Review: Da Vinci's Demons s3e05
Dec. 17th, 2015 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_roseDvD episode five: Anima Venator
Ramblings, asides, and SPOILERS.
After episode four it took me a while to get around to watching this one, and to gather my thoughts. (And my internet connection gave me trouble, so it took longer to sort out all the quotes and gifs.)
But this was a much better episode. And I want to wax lyrical about other Ritson roles, and why Vanessa & Leo is a favourite of mine so…
A quick Google search gives the definition of the title, Anima Venator as "The soul hunter". Things are going to get mystical.
Leo's using charcoal to flush his system of the poison used on him during his labyrinth brainwashing. That might in come in handy later. Lucrezia Borgia would approve; in season three she used charcoal from a lamp to save her father after an assassination attempt, shouting down the physician who accused her clever thinking as being "witchcraft". It's no wonder Rome is terrified of Leo with all his mystical devices that are beyond anything ever before imagined.
Leo is writing in code now because he can only trust himself. Which, one, I'm never sure if he's sane anymore, so I'm not sure even he can be trusted; two, he claims the designs were taken from his mind (telepathy?) so writing in code isn't going to stop his thoughts being exposed; three, not trusting anyone is never a good plan.
There's a sad moment when we see the ruins of the studio, almost destroyed in the fire when Carlo killed Andrea and tried to kill Leo. Leo thinks the building is still sound. It's more sound than Leo's mind.
There's some political wrangling between Lucrezia's father and the Turks and then their pet soothsayer has a vision which declares that "the daughter" will find the page from the Book of Leaves. Where the hell is the rest of the book anyway? There's some consternation that the prophecy means Lucrezia and that they ought to have killed her.
Lucrezia is indeed looking for the page, stopping first to visit Amelia's grave. It's a nice touch to have her commemorating her sister. Her next stop brings her to Lupo Mercuri. Things are going to get creepy…
Meanwhile Zo is badgering his way past Dragonetti, who is grumbling that Vanessa "has such questionable taste in her acquaintances". Vanessa is again debating with the Council of Dickheads. There's a question about a delegation from Rome and Vanessa is insistent it will benefit Florence and her citizens.
"-Clarice Orsini will have a proper burial after the Pageant of Arms has left Florence. Allowing Rome to host the festivities here comes with a hefty deposit to our coffers.
-Our morality is not for sale.
-Without funds to feed our hungry, protect our children, pay our officers, chaos will rule the streets. Then you and I will have a conversation about morality."
gif source: "Vanessa dropping the renaissance era Florentine mic"
She continues that "If your desire is for Florence to join the Crusade Aligning with Rome is not an option. But profiting from them, that we must consider."
Zo and Nico embrace; Zo hedges the question about how Leo is. Vanessa lays down the law and sweeps out of the chamber – and into Zo's arms, asking about Leo. Zo tells her about Leo feeling guilty. "Cause the world revolves around him" Zo says in a moment of self-awareness adding that, in working for Sixtus Leo is not the man they know.
Season one Leo was very much of the opinion that the world revolved around him and he got a lesson in humility when he discovered that the sun did not revolve around the earth as well as that he is not the centre of the world. Season three Leo is a hot mess of guilt and renewed arrogance.
Leo, who is already half-mad with grief and guilt and the after-affects of the labyrinth thinks it's a wonderful idea to smoke milk of the poppy. Yes, Leo, that's exactly what you need, more disconnection from reality when you don't currently even know which way is up.
On the continuing theme of the Vault of Heaven maybe gives immortality/no-one's really dead/Leo is hallucinating this entire season, we see Leo's mother. Remember when I said we hadn't seen the last of her?
I don't know if she's merely a hallucination – like Al-Rahim back in Ottranto, or Clarice's talking corpse, she isn't physically there talking to Leo – or something more mystical, since she's giving Leo information he doesn't yet have.
In particular she mentions a Sophia. You know, if we had season four to look forward to I wouldn't mind so much, but with just five episodes to go, do we really need to start introducing new characters?
She also mentions Lucrezia's quest for the page and refers to her as one that Leo "loved", past tense. Which I'm down with.
Lucrezia is having a really creepy conversation with Lupo in his shack in the woods, thinking he might have the page. He's behaving really oddly and he's obsessed with the pig he butchered. I swear I'd have got the hell out of there but Lucrezia sticks around to investigate.
Nico and Zo go to see Leo, who is setting himself on fire. Literally.
gif source
They break down the door and put the fire out; he's angry because he was trying to see if the flame-retardant mud was working. Zo is not impressed: Leo was nearly baked. He can't even tell when he's burning. Leo really needs some sleep, in my opinion.
Instead Leo refuses to see Vanessa, refuses to let Nico and Zo in on his plans, insists he'll get them all killed – on the evidence to date he has a point but he cannot function by himself, let alone right now when he's so befuddled and raving about people stealing things from his mind.
Back in the creepy cabin, Lucrezia pretends to go to bed and then goes sneaking around.
She discovers a dungeon where young girls from a convent are being kept. Lucrezia foolishly isn't paying attention and is shoved into the dungeon by a deranged Lupo. The page from the book seems to have sent him mad.
Laura and Riario on their way to Florence. There's some mild flirting. Riario insists that "Florence is led by children. Disciples of Da Vinci, no less," which is half-true, I guess, and he thinks that Leo "will do our convincing for us" but that's debateable. I think Vanessa is likely to listen to Leo's arguments in a way she might not respect Riario's Roman concerns, but she's no longer naive, and takes her responsibility to Florence seriously.
And then they arrive and I finally get to see Riario & Vanessa/ Blake & Hera onscreen at the same time.
gif source
BE STILL MY HEART
is it weird I have a thing for the hand kissing? Maybe my asexuality plays into that, a very intimate but not directly sexual touch?
I've wanted some Vanessa/Riario interaction for a while now. I wrote a tumblr post about how they're both people of faith who had lives of routine and duty until Leonardo happened and turned their lives upside down. I think Vanessa can understand Riario in a way Leo cannot. As it turns out if I meaningful interaction I'll have to continue to write it myself, but it's something.
Also my fear was that we'd only get ever Vanessa/Riario onscreen for him to kill her, which I'm relieved did not happen.
(Also Riario gets to do his "Count and Captain General" line which, YEEESSS.)
Fun fact: Blake Ritston and Hera Hilmar both appeared in "World Without End" which is worth a watch. Blake gets some wonderfully emotional scenes, especially in the later episodes. Sadly there's no fanfic at AO3 for the miniseries or the novel it is based upon.
gif source 
pic source
There were a couple of parallels between Hera's characters, Vanessa and Margery, but that's a discussion for another time. The thing is, Blake and Hera had zero screen time together in the miniseries and until this episode it looked like DvD was going the same way.
Also on "Upstairs, Downstairs" (the first season was fantastic, but Blake and Alex Kingston are really the best things about the second) DvD's Lucrezia, Laura Haddock, appeared in season two but she and Blake never met onscreen. BTW there is a small amount of fanfic for the show, including four focussed on the Duke of Kent.
Ritson & Kingston, pic source
Haddock as maid Beryl, picture source
And I want to rec this fanvid by Shnak007 which I think manages to include every scene the Duke (Ritson) was in:
It must be a really odd thing to have worked with someone but not really worked with them.
But I digress.but not sorry
gif source
"You've done well for yourself," Riario says to Nico. I presumed he meant "look at you, right hand to the regent" rather than "so you're screwing the regent" but then Nico says "so have you" and it looks like he means Laura. Riario/Laura isn't (yet?) canon, and it irritated me, because I think better of both of these men than to treat women merely as sex objects/stepping stones to power. Riario does reply that it's not as it appearsbecause he's brainwashed or because he only loves Leo.
Meanwhile Laura shows off all the bodies to Vanessa, including a creepy wooden skeleton that's supposed to represent the lost Lorenzo. I'm starting to think Laura's got some kind of death fetish or she's an early Goth chick, digging the actual Gothic era.
And then in this episode we finally see that Lorenzo is alive! Which makes me sad, not because I dislike Lorenzo but because I like Vanessa and Nico ruling Florence, and that will come to an end if/when Lorenzo gets back.
While talking to Lorenzo, Al-Rahim does his tiresome "everybody needs to die" speech again but Lorenzo is not impressed.
Leo nearly shoots Riario with a projectile weapon he's working on and Riario smoothly draws his blade andthen they banter and it turns into sweet lovemaking.
Leo mentions Riario's bullshit story about when Leo got kidnapped. He doesn't directly accuse Riario of lying, but it must be on his mind.
Riario is still sticking to his lie, and we still don't know the details of how/why he rescued Leo and it irritates me that we didn't get to see that.
Riario says of the Labyrinth that "We will avenge their deaths and make them pay for what they did to you." When of course by "you" he does/should mean "us". And I hope we get to see that.
"A demonstration from you could seal their allegiance," Riario suggests to which my family and I immediately respond "Have you seen what happens the first time Leo demonstrates something?!"
source s1, the demonstration for the Medici family did not go as planned…
In ignorance of our warning, Riario gives Leo a purse of Vatican money to spend on the weapons.
There's some more Sixtus/Turk discussion but I'm really not invested in that right now.
Nico and Zo talk about Florence's money worries and Nico's plan to tax illegal activities. Zo thinks it's a good plan though he guesses at what happened to Nico last time he tried to get Singh onside. Zo is confident he knows how to deal with her.
Cut to Zo being manhandled by a guard. But Nico says this time he's brought his own guards. Zo points out this is because Nico wields true power and that too could be Singh's if she cooperates; a seat on the council. Hell, it's a corrupt council anyway as we well know, so it's a good offer.
Back in the dungeon Lucrezia is discovering what's been going on with the girls. Lupo thinks one of the girls can read the page, because in a feedback loop, the page told him they can. He's torturing them in an effort to make them talk and disposing of them when they won't.
My family have the most wonderful conversations sometimes; this week it was "Maybe that meat wasn't pig". Ew. Thanks for that!
Leo sends Zo shopping with his usual arrogance. It's my new head canon that Leo hasn't a clue about shopping, like where to buy things or how much they cost, since he hasn't done it himself for years. I seem to recall it was always his apprentice Nico, in season one, sent to buy things. Zo, always dutiful, goes off on his errand, after some snarking about wearing a disguise.
gifs source
Vanessa is insisting she will not let Rome invade Florence by stealth (the Crusade), though Laura accuses her of being naive.
Riario accuses Nico of being infatuated with Vanessa and not making rational decisions (ie what Riario wants) and comments that he once thought the name Machiavelli would go down in history. Which of course it will.
gif source
He tells Nico that they're only as strong as Leo is, and Leo is aligned with Rome. Which is only partly true. Leo will make whatever deals he has to in order to win, but he's only loyal to his own beliefs.
Leo, using Zo's supplies, is trying to blow up the impenetrable armour. In true Leo fashion there's a fireball. He's angry that it doesn't destroy the armour but honestly Leo, it might not destroy a tank but it would sure as hell kill any soldiers wearing the plate, burning them to smithereens.
gif source
Zo discovers a maker's mark buried at the back of one of the charred plates, a coin that matches one Zo stole from Vlad the Impaler. Leo thinks they need to talk to Vlad but Zo is understandably not sold on the idea.
Lucrezia is determined to rescue presumably-Sophia and herself from definitely insane Lupo. But it's not happening this episode.
Dragonetti, bitching about danger, takes Vanessa to see Leo, since he hasn't come to see her.
Leo tries to push her away but she is having none of his bullshit.
This is why I think Riario/Leo and Vanessa & Leo are the best Leo relationships on this show. I don't blame Nico and Zo for getting pissed off, but Riario, being used to abuse, never gets angry in the same way. Vanessa, meanwhile, does not put up with any of Leo's shit and won't storm off until she's had her say.
Vanessa, my queen, confronts Leo and he's able to unload some of his fears and be comforted.
"I can't risk any of you getting hurt. I've lost so much. I can't bear to lose you, too," he says, tearful.
"No. No, you're not alone, Leo. We can help. Please let us help you," she says. And they talk about the baby and then Vanessa holds Leo while he weeps. It's a lovely moment and harkens back to when Leo had to leave Vanessa behind in s2e2 The Blood of Brothers.
gif source
He held her so tightly that his father had to practically prise him off telling Leo "Release her. She's not to be swept into your madness any longer." This time Leo needs her, badly, and his father is dead and cannot interfere.
gifs source
However when Vanessa leaves, she finds Dragonetti dead in the Hanged Man/upside down crucifixion pose. Her scream brings Leo outside, and he spots the assassin.
Leo pursues the assassin over the rooftops and we get a brief Leo's imagination scene as he plots a course to intercept him.
It's a good action scene, and it ends with Leo tackling the assassin and them crashing through the roof to the ground. Did I mention it's a miracle these two aren't dead?
Because (and I'd been spoiled, sadly), the assassin is Riario.
I don’t believe Riario is killing of his own free will; his eyes are bleeding, as Leo's did when he was tortured:
screencap source
I don't even think he knows he is doing the killings, or why be so insistent on investigating at the Vatican?
I do remember that Leo said the killer was a man of faith, and that he was sorry for the murders. This suggests that on some level, even through the brainwashing, Riario does not want to be committing the murders.
Anyway, Leo will fix things next week, and I'm kind of worried because of all the "that wraps things up for him [Riario]" talk. If that's the last we see of Riario I shall not be happy, though not nearly as pissed off as if we see Riario again in later episodes merely to kill him, since who gives a damn now there's no season four. Well I care and I Do Not Want.
I can overlook a lot of things and I have so many fanfic ideas I still want to write for this show, but if it's burnt completely to the ground by the end of it (and screw closure, I want to know how it was originally supposed to go this season, setting us up for season four), I don't know where that leaves me or the fandom. I'm already starting to feel rather disheartened and beginning to mourn. Some fandoms get to live on almost forever, and others die the moment the last second airs onscreen :(
source (gif from "Mean Girls")
Ramblings, asides, and SPOILERS.
After episode four it took me a while to get around to watching this one, and to gather my thoughts. (And my internet connection gave me trouble, so it took longer to sort out all the quotes and gifs.)
But this was a much better episode. And I want to wax lyrical about other Ritson roles, and why Vanessa & Leo is a favourite of mine so…
A quick Google search gives the definition of the title, Anima Venator as "The soul hunter". Things are going to get mystical.
Leo's using charcoal to flush his system of the poison used on him during his labyrinth brainwashing. That might in come in handy later. Lucrezia Borgia would approve; in season three she used charcoal from a lamp to save her father after an assassination attempt, shouting down the physician who accused her clever thinking as being "witchcraft". It's no wonder Rome is terrified of Leo with all his mystical devices that are beyond anything ever before imagined.
Leo is writing in code now because he can only trust himself. Which, one, I'm never sure if he's sane anymore, so I'm not sure even he can be trusted; two, he claims the designs were taken from his mind (telepathy?) so writing in code isn't going to stop his thoughts being exposed; three, not trusting anyone is never a good plan.
There's a sad moment when we see the ruins of the studio, almost destroyed in the fire when Carlo killed Andrea and tried to kill Leo. Leo thinks the building is still sound. It's more sound than Leo's mind.
There's some political wrangling between Lucrezia's father and the Turks and then their pet soothsayer has a vision which declares that "the daughter" will find the page from the Book of Leaves. Where the hell is the rest of the book anyway? There's some consternation that the prophecy means Lucrezia and that they ought to have killed her.
Lucrezia is indeed looking for the page, stopping first to visit Amelia's grave. It's a nice touch to have her commemorating her sister. Her next stop brings her to Lupo Mercuri. Things are going to get creepy…
Meanwhile Zo is badgering his way past Dragonetti, who is grumbling that Vanessa "has such questionable taste in her acquaintances". Vanessa is again debating with the Council of Dickheads. There's a question about a delegation from Rome and Vanessa is insistent it will benefit Florence and her citizens.
"-Clarice Orsini will have a proper burial after the Pageant of Arms has left Florence. Allowing Rome to host the festivities here comes with a hefty deposit to our coffers.
-Our morality is not for sale.
-Without funds to feed our hungry, protect our children, pay our officers, chaos will rule the streets. Then you and I will have a conversation about morality."
gif source: "Vanessa dropping the renaissance era Florentine mic"She continues that "If your desire is for Florence to join the Crusade Aligning with Rome is not an option. But profiting from them, that we must consider."
Zo and Nico embrace; Zo hedges the question about how Leo is. Vanessa lays down the law and sweeps out of the chamber – and into Zo's arms, asking about Leo. Zo tells her about Leo feeling guilty. "Cause the world revolves around him" Zo says in a moment of self-awareness adding that, in working for Sixtus Leo is not the man they know.
Season one Leo was very much of the opinion that the world revolved around him and he got a lesson in humility when he discovered that the sun did not revolve around the earth as well as that he is not the centre of the world. Season three Leo is a hot mess of guilt and renewed arrogance.
Leo, who is already half-mad with grief and guilt and the after-affects of the labyrinth thinks it's a wonderful idea to smoke milk of the poppy. Yes, Leo, that's exactly what you need, more disconnection from reality when you don't currently even know which way is up.
On the continuing theme of the Vault of Heaven maybe gives immortality/no-one's really dead/Leo is hallucinating this entire season, we see Leo's mother. Remember when I said we hadn't seen the last of her?
I don't know if she's merely a hallucination – like Al-Rahim back in Ottranto, or Clarice's talking corpse, she isn't physically there talking to Leo – or something more mystical, since she's giving Leo information he doesn't yet have.
In particular she mentions a Sophia. You know, if we had season four to look forward to I wouldn't mind so much, but with just five episodes to go, do we really need to start introducing new characters?
She also mentions Lucrezia's quest for the page and refers to her as one that Leo "loved", past tense. Which I'm down with.
Lucrezia is having a really creepy conversation with Lupo in his shack in the woods, thinking he might have the page. He's behaving really oddly and he's obsessed with the pig he butchered. I swear I'd have got the hell out of there but Lucrezia sticks around to investigate.
Nico and Zo go to see Leo, who is setting himself on fire. Literally.
gif sourceThey break down the door and put the fire out; he's angry because he was trying to see if the flame-retardant mud was working. Zo is not impressed: Leo was nearly baked. He can't even tell when he's burning. Leo really needs some sleep, in my opinion.
Instead Leo refuses to see Vanessa, refuses to let Nico and Zo in on his plans, insists he'll get them all killed – on the evidence to date he has a point but he cannot function by himself, let alone right now when he's so befuddled and raving about people stealing things from his mind.
Back in the creepy cabin, Lucrezia pretends to go to bed and then goes sneaking around.
She discovers a dungeon where young girls from a convent are being kept. Lucrezia foolishly isn't paying attention and is shoved into the dungeon by a deranged Lupo. The page from the book seems to have sent him mad.
Laura and Riario on their way to Florence. There's some mild flirting. Riario insists that "Florence is led by children. Disciples of Da Vinci, no less," which is half-true, I guess, and he thinks that Leo "will do our convincing for us" but that's debateable. I think Vanessa is likely to listen to Leo's arguments in a way she might not respect Riario's Roman concerns, but she's no longer naive, and takes her responsibility to Florence seriously.
And then they arrive and I finally get to see Riario & Vanessa/ Blake & Hera onscreen at the same time.
gif sourceBE STILL MY HEART
I've wanted some Vanessa/Riario interaction for a while now. I wrote a tumblr post about how they're both people of faith who had lives of routine and duty until Leonardo happened and turned their lives upside down. I think Vanessa can understand Riario in a way Leo cannot. As it turns out if I meaningful interaction I'll have to continue to write it myself, but it's something.
Also my fear was that we'd only get ever Vanessa/Riario onscreen for him to kill her, which I'm relieved did not happen.
(Also Riario gets to do his "Count and Captain General" line which, YEEESSS.)
Fun fact: Blake Ritston and Hera Hilmar both appeared in "World Without End" which is worth a watch. Blake gets some wonderfully emotional scenes, especially in the later episodes. Sadly there's no fanfic at AO3 for the miniseries or the novel it is based upon.
gif source pic sourceThere were a couple of parallels between Hera's characters, Vanessa and Margery, but that's a discussion for another time. The thing is, Blake and Hera had zero screen time together in the miniseries and until this episode it looked like DvD was going the same way.
Also on "Upstairs, Downstairs" (the first season was fantastic, but Blake and Alex Kingston are really the best things about the second) DvD's Lucrezia, Laura Haddock, appeared in season two but she and Blake never met onscreen. BTW there is a small amount of fanfic for the show, including four focussed on the Duke of Kent.
Ritson & Kingston, pic source Haddock as maid Beryl, picture sourceAnd I want to rec this fanvid by Shnak007 which I think manages to include every scene the Duke (Ritson) was in:
It must be a really odd thing to have worked with someone but not really worked with them.
But I digress.
gif source"You've done well for yourself," Riario says to Nico. I presumed he meant "look at you, right hand to the regent" rather than "so you're screwing the regent" but then Nico says "so have you" and it looks like he means Laura. Riario/Laura isn't (yet?) canon, and it irritated me, because I think better of both of these men than to treat women merely as sex objects/stepping stones to power. Riario does reply that it's not as it appears
Meanwhile Laura shows off all the bodies to Vanessa, including a creepy wooden skeleton that's supposed to represent the lost Lorenzo. I'm starting to think Laura's got some kind of death fetish or she's an early Goth chick, digging the actual Gothic era.
And then in this episode we finally see that Lorenzo is alive! Which makes me sad, not because I dislike Lorenzo but because I like Vanessa and Nico ruling Florence, and that will come to an end if/when Lorenzo gets back.
While talking to Lorenzo, Al-Rahim does his tiresome "everybody needs to die" speech again but Lorenzo is not impressed.
Leo nearly shoots Riario with a projectile weapon he's working on and Riario smoothly draws his blade and
Leo mentions Riario's bullshit story about when Leo got kidnapped. He doesn't directly accuse Riario of lying, but it must be on his mind.
Riario is still sticking to his lie, and we still don't know the details of how/why he rescued Leo and it irritates me that we didn't get to see that.
Riario says of the Labyrinth that "We will avenge their deaths and make them pay for what they did to you." When of course by "you" he does/should mean "us". And I hope we get to see that.
"A demonstration from you could seal their allegiance," Riario suggests to which my family and I immediately respond "Have you seen what happens the first time Leo demonstrates something?!"
source s1, the demonstration for the Medici family did not go as planned…In ignorance of our warning, Riario gives Leo a purse of Vatican money to spend on the weapons.
There's some more Sixtus/Turk discussion but I'm really not invested in that right now.
Nico and Zo talk about Florence's money worries and Nico's plan to tax illegal activities. Zo thinks it's a good plan though he guesses at what happened to Nico last time he tried to get Singh onside. Zo is confident he knows how to deal with her.
Cut to Zo being manhandled by a guard. But Nico says this time he's brought his own guards. Zo points out this is because Nico wields true power and that too could be Singh's if she cooperates; a seat on the council. Hell, it's a corrupt council anyway as we well know, so it's a good offer.
Back in the dungeon Lucrezia is discovering what's been going on with the girls. Lupo thinks one of the girls can read the page, because in a feedback loop, the page told him they can. He's torturing them in an effort to make them talk and disposing of them when they won't.
My family have the most wonderful conversations sometimes; this week it was "Maybe that meat wasn't pig". Ew. Thanks for that!
Leo sends Zo shopping with his usual arrogance. It's my new head canon that Leo hasn't a clue about shopping, like where to buy things or how much they cost, since he hasn't done it himself for years. I seem to recall it was always his apprentice Nico, in season one, sent to buy things. Zo, always dutiful, goes off on his errand, after some snarking about wearing a disguise.
gifs sourceVanessa is insisting she will not let Rome invade Florence by stealth (the Crusade), though Laura accuses her of being naive.
Riario accuses Nico of being infatuated with Vanessa and not making rational decisions (ie what Riario wants) and comments that he once thought the name Machiavelli would go down in history. Which of course it will.
gif sourceHe tells Nico that they're only as strong as Leo is, and Leo is aligned with Rome. Which is only partly true. Leo will make whatever deals he has to in order to win, but he's only loyal to his own beliefs.
Leo, using Zo's supplies, is trying to blow up the impenetrable armour. In true Leo fashion there's a fireball. He's angry that it doesn't destroy the armour but honestly Leo, it might not destroy a tank but it would sure as hell kill any soldiers wearing the plate, burning them to smithereens.
gif sourceZo discovers a maker's mark buried at the back of one of the charred plates, a coin that matches one Zo stole from Vlad the Impaler. Leo thinks they need to talk to Vlad but Zo is understandably not sold on the idea.
Lucrezia is determined to rescue presumably-Sophia and herself from definitely insane Lupo. But it's not happening this episode.
Dragonetti, bitching about danger, takes Vanessa to see Leo, since he hasn't come to see her.
Leo tries to push her away but she is having none of his bullshit.
This is why I think Riario/Leo and Vanessa & Leo are the best Leo relationships on this show. I don't blame Nico and Zo for getting pissed off, but Riario, being used to abuse, never gets angry in the same way. Vanessa, meanwhile, does not put up with any of Leo's shit and won't storm off until she's had her say.
Vanessa, my queen, confronts Leo and he's able to unload some of his fears and be comforted.
"I can't risk any of you getting hurt. I've lost so much. I can't bear to lose you, too," he says, tearful.
"No. No, you're not alone, Leo. We can help. Please let us help you," she says. And they talk about the baby and then Vanessa holds Leo while he weeps. It's a lovely moment and harkens back to when Leo had to leave Vanessa behind in s2e2 The Blood of Brothers.
gif sourceHe held her so tightly that his father had to practically prise him off telling Leo "Release her. She's not to be swept into your madness any longer." This time Leo needs her, badly, and his father is dead and cannot interfere.
gifs sourceHowever when Vanessa leaves, she finds Dragonetti dead in the Hanged Man/upside down crucifixion pose. Her scream brings Leo outside, and he spots the assassin.
Leo pursues the assassin over the rooftops and we get a brief Leo's imagination scene as he plots a course to intercept him.
It's a good action scene, and it ends with Leo tackling the assassin and them crashing through the roof to the ground. Did I mention it's a miracle these two aren't dead?
Because (and I'd been spoiled, sadly), the assassin is Riario.
I don’t believe Riario is killing of his own free will; his eyes are bleeding, as Leo's did when he was tortured:
screencap sourceI don't even think he knows he is doing the killings, or why be so insistent on investigating at the Vatican?
I do remember that Leo said the killer was a man of faith, and that he was sorry for the murders. This suggests that on some level, even through the brainwashing, Riario does not want to be committing the murders.
Anyway, Leo will fix things next week, and I'm kind of worried because of all the "that wraps things up for him [Riario]" talk. If that's the last we see of Riario I shall not be happy, though not nearly as pissed off as if we see Riario again in later episodes merely to kill him, since who gives a damn now there's no season four. Well I care and I Do Not Want.
I can overlook a lot of things and I have so many fanfic ideas I still want to write for this show, but if it's burnt completely to the ground by the end of it (and screw closure, I want to know how it was originally supposed to go this season, setting us up for season four), I don't know where that leaves me or the fandom. I'm already starting to feel rather disheartened and beginning to mourn. Some fandoms get to live on almost forever, and others die the moment the last second airs onscreen :(
source (gif from "Mean Girls")
no subject
Date: 2015-12-19 08:15 pm (UTC)Now that I'm watching individual episodes every week and reading analyses, I see so many more problems. But, like you, I'm choosing to focus on the positives which are always Leo, Riario, Zo, Nico and Vanessa. And Laura. OMG, one of my favorite Riario scenes ever is when they are in the carriage and she's worrying and he flirts he flirts and teases her. He does it exactly like I'd imagined (and written) Riario would—dryly, with a little sarcasm and a little self-deprecation. It just made me love him more.
Leo nearly shoots Riario with a projectile weapon he's working on and Riario smoothly draws his blade and then they banter and it turns into sweet lovemaking.
We were watching with the same eyes! The scene of Riario entering Leo's workshop is awesome because they are never, ever have a proper greeting. Plus Riario's hair does that little bang/fringe bounce thingie that cracks me up and makes me rewind every time. It's strangely adorable. And his blade flourish while Leo brings a crossbow to a knife fight. My head canon is they definitely had sexy times after Leo took the money. After all, Riario would want to make sure he was truly in “robust” health *wink nudge*
I totally agree with you about Leo and Vanessa. Wasn't it interesting that Leo literally pushed everyone away except Riario (in itself a very telling point) and Vanessa had to invite herself in but it was beautiful when she finally got him to open up a little.
I love your gif of Leo on fire. That part was such a lovely reminder of S1 Leo and all his arrogance.
Lucrezia...again all I can say is that the show planners really shafted Laura Haddock in this role. It's like they can only see Lucrezia as a plot device and use her where they need to move things along, sort of like a deus ex machina and that drives me insane. Not gonna say any more, but her role in this ep and the next were about the best she got in all three seasons, in my opinion.
Girrrrl, the hand kissing thing of Riario's is not just you. Yeah, it just … yeah. Nice.
I love what you think about Vanessa and Riario. I'd never thought about it that way before, but you make a lot of excellent points. I would love to read what you come up with for them!
As far as the Crusade's little display of death, I thought it was more a clever marketing ploy than Laura's interest in the macabre. I read it as a way to tell the common rabble/the illiterate “hey look what happened to your countrymen when the big, bad Turks invaded. If you don't want this to be you and your family, you better join up now” kind of thing.
we still don't know the details of how/why he rescued Leo and it irritates me that we didn't get to see that.
It's a good thing you can't hear my groans of outrage and frustration about that point. I need a scene of him single-handedly, heroically saving Leo, please.
I literally LOLed at your photoset of Leo trying his experiments for the first time! I love that it's all canon! His face in that last pic is priceless!
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Date: 2015-12-19 08:15 pm (UTC)OMG, I never thought about that dinner Lupo served although it was extremely creepy how excited he was about butchering that pig...I may not be able to eat pork for a while, eurgh. I never considered your family's idea, but it makes terrible, awful sense. Thank them for turning me off pig products! D:
The Zo/Leo interaction over the shopping list reminds me a lot of your Yuletide story. You know how you said Leo never actually apologized, but here, he just assumes Zo will do it and goes from there, so I think you were totally in-character. Also, we needed a glimpse of Zo disguised in a dress. ;D
This is why I think Riario/Leo and Vanessa & Leo are the best Leo relationships on this show. I don't blame Nico and Zo for getting pissed off, but Riario, being used to abuse, never gets angry in the same way. Vanessa, meanwhile, does not put up with any of Leo's shit and won't storm off until she's had her say.
Yesssss, preach it!
I saw a lot of Tweeters mocking the Assassin's Creed sequence, but I actually really enjoyed it, especially since I'd guessed long before who the mystery killer was. I think that whole hooded cloak aesthetic is a little kink of mine, but whatever, I liked it! I'm really sorry you were spoiled! I hope it wasn't me. :( It all made sense, though, and I give the planners credit for actually trying to make it mysterious and dramatic all through ep 3. As far as the rest of your comments, the infamous ep 6 is next. Just hang in there.
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Date: 2015-12-31 09:44 am (UTC)Oh yes, Zo in a dress would be a fun thing :)
And yes, hooded cloaks!
I am so behind on All The Things, and I was stuck in holiday limbo without access to email/internet and I'm so glad to be home but I've got a billion things to try and sort through. I did have a ton of fic ideas of which I think two might pan out, when I get to writing them.
Our Sky box was playing up but I was able to watch episode 6 finally on catchup while away, and there was so much good stuff but also I have so many feelings and thoughts and concerns/frustrations. And I haven't yet had anyone to flail about it with!
It will probably take me a while to write up a review and go through all the relevant Tumblr posts etc. And then I want to read your post episode six fic and see if/how you address some of my concerns since we're so often on the same wavelength and you may well have done so :)
The Yuletide fic seems to be getting a fair amount of attention but so far my recipient hasn't commented which is the first year I've not had a reply within a day :/ But it's nice to be getting so many kudos and some nice comments. Maybe my recipient is stuck without internet too!
*hugs* I feel I've missed our DvD flailing, and it's only been a few days. DvD and the internet have eaten my brain.