Witches, vampires, daemons, and humans rejoice because A Discovery of Witches is getting better and better with each episode! This week’s episode was certainly filled to the brim with new characters, settings, and plenty of scenes that will toy at your heart.
Last week’s episode saw Matthew and Diana spend the day together, which eventuated to Diana asking Matthew to dinner. All didn’t go to plan with Knox turning up, but Diana did get to kiss Matthew before he hastily left afterwards. We were introduced to daemons Nathaniel, Sophie, and Agatha and it seems Sophie may have a special link to Diana. At the end of the episode, Diana confronts Knox and her magic flares up with witchwind, and Matthew has to help her get it under control. With danger looming, Matthew decides to take her to his home Sept-Tours and he kisses her before leaving.
Welcome To Sept-Tours
Uh, I do love Matthew Goode’s voice, but do we have to hear the same monologue each time? Anyway, Diana (Teresa Palmer) and Matthew (Matthew Goode) are travelling to Matthew’s home, which is known as Sept-Tours and it looks to be a stunning place. Upon arrival, Diana is introduced to Matthew’s mother, Ysabeau de Clermont (Lindsay Duncan) and she masters the disapproving mother look and doesn’t utter a word at first. At one point, Matthew has to translate as Diana “speaks only English and New French. Modern warmbloods are so poorly educated.” With that, Matthew receives a warmer welcome from Marthe (Sorcha Cusack) and he says Diana needs some rest, all the while getting daggers from Ysabeau.
The pair walk the steps up Matthew’s tower, and Diana speaks of Ysabeau not wanting her at Sept-Tours. Matthew explains that it’s only been family there since his step-father Philippe’s death, which occurred during World War II. Later on, Matthew goes to open Philippe’s office, but it’s locked as Ysabeau doesn’t want it opened with Diana there. Matthew sternly reminds her that Diana didn’t kill Philippe, and she then gives him the key while saying it was her kind that did. In the office, Matthew looks at the photos of Diana’s parents murders and seems to notice something.
Meanwhile, Diana sleeps when she sees a vision of her dead mother at the window followed by being covered in spiderwebs before she wakes in alarm. She receives a call from Sarah (Alex Kingston) and Em (Valarie Pettiford) who ask her where she is and she explains Peter Knox threatened her. They’re not thrilled to learn she’s at Sept-Tours and tell her to leave and come home to them as Ysabeau has destroyed entire covens.
After this, the pair then go for a ride with Diana on Rakasa, while Ysabeau and Marthe look on. Marthe remarks about how she hasn’t smelt such power for centuries, however, Ysabeau believes Diana has bewitched him. Diana and Matthew race across the open field, and it’s such a sweet moment for the two. Afterwards, Diana wants to leave so Matthew doesn’t have to feel responsible for her except Matthew says she can’t go to Madison. He then brings up the photos of Diana’s parents and he believes they were staged as underneath the debris, there was a chalk circle meaning they were killed by witches.
Trouble Brews
Back in Oxford, Marcus (Edward Bluemel) goes to Matthew’s apartment while he talks to Miriam (Aiysha Hart) on the phone, however, he realises someone is in there waiting. Upon entering, he discovers Juliette (Elarica Johnson) who is searching for Matthew and she attacks him after he provokes her. Miriam comes rushing in and lands some punches, which causes Juliette to leave.
In Venice once again, Agatha (Tanya Moodie) arrives at the Congregation where Peter (Owen Teale) introduces Satu (Malin Buska) to her, and she’s thrilled with a bit more diversity. We are then introduced to Baldwin Montclair (Trystan Gravelle), another vampire Congregation member, which gives us all nine members—three from each species. They retrieve keys from their person and the keys from each species join together. The three final keys are then used by the head members to unlock the Congregation’s chamber door.
Back at the lab, Marcus wants to know what he’s results are as he knows they are done when he receives a call from Baldwin asking what Matthew is doing. With Baldwin also head of the family, Marcus can’t ignore his questions.
Knox has called for the emergency session as Matthew has supposedly broken Congregation rules, and to Baldwin he says, “your brother has abducted a witch.” Knox continues on saying Philippe set up the Congregation to avoid drawing human attention to them and maintain peace. The vampires and witches appear to want to find her, while Agatha doesn’t understand why Matthew would do it. Baldwin asks about her powers, which Knox tries to dismiss, but then Baldwin brings up The Book of Life. This intrigues all of them and they’re not happy to hear this has been kept from them. Baldwin says she is Sept-Tours and they’ll send a representative and investigate Diana.
Warnings All Around
The Witches: Satu asks Knox why he didn’t tell her that he tested Diana and it seems he missed Diana’s power. With that, he freezes Satu in place and says she is meant to be his ally before he throws her backwards on to a table and threatens her further. At Oxford, Gillian (Louise Brealey) has just finished up a coven meeting when she learns Diana is with Matthew and Gillian deems Diana innocent. Apparently, Knox wants to know what Matthew is doing in Oxford.
The Daemons: Agatha calls Nathaniel (Daniel Ezra) to ask him about Sophie (Aisling Loftus) and then speaks with her about the statue and why she links it to alchemy. She explains that the person she has to give it to her is in alchemy and she has visions of her in a castle with seven towers with her Dark King. With that, Agatha says she mustn’t talk to anyone about it and won’t introduce them.
The Vampires: Gerbert (Trevor Eve) and Baldwin speak and Baldwin says Matthew won’t keep the book for himself. Gerbert says they are losing their grip over the other species, and Baldwin’s family is making it worse for them.
Time For A Dance
Ysabeau looks over the photos of Diana’s parents and asks Matthew if she knows, to which he says yes. He also sweetly says he’s drawn to her because of her bravery and that she reminds him of Ysabeau. Diana later finds Ysabeau in Philippe’s office and Diana wants to know how he died, which Ysabeau is angered by. Diana speaks of her parents and says she’s willing to make up her own mind despite the stories she’s heard about Ysabeau. With that, Ysabeau wants to know why they were killed and tells Diana to make whoever did it pay.
The three have a somewhat awkward dinner together and then afterwards, they sit down by the fire, which is merely for Diana’s sake. They speak of Christmas, parties, and dancing while Matthew gets the music cranking and asks Ysabeau to dance, which will bring a smile to your face! Removing his tie, he then asks Diana to dance, even though she claims she’s a terrible dancer. Marthe and Ysabeau watch on when she tells Diana to let him lead before it turns into a sexy tango. With all the spinning and excitement, Diana begins to literally glow.
Diana and Matthew walk together outside when he turns to her and kisses her passionately (with a bit of an ass grab might I add).
Danger Arrives
After that little moment, Diana wants to know about William Harvey because of the historian in her. However, Domenico (Gregg Chillin) is there and speaks of their last meeting when they were on opposing sides. He gradually gets closer to Diana, but despite Matthew’s pleas, she stands her ground. Ysabeau and Marthe turn up when Domenico tells Diana she is wanted by the Congregation, along with The Book of Life. In that moment, Domenico realises that Matthew isn’t in it for the book, but for Diana and says he is breaking the Covenant, which Diana doesn’t understand. After looking briefly into Diana’s eyes, Marthe whisks her away while Matthew grabs Domenico and threatens to rip his head off, but instead breaks his leg. Domenico vows to kill them.
Ysabeau asks why Matthew didn’t tell her about the book, but he says it became something else. She says he must give her to them, otherwise they will kill her if he doesn’t.
Diana asks Marthe about the Covenant, which essentially forbids interspecies relationships. She explains that Philippe believed that if different species mated, it might upset the balance of power. When Diana asks what happens when creatures break it, Marthe simply says that it hasn’t been broken. Matthew arrives back at the house and says there will be no more visits from the Congregation as they won’t be breaking the Covenant. Diana is beyond upset by Matthew giving in and he turns into dark and nasty Matthew with the words he utters.
Matthew receives a call as someone broke into the lab and he must go back, except Matthew won’t let her go with him. He says Diana will stay at Sept-Tours, but Diana says that leaving her isn’t the answer and that she loves him, and you can just see a brief glimpse of longing in Matthew’s face and he says she knows how he feels. Diana runs after Matthew’s car when she begins crying and it brings on a massive rainstorm. Marthe and Ysabeau run out and they’re shocked at Diana’s power, and the rain goes back up into the air.
Overall Thoughts?
Wow, wow, wow. This episode had so much in it from the new characters of Ysabeau, Baldwin,, and Marthe, to new locations such as Sept-Tours and the Congregation’s chamber. Thankfully, the episode did not seem overstuffed, but they certainly managed to pack in as much as possible. It didn’t detract from the highly emotional scenes involving Diana and Matthew as their sweet moments from riding together, to dancing, and to kissing all helped develop their relationship, and as a fellow fangirl, it made me feel all the feels.
Now, this marks the halfway mark of the season, so it’s going to be all action from here on out. Our characters have all been given their background, and now it’s time to see how they move around on the chessboard… who will be hurt, who will survive, and who will win.
Episode 5 Official Synopsis: Gillian pays a heavy price for her disloyalty to Diana, but not before news that vampires are studying witch DNA reaches Knox. The fall-out threatens the fragile equilibrium between creatures and the focus is on ending Matthew and Diana’s relationship whatever the cost. Agatha treads a careful line of democracy at the Congregation, but Nathaniel continues to instigate daemon direct-action. Ysabeau relies on shock tactics to expel Diana until Matthew returns with breathtaking news about Diana’s DNA. Diana and Matthew are finally united in love, only for the unexpected to happen.
I don’t understand what Is going on with Diana’s DNA?