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Spoilers below.
In a series set during the Black Plague, it’s only natural to have one burning question: who lives and who dies in the end? The Decameron, Netflix’s new show about a group of 14th century Italians—both nobles and working class folk—who are hunkered down together at the fancy countryside Villa Santa to wait out the pandemic, comes to a head in its finale, when mercenaries breach the gates and wreak havoc on the newly formed community.
In “We’ve Had a Good Cry,” the various alliances throughout the season are put to the test and the merit of each person’s word is evaluated. Here’s a breakdown of how each main character fared in The Decameron.
Dioneo (Amar Chadha-Patel)
Tindaro’s companion and the makeshift community’s go-to doctor unfortunately didn’t fare well—the charmer contracted the plague halfway through the season and died at the villa. It didn’t stop him from getting his freak on though; Dioneo successfully seduces Neifile and Licisca before his death.
Neifile (Lou Gala) and Panfilo (Karan Gill)
Speaking of Neifile, she also doesn’t make it out alive. After cheating on her husband Panfilo (an act that Panfilo himself arranged), Neifile likely contracted the plague from her tryst with Dioneo (and another one with a bandit named Ruggiero) and winds up bedridden until her death in the sixth episode.
But Neifile isn’t the only one who had the hots for Dioneo; her husband Panfilo pleasured himself at the sight of the doctor’s naked body in the series premiere. But ultimately his heart only beat for Neifile and he didn’t see a point in living without her. In the finale, Panfilo becomes a martyr to help his friends escape, becoming a target for the bandits’ arrows while holding Neifile’s body so they can die together once and for all.
Tindaro (Douggie McMeekin)
A nobleman who was useless in every way except with his wallet, Tindaro always bit off more than he could chew in his attempts at proving himself. It makes sense that he ultimately died due to his own shortcomings: he’s first being stabbed in the opening fight with the mercenaries after wearing a faulty piece of armor and finally meets his demise trying to defend himself, Jacopo, and Stratilia in a knife fight.
Stratilia (Leila Farzad) and Jacopo (Aston Wray)
The true heir to Villa Santa, Jacopo escapes with his mom Stratilia and a few others into the countryside. While everyone is making jokes to lighten the mood, Jacopo is fixated on the fact that his friend and his mother’s brief lover Tindaro didn’t make it out of the castle alive. He’s a sobering presence for a group of adults who are a little misguided and unsure of what comes next, including his mom who sweetly distracts him with imaginary oranges.
Sirisco (Tony Hale) and the Villagers
The keeper of the villa after his master passed from the plague, Sirisco manages to make his way out largely unscathed (unless you count his ego). Villager Calandrino unfortunately meets his demise in the finale, taking an arrow to the chest while trying to wave the white flag. The rest of his comrades make it out of the villa alive, but are so disgusted by what they saw, they opt to part ways from Sirisco. Though hurt, Sirisco carries on, finding himself at home in the final group of survivors.
Pampinea (Zosia Mamet) and Misia (Saoirse-Monica Jackson)
The most hateable character on the show, Pampinea was trying to play chess while everyone else played checkers. After making strident claims about being the rightful heir to the castle based on a forced engagement to a man she had never even met, faking a pregnancy to lay claim to the estate, and finally partnering with the mercenaries only to be double-crossed, Pampinea caused more harm than good throughout The Decameron. It’s a good thing, then, that her handmaid Misia convinced her to hide in a barrel which was promptly lit on fire.
Thankfully, Misia also makes it out of the castle as a survivor. While we don’t see if she rekindles her short-lived romance with Filomena, the fact that they both make it out of the villa gives us hope.
Filomena (Jessica Plummer) and Licisca (Tanya Reynolds)
The newfound half-sisters can mark themselves safe from both the plague and the mercenaries, though Licisca is nursing some wounds on the way out of the villa. With the most touching story of the series, Filomena and Licisca find themselves on equal footing for the first time in their lives—Licisca is no longer Filomena’s servant, and together they agree to go check on their dad who had contracted the plague but not yet passed away when they left their home at the beginning of the series. Forget all of the other love stories and sexual exploits in The Decameron; the complicated love between these two remained the beating heart of the series until the very end.
Radhika Menon is a freelance entertainment writer, with a focus on TV and film. Her writing can be found on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Bustle, and more.