The Decameron — Episode 1 “The Beautiful, Not Infected Country-Side” Recap & Review

Episode 1 Recap

The recap of Episode 1 of The Decameron titled “The Beautiful, Not Infected Country-Side” starts during the period of the Black Plague when a noble family prepares for the wedding of their 28-year-old daughter – Pampinea. While the poor people outside look for ways to survive, Pampinea is worried if the man she is betrothed to, Leonardo of Fiesole, will love her, given her age.

When she overhears a man crying out that his wife has died, Pampinea asks her maid, Misia, to pack her outfits for their upcoming trip to the countryside. At the same time, Dioneo, the in-house physician and the servant to a nobleman named Tindaro watches and gets him ready for their trip to Villa Santa where they are invited to the wedding of Leonardo and Pampinea.

While the people of Florence are dying due to the plague, Tindaro hopes to stay in the countryside villa which is free of the pestilence. Another noble couple Panfilo and Neifile decide to attend Leonardo’s wedding to flee from Panfilo’s family’s debt. The couple decide to remain celibate until the pestilence is over but we see Neifile getting turned on when she sees a hot-looking flagellant.

The two take the chariot ride to Villa Santa as well. Meanwhile, Licisca is the maid to another nobleman named Eduardo. Eduardo’s wife and two older daughters had already died due to the plague. Filomena is Eduardos only surviving and unmarried daughter. Licisca tries to look for remedies to heal Eduardo who is sick due to the plague.

When she returns, Filomena scolds the maid for trying to save her father who was as good as dead. Just then, a messenger arrives with a scroll inviting Eduardo and his family to Villa Santa for the wedding of Filomena’s uncle – Leonardo of Fiesole. Filomena accepts the invitation and asks Licisca to pack their bags. Licisca is worried about Eduardo who is alone and sick and refuses to leave with Filomena.

On the other hand, Tindaro and Pampinea are on their respective chariot rides to Villa Santa with their respective servants. Tindaro tells Dioneo how he was repulsed by women and expresses his disdain towards the other gender. Meanwhile, Pampinea mockingly expresses her sympathy towards Misia who had to leave her sick friend behind in Florence.

Just as the chariots start arriving, the steward, Sirisco, buries someone in the front yard outside. He rushes inside to welcome Pampinea and tells her that Leonardo is away and will arrive soon.

In the kitchen, the villa’s maid tells Sirisco that they need to find a new master who will be capable of taking over the villa now that Leonardo has died. They discuss which one of Leonardo’s cousins is capable of running the villa when Misia and Pampinea show up. Pampinea presents her demands for the evening get-together but gets worried that Sirisco knows how old she is.

She asks Misia to make sure no one finds out that she is 28 and goes back to her room. Misia slaps Sirisco as the two get into an argument again when he tries to tease Pampinea for being old. Misia then leaves to look for her sick girlfriend – Parmena. As it turns out, Misia had hidden Parmena in one of the oil barrels before leaving Florence.

Desperate to go to the villa, Filomena goes into Eduardo’s chamber and returns to tell Licisca that her father has passed away. Licisca tries to meet Eduardo one last time but Filomena forbids her. With nothing holding her back in Florence anymore, Filomena asks Licisca to pack up and the two leave for the countryside the following morning.

On the ride there, Licisca takes pity on a poor man on the side of the street and offers him a piece of bread. Filomena gets upset by this and tries to take the remainder of Liciscas bread from her. The two get into an argument which ends with Licisca pushing Filomena off the bridge and into the river. Licisca is shocked but decides to disguise herself as Filomena to get in. A bunch of bandits follow after as they spot her on the way to the villa.

Meanwhile, the guests are getting to know each other when Licisca shows and introduces herself as Filomena. She states that she was alone because her maid was tending to Eduardo. Tindaro wonders how many guests could have died due to the plague.

Sirisco shows the guests around the villa and every time there is a mention of death, Neifile gets down on her knees and starts praying. On the walk, Dioneo addresses Licisca as Filomena and the two chat. Dioneo flirts with Licisca but Tindaro intervenes and makes the conversation awkward. In private, Dioneo asks Licisca to go on a walk with him the following morning.

In their room, Neifile tells Panfilo how the other guests at the villa treated her because of her faith in God. Panfilo asks Neifile to calm down as going back to the pestilence-ridden Florence would not be a good idea. He reminds Neifile of their sacrifice which would help end the plague.

The next morning, Licisca gets dressed up in Filomena’s clothes and enjoys the luxuries of being a lady. Dioneo calls her out for a walk and praises her beauty. However, Tindaro spots them and joins them on the walk. He is awkward around Licisca but tries to get to know her. He asks Dioneo to leave them alone which the latter does unwillingly.

Later that day, Dioneo tells Tindaro that there is an issue with his health and gives him a tea laced with an ingredient to make him sick. That night, Misia checks up on Parmena and learns that her girlfriend is not recovering. Pampinea requests a pig roast for dinner, hoping that Leonardo will finally show up. A frustrated Misia agrees but struggles to find and cook the pig as per Pampinea’s request.

The rest of the guests are waiting for Tindaro to show up for breakfast but Dioneo states that he is unwell. Pampinea loses her mind when Leonardo does not show and throws a fit. Misca, who is already overworked, breaks down when she sees that Parmena has died.

Meanwhile, Panfilo notices the gestures between Licisca and Dioneo. He warns that it would be better for her, a noblewoman, to court a nobleman like Tindaro to save her family. Tindaro shows up at dinner and tries to impress Liscia. Misia tries to bury Parmena’s dead body and ends up discovering Leonardo’s carcass.

The two agree to keep each other’s secrets. The bandits that followed Licisca show up at the villa and a fight breaks out as the nobles attack the bandits. Neifile is shocked to learn that one of the bandits was a cardinal from her church back in Florence. The cardinal tells Neifile that God has abandoned the humans and tries to attack her.

Panfilo saves Neifile and Licisca kills the pestilence-ridden cardinal in front of the other nobles, shocking everyone. Just then, there is a knock on the door. Pampinea rushes to the door expecting Leonardo but finds Filomena there as the episode comes to an end. Now that we are done with the recap of Episode 1 of The Decameron, let’s head on to the review.

The Episode Review

This episode was rather long and confusing because we have so many different characters with so many interesting names. However, this is one unhinged show and I am sure it will be very entertaining.

The rich characters are so entitled and I am rooting for Licisca but given how things end in this episode, I wonder what will happen to her now that Filomena has returned.

I also wonder why Sirisco wants to keep the fact that Leonardo is dead a secret. But, since the show is set in a time when servants were devoted to their masters, it is understandable how Stratilia and Sirisco are looking to find a new master who can run the villa. Let’s see how The Decameron progresses in the next episode.