I’ve recently had the opportunity to catch up on some television recommended by GetGlue . One of the shows is Da Vinci’s Demons, which is an original show by the Starz network, and dramatises the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Going into the show, the only things I knew about our man was that he was ambidexterous, likely bisexual, and an artistic genius.

After watching the first series, I’m sticking to that set of things, as I’m sure all sorts of facts were altered to make the show more interesting. That’s fine by me, as I’m not a history major, though I would be interested in what was changed. It was fun to see some of his more fanciful creations on screen, though. And Florence was beautiful as always.

I most enjoyed their version of ‘Charlie vision’, which is what they called what happened on Numbers when Charlie began explaining his current plan for saving the world with some algorithm. They do something similar on Da Vinci’s Demons, but the graphics are in the style of Da Vinci’s sketches.

The plot of the first series is Da Vinci trying to solve an ancient puzzle with his brilliant mind whilst also being caught up in the political intrigue between the Medicis in Florence and the Vatican in Rome. During this he is also juggling his complex love life (to say he makes poor choices in this department would be an understatement).

This isn’t from a Saw movie. It’s something Prince Charming below has.

Then, episode six happened. It was entitled ‘The Devil’ (each episode was named after a card in the major arcana). Da Vinci’s quest takes him to a castle in Wallachia. From afar, he and his friend and assistant notice something odd around the walls… people impaled on spikes. They ride up and are met by the owner of the castle and his men. The owner in question is Vlad Tepes. Dracula.

Wow, was that a fun episode. The set was aptly dark, but I wish they’d thrown up the lights a bit so I could have got a better look at his castle. There was a spectacular skull and long bone chandelier and skulls in the torches. I’m sure there were loads of other fantastic details I simply couldn’t see due to the murk.

Not that the darkness is a hindrance for someone with no soul.

The entire first series was only eight episodes, but a second series has been ordered, so I’m looking forward to that.

If you’re looking for something based in reality-there was a very good show called Doing DaVinci , which aired on the Discovery Channel where a team of designers built and tested some of DaVinci’s designs. Some with more success than others. The list of things they attempted to build is here.

The official website for Da Vinci’s Demons is here with extras and behind-the-scenes footage along with air dates and ways to watch the show if you don’t have cable. If you saw the show, let me know what you think.