As we go into the penultimate episode of A Discovery of Witches' second season, the final parts left of the story in London 1591 are in the process of being tied up before Diana and Matthew leave it all behind to return to their own time to continue the fight that awaits them. The purpose of this episode felt like it was meant for Diana and Matthew to tie up all their loose ends in London with one final hurdle keeping them from doing so - that being the daemon, Kit, and Matthew's blood rage infected sister, Louisa.
Once again, the present-day arc has been left behind entirely, the last bits of it seemingly being left for the finale. Diana and Matthew have been in 1591 so long that the former is tempted to build a life there with her husband and their adopted child, Jack. As they are back from their trip to France and Bohemia, however, it is time for Diana to return to her training with Goody Alsop who has become ill in her old age - though that does not stop her power from sensing that darkness has lifted from Matthew since they last met and that Diana is pregnant. Goody Alsop is a witch I will miss, there's something so intriguing about characters who seem to know all the answers yet do not. With one last bit of training, another eagerly anticipated character makes herself known at last - Diana's familiar, the firedrake Cora. I'll admit, I was surprised at the design for Cora but not disappointed. While reading the book, I imagined Cora as more scaly and looking like a wyvern which she is described as but instead she looks more like a cross between some sort of firebird, maybe a phoenix, and a dragon or wyvern, completely engulfed in fire.
While Diana trains, Matthew has his own loose ends to tie up, meeting with Queen Elizabeth who believes he failed in his task to retrieve Edward Kelley and does not believe him just yet that he acquired the Book of Life. She threatens his life as well as Diana's as a witch if he lies about having the book. Gallowglass make a too late appearance after Lord Burghley finds the Book of Life in a search of the Roydon home ordered by Elizabeth.
We do at last see the true depth of Matthew's relationship with Queen Elizabeth when they are alone, using his blood to ease the pain of her toothache, dental care not being important at this time in history. She speaks more emotionally, personally, the authoritative voice gone, about her fears of the chaos that would ensue were she to die and the feeling of her enemies closing in on her. It is at this personal moment that to save themselves, Matthew reveals that Diana is a timewalker, they are from centuries in the future, and that is how he knows her future as the greatest monarch in English history, her name and reputation being known by everyone. This time when she refers to him as "Shadow", it's more affectionate than it usually is, less about that being his name as her spy and more about him being an adored family member she grew up with, which readers of the book will know is the case. It was sweet to see this at the end of their time and no earlier, it would have dampened the impact of the show they put on for everyone else and the affectionate "Matt" and "Bess" wouldn't have meant as much when they part ways.
Word doesn't travel as quickly in 1591 as it does in the 21st century so it was easy enough for Kit to trick Diana into thinking Matthew's meeting with Queen Elizabeth did not go smoothly and convince her it would take too long to find Gallowglass for help. Though when Matthew returns to their home, they find that Diana isn't there and left the witches hours ago. Before this, we see that all is not lost when it comes to the Book of Life - Jack, the ever-useful, bright and loyal pickpocket stole it back when Burghley's men were not looking. It's unfortunate we haven't actually seen his connection with Diana and Matthew develop as much as I'd hoped. I always thought he was an integral part of their story and there are episodes that were lacking in content where the time could have been used to further this character arc. It'll be important soon enough.
Diana is trapped now by a guilty-looking Kit and a blood rage ridden Louisa. Kit does not realise Louisa intends to kill Diana, he only agreed that she would be exiled to free Matthew from her influence. Louisa is more convinced of needing to rid them of Diana when she finds out about the witch now being Phillipe's bloodsworn daughter and now married to Matthew. By seeing his reluctance to kill, Diana pleads with Kit not to do it and recites a poem of his that he has not revealed to anyone but she knows of it as it is published in the future. She bargains with him, telling him she'll let him know his future. This tempts Kit enough to lower the pistol and approach Diana at which point Louisa knocks him aside. In many ways he's the weak link in her plan. This is interestingly different from how this particular scene plays out in the book and I prefer this version. In the book, Diana manages to outsmart her two assailants as they are both intoxicated, Louisa from drinking Kit's intoxicated blood, and they both play a sort of Russia Roulette with the pistol to try to kill Diana. It was more interesting seeing Kit be conflicted in what he wants to do with Diana because he has seen firsthand how important she is to Matthew whereas Louisa has only just met her and sees her as a problem to rid the de Clermont family of.
The remainder happens stunningly as it happened in the book. Cora is released and saves Diana from Louisa's shots fired. Diana then squashes both their hopes by telling them they don't have futures, encircling them in a ring of fire, telling them they will die soon and they will not have gentle deaths. I think my favourite part about these scenes where Diana is captured by people who could easily kill her is that she always saves herself, by the time Matthew and other vampires come along to help, she has already dealt with the issue at hand. And so when Matthew, Gallowglass and Father Hubbard, who we haven't seen in a while, arrive all there is left to do is send Kit and Louisa to Bedlam, the infamous London psychiatric hospital.
After this, we get what I believe will be the last glimpse of Elizabeth I telling Lord Burghley that Matthew is forgiven and she is to be left in peace. Scenes like this one and Matthew's final scene with the Queen make it feel more like the finale, not the penultimate episode of the season. So they better be saving something good for the finale!
In the process of torturing Louisa and Kit for their attempt to kill Diana, Matthew seems to have fallen to the thrall of blood rage which Diana draws him out of. Following this is likely the most intimate moment they have - the mates' exchange of every part of them, all their memories, secrets, and desires through Matthew drinking blood from Diana's heart vein and Diana's witch's kiss on his forehead, creating a magical thread between the two places. This is likely the least awkward intimate moment between them I've seen so far which meant that it wasn't as uncomfortable to watch as all the others have been.
Reasons to Recommend:
- Likely the last time we'll see Goody Alsop, Queen Elizabeth and others in the past as it seems the trip in time is coming to an end
- Diana's familiar makes itself known
- Events taking place where Diana and Matthew are separate from each other and acting on their own before coming together again
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