Da Vinci's Demons S2E1 - "The Blood of Man" Recap

The episode begins with a flashforward of a shaggy-haired Da Vinci and Count Risario imprisoned. Their captors appear to be some sort of tribal folk. A sacrificial ritual takes place, with a woman getting her throat slit by a figure wearing a large gold mask. A woman wearing a large head piece tells them them Patamama shall drink their blood.

Six months prior to this, we take off mere moments after the attack on the Medicis. Da Vinci has escaped with the wounded Lorenzo through a vent beneath their feet. Lorenzo is still vowing to get vengeance for Da Vinci's affair with Lucrezia. Count Risario is determined to get confirmation of Lorenzo's death and follows after them with some of his men.

Zoroaster and Nico observe the smoke rising from the city from afar. Nico wants to go back to try to help, but Zoroaster says they should carry on and that at most, they can delay the ship they'll be taking.

Clarice barely makes it past some men after her and her children and upon getting back into the palace with her guards, she realises her youngest daughter is not with them. She frantically pound on the locked door and her daughter is nearly trampled outside but Dragonetti is able to grab her and get her inside, thus reuniting her with her mother. In private, she tasks Paprizio, one of the servants, with a bottle of poison to be mixed with honey and administered to the children if the palace walls are breached. She also orders her brother to be killed for his role in the attempt on their life and sends out a search party to seek out Lorenzo. Guards throw things down to fight off the people trying to get in the palace.

Da Vinci is able to use his smarts to get him and Lorenzo away from Count Riario and back to safety at his workshop. Meanwhile, Riario sets off for the Vault of Heaven to obtain the Book of Leaves, after getting information of Lucrezia by threatening to torture her. She gives up the name of a ship - the same one that Zoroaster and Nico are set to be on.

When Da Vinci wakes, he goes down and finds that Lorenzo is running dangerously low on blood. Using his expansive knowledge, he performs a tremendously old-fashioned, but effective blood transfusion using some sheep intestine and the assistance of Vanessa and Andrea. As Da Vinci begins to grow delirious from blood loss, he hallucinates himself reunited with Lucrezia.

A man manages to lie his way into the palace and nearly kills Clarice but she remains determined to stay in the palace, saying that Medicis do not run.

Vanessa grows emotional and frightened about her pregnancy but Andrea advises her to keep calm and keep the parentage of her child secret. Da Vinci drifts in and out of consciousness. Andrea tells Da Vinci he will put a stop to the blood transfusion, but Da Vinci frantically tells him not to do so until Lorenzo has recovered. He passes out again and Andrea tells Da Vinci he will not let anyone else die and removes the sheep intestine.

Pope Sixtus learns of Risario's crusade for the Book of Leaves and his reaction seems foreboding of the disasters to come as seen in the episode's flash-foward. When Zoroaster and Nico board the ship, they head to meet the captain, where they find Risario already on board. He decides to tie Zoroaster and Lucrezia together and place them on the edge of the plank. He says a blessing. Zoroaster tells Nico to kill Risario the first opportunity he has. Nico has been left alive since Risario believes he will be useful. Zoroaster and Lucrezia kiss as they find themselves in the face of death.

Da Vinci hallucinates another meeting with Al-Rahim, who is angry that he saved Lorenzo and Florence instead of following his destiny. He tells him there will be devastating consequences for these actions, and enemies far more ancient than the Vatican. As he is waking, he hallucinates an enemy wielding an axe and wearing a bull's mask. Lorenzo, having woken from a successful blood transfusion, attempts to kill Da Vinci, as Zoroaster and Lucrezia are pushed overboard.

Da Vinci's Demons airs on Saturdays on Starz at 9PM.