leaves the jail unguarded and everyone escapes. Leo distracts the guards by riding away on his bicycle and Verrocchio heads for the hills. Right at the city gates they are nabbed by the city guards. Piero offers his son a chance to turn Leo in for stealing his horse, but Lorenzo refuses to lie and threatens to leave home unless his father frees Verrocchio. Piero feigns repentance and arranges to have Verrocchio acquitted. The entire scheme seems to be some elaborate plot to have Leo lulled into a false sense of security. The fact that Leo is not fooled and the plan is overly complicated seems to have no effect on Piero whatsoever. Leo is not quite ready to welcome Lorenzo back into the fold, but Mac and Tom definitely look like they will be working on him. The gang should be back to normal within an episode or two.

"Huzzah, we are free to resume our romantic triangle!"

Illusion Part 1: Framed

It's three months after the series one finale of rampaging robot and Lorenzo is no longer speaking to his friends because of their accusations against his father. Piero has still not given up his nefarious ways. He has happened on a scheme to pay Leo back for frustrating his plans, sending his goon Placidi to Verrocchio's workshop to threaten Tom in the middle of the night. What Tom doesn't know is that he has also planted a bag of gold under Leo's mattress. Mac is worried for Leo's safety and decides that they mustn't leave Leo alone.

In spite of his fabulous lifestyle Lorenzo is bored without his friends

As it happens Lorenzo is incredibly bored without his friends and goes to the market for entertainment. There he runs into Mac and Leo; Mac wants to reconcile but Leo is still angry with Lorenzo for siding with his father. Meanwhile Verrocchio has completed a portrait of Signor Costa who is disgusted with the work and refuses to pay. Verrocchio and Costa have a very public fight in front of the art workshop and Costa accuses him of stealing his money. Verrocchio goes and drinks off his rage at a local tavern where he spends the night when he misses curfew.

While the Verrocchio is away the Piero will play

Placidi meets Costa outside of the tavern and when Costa asks for payment for starting the brawl with Verrocchio, Placidi kills him, taking his purse. He pays off a man to claim that he saw Verrocchio killing Costa. When Verrocchio wakes up the next morning he is arrested by the magistrate under suspicion of murdering Costa. They find Costa's purse under Leo's mattress, but it is a duplicate purse that Placidi planted the night he broke in to threaten Tom. Neither Tom nor Leo believe that Verrocchio is guilty, but are astonished when they discover that Verrocchio accidentally killed his best friend with a rock when he was younger. Gossips in Florence are saying that his original incident was no accident, but Leo does not believe them and he decides to ask his father for help. He refuses on the grounds that he is prosecuting the case against Verrocchio, Piero having asked for him personally. Leo also learns that not only is his father remarrying, but also he has not told his bride-to-be that he already has a son. Leo realizes that Piero's hand is behind the whole thing and it dawns on him that Piero's goon planted the purse in Verrocchio's workshop. (To be continued…)

"PS you have a new mom!"

There is a big change in series two as James Clyde has replaced Alistair McGowan as Piero De Medici. Piero has really always been a one dimensional character, but it's upsetting to have such an abrupt cast change.

One dimension...

...of EVIL!

Diabolical Acts

Leo and "Tom" get a job painting a backdrop for an entertainment troupe that is putting on a romance "The Shepherd of Love" in honor of Lorenzo and his fiancée Angelica. Little do they know is that the actor Nazario and his henchman Donnola are actually a pair of thieves who are planning on using the stage as cover (it is conveniently situated in front of the Medici bank vault) to steal the valuable Medici sapphire. 

The valuable Medici sapphire

Meanwhile, Lorenzo is trying to charm his fiancée on the orders of his mother, but she only wants to be left alone.

Angelica is not entertained

Tom decides to try out for a part in the play and Nazario ropes in both her and Leo to play the amorous shepherd and princess. Tom is excited to have a kissing scene with Leo, but fate keeps getting in the way and they never quite make it. The thieves trick Leo into making them a contraption that will move the stones of the bank vault by lying and saying they need it to lift up the king (played by Nazario) from below the stage. As the performance begins the thieves miss their cue, and when Leo goes to check on them he discovers that they have tunneled into the vault. He is able to foil them by using a combination of gravity and his shepherd's crook. The thieves are defeated and dragged away by the ever-ready guards.

"And we would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling kids!"

Tom retires from the stage unkissed by Leo, and quite bitter at his constant non-notice of her enormous crush on him. Piero's plotting is kept to a minimum in this episode except for a quick scene mentioning a planned assassination. One noticeable omission is Mac who doesn't appear in any of the action until the last minute where he strolls up and asked if he missed anything only to be met with a chorus of "No!" from his friends. Colin Ryan as Lorenzo has some great lines in this episode and it was interesting to see "Tom" dress as a girl for the play, making her a girl disguised as a boy disguised as a girl.

Even Tom is getting confused at this point.