A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Thoughts on Season 2, Episode 5

It’s time to conjure up a new season of A Discovery of Witches!

This week on A Discovery of Witches:

Matthew and Diana arrive in France on their journey to face Philippe. Elsewhere, Louisa and Kit cut a swathe through London.

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.

James Purefoy as Phillippe and Matthew Good as Matthew.

THE GOOD

Roz: James mfin’ Purefoy! That last scene between Diana and the man (warlock?) who wanted her to unleash all her powers. Even the weird moments with Matthew’s long-over due feeding.

Christie: I wasn’t sure how James Purefoy was going to work as Phillipe, just because I had a different vision of him in the books (think Hercules). But man he does fill the boots well. And I do love the scene where he and Diana sorta kinda bond over books.

Oh, and I LOVE Matthew gifting Diana the trousers. They should have thought of that sooner.

Tom Hughes as Kit and Elaine Cassidy as Louisa.

THE BAD

Roz: I’m not sure I wanted to know that Kit had a thing for Matthew or that Matthew’s sister can be so much trouble in five minutes of screen time.

Christie: This is definitely where I kinda wish it was made more obvious on the show that Matthew led Diana to believe they were mated. In the book they even do a sort of “handfast.” It makes the whole reveal far more meaningful. Sometimes the show’s short-hand takes some of the emotion out, and that is disappointing.

Matthew Goode as Matthew, Teresa Palmer as Diana and Steven Cree as Gallowglass.

HISTORY & BOOK COMPARISONS

Christie: 

History: Ysabeau is in Trier, in Germany, at the time Matthew and Diana are at Sept-Tours. She is monitoring the Trier Witch Trials, which took place from 1581 to 1593. In that time, 368 people were executed. They weren’t the only trials in Germany at the time.

Meanwhile in France, Henry IV had only been on the throne for a year or so. He was baptized Catholic but raised as a protestant by his mother. His position as heir to the French throne caused a new phase of the Religion Wars as the Catholics tried to keep Henry from the throne. So that’s why there’s so much violence when Matthew and Diana come to France.

Speaking of French kings. The reason Gallowglass will not stay in France is because his father, Hugh, was killed along with the Knights Templar. He was burned at the stake as a result of Phillip IV (Phillip the Fair’s) move to destroy the Templars.

Book vs. TV:  As mentioned before, the difference with Phillipe in the book and James Purefoy. Diana describes Phillipe’s face as looking into the face of a Greek god in the book. I also seem to remember him being described as a lion. So James Purefoy is not exactly a lion-like Greek god. But he is pretty special.

Also Diana’s trousers are also presented to her as a Christmas present, and made from hose.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Roz: Now we’re cooking with gas! I’m so curious about the previews and how Diana’s trip to the library in 1590 will help everyone in the present with finding something about the Book of Life or anything else.

Christie: Phillipe’s section in the book is one of my favorites! So these next two episodes make me so happy. And everything about the next few episodes is so tense and amazing!

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

New episodes of A Discovery of Witches will be released each week on Sundance Now, Shudder and AMC+. For those waiting to see the show on TV, these new episodes come to AMC in June.