Reviews on this have been love or hate. I'm hoping to go for something more balanced.
Let me get a few things straight.
I don't dislike this series because it's "woke." There's evidence to suggest Leonardo was gay, and portraying him as such is entirely justified.
I don't dislike this because it's a fusion of bio pic and murder mystery. That was a bold idea that might have worked.
I don't dislike this because it takes dramatic license with historical truth. We know that anything historical is a version of the truth and that this is not a documentary. We get that.
No, the reason I dislike this is that its bold ambition doesn't work. The script is poor. Exposition is simplistic and anachronistic - at one point, Leonardo compares his mental state to a black hole! But worse than that there's no subtext. Things are made explicit in the script in a way that reflects soap operas, not real life. "You were a mistake," his father tells Leonardo. One wonders whether da Vinci Senior was actually that crass, or whether the script writer just wasn't up to the task.
Aidan Turner looks wonderful, from the young apprentice to the old bearded maestro, but aside from a few touching moments, this is not his best performance. Acting props go to James D'Arcy's Ludovico Sforza, played with a masterly blend of camp and menace, and to Carlos Cuevas, who is perfectly cast as Salai. Freddie Highmore, on the other hand, is badly out of his depth.
It looks beautiful, with many frames set up almost as masterpieces in their own right. I'd be happy just to watch as his works of art took shape, but you can't get an 8-part series out of that. My heart sinks to hear of a second series. What are they going to do - accuse him of murdering someone else? It's a strange way to treat one of history's greatest geniuses.
