The second season of A Discovery of Witches is almost here after two years, and fans are so incredibly excited to see what happens next for Matthew and Diana! Now, for me, I personally adored the second novel, Shadow of Night, much more than the first, so I cannot wait to see the adventures unfold on-screen!
With it having been so long, a recap may be necessary for some if you haven’t had the time to rewatch the series! Read on to discover our episodic recap, and if you want to go into more detail, click the episode title to read that episode’s recap in full!
The new season of A Discovery of Witches premieres January 8th 2021 on Sky One and NOW TV (UK) and January 9th 2021 on Sundance Now and Shudder (US & Canada). In Australia, fans will be able to watch new episodes on Binge.
Episode 1
Diana Bishop wishes to continue her research on alchemy by learning more from Elias Ashmole’s manuscripts at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. When she opens Ashmole 782, she discovers missing pages and hidden, scrambling words that brand her. It causes a flurry of feelings and interest amongst many, including the handsome vampire Matthew Clairmont as he has been searching for Ashmole 782 for centuries to help him learn more about their origins and he later introduces himself to Diana and both asks and warns her about the manuscript. Meanwhile, Peter and Satu visit Diana’s witch friend Gillian and Sylvia to find out what happened with the manuscript and learn of Diana discovering it, of whom he already knows of. Matthew begins to watch over Diana in hopes she will reveal the manuscript once more.
Episode 2
Matthew went on a little hunting trip with his friend Hamish as he’s been craving Diana’s blood. After chatting to him, Matthew decides he must protect Diana. Meanwhile, Peter Knox and Satu arrive in Oxford and approach Diana about Ashmole 782, and Diana later has an altercation with the both of them. We are also introduced to Domenico, Juliette, and Gerbert in Venice who all seem to know Matthew. Diana and Matthew learn more about one another, along with Diana opening up about Ashmole 782.
Episode 3
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.
Episode 4
Matthew and Diana arrived at Sept-Tours where Matthew’s mother Ysabeau lives. The pair spent plenty of time together horse riding and dancing, all the while receiving disapproving looks and comments from Ysabeau. Meanwhile, the full Congregation met to discover Matthew and Diana, which resulted in a visit from Domenico at Sept-Tours. Domenico realised Matthew’s feelings and Diana learned that species intermix when it comes to the heart. After a break in at the lab and Diana professing her love, Matthew says he must go and leaves Diana in tears.
Episode 5
Matthew attacked Gillian after she broke into his lab, while Ysabeau took Diana hunting. Hamish pops up briefly to tell Matthew to essentially follow his heart, despite there going to be consequences, while Ysabeau uses Matthew’s past loves as a way to deter Diana. However, this doesn’t stop them and Matthew races back to Sept-Tours with Diana’s DNA results and his confession: he loves her. This results in some ‘bundling’ and Matthew saying Diana somehow shows way more markers than a modern-day witch should.
Episode 6
Diana is tortured by Satu, but eventually rescued by Baldwin and Matthew. While with Satu, Diana had a vision of her parents and recalled a story they used to tell her about a trapped witch and a dark prince. Upon returning to Sept-Tours, they realise Diana was spellbound, but after her ordeal with Satu, she is free. We also learn Sophie is actually born of witches, and her baby with Nathaniel seems to be a witch, even though she is a daemon.
Episode 7
Diana and Matthew headed to Madison to learn more about Diana being spellbound and we saw flashbacks to Diana’s parents who were the ones that did it in order to protect Diana. She begins her training, but in a moment of frustration, it seems Diana inherited her father’s ability to timewalk, while later on, Matthew tries to help Diana’s training in the woods. However, this just leads to a steamy scene for the pair. Marcus and Miriam arrive at the house to help and the house gives Diana a letter from her father, which includes a page from Ashmole 782. As for our other creatures, Juliette leaves Gerbert, Sophie reveals she is born to witches, Satu is captured, and Knox was the one who killed Diana’s parents. At the end of the episode, Diana comes across Juliette…
Episode 8
Juliette holds Diana hostage and she soon slices Matthew’s throat. Diana’s magic flares with witchfire that forms a bow and arrow, which kills Juliette instantly. Matthew is dying and so Diana calls upon the goddess to help her and agrees to anything in exchange for saving Matthew and so she is given a knife and forces him to drink from her. After recovering from the ordeal, Matthew is worried someone else will find them and he proposes they timewalk and to hide somewhere in time. Meanwhile, Gerbert wants to team up with Knox to destroy the de Clermont’s and find Diana.
At the Bishop household, Diana discovers a poppet and finds a pearl earring and Matthew recognises it as Ysabeau’s, which was lost hundreds of years ago. Matthew requests items from various times in order to determine when they should travel to. Sophie visits them and gives Diana a figurine and Em recognises it as Diana, the goddess of the hunt, but Matthew recognises it as a white queen chess piece he once used. He realises the earring and chess piece are from the same night, All Souls Night or Halloween.
At her trial, Satu accuses Baldwin of working with Matthew to keep Diana from the Congregation, and that is why she did what she did. But in the end, only Gerbert, Satu, and Knox accuse Baldwin of treason.
Sarah and Em are headed to Sept-Tours, and Matthew gives Marcus a letter, which appoints him as grandmaster of the Knights. Now out of time, Knox, Gerbert, and Satu arrive at the Bishop household, so Matthew gives Diana a final item: Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. The pair are headed to 1590 London when the door flies off just as their about to put their foot down and Diana spins around… Did they make it? (Well, we know they do because of the season 2 trailer, but nevertheless, it was still a cliffhanger for some!)
