‘The Decameron’
Regardless of its 14th century setting and Medieval literary roots, The Decameron — an eight-episode TV comedy inspired by Renaissance author Giovanni Boccaccio’s randy, eponymous collection of short stories — has a thoroughly 21th century sensibility when it comes to class war, gender roles, religious extremism, and infectious disease. Boccaccio’s framing device for his book involved a group of Italian women and men telling one another 100 tales after they found shelter from the bubonic plague. Series creator Kathleen Jordan doesn’t seem to have been that concerned with the myriad stories in The Decameron, instead finding conflict and laughs through the ever-shifting machinations of pampered nobles and their abused underlings as they try to escape the Black Death ravaging Florence by hiding out in a secluded, rather elegant villa.
The characters are brought together by Visconte Leonardo’s invitation to escape illness and strife by staying as his Villa Santa in the Tuscan hills. They include the visconte’s fiancée Pampinea, a snobbish gold-digger who has never actually met Leonardo; her blindly devoted handmaiden Misia; the spoiled noblewoman Filomena and her regularly demeaned servant Licisca; the closeted Panfilo and his uptight wife Neifile, a posh, attractive young couple with … issues; and Tindaro, a bloated, arrogant, rich hypochondriac, accompanied by his hunky, sexually omnivorous doctor Dioneo. Upon arriving at Villa Santa, they are greeted by Leonardo’s steward Sirisco and cook Stratilia. But the master of the house is nowhere to be seen.
While the members of the group settle in to await the arrival of the visconte in this presumed safety zone, the plague lurks beyond the walls of the estate. Harboring secrets and schemes as they indulge themselves in feasting, drinking, and amorous pursuits, they may not be as protected as they think. Rivalries, revelations, little victories, and various setbacks fuel the fire and the frivolity. The cast is an absolute dream with the most familiar faces being Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development), scoring as the smug Sirisco who’s not quite as in control of things as he believes; Zosia Mamet (Girls), going deliciously over the top as the obnoxious Pampinea; Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls), bringing strains of sweet, silly, and sour to designated doormat Misia; and Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education), displaying her range as the eventually rebellious Licisca. In truth, everyone in this true ensemble effort is a standout.
In the wake of a certain recent global pandemic, The Decameron is inescapably relevant. Other aspects of the show are equally in tune with contemporary life. Much of its satire is intended to skewer classism — the inevitable divide between civilization’s haves and have-nots that still afflicts society. The modern mindset informing this version of The Decameron is also evident in its nods toward nontraditional casting and progressive sexual politics, as well as pop-rock needle drops sprinkled among the more period-specific musical interludes — in keeping with the madcap revisionist nature of Jordan’s adaptation.
In addition to creating the short-lived 2020 series Teenage Bounty Hunters, Jordan was one of the writers on 2019’s American Princess, a brilliant one-season workplace sitcom about a gaggle of off-kilter Renaissance Faire employees. So she’s already had experience with funny people making merry in medieval couture. But The Decameron, filmed at lush locations in Italy and populated by a wealth of robust actors embracing their roles with relish, brings the Dark Ages to darkly comic heights and takes Jordan’s career up to the next level.
‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’
An unsolved mystery shakes up a small British town when a gutsy high-school student decides to investigate the cold case over summer break in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, based on Holly Jackson’s popular novel of the same name. Elfin charmer Emma Myers plays 17-year-old amateur detective Pippa Fitz-Amobi (Pip to her friends and family), seeking a topic for an extracurricular project to enhance her university application. To her parents’ distress, she decides to research the disappearance of Andie — a popular girl thought to be murdered five years ago by her boyfriend Sal who purportedly committed suicide after confessing to the killing. Little does Pip realize that her sleuthing will freak out friends and family, alienate certain townspeople, and endanger herself and others that she cares about — including Sal’s brother Ravi (Zain Iqbal), eager to help her clear his late sibling’s name.
Over the course of six taut episodes, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder — from showrunner Poppy Cogan — proves to be a sturdy and gripping crime procedural that has its share of turnabouts, potential killers, red herrings, druggy raves in the woods, home invasions, racial profiling, and good old teen angst. And Pip, given verve and warmth by Myers’ winning performance, is a pretty darn good U.K. update of the Nancy Drew-style girl detective — one who has a personal stake in uncovering the truth about the star-crossed Andie and Sal. Insofar as there are more novels featuring the perspicacious Pip, it would not be a surprise to see her back at the center of another Netflix miniseries.
