A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Thoughts on Episode Five

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

This week on A Discovery of Witches:

Tensions between the creatures grow as the witches find out the vampires are studying DNA. Matthew crosses a line when he returns to Oxford. Diana discovers his dark past, before something unexpected tears them apart.

So lets talk about Episode 5! 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.

THE GOOD

Roz: Matthew and Diana as a tour de force! I love that they’re so committed to each other and to what they mean that they’re defying all matter of creature conventions to get it done. It’s the biggest middle finger I can think of for groups that don’t want to move into the twenty-first century.

Christie: Lindsay Duncan is easily my favorite part of this episode. Ysabeau trying to scare Diana off makes for some fun TV. I love how Ysabeau is licking blood and entrails off her fingers nonchalantly, saying “this is the nature of vampires,” expecting Diana to be horrified or at least shocked. And Diana is just like, “ThiS tHe nATuRE of VamPIreS.” 😆😆😆

Oh, and we get to see Miriam’s superhero coat again. I WANT THAT COAT.

Aiysha Hart as Miriam Shepherd – A Discovery of Witches _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Adrian Rogers/SundanceNow/Shudder/Bad Wolf

Leah: I’m with Roz on this. I also especially liked how while Matthew’s Mom may not be super pleased she is still, “Well…now you are a Clermont so your fight is my fight.” Especially after she tried to sway Diana away by taking her on a hunt and giving her Matthew’s history.

THE BAD

Roz: It’s always a tie between Peter Knox and Gerbert at this point for me. I know we need a bad guy or two, but they’re so sort of stereotypical in their evilness that it gets old. I mean, if I had the information about Diana that Matthew now has I’d be very worried if I were either of those men, but right now they’re in the dark and it just makes me frustrated that our bad guys have a one-note evilness.

Christie: I don’t care if you are a 1,500-year-old vampire with steady hands in a lab you funded, wear at least a pair of gloves when you’re prepping DNA for tests! Contamination much, Matthew?!

One other thing that I actually got pushback on a bit while live tweeting the episode. My biggest complaint about the show is that it tries to cram a lot into 8 episodes. It leads to some inconsistencies. Case in point: Daemons. The show gives us more insight into specific Daemon characters that you don’t get in the book. However, that insight doesn’t really sufficiently replace the book’s exposition on how Daemons work and their place in the creature world.

Hamish says Daemons are treated like they aren’t as important as the others. This is in line with the books. But the show gives Nathaniel a bit more depth by having him start a Daemon online forum that the Congregation shuts down, and then he’s leading a group of Daemons during a get-together, and he says that the Congregation is afraid of what Daemons can do. But we never really SEE on the show what Daemons can do.

So which is it? Does the Congregation see Daemons as a lesser species, or is it afraid of them?

Leah: I suppose it’s bad that Matthew attacked Gillian even if the witch had it coming, but I don’t feel all that bad about that. Satu however showing up at Gerbert’s place? That can not end well. Not at all. Gerbert clearly has it out for the Clermonts and a witch as powerful as Satu with an attitude will be no good for anyone.

HISTORY & BOOK COMPARISONS

Christie:

History: Very few history references in the episode this week. We do get our first glimpse of the Knights of Lazarus, which is a chivalric order (like the Templars), named after Lazarus, the one Christ raised from the dead.

Oh and bundling — traditionally, the two lovers are wrapped in separate blankets so they can be in bed together and talk through the night. Sometimes a board or sack is put between them.  There is obviously no sex, but also… uh… no “touching.”

Book vs. TV: In the book, Ysabeau tells Diana the story of how she made Matthew as a bedtime story to get Diana to sleep. Phillipe got the land from Clovis, first king of the Franks, hoping that Phillipe would fight on Clovis’ side. Matthew’s parents came with those hired to build the first castle (Matthew designed the current castle) and the church. I keep flipping through my copy of the book to double check, but Ysabeau and Diana never go to the church.

Diana also goes further than just discovering the Knights of Lazarus medals, she discovers the order’s ledgers, which show transactions made to, among others, Jacques de Molay, last head of the Knights Templar. The book implies that at least some of the legendary Templar treasure may have been turned over to the Knights of Lazarus.

In the book, after Matthew returns, Diana makes him take her hunting.

Also, after Diana and Matthew kiss, and they see Ysabeau, and Matthew asks his mother if they should leave? In the books, Ysabeau walks right up and slaps Matthew in the face for asking that.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Roz: Ending with that scene between Matthew and Diana after a short separation is good, but I wish we had more light moments of them being a couple rather than the political machinations right now. (I will say that the political stuff in the future will make me eat this comment, but right now it’s slow.)

Christie: I like this episode. I do. But it’s kind of weak filling in the delicious sandwich that is episode 4 and 6 (you’ll see).

Leah: Having Matthew run off last episode and then “suddenly” declare his love for Diana this episode was a bit jarring. Overall though I’m happy with the way the series is going and I like how everyone is starting to come together. The circles are closing. I can’t wait to see how the daemons start to factor into all of this.

You can follow along with our coverage of the show here and be sure to join us as we live tweet the new episode here.

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