A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Thoughts on Episode Two

A Discovery of Witches premiered tonight – please join us as we share our thoughts on the episode. And while we are at it – there are spoilers below. Lots of them. Read at your own risk.

This week on Discovery of Witches:

As Matthew fights to control his cravings, he leaves Diana to face her enemies alone. And those include powerful witch Peter Knox.

THE GOOD

Roz:  The fraught relationship between the witches, vampires and demons is so well done, yet you can still find it interesting that different relationships can still survive, like Matthew and Hamish. They should be at each other’s throats every week, and yet you see that they both matter to each other and that something good can come from cross-species relationships.

Christie: I love the Congregation side of the story, which is something that wasn’t in the book. Meeting all of these characters is fun. And it means their sudden appearances have more weight. Also, I think this is the beginning of Diana really shining (figuratively speaking). You get the sense that she can hold her own against scumbags, even if she can’t control it… yet.

And yay science! It’s really one of my favorite parts of the series, and something we don’t see a lot of in fantasy books.

Leah: I’m loving how restrained Matthew is around Diana. His old school manners and general control all while not treating her like some lesser being is amazing. The kiss on the wrist at the end….so freaking sweet!

THE BAD

Roz:  Peter Knox makes me wish I were alive in this world so I could punch him in the face. He’s smug and obnoxious and I know that’s the point of a true villain, but…

Christie: I hate the commercial breaks. It’s official. They ruin the tension buildup!

Oh yeah, and Knox. Knox sucks.

Leah: Roz, I have a note that says, “kick Knox.” so I feel you. He is such a condescending manipulative bastard. Oh and Diana’s red headed “friend” is such a weak minded heifer!

HISTORY & BOOK COMPARISONS

Christie:

History: Let’s talk about Gerbert, because it’s really interesting.

Gerbert is based on a real historical figure. Gerbert de Aurillac was a 10th century French scholar who rose to become Pope Sylvester II. He was known for promoting the study of maths and science, including Arabic numbers and astronomy. His enemies portrayed these things as a sign that he was in league with infidels and maybe even the devil. Legends say he consorted with a demon named Meridiana, and that he built a brazen head, a kind of mechanical prophecy machine that could answer questions with a yes or no. These legends will come into play with Gerbert in the series. He was also the first French pope.

Gerbert in the series, like in real life, is from the Auverge, in southern France. He’s neighbors with Matthew’s family (practically). We also learn that Matthew is old, at least. Diana asks him if he survived the fall of Carthage and Matthew asks, “which fall?”

Carthage (the ancient civilization in modern Tunisia) fell a few times: once in 146 BCE when the Romans destroyed it, then during the Muslim conquest in 698 CE.

Book vs. TV:

As Diana is walking through the library, she sees a guy wearing mismatched cowboy boots. He’s a character. His name is Timothy, he’s a daemon, he also wears headphones even when they’re not plugged in, he likes to point at Diana and tell her “you’re the one,” and he actually has an important part to play in later books.

The scene where Diana meets Marcus Whitmore is also the first appearance of Marcus in the book. This is also the scene where Diana meets Miriam Shephard. Conversely, it’s not Miriam’s first appearance in the book. She actually tag teamed with Matthew to try and keep other creatures away from Diana, as Matthew did in episode one.

The scenes in Scotland, which I love, by the way, happen much later in the book. Matthew actually spends a couple weeks with Diana before he realizes he needs to get away.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Roz: I love how everyone that isn’t Diana or Matthew is so worried about their relationship; usually that means I want to root for them all the more because I love sort of forbidden trysts.

Christie: All I can say is, I can’t wait for everyone to see next week’s episode. If you liked this one, next week will blow you away.

Leah: I’m here for everything about Matthew and Diana’s budding relationship.

You can follow along with our coverage of the show here.

Discovery of Witches airs Sunday 9/8c on BBC America and AMC