Review: A Medieval Black Comedy With No Monarch

The state is almost completely absent in 'The Decameron. The characters don't exactly handle this responsibility well.

Netflix's The Decameron bears little resemblance to Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th century classic with which it shares a name. While the miniseries still revolves around a group of Italian nobles who have retreated to an idyllic villa, seeking safety from the black death, the similarities end there. Netflix's black comedy has distinctly modern sensibilities, even if they're dressed in a doublet and hose.

Part of that is the lack of a monarch, often found at the center of medieval-ish entertainment. In fact, the state is almost completely absent in this series. Following a devastating plague, our characters are forced to fend for themselves. There isn't anything resembling a police force or king that they can call on to settle disputes. Even the army that serves as the group's main foe in the final episodes is a band of mercenaries led by a renegade monk. The characters don't exactly handle this responsibility well: There are fake identities, poisoning, murder, and good old-fashioned adultery.

The Decameron careens from almost buffoonish silliness to sudden death and destruction without much breathing room. But the series is still good for eight episodes of raunchy plague-centric fun.