A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Thoughts on Episode Eight

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

This week on A Discovery of Witches:

With danger at every turn, Diana and Matthew are forced to run. But will they escape in time?

So lets talk about Episode 8! 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: Everyone working against Knox and Gerbert within the congregation, leading up to that wonderful vote for who should or shouldn’t go after Diana and Matthew.

Christie: My favorite part is the “Shadow Congregation.” It’s one of my favorite parts in the book as well. The fact that these nine witches, vampires and daemons come together and get over their distrust for the sake of each other and for Matthew and Diana is amazing. Putting them under one roof and having no knockdown drag-outs is nothing short of miraculous.

Also, Diana’s strength and confidence and willingness to embrace her gifts at the end is beautiful. The witch playfully lighting pumpkins with her finger on Halloween is not the same witch who opened Ashmole 782.

Leah: Diana and her amazing powers win this episode for me. She started out this season as a quieter, more introverted version of her true self. Diana has come such a long way. She is a bad ass witch! Time stepping! That isn’t the correct term, but you get it. Also her saving Matthew was very reminiscent of Willow saving Tara on Buffy, without the bad witch, angry destroy the world part.

THE BAD

Roz: WTF Matthew? Why did you leave without Diana?

Christie: That’s Matthew’s longtime ex-girlfriend. Even if Matthew hadn’t seen Juliette in decades, how did he not recognize her scent in the hop barn and realize something was off? She was just standing there, and Matthew was not far away. He should have picked up on that.

The other thing I dislike about this episode I’m not going to elaborate on… but the end of the episode is not how it went down in the book, and it bothers me because it plays up the danger for…?

Leah: I hate cliffhangers. HATE THEM. To end the season with one annoys me. I read the recap of the books so I think I know what happened/happens, but still. UGH! We have a long time to wait for the second season! Also, why is Knox still – alive. Is that too harsh? I don’t think so. He has to go!

HISTORY & BOOK COMPARISONS

Christie:

History: Not much in the way of history Easter Eggs this week, so instead I’ll give you some things we know about production on season 2 instead.

Book vs. TV:

Like I said, one of my favorite parts in the book is the gathering of the “shadow Congregation” at the Bishop house. It’s because we learn so much about these secondary characters who will matter more going forward. We learn why Miriam is so loyal to Matthew, we learn how Matthew plans to care for Diana if anything happens to him (lets just say Diana never needs to work again), we see the father-son relationship between Matthew and Marcus in a more intimate way. We get a better understanding of Hamish’s larger role with the De Clermont family. And we see these characters let their guards down and get acquainted and become friends. It’s a piece of the book I miss seeing more of in the show.

Also, I love the fact that, in the book, Matthew makes Diana take a slew of vaccines and such in preparation for the trip back in time. We end up skipping a lot of science, which is disappointing. I get why, but I feel like it’s a question a lot of people would ask.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SEASON 2

So this is what we know about season 2 production so far, gleaned from social media responses that we’ve gotten direct from A Discovery of Witches author and executive producer Deborah Harkness over the last few months.

• Filming starts in June.
• Filming will last 6 months.
• DO NOT expect to see season 2 in 2019. No word on when or whether we will see season 2 in 2020.
• Season 2 will encompass all of book 2, Shadow of Night.
• Bad Wolf Productions is ONLY shooting season 2. Harkness says season 1 took 6 months to shoot as well.
• Deborah Harkness, who is a historian, is also consultant on the show this season, as well as producer. That means she is working to make the world of the book as historically close to Elizabethan England as possible.
• Harkness says Bad Wolf Productions knows fans are clamoring for more than 8 episodes next season, but there’s no word yet whether that will be a reality.
• No casting announcements have been made yet. But there has been talk about who to cast for the new characters we will see next season. Two of the most hotly anticipated are the casting for Gallowglass, Matthew’s nephew, and Matthew’s father, Phillipe.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Roz: I’m going to have to finish reading the first book and the second before the second season because I need some answers!

Christie: I watched the whole show before I read the books. I fell in love with the whole world through the show. I’m so ready for season 2!

Leah: I’m so happy with this season. There were some things I would have liked more information on, but honestly as far as short seasons go they fit a lot in. The chemistry with the cast was phenomenal! I still have so many questions though – The daemon that was born to witches? The Ashmole book? To name a few.

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 We can’t wait for season two to air here in the US!