A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Thoughts on Episode Three

All right, creatures, who is ready to kick it up a notch?

This week on A Discovery of Witches:

There is another dark turn in store for Diana when an alarming package is slipped under her door. Meanwhile, her relationship with Matthew moves forward, but something is about to happen that will cast them both further into danger.

So lets talk about Episode 3! 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.

Matthew Goode as Matthew Clairmont, Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop – A Discovery of Witches _ Season 1, Episode 3 – Photo Credit: Adrian Rogers/SundanceNow/Shudder/Bad Wolf

THE GOOD

Roz:  This episode moved in slow motion for me until Diana used witch wind. I appreciate that we see some more of the demons and that one of those demons has something that I think will be important later (Wait, I know it does, sorry!)

Christie: This is easily one of my favorite episodes. It also probably deviates the MOST from the book, maybe of any episode. We get a closer look at the Congregation, we get to see more Daemons, we get to see Diana really start to feel her power, and the sexual tension between Diana and Matthew really boils over!

Wonder how much they paid to license that Imagine Dragons song?

Leah: This was a great episode! Diana using her powers – what?!?! Loved how Matthew showed up and was able to calm her down. 

And the last scene with Matthew and Diana walking towards his car where he reaches out and they hold hands while not breaking stride. Loved it! 

Adetomiwa Edun as Sean, Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop – A Discovery of Witches _ Season 1, Episode 3 – Photo Credit: Joss Barrett/SundanceNow/Shudder/Bad Wolf

THE BAD

Roz:  Knox is and always will be the worst for me; he’s smug and a know-it-all, but he’s also trying to use his familiarity with Diana’s parents as leverage and that doesn’t sit well with me at all.

Christie: I get they’re vampires and all, but seriously, does no one on Matthew’s team believe in even gloves?

To less trivial matters, it bugs me how Knox gets away with so much in this episode. Just because he’s on the Congregation, he thinks he has a right to bully Diana around and call it protection. And then he attacks a human and NO ONE ADDRESSES IT?!

Leah: I’m with Christie – Peter Know is an obnoxious ass. How is anything he is doing okay? I seriously have to pause while watching to yell things at the screen. Do not love him.

Also – what is Dominico’s point? Motivation? He is playing all sides? It’s exhausting.

Matthew Goode as Matthew Clairmont, Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop – A Discovery of Witches _ Season 1, Episode 3 – Photo Credit: Adrian Rogers/SundanceNow/Shudder/Bad Wolf

HISTORY & BOOK COMPARISONS

Christie:

History: Not as much history to parse through this week. But there is one striking piece.

Matthew takes Diana to The Old Lodge in this episode, a manor house he built himself. In the book Matthew tells Diana that the house was built in 1536, on land he got from Henry VIII. Not just any land, however. The house was built on the site of an old abbey.

Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church so that he could divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. As part of that, he stripped Catholic lands. The dissolution of the monasteries began in 1534, with land being confiscated by the crown or sold to the aristocracy. The money was used to fill Henry’s coffers.

It’s an odd thing for Matthew to be part of, when you consider he’s a strong Catholic (we caught a glimpse of that in the first episode). This is covered extensively in the second book.

Book vs. TV: As I said before, this episode may deviate from the book more than any other to get through a LOT of material. I’ll go through the biggest parts.

• In the books, Matthew has a lodger in The Old Lodge — Amira, a witch with extraordinary gifts, which she uses to lead a mixed species yoga class at the house. Matthew takes Diana there for classes a few times, and that’s how he introduces Diana to the house. He actually stays in the gatehouse when he comes to Woodstock.We don’t actually get to go to the Congregation’s island until the third book. So Satu taking us on a tour of the place is a bit of a treat. It also gives us a lot of extra detail into the creature world, and why what Diana and Matthew are doing is more dangerous than we realize. The lodge is in Woodstock, which is in Oxfordshire.
• Diana tells Matthew about her parents dying while at the house. Matthew knows. In the book, he doesn’t, and he even offers to accompany Diana to where her parents died to help her, because he figures it just happened. She doesn’t tell him until she is under duress, because she’s sent the pictures.In the books, Diana had already seen the pictures of her parents dead before the series began. But she never saw them in color.
• Meet the Wilsons! Our introduction to Agatha Wilson, Nathaniel Wilson and Sophie Norman is very different in the show from the books. Agatha actually introduces herself to Diana in the books. And we don’t see these early scenes with Nathaniel and Sophie.
• Diana is taking notes from a website on the feeding habits of wolves when Sarah and Emily call in the episode. This is a fun book Easter egg. In the show, Marcus helps Diana shop for dinner with Matthew. But in the books, Diana actually consults the zoology department!Diana learns while researching Matthew that he had done research on the behavior of wolves. There are a myriad of similarities between wolves and vampires in the series, including pack behavior and eating habits. In the books, Matthew gets a big laugh from all of this when Diana tells him at dinner.
• The witchwind scene does not happen in the library in the book. Diana gets panic attacks, and they seem to be tied to her magical energy as well. Diana manifests the witchwind during the attack, once she realizes the witches are coming after her.

Edward Bluemel as Marcus Whitmore, Aiysha Hart as Miriam Shepherd – A Discovery of Witches _ Season 1, Episode 3 – Photo Credit: Adrian Rogers/SundanceNow/Shudder/Bad Wolf

FINAL THOUGHTS

Roz: I’m all for that little statue that the pregnant demon has. It’s going to be part of a wild ride!

Christie: I can’t wait to join you guys for the journey into what comes next. I love the third episode, but things only get more fun from here!

Leah:  I’m very curious to see what is going on with the Daemon couple. That seems like an interesting storyline that will hopefully intersect with our main characters soon!

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

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