A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Thoughts on Season 2, Episode 7

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

This week on A Discovery of Witches:

Matthew and Diana go to Bohemia to search for Edward Kelley and the Book of Life. There, they encounter the strange Emperor Rudolf II.

So lets talk about Episode 6! 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: There were so many strong moments here – I loved watching Diana impress the Emperor, especially at Matthew’s dismay. Those moments surrounded by all of the artifacts was impressive. That snake is one of my favorite moments, but it just reinforces what we already know about Diana’s power.

Christie: I think they did a good job of condensing all of the Bohemia section into one episode. It’s a little disappointing that they did. Lots of fun things missing. But the choices were generally pretty good. I think it also did a good job giving us a good look at why Gallowglass was so important in the books and why his character on the show was so highly-anticipated by fans.

Plus, he called Diana auntie. Yay! Though not as funny as Marcus calling her mum, which didn’t make it into the first season.

And Diana making the snake come alive on Rudolf’s glass, and the “we’re dead!” look on Matthew’s face — priceless.

THE BAD

Roz: While I appreciate the book’s lore, that book seems right dangerous. Seeing that madness in Kelley was a bit too much.

I’m not sure I like had to happen with Rabbi Lowe, especially as a Jewish fan. Sure, that treatment feels era appropriate, but it’s an ugly reminder we could have done without.

Christie: One character I feel gets the short end of the stick in this episode is Rabbi Lowe. He’s treated extra abominably by Rudolf on the show than he is in the book, where Lowe isn’t in the emperor’s presence, but living apart in the Jewish section.

HISTORY & BOOK COMPARISONS

Christie: 

History: Rudolf II’s Kunstkammer, or “cabinet of curiosities”, was one of the most extensive in Europe, and it wasn’t just a collection of weird items. It was meticulously curated and catalogued and featured works of art, religious relics, and items from nature. Granted, not everything was real. But artists and scholars were allowed to study the collection. In fact, Rudolf surrounded himself with scholars of all disciplines.

As author Deborah Harkness likes to say, she doesn’t invent anything in her stories unless she has to. Rabbi Lowe is one of those real-life subjects. Judah Loew ben Bezalel was a leading scholar of the Talmud and Jewish mysticism, and was known as a Rabbi of Prague. Some legends say it was Rabbi Lowe who created the Golem that terrorized Prague in the stories. In the books however it was created by another weaver named Abraham Ben Elijah, also known as Elijah Ba’al Shem, the chief rabbi in Chelm in Ukraine, who was also believed to have created the Golem of Chelm (and yes, he also was a real person).

Book vs. TV: Sooooooo much missing. For one thing, the Bohemia scenes actually took place in Prague. There are a lot of bits from the book that were alluded to in the episode, like Matthew giving Rudolf the Hieronymus Bosch triptych, and the Golem. Matthew and Diana also did a great play for Rudolf, where Diana actually plays the goddess of the moon.

Edward Kelley had some madness going on, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was in the television series.

Another favorite thing of mine that is missing — Rudolf gifts Diana a dog, a Komondor named Lobero. It’s a shame we don’t get to see the mop-like dog.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Roz: Let’s get back to England! I need at few moments back there for our team.

Christie: Watch the mysterious Benjamin Fuchs! He’s going to be extremely important to the show going forward!

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.