This week’s episode of A Discovery of Witches is an eventful one as Diana begins weaver training, the duo get summoned by two powerful individuals, and most importantly they get a lead on Ashmole 782.
Here are the notable moments from season 2 episode 3. SPOILERS AHEAD!!
The Present
Murders in England
Domenico (Greg Chillin) is called by a police officer to look at the body of a man ravaged quite viciously around his neck. The vampire says it was the right thing to do and wants a report of the post-mortem. He then heads to Venice to tell Gerbert (Trevor Eve) that he is here to negotiate, having a discovered a body that will help destroy the de Cleremonts once and for all. In exchange though Domenico wants Venice back as it is his home city. Gerbert is intrigued as the other vampire hints in the rumored tainted blood of the de Cleremonts. Very interesting.
Emily Practices High Magic
At Sept Tour, while Sarah (Alex Kingston) is asleep Em (Valarie Pettiford) is seen casting a summoning spell. We discover that she’s calling upon Rebecca Bishop’s (Sophia Myles) ghost in order to help Diana.
The Past
The Book of Life in Bohemia?
Diana (Teresa Palmer) learns from Mary Sidney (Amanda Hale) that John Dee (Struan Rodger), the queen’s alchemist, is back from the continent and has a vast library that may be of use in her search for Ashmole 782. The couple visits Dee and there they discover that the elder man had a book stolen from him by his former associate Edward Kelley while the two were in Bohemia (now in modern-day Czech Republic). Apparently, Kelley believed that the book contained the secret to immortality and was exploring it on behalf of Emperor Rudolph. Matthew (Matthew Goode) offers to retrieve the tome that is his return the one that was put in it’s place. Dee agrees to this arrangement.
Things get more complicated though when William Cecil (Adrian Rawlins) discovers that Matthew has married a witch. He appears at the inn and tells the duo that the queen is highly displeased that her shadow has hidden this from her. They are to appear before her majesty at Whitehall tomorrow. Cecil tells Matthew that his recent attitude change towards witches finally makes sense upon meeting Diana.
Matthew is super pissed and believes Kit (Tom Hughes) is the one who revealed his relationship to Diana to Cecil. The vampire tells the daemon that they are no longer friends and that he should stay the hell away from the both of them. However, Kit goes to Lord Burghley demanding to know how the other man found out about the witch because he never betrayed Matthew. Cecil refuses to answer and says he has no interest in their squabble. We do discover that Kit was though was being paid by the human and that the daemon should have been the one to report the information to him.
Meeting Queen Elizabeth
Mary comes to Diana’s aid once more and lends her an outfit suitable for being presented at court. The historian is super nervous at meeting Queen Elizabeth I (Barbara Marten), though Matthew tells her that her majesty will do all the question asking and they should provide short succinct answers as much as possible.
When they are finally in the queen’s presence, the monarch instructs Cecil and others to leave in order to talk to Matthew and Diana alone. She is highly displeased that he is married because men have trouble even listening to one woman let alone two. Diana is quick to say that her kind is loyal to the crown and that she pledges her allegiance to the other woman and implores her husband to only listen to the queen. The royal remarks that the witch is clever, but perhaps too clever. She then asks what they want with her alchemist and Matthew responds that they are looking for a book that’s only of interest to creatures. The monarch says that she’s heard Edward Kelley has discovered how to make the philosopher’s stone through this book and she’s not keen on having it be in Habsburg hands. The vampire then suggests that to get into her majesty’s good graces once more he will procure Kelly for her so that she can lock him up in the Tower until he produces the philosopher’s stone for her. Diana comments that the other woman seeks immortality and Queen Elizabeth confirms that she wants it for the sake of her country.
Weaver Training
Diana begins her training with Goody Alsop (Sheila Hancock) and three other elemental witches. They form a circle around her and Goody explains how with her third eye she is able to see magical threads all around. Each witch in the room with her has an affinity to air, water, earth, and fire. Diana is to pick an elemental thread which calls to her the most. The historian is able to see the threads but is not able to pick one. She is frustrated in the aftermath, but Goody says that normally a weaver can only see the threads of the element that is in her blood. However, Diana can see all of them so that is especially unique.
At a later date they try again with Diana only picking up one thread at a time. This training session proves to be more successful as she is easily able to grab two threads, air and water. Eventually she is able to tie the earth thread to the existing two to make a third knot and this creates a sudden explosion of magic. A massive rowan tree is projected upwards from Diana’s arms and the other witches are amazed by this with Goody explaining that this is a union of opposites and that she is truly a weaver. The historian is eager to learn more but the elder witch says she must have patience.
As Diana leaves, Susannah (Aisling Loftus) approaches her and the two have a short chat. The other witch still seems to have reservations about the newly discovered weaver but admits that she is very powerful. Susannah points out that her magic is affected by everything in her life and seems to infer that perhaps Diana is not able to control it because of her relationship to Matthew.
Matthew and Diana are Summoned to Sept Tour
Matthew recites the Lord’s Prayer and then heads to Father Hubbard to ask for forgiveness after killing Tom Caldwell. He says that should the other vampire let this matter to rest he will inform his father of Hubbard’s generosity. The priest muses that approval from Philippe de Cleremont (James Purefoy) is hard to come by and will consider Matthew’s request.
Later on, Gallowglass (Steven Cree), Matthew’s nephew, arrives in London and brings a letter from Philippe. Along with Diana, the geneticist is being summoned home to France because Hubbard had previously written to the head of the de Cleremont family. Gallowglass is one of my favorite characters and it is so incredibly satisfying to see him in the flesh!! The younger vampire will only travel with them part of the way because his father was killed by the French and he won’t step foot into the country. His father was Hugh de Cleremont, one of Philippe’s sons. Diana had previously been trying to convince Matthew that she needs to come with him to search for the Book of Life in Bohemia with him despite her weaver training only starting. Now it seems that they don’t have a choice, they must go to France first before traveling further into the continent.
Diana had told Goody Alsop that she feels in her gut that she must go on the journey to the continent to search for the book because her magic is tied to it. The elder woman is hesitant because she thinks Diana needs to continue her training and that this is a new path that the historian is on, one that she cannot see what lies ahead. Diana promises to practice what she has learned and that she would be back to continue her lessons.
This also means that the couple must leave behind Jack (Joshua Blue Pickering) in London as it would be too dangerous for him to accompany them. Diana has two miniatures painted of her and Matthew for their son and promises that they will return.
Final Thoughts
- A user on Twitter pointed out the attention to detail regards to Queen Elizabeth’s smallpox scars and that is incredibly spot on.
- Gallowglass, be still my heart!! Steven Cree is perfect and I cannot wait to see his and Diana’s relationship develop on the show. Also for him to call her auntie! We just need more Gallowglass in every episode please.
- Matthew’s growing acceptance of being a father to Jack is so heartwarming. Especially the scene where he comforts the child after having a nightmare. No one really sees his softer side except Diana and to open himself up to Jack is great character development.
- The murders during the present are an important subplot in the novels and I’m glad it didn’t get cut out.
You can stream a new episode A Discovery of Witches on AMC+, Shudder, and Sundance Now every Saturday.
