I did not expect this, but the final episode of Da Vinci’s Demons, Ira Deorum, was a true series finale in every respect.
Leonardo’s pseudo history came to a fitting end, and Lucrezia’s character arc was finally complete, as was Riario’s – though his was the final twist.
Not all questions were answered, but I’m not surprised. The writers hinted to that in the penultimate episode in dialogue between Sophia and Leo:
“I just wanted to find out why,” Leo said.
“Did you get your answers?” Sophia asked.
“A few. Perhaps we’re not meant to have them all.”
And that’s where the show left us, with a few answers, but not all. We’ll never know if the Book of Leaves was a tome made by the Nephilim, but given the power that a single page produced, I can guess at the answer. Also, the episode’s Latin title, Ira Deorum, translated as “Wrath of the Gods,” lends further proof to the book’s Enochian origin. We’ll also never learn the fate of Riario’s soul, but his story arc finished with a fitting, if not historical, end. Yet the story of Leo and Lucrezia – which is what the show was always about – ended beautifully, even if the conclusion was more sad than happy.
I thought the final episode was a fulfilling end to the series, which I still believe is one of the finest historical fantasy shows to ever be aired. I will miss Da Vinci’s Demons.
* image courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes.
Chris
January 22, 2016 - 4:23 pm ·As mysterious as the Book of Leaves is, I think it's a Da Vincified version of the Voynich Manuscript. Almost no one can read it, no one know who wrote it, but it was written in the 15th century, and it may or may not contain the secrets of the universe.
Joseph Finley
January 23, 2016 - 8:54 am ·Chris, thanks for the comment. That's a great observation about the Voynich Manuscript. I wonder if that's what inspired the shows writers.