The Mood Is Soiled – As the fourth episode of The Decameron begins, Licisca (Tanya Reynolds) turns the pages for Tindaro (Douggie McMeekin). Misia (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) convinces Pampinea (Zosia Mamet) to continue looking at Leonardo’s portrait so the baby will be imbued with his characteristics. Stratilia (Leila Farzad) is scolded when she brings pork. Filomena (Jessica Plummer) asks what’ll happen if the mother looks at someone unattractive. Misia believes the baby will be unattractive. Filomena says she better stay away from Tindaro. He ends up arguing with them. Tindaro wants to be excused to the garden, but Pampinea says they should be together to encourage camaraderie in the baby.

Tindaro sends Licisca to Dioneo (Amar Chadha-Patel) to get a stomach tonic. Dioneo tries to explain everything to Licisca who refuses to listen. Licisca tests it for Tindaro to ensure it’s not poison. Sirisco (Tony Hale) checks on Pampinea to see if she needs anything. Pampinea sends him away. Panfilo (Karan Gill) tries to convince Neifile (Lou Gala) to change her outfit. She complains about her relentless lust. When she walks past Dioneo, he informs her that rhubarb won’t cure lust. Instead, he thinks she should have intercourse with her husband. She calls him a snake. Dioneo tells her that Panfilo paid him to rescue her and there was no message from God. They hear a horn and worry it could be bandits. Calandrino (Alfredo Pea) is excited when men ride through the gate on horseback.

Panfilo tells Sirisco that it took him long enough. Sirisco believes he’s well worth the wait. They go outside where they greet Ruggiero (Fares Fares) who introduces them to Bruno (Logan Wong), Lorenzo (Giacomo Valenti), and Stecchi (Reis Daniel). The bard (Nikolai Selikovsky) tells them that his name is Giovanni. Panfilo and Sirisco tell Ruggiero that Leonardo is away buying glass. Once they go inside, Ruggiero is introduced to everyone else as Leonardo’s first cousin. Ruggiero tells them they need a drink. He doesn’t believe that Pampinea is married to Leonardo. He learns about the baby. Neifile tells Ruggiero that she wears black because she’s a sinner. Tindaro worries they could be sick so Ruggiero tries to prove otherwise. Ruggiero believes Licisca or Filomena is family. They agree to have a feast so Stratilia is told to prepare one.

Stratilia is not happy that Sirisco brought Ruggiero. She believes he’s forgotten that their lives are on the line. Misia and Filomena help Stratilia with the cooking. Filomena lets it slip that Licisca is using her name. She tells Misia the truth and explains she’s always been a lady. Misia doesn’t want to believe her. Filomena suggests they can get her to accept her for who she is and send Licisca back to Firenze. Misia says Pampinea will never believe her. Filomena decides to tell the truth anyway. Pampinea listens to Ruggiero tell a story about Leonardo. They talk about meeting. Ruggiero admits he met the others in a brothel because he loves making love. The bard, Giovanni, confesses they won’t let him leave. Panfilo says he’s technically a cousin as well. Ruggiero knows his family is losing everything and is in debt to many powerful people.

Panfilo pretends he doesn’t belong to that family. Neifile quickly says her husband is a liar. Dioneo is invited to join them, but Tindaro says he poisoned him. Ruggiero jokes that he can’t imagine why. Tindaro decides to leave and he tries to drag Licisca with him, but she decides to stay anyway. Tindaro seems to have a health issue although everyone just laughs at him. Pampinea asks that they live by the law of civility in this house. Ruggiero talks about Leonardo’s wilder days. Pampinea insists he’s been a beacon of virtue since she’s been with him. Ruggiero is not surprised Leonardo went off to buy glass the moment their marriage was consummated. Pampinea gets upset and leaves. The bard sings a song about his capture and pleads for help. Pampinea complains to Misia and Filomena.

Filomena tells her Ruggiero is a scared boy who needs to frighten someone to feel like a man. Pampinea thanks Filomena while calling her Licisca. Filomena takes her opportunity to speak to her in private. She tells Pampinea about the attack and everything else. Pampinea yells for Misia because the baby is having a fit. Tindaro collapses down the stairs. He asks Stratilia to make him a tonic for his vertigo. Tindaro complains about Licisca laughing at him and egging those men on. Stratilia admits it’s no wonder Dioneo poisoned him. Tindaro asks her to apologize at once. She questions what he’s going to do because she knows he’ll do nothing. Stratilia calls him a scared, pathetic little boy. She keeps insulting him while stepping on his privates. Tindaro says he’s a disgusting worm before being silenced.

Pampinea returns to the others. Misia tells Filomena that the lady can be fickle. She tries to cheer her up by saying she put vinegar in Licisca’s cup. They hold hands. The others party, drink, and dance. Neifile yells that she hates her husband. Pampinea thinks they should settle in for the night. Dioneo and the others refuse. Ruggiero wants to take the celebrations to Leonardo’s parlor. Sirisco admits Leonardo didn’t want anyone in there. When Pampinea enters, she sees a mural of Leonardo with multiple women. They also find lots of sex toys in the room. Ruggiero tells Neifile she could do a lot in there if she’s really a sinner. Dioneo tries to speak to Licisca. He insists he’s a true gentleman although he’s a charlatan. He wants to be a better man so he can be worthy of her. Licisca asks him to find her when they’re in hell.

Neifile speaks to Licisca about living without shame or fear of sin. Licisca asks why they can’t live freely since men do. Pampinea demands Sirisco make the brutes leave at once. He tells her to do it herself. She screams at him and calls him a useless ape. Sirisco suggests he was more useful when he was making her scream every night. Sirisco gets upset and storms out. Panfilo follows him to say he isn’t sure Ruggiero is the solution they were looking for. They argue about it until Sirisco agrees to let Panfilo handle it because he’s more clever. Panfilo returns and learns he needs permission from his wife to drink. She says he’s a liar who paid a man to trick her into thinking God loved her. Neifile lets him drink but calls him a sinner. Bruno and Stecchi get into a fight. They pull out swords and the bard ends up being stabbed.

Ruggiero confirms he’s dead. He realizes the mood is soiled. They sent for some harlots. Ruggiero shows them the secret door the harlots should use. Pampinea gets upset and tells Ruggiero he must go. Lorenzo tells Ruggiero they should teach Misia some manners. She’s slapped. Lorenzo grabs Filomena and carries her. Misia yells for him to unhand her because she’s a lady. Licisca finally admits that he’s Filomena’s handmaiden. He promises every word she said is true. Ruggiero tells Lorenzo to put Filomena down. He says they’re a gang of miscreants hiding out in his cousin’s house in his absence. Panfilo admits Leonardo isn’t buying glass. He claims he’s visiting the deathbed of one of his favorite Venetian harlots. Panfilo and Pampinea believe exile would be a good choice for Filomena and Licisca.

Ruggiero spares their lives because one of them is family and he isn’t sure which one. He orders them to leave the grounds at once. They are forced to leave. Sirisco bursts in to say Pampinea is a liar and he has proof. He shows them Leonardo’s head. Sirisco explains Pampinea never married him because he was dead of the plague before anyone arrived. He tells Ruggiero that the villa is his. Ruggiero accuses him of cutting Leonardo’s head off. He begins laughing before telling Sirisco to get out of the villa. Ruggiero lets Neifile and the doctor stay. The rest are told to leave or die. Tindaro and Stratilia finish having sex. She warns him to never speak of this. They have to leave with the others. Tindaro falls and hurts himself. Once they make it outside, they see that the harlots have arrived.

Neifile decides to go back inside. Tindaro asks what’ll happen now.

 

The Decameron Review

The fourth episode of The Decameron was all over the place and trying too hard to be humorous. Most viewers will probably agree that there is nothing humorous about the series at all. The story does a good job of being dumb, but it’s not dumb in a good way. Nothing is taken seriously and the plague has become a moot point now.

It’s getting harder to see any purpose in the series because it’s just one silly thing after another unlike the source material. At the very least, the series could have some type of meaning and purpose beneath the silliness. There’s nothing authentic about the series from the characters to their superficial struggles despite the backdrop.

The best way to watch The Decameron is to put it on in the background while doing chores around the house. It’s just another addition to Netflix’s increasingly dreadful originals. The episode scores a 4 out of 10. Recaps of The Decameron can be found on Reel Mockery here.

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