Following the assassination, a delicate truce between Milan and Florence is disrupted. To assert power, Lorenzo de' Medici (Elliot Cowan) and his brother Giuliano (Tom Bateman) commission the rising artisan Leonardo to create a spectacular mechanical bird for an Easter celebration. Eager to prove his worth, Leonardo also uses his engineering genius, showing off designs for flying machines and war engines, while accepting a contract to paint Lorenzo's beautiful mistress, Lucrezia Donati (Laura Haddock), for whom he develops an immediate and intense infatuation.
When Da Vinci’s Demons premiered in 2013, it promised not a dusty historical biography, but a high-octane "historical fantasy" that reimagined Leonardo da Vinci as a swashbuckling, brilliant, and tormented action hero. Written and directed by David S. Goyer (known for The Dark Knight trilogy), the series opener, , sets a blistering pace, establishing the show's signature tone of political intrigue, artistic genius, and supernatural mystery.
A mysterious Eastern traveler, known only as “The Turk” (played with terrifying stillness by Alexander Siddig), arrives in Rome to meet with Pope Sixtus IV. He brings a gift—a triptych that moves mechanically—and a warning. The Turk is a member of the Sons of Mithras, a secret cult that holds the keys to a vast, hidden library of ancient knowledge… and he believes Leonardo is the prophesied man who will find it.
Strengths:
Leonardo is portrayed as a man "tortured" by superhuman intellect. He struggles with:
Master and Monster: Unpacking the Genius and Madness of Da Vinci's Demons Season 1, Episode 1
Parallel to the political intrigue is a dark, supernatural mystery. Leonardo crosses paths with a mysterious entity known as "The Turk" (Alon Abouboub). The Turk introduces Leonardo to a secret society and a quest for the mythical , an ancient text containing ultimate hidden knowledge. da vincis demons season 1 episode 1
Leonardo captures Lorenzo’s attention not with his paintings, but by pitching war machines. He demonstrates an advanced, rapid-fire crossbow framework, proving to Lorenzo that his genius can be weaponized against Rome. The Vatican's Shadow
Caught between her loyalty to Rome, her duty to Lorenzo, and her genuine attraction to Leonardo.
The story begins on December 26, 1476, with the assassination of the Duke of Milan, an event that threatens the stability of Florence and enrages its leader, . To bolster public morale and project power, the Medicis commission the rising artisan Leonardo da Vinci to create a spectacular Easter display. Following the assassination, a delicate truce between Milan
"The Hanged Man" introduces us to a 25-year-old Leonardo da Vinci (played with charismatic, manic energy by Tom Riley) living in Florence. Far from the serene, gray-bearded intellectual of popular history, this Leonardo is a brash, arrogant, and restless bastard son seeking validation. He splits his time between sketching biological anomalies, designing military engineering projects, and smoking opium to quiet his overactive mind.
The episode opens in media res. Florence, 1477. A 25-year-old Leonardo da Vinci (Tom Riley) is not the serene, elderly painter of legend. He is a rockstar artist, a hedonistic genius, and a wanted man. The episode throws us into a breathtaking chase: Leonardo flees across Florentine rooftops from the city guard, having allegedly defiled a church. But this is no mere prank. He has stolen a human corpse for dissection—a crime punishable by death.
The episode opens in 15th-century Florence, a city pulsing with art, commerce, and political backstabbing. We meet Leonardo da Vinci (Tom Riley) not as a bearded sage, but as a cocky 25-year-old rock star of the Renaissance. He’s late for a play, openly mocks the Medici family, and has just invented a prototype for a modern submarine—which he tests in the Arno River while being chased by guards. When Da Vinci’s Demons premiered in 2013, it
Filmed in Wales (which doubled for 15th-century Tuscany), the production design of the pilot is gritty yet vibrant. Director David S. Goyer uses a distinct visual language to portray Leonardo's intellect. Whenever Leonardo observes a bird in flight or conceptualizes a machine, the frame freezes, transforming into animated parchment sketches. This "Da Vinci Vision" allows the audience to look inside the mind of a genius, making abstract concepts accessible and thrilling. Conclusion: A Bold Beginning