Peacock’s The Lost Symbol recently revealed the secretive Leviathan Group, responsible for protecting ancient wisdom from the world at large. The Lost Symbol — a TV series connected to Tom Hanks' Da Vinci Code movies — follows a young Robert Langdon (Ashley Zukerman) being coerced by the titular antagonist Mal’akh (Beau Knapp) to follow a trail of clues to unearth an ancient artifact that is a portal to ancient wisdom. Key characters in the series who are placed centerstage of the mystery are Katherine Solomon (Valorie Curry), Freemason Peter Solomon’s daughter, and Inoue Sato (Sumalee Montano), director of the CIA’s Office of Security.
The Lost Symbol episode 2, “The Araf” delved more into the sinister machinations of Mal’akh’s grand plan, which includes embracing the process of apotheosis, or the transformation of a human into a god. The reason why Mal’akh is seeking out this transformation is unclear so far, although the fact that he kidnaps Peter Solomon, a 33rd-degree Masonic member, is indicative of a darker secret. Episode 3, “Murmuration” reveals more about the Leviathan group and the lengths to which they are ready to go in order to protect their secrets.
Over the first two episodes of The Lost Symbol, it is revealed that the Leviathan Group is a small inner circle within the Freemasons, responsible for protecting a secret referred to as Ancient Mysteries. After Langdon retrieves the pyramid from Solomon’s inner sanctum from beneath the Capitol, he realizes that the artifact is incomplete without the capstone, and the two, combined together, form a map to the portal’s location. Due to the sensitive nature of the information, the two pieces are kept completely separate, with no member having access to the knowledge of both locations. When Langdon and Katherine cross paths with Warren Bellamy, the Architect of the Capitol and Freemason, he reveals that he and Solomon are part of the Leviathan Group.
In terms of clues, Langdon and Catherine find an altered page from the Old Testament, which, when decoded, would reveal the location of the capstone. With the aid of Peter’s Masonic ring, the pair is able to identify the unique symbol of Pi, which is then used by Langdon to crack the code, in conjunction with certain hypnosis techniques engineered by Katherine. “Murmuration” follows the duo arriving at the cemetery to search the remains of Ezra Dove, a Freemason, whose name seems to be the next clue for finding the Capstone. The symbol of the Leviathan Cross crops up various times inside Dove’s burial chamber, although the site only contains the man’s ashes instead of his body.
This scene is intercut with Sato’s interrogation of Bellamy, who corroborates the existence of the Leviathan Group, and their purpose of protecting their secret from falling into the wrong hands. On the other hand, Langdon and Katherine find a film reel found under a Leviathan symbol, which features a man with the ability to control bird murmuration — a demonstration of divine power and wisdom. After the film self-destructs, Langdon is able to understand the true extent of the enormity of the protected secret, along with the role which the Leviathan Group is expected to play to protect it. It will be interesting to watch what the remaining episodes of The Lost Symbol will reveal, especially in terms of the portal hidden beneath Washinton D.C.