Episode 14 - Venerio

**“***That I am willing to leave the lagoon to meet you, demonstrates how desperate I am.***”**
— **Venerio****, Season 2, Episode 14**

## Episode 14:Venerio

### Director

Philip Thorne
Øystein U. Brager

## Episode Guide

### Next

Liquified Marzipan - Sound Design Bonus Episode
Episode 15 - The Rejects

## Summary

*The following is a summary written for this wiki. It only hits the major points of the episode and, as such, should not be used as a substitute for listening to the episode as intended by the creators.*
### Main Story

Venerio contacts The Amelia Project in order to escape his death. Joey and Salvatore are talking with him before his interview, mainly idly about the differences between Italy and England. Henry Cole and Christopher Haines cannot understand them as the trio are speaking Italian. While they doubt the Italians are discussing anything important, in fact Venerio is recognising Joey and Salvatore as actually being the Mob Bosses Angelo Russo and Mario Drago. Cole and Haines fast forward through the recording to the actual interview.

The Interviewer apologises for being late, but something has spooked Joey and Salvatore, presumably something Venerio said to them. The Interviewer asks if Venerio will remove his mask, but the man informs him he always wears it. Venerio tells him he is the last true Venitian mask maker, and while they used to be necessary to partake in democracy, now they are mainly sold to tourists. When The Interviewer offers him cocoa, they discover a shared love for the drink.

Venerio asks him if he thinks there is anything he can do to stop death. This initially confuses The Interviewer, but he clarifies that he doesn't want to die and has come to The Amelia Project to escape his death. He claims he will die tomorrow at 5:10 from a marble cherub falling onto his head from Basilica di San Marco's ceiling and wants help faking it so he can escape actually dying. He says he has an ancient Venetian ability to predict deaths, and tell The Interviewer that he is willing to predict his if he wants, although many people are afraid to know.

Haines tells Cole a story about his best friend who got his death read and is now completely paralysed because he ran in the road in his jubilation at being told he would live 120 years.

The Interviewer is confused as to why he doesn't just not go to the basilica tomorrow, but Venerio says he cannot outrun Death in this way. He tell of a tale where someone trying to avoid their death inadvertently caused it through a self-fulfilling prophecy. Venerio doesn't want to aggravate Death and so wants to act as if he doesn't know when he is supposed to die. Through the conversation, it becomes apparent that Venerio has escaped Death in this way many times before and always reappears with a new mask. He intends to finally die when Venice sinks.

Cole suggests they add 'Destruction of Cultural Heritage' to the list of crimes The Amelia Project has committed.

The plan is for Joey and Salvatore to act as restoration specialists brought in to inspect the ceiling, and they will fake the dropped cherub. The Interviewer and Venerio leave for Venice, and agree to meet at Cafe Florian for cocoa afterwards.

### Epilogue

The Interviewer is at Cafe Florian drinking cocoa, and is joined by Venerio, wearing a new mask and with a new name. Venerio predicts how The Interviewer will die and is shocked by it and tells him they need to talk in private.

### Notable Events

* The Interviewer is told how he will die, and in Episode 56 - Curtain he tells Alvina Wright that Venerio said "that my death would take place on the hill of martyrs and Bastet would be my guide to the underworld", which matches up with the events of that episode. This event is the set up for Season 5 and while he is not dead yet, the current season appears to be leading to this.

## Quotes

**“***I love Venice. I love its traditions. That’s why I continue to wear the mask. I am the last true Venetian Mask Maker.***”**
— **Venerio**

**“***Eating broccoli isn’t going to stop a marble cherub detaching itself from Basilica di San Marco’s ceiling and come crashing down on my skull***”**
— **Venerio**

## Cast

* The Interviewer played by Alan Burgon
* Answerphone voiced by Julia Morizawa
* Venerio played by Mario Vernazza
* Christopher Haines played by Benjamin Noble
* Henry Cole played by Torgny G. Aanderaa
* Nancy played by Gemma Arrowsmith
* Joey played by Gianluca Iumiento
* Salvatore played by Ravdeep Singh Bajwa
* Waitress played by Chiara Fumanti

## Credits

This episode was written and edited by Philip Thorne, it was directed by Philip Thorne and Øystein U. Brager with music and sound design by Fredrik Baden. It featured Alan Burgon as The Interviewer, Mario Vernazza as Venerio, Benjamin Noble as Agent Haines, Torgny G. Aanderaa as Agent Cole, Gemma Arrowsmith as Nancy, Gianluca Iumiento as Joey, Ravdeep Singh Bajwa as Salvatore, Julia Morizawa on the Answerphone, and coming up, the voice of Chiara Fumanti. The episode was produced by Imploding Fictions, it was recorded at The Bridge Writing Studio in London, and Spike City Studio in Oslo. And engineered by Sam Harper, and Robert Rustad Amundsen. All graphic design for the Amelia Project is by Anders N. Pedersen.