We need to talk about Jack! A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Thoughts on Season 3, Episode 2

The last season of A Discovery of Witches has begun!

This week on A Discovery of Witches:

Matthew and Diana are shocked when Jack Blackfriars reappears, but their joy is shortlived. Chris seeks samples from Matthew’s family to research blood-rage.

So let’s talk about Episode 2! 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.

Toby Regbo as Jack and Teresa Palmer as Diana in A Discovery of Witches.

THE GOOD:

Roz: I’m all for this new (but old) return with Jack. I think that it’s an interesting dynamic to put together. We all know how Jack was as a young but, but now he’s a vampire with Blood Rage and no control who was left to go wild by Hubbard and we know that can’t end well right now.

Chris is a great new addition and that he’s got fight against what it clearly not something he’d ever imagined studying in his PhD program.

Christie:

Everyone remembers little Jack from Elizabethan London, right? He’s all growed up and drinking blood!

Matthew having such control and not attacking Hubbard immediately is pretty impressive.

Diana wrapping that chain around Baldwin’s neck and seething “get your hands off my son.” Chef’s kiss.

And adorable Marcus and Phoebe are still adorable.

And Chris is my new favorite, the way he stands up to Matthew. “You have no idea what your kind is capable of.” “I’m a Black man from Alabama! Believe me, I understand what humans are capable of!”

Matthew Goode as Matthew and Teresa Palmer as Diana in A Discovery of Witches.

THE BAD

Roz: Hubbard’s been a snake since we met him last season, but the decision to just drop him off – given what we know – seems vindictive. Setting up that kid to a life of missing Matthew and Diana and to meet them now in this condition is probably the last thing any of them wanted.

Christie:

The way Hubbard dropped poor Jack on Matthew and Diana’s doorstep never sat well with me but it’s even worse in this episode. Hubbard is fully aware of what Benjamin has been doing to poor Jack and has done really nothing to stop him. I know he’s Hubbard’s sire but still. Also I don’t enjoy Jack’s reintroduction in the show as much as I do in the book.

And yes I say poor Jack a lot. Because I love Jack. I just want to give him a hug and a blanket and a cup of cocoa. Which is improbable because he’s a vampire.

Malin Buska as Satu in A Discovery of Witches.

 

BOOK VS. TV

Christie: 

This season in general is departing from the book in so many little but important ways. The way we see Jack and Matthew talk about being vampires is so touching and amazing and exactly how you can imagine a father and a son talking about tough topics.

But this episode also leads to a really tough decision for Matthew and he eventually comes round to the same decision he makes in the book but in the book the bigger issue was not killing Jack for Matthew but leaving Diana. It was about Matthew confronting his own blood-rage and mating instincts. I’m not sure which is better, but I like that Matthew still comes round to the right conclusion — form the scion, protect Jack.

I’m fascinated by what they are doing with Satu, because almost none of this is in the books and I’m curious to see how she now figures into the story. We learn toward the end that she is also a weaver but her powers are no where near Diana’s and it never really amounts to much. With Knox invoking the prophecy from season 1, it feels like they are building toward something else.

Toby Regbo as Jack Blackfriars in A Discovery of Witches.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Roz:

I do love a trip out of England and I miss New Orleans like nothing else so I’m so excited for this next week!

Christie:

I am more and more abandoning what I know about the storyline and settling into their changes and I’m enjoying everything  thus far. There’s a lot to come, but so far they have managed to generally keep the plot the same while adding some interesting tweaks to try and keep the danger running underneath it all, and that’s impressive.

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 and AMC+.