The Decameron is an American medievalblack comedy television series created by Kathleen Jordan. It was inspired by the 14th century Italian short-story collection The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. It was released on Netflix on July 25, 2024 to generally favorable reviews.
Premise
In 1348, as the Black Death ravages Florence, a group of nobles and their servants retreat to the countryside Villa Santa. As they attempt to wait out the plague in the hills of Tuscany with wine, merriment, and sex, the protagonists eventually must fight for their survival.
As the Black Plague ravages Florence, several young nobles accept invitations to escape the epidemic in the Visconte Leonardo's countryside estate Villa Santa. Leonardo's narcissistic betrothed Pampinea (who has never met her fiancé) and her servant Misia are greeted by the steward Sirisco, who is trying to hide that Leonardo has passed away and most of the servants have died or fled. Misia has smuggled her lover Parmena, who is infected with plague, into the estate by hiding her in a wine barrel. The spoiled noblewoman Filomena is eager to leave for the villa in hope of finding a match to secure her future, but her maid Licisca refuses to abandon Filomena's dying father Eduardo. Filomena lies to Licisca that Eduardo has died, but ends up getting pushed off a bridge by Licisca during a fight. Impulsively, Licisca decides to asume Filomena's identity. Pampinea receives Licisca, the pious, repressed Neifile and her social-climbing husband Panfilo, as well as the wealthy hypochondriac Tindaro and his doctor Dioneo. Both Neifile and Panfilo lust after Dioneo, who flirts with Licisca but is dismayed that Tindaro displays interest in her. Jealous, Dioneo gives Tindaro a tea that makes him ill. Pampinea, who is desperate to marry Leonardo, becomes increasingly distraught by his absence. Panfilo figures out that Licisca is actually a servant, using this information to ingrain himself with her to gain access to Tindaro's money. Misia discovers Parmena has died of the plague; while disposing of her body she finds Leonardo's corpse, and she and Sirisco make a pact to keep each other's secrets. The group survives an attack by bandits, one of whom is a former cardinal, whom Liscia kills when it is revealed that he has the plague. A ragged Filomena arrives.
2
"Holiday State of Mind"
Michael Uppendahl
Kathleen Jordan
July 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
Filomena furiously attacks Licisca, but Panfilo, who had figured out Licisca's true identity, helps convince the others that Filomena is really the jealous and unstable handmaiden. Filomena agrees to pretend to be Licisca in hopes of securing a proposal from Tindaro, and begrudingly does housework under the cook Stratilia. Neifile, shaken by the cardinal's declaration that God has abandoned humanity, jumps down a well and refuses to come out until God rescues her. Tindaro, assisted by Dioneo, tries to woo "Filomena" with history lessons. Pampinea demands to be taken to Leonardo, and she, Misia and Sirisco plot to pretend she has married Leonardo while in town. Panfilo pays Dioneo to retrieve Neifile and claim he was sent by God; Neifile is aroused by the experience. Pompinea announces her marriage to Leonardo, taking control as mistress of the Villa. Licisca visits Dioneo's quarters.
3
"By Homer, It's a Winner's Wreath!"
Andrew DeYoung
James Rogers III
July 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
4
"The Mood is Soiled"
Andrew DeYoung
Anthony Natoli
July 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
5
"Switcheroo"
Anya Adams
Megan King Kelly
July 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
Ruggiero and Neifile have intercourse in his bed, spied by Panfilo. The morning after, Neifile discovers Ruggiero's friends and the prostitutes dead by the plague, and let Sirisco and the others back in the Villa. They tie Ruggiero down and discover the body of Dioneo, also killed by the plague. Pampinea and Panfilo both try to ingratiate Ruggiero to secure property of the Villa, and the latter succeeds, after a heartfelt reconciliation with Neifile, who shows plague blisters on her neck. On their journey back to Firenze, Filomena and Licisca share childhood stories, a night in a cave and a gruesome experience in a shack. Tindaro and Stratilia continue their liaison. After a burial service for Parmena, Pampinea orders Misia to kill Ruggiero, who has by now untied himself. While grudgingly trying to feed him a poisoned broth, Misia knives him when he jumps her, actually killing him.
6
"A Stony Brook Away"
Anya Adams
Marie Hanhnhon Nguyen
July 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
After Ruggiero’s murder, a shellshocked Misia goes to Sirisco for help but ends up driving him away. Sirisco leaves Villa Santa and meets an old acquaintance, Arriguccio, who invites him to share a meagre lunch with his friends. Moved by their selflessness and good nature, Sirisco decides to take Arriguccio’s group with him back to the Villa. In Stratilia’s hut, Tindaro befriends Jacopo, her illegitimate son with Leonardo, and takes him to the villa. Pampinea figures he is now the heir of the villa, drops the pretense of pregnancy and locks Jacopo away. Panfilo and Neifile share a last blissful day together before she succumbs to the plague in the evening. On their journey, Filomena and Licisca are assaulted by Cardinal Agnolo’s henchmen. Three knights save them and bring them to their leader, the Monk, who sentences them to death after a blunder by Filomena. She confesses to Licisca that they are sisters: Licisca is the result of one of Eduardo’s affairs. They manage to escape by horse and return to the Villa, where an increasingly unhinged Pampinea is about to burn Stratilia as a witch, but is stopped by the other hosts who are now back, including a mourning Panfilo.
Pre-production for the series began at the end of 2022. Filming began on January 10, 2023, with plans to continue through June.[5] Filming in Rome took place at the Cinecittà Studios, where the interiors of Villa Santa took up Stage 5, with additional portions of the villa utilizing Stage 4 and 11.[6] Additional on-location filming also took place in locations throughout the province of Viterbo, such as the gardens of Castello Ruspoli and having the San Pellegrino quarter serve as 14th-century Florence by covering and hiding modern features such as gutters, cables, windows, and flues.[7]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 40 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A broad spoof of the Black Death teeming with amusing performances, The Decameron's dark streak of humor can border on the flippant but makes for a pretty fun pestilential party."[8]Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]
