Summary
Maybe The Decameron tries too hard, or perhaps this comedy-history genre is wearing thin. Either way, it entertains even if it feels strained.
Yes, The Decameron is based on a pandemic, but we cannot avoid the “p” word forever. We are not entitled to only our recent history. There’s been many pandemics before us, and there will be many after us. This Netflix series is a pronounced punt to replicate the success of The Great, and well, it’s OK.
Set in 1348, amidst the bubonic plague, The Decameron follows a group of misfits, some servants, and some nobles, hiding away in a luxurious villa in Florence to avoid the raging disease. This is hardly a far cry from our pandemic, with the wealthy enjoying vast estates in the countryside while bustling and overpopulated towns inevitably spread the disease to the less fortunate. There’s a theme right away that conveys class differences when adversity is facing the human race. But you’ll soon forget the themes when faced with a horny villa representing something close to a 14th-century Love Island.
The series is based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s novel The Decameron, first released in the mid-14th century. The series enjoys being raunchy by default. It appears that in the height of fear of a ravenous plague, anyone can be horny at absolutely any time.
But there is a sub-story to the apparent craziness in the writing: Filomena (Jessica Plummer) is trying to claim the estate by marrying Viscount Leonardo alongside her seemingly obsessed maid, Misia (Saoirse-Monica Jackson). But the Viscount is nowhere to be seen, which causes a sense of chaos as the nobles and servants vie for a purpose in a purposeless scenario. When the world is dying, who cares about the ownership of a villa? You’ll soon learn this is merely a plot device to bring controlled chaos.
I suppose what I couldn’t decide with The Decameron is whether I enjoyed it. I tend to be a person who does not enjoy blatant fun. I prefer substance and interwoven jokes that develop over time. The series is trying to be fun and fit in as many gags as possible while providing an air of seriousness in the story. The flow of the story could not decide at times whether it wants the audience to be silly or give it serious attention.
And you know the series is trying to be quirky when it introduces Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) as Licisca. She defines quirk by appearance alone, and her character wobbles on the screen as this maid trying to survive in a world where she is inferior while enjoying copious amounts of sex. But Tanya knows how to be interesting. Her brand ensures you will not be bored when she enters a scene, making it a sensible casting choice for a bonkers series based on revisionist comedic history. It’s probably my bias that I welcomed this casting choice, especially with my history of being attracted to quirky girls, so I’d take my praise here with a pinch of salt.
Surprisingly, and where credit is due, The Decameron enjoys character development amongst the madness. You wouldn’t think it in the opening episode. But when I saw the runtimes, I was aghast that they would provide 8 hours of wine-soaked and sex-filled gags. But I was proven wrong. Each character’s meaning in the story grows to a satisfactory finale. A substantial amount of time is given to the gap between rich and poor, opportunity versus oppression. The villa, in many ways, resets the status quo. Anyone can have power as long as they are determined to unshackle themselves.
I’m unsure whether The Decameron will be a hit that results in multiple seasons. Luckily, it does not end on a cliffhanger, and that’s probably the writing team being safe in case it’s axed. But does this series engage as well as The Great, which equally relied on profanity and sex? The answer to that is a hard no. But this does sit in between and above Amazon’s My Lady Jane which felt like a dud.
The Decameron will not be for everyone. I suspect it wasn’t entirely for me. However, it could quickly form its fan base if the characters are loved. I’m just not sure that the comedy-history genre is hitting as well at the moment.
Read More: The Decameron Season 1 Ending Explained
