Da Vincis Demons Season 1 Episode 1 -

Did it succeed? Absolutely. Here is everything you need to know about Da Vinci’s Demons Season 1 Episode 1 —from its explosive opening scene to the occult secrets that drive the entire series. The episode opens in media res. Florence, 1477. A 25-year-old Leonardo da Vinci (Tom Riley) is not the serene, elderly painter of legend. He is a rockstar artist, a hedonistic genius, and a wanted man. The episode throws us into a breathtaking chase: Leonardo flees across Florentine rooftops from the city guard, having allegedly defiled a church. But this is no mere prank. He has stolen a human corpse for dissection—a crime punishable by death.

For fans of Vikings , The Witcher , or Outlander , this is the Renaissance-fueled adrenaline shot you didn’t know you needed. As of 2025, the series is available for digital purchase on Amazon Prime Video , Apple TV , and Starz Play . The pilot is often available for free on YouTube via official clips, but for the full 58-minute director’s cut, a subscription is required. Rating for "The Hanged Man": ★★★★½ (9/10) Lost half a point only because the hallucination sequence lingers a bit too long. Otherwise, a flawless opening act. da vincis demons season 1 episode 1

Here is why the episode remains a cult favorite: Did it succeed

Within the first ten minutes, we learn everything about this version of da Vinci: he is insufferably arrogant, painfully brilliant, and haunted by a childhood memory of his mother being taken away by a mysterious, cloaked figure in a cave. The episode opens in media res

Have you watched Leonardo’s rooftop race? Do you think the Sons of Mithras are a silly addition or a genius twist? Let us know in the comments below. And remember: “The truth is a labyrinth. Only the fearless find the center.”

Unlike the slow pans of The Borgias , this pilot moves like a Marvel movie. The parkour chase across Florence’s red rooftops is exhilarating. The sword fight in the Medici palace is brutal and short—no one stands on ceremony.

The historical Renaissance was bloody, but the addition of the Sons of Mithras gives the show a Da Vinci Code texture. The Turk’s line—“There are places in the world where all knowledge is kept, where every book, every scroll, every fossil, every living creature is cataloged”—immediately elevates the stakes from “surviving prison” to “saving human progress.”