From Shakespeare to Martin Luther to Pier Paolo Pasolini, many have previously attempted to re-imagine the tales from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron. This collection, first arose in 1353, features a chronicle of 10 nobles who escape from plague-infested Florence to a confidential villa in Fiesole, where they exchange a variety of stories. However, Netflix’s latest limited series, bearing the same name, diverges considerably by focussing on the character's behaviors rather than their narrations, stifling the wide-ranging vibrancy present in the original.
The content lacks depth and seems as flat as a daytime TV drama. The road to production seems inexplicable, producing arguably one of the least impressive onscreen pieces since the release of HBO’s “The Time-Traveler’s Wife.”
Regarding the performance, there are redeeming factors. Tony Hale, as Sirisco, excels acting as a steward battling to maintain his sanity amidst lackluster writing. We also find solace in Leila Farzad, Giampiero De Concilio, and Zosia Mamet, who manage to bring some diversity and laughter to the series, despite the script's downfalls.
Most worthy of praise are Karan Gill and Amar Chadha-Patel. Gill brilliantly portrays a nobleman Tone down tension with his pious wife Neifile, while Chadha-Patel plays an intriguing doctor who may be exploiting his friend's hypochondriac tendencies.
In the original Decameron, the bindings of the characters and the challenges they face are meaningful, providing insight into their lives and the era they live in. However, the Netflix adaptation lacks any form of consistency or commentary. Characters make inconsistent decisions, alliances fall apart without explanation, and by the latter half, irrelevant new characters are introduced.
The series design depicts an anachronistic mashup of different eras and the costumes are far from accurate, mirroring a childlike attempt at renaissance fair attire.
Series director Andrew DeYoung claims that the depiction of the series resonates with recent global events, but the execution is so aggressive, it leaves viewers melancholic. It inevitably fails to make any compelling revelations about human nature or engage viewers effectively.
Compared to other pandemic-based series like "Station Eleven," which combined several artistic elements to discuss love and loss, "The Decameron" feels like a major letdown. It stands as an enormous missed chance to underline that human nature remains essentially unchanged over centuries.
The series barely reflects the original Decameron's rich explorations of love, fidelity, wealth, morals, and class struggle. As valuable talent is wasted on subpar writing, one might suggest renaming the series to befit its inadequacy.
Now streaming on Netflix, one can only hope the legacy of this series is reduced to fleeting social media side-splitting rather than being confused with the enlightening tales of Boccaccio’s original masterpiece.
