The Bubonic Plague recalls tragic endings, wiping out the human population in Europe; yet Giovanni Boccaccio writes about the Black Death as a dark comedy in the 1350s. His storytelling is compelling to classic literature in the day, challenging different social stereotypes and taking a laugh at the poor aristocrats and their stories as told in “The Decameron.”
Netflix takes the original Decameron and creates a hilarious and illuminating limited series, boasting one season with eight episodes, with each being about an hour long. Kathleen Jordan writes the script for the retelling of the Decameron, offering watchers a renewed take on the darkness of the Black Death. The limited series draws away from classical European aristocracy, bringing together characters that are each unique and create a dynamic not usually observed.
This raunchy comedy begins by bringing our aristocrats together, Neifile and Panfilo (Lou Gala and Karan Gill), Pampinea and her loyal servant Misia (Zosia Mamet and Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Tindaro and his sneaky doctor Dioneo (Douggie McMeekin and Amar Chadha Patel), Filomena and her disloyal servant Licisca (Jessica Plumer and Tanya Renyolds) are brought to the door of the villa’s steward Sirisco (Tony Hale).
The aristocrats are brought to the countryside as a means of escape from the terrors and death that the Bubonic plague has spread in their city of Firenze. The story takes many twists and turns offering chances for switching places between master and servant, being unfaithful to one’s partner, backstabbing and a constant battle to gain ownership of the villa who seems to have lost its owner.
The Decameron offers visually colorful and robust scenery using the villa to surround the tricky aristocrats with the best of the best. Jordan writes a story that creates witty dialogue, heartfelt scenes and gives the characters a fresh breath filled with emotion. Creating episodes that keep viewers on their toes, Jordan offers a creative plot twist at every turn and leaves you waiting for what happens next. The Decameron explores interesting dynamics between characters and uses the breakdown between social groups to pull the drama from every confine of this story.
The Decameron as written by Boccaccio brings to the front the loosening of social structures during the Bubonic Plague, which places the Villa’s visitors in vulgar situations. Viewers see the intersection between social classes as the ladies in this story allow themselves to explore the freedoms the Villa produces, participating in lewd acts. As social structure continues to break down, love blooms between servants and royalty and between those of the same gender providing you with unconventional relationships that are tested through naughty humor, armored soldiers and even God himself.
To round out the Decameron, one of the leading plot lines is who takes ownership of the Villa, surviving the social destruction that the Black Death brings, this storyline simultaneously brings out backhanded humor, betraying trust and constant battles between servant and master. The Decameron is filled with heartwarming moments, lust filled scenes and scandalous humor, making sure to bring tears and joy to viewers.
