Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Da Vinci's Demons: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Bigger, but better? Meh...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown March 6, 2015

Forget historical fiction. Da Vinci's Demons is unapologetic quasi-historical escapism, with little concern for real history or the man who inspired creator David S. Goyer's occasionally silly, often melodramatic Renaissance romp. But that doesn't mean the Starz series isn't a lot of fun, particularly in its second season where its ambition is matched only by its willingness to do whatever it takes to keep fans watching. The scale is grander. The scope broader. The sets and locales expansive. The characters pushed to their breaking points. And the adventure in full, guilty pleasure swing from start to finish. Fence-sitters will find much of it unintentionally funny, with brooding seriousness clashing with gold-clad Incan warriors, wild on-the-fly inventions (good God there are some doozies this season), muddy action, muddier plotting, and McGuffins with names like "The Vault of Heaven," "The Book of Leaves" and "The Labyrinth." Snickers may abound but addicts know the chilling grip of a semi-decent, cliffhanger-riddled cable series all too well. Great TV? Depends of your definition. Entertaining? It's 15th Century MacGyver. Da Vinci builds a submarine in the third episode to board a slave ship. A submarine. Entertainment (for better or worse) is a given.

Florence is thrown into chaos in the wake of the Pazzi conspiracy and Leonardo da Vinci (Tom Riley) must push the limits of his mind and body to defend the city against the forces of Rome. When the dust settles, friends are buried and rivalries enflamed. While the Medicis go to unthinkable lengths to deal with new threats, da Vinci continues on his quest to find the fabled Book of Leaves and uncover the secret history of his mother. He'll come to realize that he has lethal competition in his quest; new enemies who may be even worse than the forces of Pope Sixtus. His search will take him to faraway lands and force him to reevaluate everything he knew about the world and his own history.

Season Two opens with a pair of exciting episodes that effectively wrap up the events of the first season, though the duo feels so disconnected from the subsequent eight episodes that the transition is more than a little jarring. The bulk of the story sends Leonardo and Lorenzo in separate directions, not by way of a rift or further conflict, but by good ol' distance. Da Vinci heads to the New World with Riario, where the two must contend with Incans guarding the secrets surrounding the Vault of Heaven and the Book of Leaves; de Medici is imprisoned, forced to survive a trial at the hands of the mad King Ferrante. Bad idea? Hardly. It's this bold dash of Empire Strikes Back -- flinging our heroes to the farthest corners of the galaxy... er, globe -- that allows the second season to explore far more ground than its predecessor. Da Vinci doesn't have much of an arc, but Riario, Lorenzo, Clarice, Lucrezia and Nico do, and it's this supporting cast showcase that the series' finds new life.

The show itself isn't much better. Bigger, yes. The sets and locales are blown wide open this season, and the extra breathing room certainly helps. But the writing tends to slide from campy to campier, with slippery dialogue delivered with wit but greeted by groans. It wouldn't be so problematic if Goyer and company didn't take the whole premise so seriously; priming the series' zanier elements (da Vinci's death-bed visit with his older self) with more of a knowing wink. The risk, of course, being that too much playfulness might undermine the drama, or worse, might shift the tone so drastically that the fun would be overwhelmed by the funny. It's admittedly a tight rope walk; a balancing act many fans believe Goyer is slowly mastering. However, it's still not entirely clear what sort of show Goyer is aiming for, or what tone he'll ultimately settle on. The result is a wobbly, uneven second season. It's an improvement over the first, sure. But I'd argue it's a marginal improvement at best.

The Blu-ray release of The Complete Second Season features ten episodes spread across three BD-50 discs:

• The Blood of Man: Chaos erupts as the Pazzis strike and Leonardo da Vinci (Tom Riley) is forced to gamble for the future of Florence. Meanwhile, Riario (Blake Ritson) races ahead in his own quest for the Book of Leaves.
• The Blood of Brothers: Leonardo employs his genius to restore order to Florence, while Pope Sixtus (James Faulkner) unites powers against them. Elsewhere, Nico (Eros Vlahos) attempts to withstand Riario's temptations.
• The Voyage of the Damned: Leonardo continues to seek the Book of Leaves. Pope Sixtus takes aggressive measures against Florence, forcing Lorenzo de Medici (Elliot Cowan) to make great sacrifices. Lucrezia Donati (Laura Haddock) travels to Rome to form new alliances.
• The Ends of the Earth: Without maps, Leonardo da Vinci struggles to navigate across the Atlantic. Lucrezia is smuggled into the Vatican for an important encounter. En route to Naples, Lorenzo's identity is discovered.
• The Sun and the Moon: Leonardo reunites with Riario and Nico in the New World. Lorenzo attempts to save Florence with the help of an old flame. Clarice Orsini (Lara Pulver) struggles to regain control of the Medici Bank.
• The Rope of the Dead: Leonardo and Riario face challenges when they enter the Vault of Heaven. Lorenzo partakes in King Ferrante's bloody game. Journeying to Constantinople, Lucrezia encounters the Turk.
• The Vault of Heaven: Leonardo and his allies are threatened by death at every turn in their quest for the Book of Leaves. Carlo de Medici (Ray Fearon) aids Clarice. In the East, Lucrezia intrigues the son of the Sultan.
• The Fall from Heaven: While Leonardo and Riario face death, Zoroaster (Gregg Chillin) and Nico plot their escape. Lorenzo continues waiting for an audience with the King of Naples. Bayezid arrives in Rome.
• The Enemies of Man: Leonardo da Vinci returns to Florence to find Duke Federico ruling with an iron fist. Meanwhile, Riario seeks redemption for his sins and King Ferrante opens negotiations with Lorenzo.
• The Sins of Daedalus: An unlikely union must form to save Italy from an Ottoman attack. Riario is threatened, and Nico takes Vanessa's destiny into his own hands.

Da Vinci's Demons: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like the Blu-ray release of The Complete First Season, Da Vinci's Demons: The Complete Second Season features an excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation every bit as sharp and snazzy as the series' ultra-clean, hyper- crisp digital photography. Reds are often muted but other colors -- lush jungle greens, bright ocean blues and rich Incan golds - - pierce the at-times bleak palette. Moreover, skintones are beautifully saturated throughout, contrast is vibrant and consistent, black levels are deep and satisfying, and there isn't any significant macroblocking, noise, aliasing or banding to spoil the proceedings. (Minor crush is present in darker episodes, but it never proves distracting.) Detail isn't hindered in any way either. Edges are precisely defined and free of ringing, fine textures are nicely resolved, and close-ups look terrific. Fans will be most pleased.

Da Vinci's Demons: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Da Vinci's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track benefits from the second season's wide expanses and grand vistas, delivering a more convincing and enveloping experience than its first season counterpart. (Not that its predecessor was a slouch in the lossless audio department.) Rear speaker activity is engaging and effective, with neck-craning directional effects, slick cross-channel pans, and an immersive soundfield that further sells the illusion of each exterior environment and elaborate interior set. LFE output is strong and reliable too, throwing its support behind battles, death-defying feats, and Leonardo, Lorenzo and Riario's greatest challenges. Better still, dialogue remains intelligible, well-grounded and perfectly prioritized from start to finish, without being buried beneath action, suspense or the clatter of da Vinci's wild inventions. All told, The Complete Second Season's AV presentation delivers the goods.

Da Vinci's Demons: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Closer Look (HD, 11 minutes): Creator/lead writer David S. Goyer and key members of the series' cast and crew discuss the changes in store for Da Vinci and his pals in Season Two, chief among them the Empire Strikes Back-esque parting of ways that faces our heroes.
• Creating the New World (HD, 4 minutes): A brief look at shooting the second season.
• New Sets (HD, 5 minutes): Expanding the scope and scale of Demons.
• The Journey Begins (HD, 4 minutes): A helpful Season One recap.

Da Vinci's Demons: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Da Vinci's Demons may earn a shoulder shrug and a "too each his own" from me, but it isn't hard to spot all the elements fans find so deliriously fun and incredibly addicting. Goyer and company throw history out the window, proudly embracing the nuttier aspects of their premise while stocking the series storeroom with plenty of drama and character-driven intrigue. It's all rather uneven and over-the-top, particularly given its penchant for taking itself so seriously, but it's also a blast from time to time, making it an easy guilty pleasure to plow through a season at a time on Blu-ray. Fortunately, Anchor Bay's BD release is a strong one, with a wonderful AV presentation that isn't about to disappoint anyone. There's a distinct lack of substantive extras, which is a shame when it comes to any television release, but fans of the show will still be left itching for Season Three, no matter how flawed Season Two might be.