As the seventh episode of Leonardo begins, Leonardo (Aidan Turner) finishes his confession before handing the paper to Stefano Giraldi (Freddie Highmore). Rinaldo Rossi (Massimo De Santis) tells Stefano he has everything he needs now, but Stefano doesn’t think it is worth anything because Leonardo is lying. Stefano refuses to hang a man until he is positive he is guilty. There is one detail he is still missing. Stefano goes to Leonardo’s studio and pleads with the Mona Lisa painting to tell him what he is missing. In Florence in 1504, Salai (Carlos Cuevas) looks at a new statue in town. While Caterina (Matilda De Angelis) prepares to move in with Leonardo, he is busy working on Lisa’s portrait. Salai storms in to complain about people looking at the sculpture even after four days. When Salai learns about Caterina moving in, he decides to ask her what arrangement she has with Leonardo. She says there is no arrangement.

She tells him she is the lady of the house and he is an apprentice so he shouldn’t talk to her that way. Salai doesn’t think Leonardo will ever get rid of him. She wonders why he is so nervous before giving some of his belongings back since it used to be his room. Caterina finds a place to hide something before approaching Leonardo to say hello. She confirms everything is perfect as Leonardo reveals he has been struggling with the portrait because it is important to get everything important. Caterina says she didn’t seem like a puzzle to her. Instead, she seemed honest and decent. Salai eavesdrops as Caterina reminds Leonardo of the last time he struggled to paint someone. Once Leonardo says she had mystery too, Caterina hopes she doesn’t anymore. Leonardo and Salai leave as Salai complains about her being there. Leonardo believes he is jealous. He admits he loves Caterina, but it is a different kind of love. He is finally surrounded by the people he loves.

They meet with Piero Soderini (Corrado Invernizzi) who asks why Leonardo wasn’t at the ceremony to unveil Michelangelo’s new statue. Leonardo doesn’t think it belongs here, but he was outvoted by the other artists. Piero asks why he detests Michelangelo (Pierpaolo Spollon) when God gave him a gift. Leonardo accuses him of creating idealized nonsense that expresses no feeling. Piero thinks his popularity bothers him, but Leonardo says it bothers him that his art has no truth. Piero offers him a new commission. Leonardo has no desire to work for him if he values art that imitates the ancients. Piero says very well before leaving. Salai believes jealousy has poisoned what is good in Leonardo who denies it. Leonardo argues that art is the key to understanding the world. He insists the statue isn’t art. He doesn’t think heaven exists in the mind of Michelangelo who shows up and asks Leonardo if he came to see it.

Leonardo congratulates him, but Michelangelo is still angry that he didn’t get his vote. He and his friends mock Leonardo for not getting any applause recently. Leonardo accuses him of making a bland reproduction of the classics. He expected more. Michelangelo asks how many pieces he has abandoned. He encourages Leonardo to finish something for a change because it will help his reputation. At the studio, Caterina tells Leonardo that she saw the statue in the square and it was impressive. Leonardo reveals they offered the same material to him, but he turned it down. Caterina suggests he didn’t want it, yet can’t stand to see anyone else get their hands on it. She says he is like a child who wants another child’s toys. When she learns about Soderini’s commission offer, she recommends taking it. Leonardo has a gift that he cannot keep shut in here. Caterina pleads with him to show it to the world again before they agree to have breakfast. Later, Leonardo meets with Piero who tells him the city is keen to commission a major new fresco to commemorate the Battle of Anghiari.

He shows Leonardo where they want it and suggests a victorious soldier raising the city standard or something similar. Leonardo suggests spreading it to the entire wall. He is told that it needs to be finished for the battle’s anniversary. Leonardo will need the space to dream. Salai goes out later to order the supplies they’re going to need. While waiting, he notices Caterina going into a house and meeting with some man. The next day, the builder arrives and receives instructions for building the scaffold. Once it is built, Leonardo touches the wall and immediately says it is too unstable so they’re going to need to strip it off and apply new plaster. When Salai says it would take days or weeks, Leonardo admits they’ll have to find another way. Lap (Gianmarco Saurino) goes to the pub where he tells Michelangelo and the others about Leonardo’s new fresco. Leonardo begins mixing the paint with wax to see if it’ll seal the wall. At the pub, Metello argues that Leonardo will never finish it.

They agree that you have to admire his ambition. Leonardo finds that the wax worked since it doesn’t bleed. He says they’ll use the wax paint for the whole wall. They finish later that night and decide to let it dry until the morning. Salai and the others leave while Leonardo continues working. Leonardo comes up with an idea for the fresco before hearing a noise behind him. Caterina goes back home and finds Salai in her room so she thinks he is trying to steal something. Salai says at least he has never lied about who he is before accusing her of deceiving Leonardo. He asks her who the man was. Salai questions her about the item she hid earlier, but Caterina insists it isn’t what he thinks. She promises she will never hurt him and the person who gave her the item is not her lover. She also says he’ll only hurt Leonardo if he tells him. He gives it back and leaves.

Leonardo and the others continue working on the fresco the following day. Piero interrupts because he has to show someone around. Leonardo learns that Michelangelo has gotten a commission for the wall across from his. He tries to convince Piero to make him leave, but he won’t. Instead, he calls it a duel between two giants. Florence will be the winner. Michelangelo promises that Leonardo will hardly even notice him. Soon, Leonardo begins complaining about Michelangelo’s team making so much noise. Salai tells him that they’re going to be painting the Battle of Cascina. Michelangelo and his team hang up a sketch of a person’s backside before saying they’ve done enough for the day. While looking over his work later that night, Leonardo gets a visit from his father Francesco Piero da Vinci (Robin Renucci) who says everyone has been talking about his work. He wasn’t sure if Leonardo would want to see him since it has been so long.

Leonardo reminds his father that he admonished him for failing in business during their last conversation. Piero da Vinci says he didn’t come to fight before mentioning Leonardo’s trouble in Imola. Leonardo wonders how concerned he was for him. They argue briefly until Piero admits Leonardo has an astonishing gift. Leonardo tells him about meeting a young boy when he went to work in Milan and how he also had an astonishing gift. The boy was also forced to live alone, but his prison was a palace. Leonardo asks how old he was when his father sent him away. When Piero says he doesn’t call, Leonardo says it was five and they didn’t care for him. He slept on filth for years. Her father tells him he at least for the chance to admonish him for it. When Leonardo gets back, he tells Caterina about his father visiting and how certain words aren’t in his vocabulary. She believes Leonardo keeps expecting his father to be something he never will.

She tells him that she saw his father when he was in Imola. He had been visiting Soderini so Caterina believes he might’ve helped get Leonardo released. She thinks he loves him even if he can’t say the words. The next day, Sanseverino (Antonio De Matteo) runs into Leonardo and Salai. Leonardo sends Salai ahead before Sanseverino says the King of France still governs Milan. His friends would like to see Ludovico back on the throne even though he is still in prison. They want Florence to support his claim. Sanseverino asks Leonardo to speak on his behalf and persuade Soderini to petition the French for Ludovico’s reinstatement. Leonardo walks off and goes to work where he learns the wax in the paint has melted.

Michelangelo walks in and mocks him. At the pub later, Salai hears some of the guys making fun of Leonardo and calling him a has-been. When he confronts them, they offer to get him a job with Michelangelo. Metello says he’ll have to get on his knees and beg. They believe he is used to being on his knees. Salai hits one of them before they beat him up. Once he returns to the studio, he tells Leonardo that everyone else sees exactly what he is. It doesn’t take long for them to walk out, but he just keeps waiting around. Salai reveals to Leonardo that Michelangelo’s admirers were making fun of him. He goes on to say Leonardo doesn’t see that he is the only one who is truly loyal to him. He doesn’t know what he has sacrificed wh0ring himself in Milan just so he can create a masterpiece. Salai says he’d be nothing without him. Leonardo tries to apologize before Salai storms out and Caterina walks in. Leonardo goes to work and gets ready only for Caterina to interrupt him to tell him to come with her.

Leonardo meets with Guglielmo (Luca Grispini) who reveals he is Leonardo’s brother. He goes inside to find that his father is dead. Guglielmo tells him that Piero was dying and that is why he came to see him. He was determined to see Leonardo one last time so he could tell him how proud he was of his achievements. Leonardo remembers meeting Guglielmo years ago in this house when he was a baby. His brother says his dad knew he treated Leonardo badly and he thinks he regretted it. Leonardo leaves and walks past the statue on his way back to the fresco. Leonardo asks Michelangelo if his father is proud of him. He bets his does and bores his neighbors talking about him. Michelangelo asks what is wrong with him and if he is drunk. Leonardo says no although he thinks it is all meaningless. He goes on to say nothing they paint will ever make them feel whole again. Michelangelo says he is sorry after learning about Leonardo’s father. He tells Leonardo about his mother dying when he was a child and he never knew her.

Children growing up not knowing love spend their lives trying to find it. Leonardo confesses he never wanted to paint the fresco. He started it for the wrong reasons to show Florence he was a better artist than Michelangelo. He remembers seeing Leonardo when he was little and everyone knew his name. He grew up in his city idolizing Leonardo so he wanted to be him more than anything. Since he knew he could never hope to compete, he had to create his own style of work and dream his own dreams. It was painful meeting Leonardo and hearing that he hated his work. He started the fresco to spite him. Leonardo begins taking down his sketches even though people will say he ran from a fight. Leonardo goes home where he tells Salai that he is going to take care of him this evening. He apologizes before acknowledging the sacrifices Salai made to help him. He promises to find a way to repay him. When Leonardo approaches Piero Soderini the next day, he is surprised to learn that Michelangelo has left the city.

Leonardo resigns also. As he leaves, Sanseverino again tries to get him to petition the governor. He asks Leonardo if he remembers what happened in Milan. Leonardo remembers the face of that poor boy who died in his arms. Ludovico only gets his anger and condemnation. Leonardo returns to the studio and calls for Caterina who isn’t there. Salai asks what has brought a smile to his face. Leonardo says he doesn’t need them to love him. Salai tells him that Caterina is keeping a secret from him. In the present, Stefano searches the studio. In the past, Leonardo searches Caterina’s bedroom and finds whatever she hid previously. Stefano finds it as well. Once he breaks it open, he finds a fragment of a letter from a priest.

Leonardo says it was Father Pacioli. When asked about the boy of Niccolini, he claims it was a painting he made for him. Stefano approaches Luca (Giovanni Scifoni) at the church and asks him about the boy of Niccolini. He tells Luca he better tell the truth if he wants to save his friend’s life. He shows him the kid’s keepsakes before Francesco comes out. Stefano asks who he is because he is trying to save Leonardo’s life. Francesco says he is his son.

 

Leonardo Review

Stefano is getting closer to unraveling the mystery surrounding Caterina’s poisoning as we approach the finale. As for Leonardo, he seems to be struggling to paint successfully and still hasn’t finished the portrait for Lisa. Instead, the episode focused a lot on Leonardo’s relationships with Caterina, Salai, and his father. Michelangelo was also introduced as he nearly went head to head with Leonardo until both men resigned from their commissions. Sanseverino seems intent on getting Leonardo to speak on Ludovico’s behalf so he can reclaim his position, but he has refused.

The episode was good in some senses because we got to learn more about Leonardo’s relationship with his father and why he had animosity towards him. Robin Renucci put on an outstanding performance for what little time he was present. Although the mystery aspect of the show isn’t perfect, there is still some level of intrigue to find out what actually happened to Caterina. The acting is pretty good from everyone and the series has done exceptionally well with the basics. The episode was slightly let down by a lack of character development and more importantly a hollow story.

While it is good in most areas, the show just doesn’t pack enough punch to create a memorable impact on viewers. Leonardo is indeed watchable though, but it is unlikely that fans will be reaching for the tissues at any point. The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of Leonardo can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our work at this link.