'Da Vinci's Demons': Season 1, Episode 2: 'The Serpent' Recap

Leo is in a dark boat with an older man, who is questioning him about what the Turk said—that time is a circular river.

The man says that men like themselves can change the river’s course. Leo asks if he is like him, and the man notes that Leo doesn’t know who he is.

A woman breaks out of the bushes, telling men that bandits tried to take her honor. They put her behind the gate and lock her in to keep her safe. As they go off, other men appear out of the darkness, and she helps them in.

The old man in the boat talks about time. Leo says they have met, and the man tells him they are brothers.

The men breaking in are Zoroaster and Nico. They have broken into a cemetery. Zo points to a grave, covered with sand and pressed with letters to avoid being messed with. Zo notes it says “Taken.”

The old man in the boat tells Leo the line about the fountain of memory, and gives him a drink. He tells him he will see into affinity, as he sees, and be a god. But, he will suffer. He takes off his scarf, revealing a burn on his neck—he is the hanged man.

Leo wakes up as his friends come in with the dead Jew. Leo examines him. He notes a missing fingernail. He cuts him open. He tells them he is to start his quest with the hanged man, the “seat of the soul.” He says it is a euphemism for the stomach, and removes it.

He finds the missing fingernail. There is also a key.

“One man’s death opens the doorway for another.”

Lorenzo and Lucrezia are in bed. He asks if her husband gave her the ring. She notes something is bothering him and he says Count Riario is coming to visit. He asks her to come and keep him entertained. He tells her she can invite the “scoundrel” Da Vinci if she wishes.

Leo arrives late and hand over a contract to his father. He says that he arranged the contract to get rid of him soon; Leo hadn’t read it.

Leo struggles to sketch Lucrezia, getting frustrated. He remembers their night together, and yells in exasperation. He asks what has changed—something has changed. He accuses her of feeling guilty. She admits it.

He sees the statue of the altar, and asks what the Jew was executed for. She says he was reportedly running from cutthroats and took refuse in a bookstore. They thought he had stolen something, but nothing was missing. He tells her the scene of the crime requires further investigation, and they kiss.

Lorenzo interrupts and Leo hides. He tells her Leo is going to show the guns today. They kiss and he goes off. Leo comes out and she tells him she will always be Lorenzo’s first.

At the workshop Nico comes for saltpeter for the guns.

Lorenzo and his crew move through the woods, complaining about Leo, who they can’t find. Someone yells that Florence is being invaded and they run, finding Leo on his gun. The brother is furious that it is pointed at them, but Lorenzo points out it is intimidating—a good thing.

Leo demonstrates his gun—and it explodes. Leo is splattered in blood, lying on the ground. They stand around him and tell him failure, as it states in his contract, constitutes as fraud. Lorenzo, however, gives him one week.

A man pulls Nico into a corner and threatens him with a knife. He says they found footprints where the Jew’s body was stolen. They match his shoes. He knocks Nico out.

Nico has his hood removed. He is in front of Riario. The man who brought Nico asks for his payment, and has his head chopped off. Riario tells Nico he wants to know why Leo wanted the body. He brings out a device called the “widow’s tear.” They put his hand in the box, and a needle slowly goes into his hand. Nico keeps quiet and Riario turns the needle further. He tells them he was searching because the Jew swallowed a key.

They go to his workshop and tear it apart, looking. Nico hides the key in his shirt and tells them to stop. He pulls a brick and opens a secret passage. They pull up one of his boxes. When they go to hack it apart, Riario watches Nico’s face. He screams to stop but the box explodes, injuring them. Riario grabs Nico, but Andrea starts yelling from outside and they all flee.

Leo and Zo come down as Andrea comes in. Leo notes the men were of the papacy. Nico tells him what happened. He confesses what he told them, and Leo praises him for saving his own life and doing something exceptional too.

Lucrezia goes to see Riario. She begins to yell at him about being seen with him, but he smacks her. He gives her a list of secure locales throughout Florence. He wants more information on Leonardo. He gives her a small bottle and tells her instructions will come. She tells him Leo asked about the Jew and wants to return to the crime. He finds that odd, if he has the key.

He threatens Lucrezia and chokes her for her impertinence.

Lorenzo and his brother look at the shop. He has a fit, realizing that plans are compromised. He tells Leo he has three days for a successful trial of the gun. If he fails, he will hand. Leo will be guarded, and supplied with what he needs.

Leo sneaks to the tavern to think and drink. He stares at the key, trying to envision the lock it would fit. He asks for the coin from the Turk. It has the face from the altar, and two keys. He says the key only represents half of what is needed to open the lock. They try to convince him to just give Riario the key, but Leo insists on solving the mystery.

He retraces the man’s steps according to what he has heard. A blind man begs for change and Leo asks I he was there. The man describes what he heard. The man was terrified. He fell, and dropped something. He heard pages flutter, and the Jew say “wo, wo.” The men yelled but he could only understand “halt.”

Leo says the word “wo” in Yiddish means “where,” and that the men chasing him probably Swiss mercenaries speaking German, since only German and English use the word “halt.” He suggests the Jew was trying to hide the book.

They go to the book shop. Leo talks to the shop owner but has Zo distract him by pretending to steal. Leo tells Nico the fingernail is the second clue. Ten shelves… ten fingers. They count from right to left (as they do in Hewbrew), and they find blood on a shelf, a book with no dust. It is written in Hebrew.

They leave, but soldiers/mercenaries surround them in the market. They insist he come to see Renario. Leo holds up a grenade. They insist it is a snuff box, but Zo tells them it is not. However he smacks Leo on the back and it falls—it is a snuff box. The boys split up and run. They nearly have Leo cornered but he manages to grab a pulley and fly up to safety.

Riario goes to visit Lorenzo and his wife Clarice. He speaks with Lorenzo and tells him the Pope has heard of Leo and is looking for artists to work on his buildings. He has heard that Medici has given him an advance…

“Rome hears every whisper, Lorenzo. Even outlandish ones concerning artisans capable of constructing war machines.”

He says this can be construed as a provocative move. He and Lorenzo snip back and forth and he finally says the reason he is there is to tell them that the Pope has picked a new Archbishop for Pisa, although it falls under Florence’s jurisdiction. It is his cousin.

Lorenzo tells them to assemble their army if they think they’re setting foot in Pisa. This made clear, Riario leaves, and Lorenzo worries over he gained so much information.

Something rouses Andrea from his sleep. He goes out, and finds Leo in his home. He can’t go to his home. Andrea says that Lorenzo’s men have been looking for him also. Leo doesn’t think he can make the deadline.

Andrea says that with three tiers there will be powder contamination. He says Leo has overreached.

“The whole point of progress is overreaching.”

Andrea gives him and drink and tells him to tell him what it’s really about. Leo mentions the Book of Leaves, which Andrea says is just a myth. A book containing the secret history of the world. He looks at the book Leo stole. He says it refers to opening the Vault of Heaven.

Leo says perhaps that means the sky. A constellation? Andrea yells at him for the fool’s errand, and Leo says he needs to find knowledge of his mother. Andrea says it will probably get him killed.

Leo goes to the court, where his father asks if he shouldn’t be working on his musket. He says he can do two things at once.

“Drinking and digging your own grave.”

Lucreza comes up beside Leo and says that she is his. Lorenzo welcomes everyone to his feast. He says Florence is like Eden, and costumed characters come out in a representation. An Adam and Eve prance, and Lorenzo strokes a serpent, a “guest” at Eden, and they welcome their own guest, Riario.

Leo stares at the key. Riario comes up behind him and asks what he sees. Leo mentions the book and they key and the Vault of Heaven, scoffing that Riario won’t be able to figure it out. Riario says he will bring Leo to Rome, then… if not for his life, than for Lucrezia’s. He tells Leo to join them, and the secret archives will be at his disposal.

Leo tells him to meet him at sunrise, and the key and the secrets can be his. Riario asks about Leo’s services, also, but he doesn’t answer. Lorenzo sees this exchange take place.

Leo is in a quarry, staring at the son and tossing a bottle around. The Medici observe from far off. The Romans come up. They give him a chest of money. Lorenzo’s brother says it is clear he has betrayed them, but Lorenzo waits.

Leo tosses the coin they give him aside. Riario asks about the Jew, and Leo says he has already found the Vault of Heaven. He says he needs the second key.

Riario notes he is only in this for knowledge, isn’t he? Leo declines his offer, and loudly, pledges allegiance to Lorenzo. The sun hits his bottle, which ignites a fuse. He unveils the “Vault of Heaven” he has found—his gun. It fires at the men. He screams at them that they hurt his friend, to run. His gun, which has been re-built to rotate, rather than be in layers of guns, works beautifully.

He goes to a man who lies dying, and tells him he is sorry, but he warned him. He looks over across the ravine and Lorenzo waves to him.

Lorenzo meets with Leo at a private house. He tells him he believes there is a spy in his court. Leo asks if he is a suspect, but since he just killed six of the papal guards, probably not. He will give Leo resources for a larger version of the gun. He says it won’t be long before Riario retaliates.

Lucrezia comes in looking for Lorenzo, but not realizing Leo is there. They go off together, Lucrezia and Leo prolonging eye contact.

Riario laughs, overlooking Florence. He tells Lupo that one day it will all belong to Rome. Lupo points out that with the key he is one step closer to the Book of Leaves. The key is useless without its counterpart.

He laughs. He has the second key.

Leo goes through the book. He asks Andrea how many letters are in the Hebrew alphabet and he tells him 27. He says there are 27 illustrations and rips pages. He makes them move the table. Hebrew is written right to left. He lines up the illustrations to the alphabet—it lines up certain lines on the paper. He arranges everything, and pulls himself up on a scaffold. He says the Vault of Heaven is an actual vault. He looks down and says the pages are a map. Nico points out the land it describes doesn’t exist, and Leo says they will have to discover it.

The outline creates South America.