If you have not watched episode 3 of season 2, please do not read further to not be spoiled.
The before-opening-credits scene is set in present-day Oxford, England. Domenico Michele (Gregg Chillin) of The Congregation in Venice, Italy, has just found out that something got the munchies for human blood. The gory, nasty neck wound appears to be from a vampire. Domenico has tight connections with the police so he hears about it first.
At Sept-Tours, Emily Mather (Valarie Pettiford) is calling up the spirit of Diana's mother Rebecca. "This path is closed to evil," she says and that hints to us that this is for her protection. Five candles are strategically arranged to represent the pentagram's five points. Smoke rises in front of her and an unfamiliar face of a woman emerges before she whooshes it away. Hopefully, we'll see or learn more in E4.
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| Emily Mather portrayed by Valarie Pettiford |
At the end of E2, we saw Matthew snap the neck of the prisoner Tom Caldwell at the Tower of London. He did it to spare his suffering because Lord Cecil Burghley (Adrian Rawlins) wanted him to name names of other witches acting against the queen. Killing him was the only alternative because letting him go free would have jeopardized his relationship with Diana.
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A sign of the cross over the dead (from E2 S2, Matthew Goode plays Matthew Roydon, a Catholic serving Queen Elizabeth I)
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After the opening credits, we find Matthew in his secret files room at the Hart and Crown, kneeling on his prayer cushion, praying to a crucifix on the wall, up to the line, "On
Earth as it is in Heaven." Cut to Fr. Andrew Hubbard (Paul Rhys), the vampire king of London, walking through the sanctuary of his cloisters, Matthew quickly following from behind. Matthew explains that he wants Hubbard's forgiveness for killing the prisoner. His going to Hubbards differs from the novel
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, for which S2 is based. Of course, from S2 E1 we heard Marthe say he's evolved, that is, evolved beyond the role of a torturer.
Matthew says that his stepfather Philippe will appreciate Hubbard forgiving him, the subtext being that it can incentivize Philippe to send Hubbard a monetary donation in return. Hubbard is gonna have to think about it. Remember, he already has sent a message to Philippe telling him what Matthew did, so isn't that enough? Hubbard still thinks Matthew has changed because of Diana, but Matthew denies it.
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Alchemical experiments with Mary Sidney (Amanda Hale)
and Diana Roydon (Teresa Palmer) |
Mary Sidney invites Diana to perform some experiments and her search for the book comes up. She refers Diana to Dr. Dee because she knows Dee will have it or he will know who has it. Diana is excited to not only have a science lab buddy, but she's grateful for her connections in the literary world.
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A beautiful pastoral setting for Dr. Dee's library.
[Alternate dialogue: What's the library's lending policy?] |
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"I'm going to have a hell of a time getting you out of here."
đź’• |
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[Alternate dialogue: Diana, the boat will sink if
we take all of the books home.] |
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[Alternate dialogue: You can see I'm in a corset and eight layers
of fabric. Don't make me laugh!] |
Matthew fishes Dr. Dee for information about the disposition of the queen in asking about the recent visit she had with him. "Was she in good humor?" We're not in earshot of Dee's answer. The scene efficiently follows most of what happens in the
Shadow of Night, in which Dr. Dee discovers that the book he was supposed to have been given by Emporer Rudolph in Bohemia upon return sees that it was not the book at all. We get the lowdown that Edward Kelley is a slick guy who is likely in possession of this book, which Dee assures contains "the secret method to obtaining immortality." Diana is holding back her delight.
Indeed, the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place as Matthew offers to take the wrong book back to Edward Kelley in Bohemia and retrieve the book that Dee was supposed to bring back. Diana suggests later that they could just go to Bohemia for the book in response to Matthew trying to recall who was his contact with Emporer Rudolph in 1590. Surely, walking up to the Emperor's castle in Prague and knocking on the door would work, yeah?
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[Alternative dialogue: Certainly, you thought up a
plan to get the book, right?]
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Diana arrives at her first day of weaver training under the teachings of Goody Alsop (Sheila Hancock) and The Rede. Just like in
Shadow of Night, Matthew escorts her to the location. Notice a precious, flirtatious moment when the actor, Teresa Palmer portraying Diana, turns to tell him she'll be okay as she blinks just before she turns to go inside.
The lesson involves assessing which of the four elements are part of Diana's intuitive magic, and it comes down to her seeing the threads of each of them -- air, earth, water, and fire. Her awkwardness at first is due to her impatience. When she returns the next time, she's much more confident, and upon weaving the third knot, there occurs a spectacular moment of her arms thrusting into the air as a rowan tree emerges into the space above her, brilliantly lit up with golden light; her arms form the branches. Goody Alsop and The Rede are incredulous as Diana shows them her power. The tree represents the world beyond this world, and Goody declares that Diana is "truly a weaver."
As Diana is leaving the building, Susanna Norman (Aisling Loftus) stops her and tells Diana that she's powerful to which Diana asks her why she's not able to control her magic. Her response is, "Magic feeds from all aspects of your life. Everything is intertwined."
Look at S1 E6 to see her parents appear to Diana; "Magic is in the heart," she says, and then she flies up to the opening of the oubliette after being tortured by Satu. It's in that episode that her parents first speak of her being connected to Matthew who is the "Shadow Prince," the figure in the tale her mother tells her while her father performs a spell to suppress Diana's power, protecting her from Peter Knox.
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Rich colors and fabrics complete each detail
in the 16th-century costumes. |
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| Hair and accessories capture each authentic detail. |
Diana is at the beginning of her training and also at the beginning of building a life with Matthew. How Diana will be able to control her magic is yet to be seen. She meets later with Goody, and circles back on this topic in saying that "magic is connected to my intuition and emotions, and they are connected to Matthew." Susanna perhaps has the same power to see this in Diana as Sophie saw Diana in her dreams in S1. We learned at the end of E6 in S1 that she uses her magic out of
need; protecting herself, her friends, and Matthew. Look back in S2 E1 when she tells Matthew, "You don't protect me, we protect each other." She's following what Goody taught her so far and using her intuition in an effort to hone her power.
Sheila Hancock as Goody Alsop is always
amazing in using her props to show her emotions, but even more so when she demonstrates the bond she has developed between her and Diana, knowing it means she won't be there to guide her through learning to weave spells.
In Matthew's world, he visits Kit and seeks background details about what's happening in Bohemia. We briefly saw some of Kit's home in E2, but now we see clearly he lives sparsely, like a writer always in need of money. His home is mainly consisting of paper, books, a desk, and a table.
Kit tells Matthew that Bohemia is run by a mad man and that he needs to stay "focused on what's closer to home," referring to his duty to the queen. The idea of losing Matthew is in the back of his mind, too. Matthew uses this time to fish for what Cecil knows of Diana. Kit doesn't give him a straight answer. He only admits that Cecil can tell something is amiss with Matthew's uncharacteristic behavior.
When returning with Diana after her lesson, waiting at the Hart and Crown is Cecil Burghley who determines immediately that Matthew is different because of his sympathy for her kind -- witches. It doesn't matter that Diana tries to persuade Cecil that witches have been loyal and don't want trouble. Cecil commands that Matthew and Diana see the queen the next day.
Matthew immediately tells Kit that Cecil, indeed, knows Diana is a witch and accuses Kit of letting the secret out. "Lies come sweetly to you, don't they?" he growls.
Matthew Goode uses the low ceiling beam on the set -- it already makes him appear bigger, threatening -- slamming his hand on the beam in anger, accusing Kit of endangering Diana, and he's coming between them and not acting as a friend. When Matthew ducks under it, Kit physically stiffens his body anticipating an attack. Tension is like that in E1 when Matthew tells Kit that if he mentions Diana to anyone again, that he will end him. What will happen the next time Kit crosses Matthew's path?
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The support beam behind Matthew's head
doubles as a filing system. |
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[Alt. dialogue: You are so handsome when you're mad, Matthew.]
(Tom Hughes as Kit Marlowe).
The wider angle depicts Kit as slightly smaller than Matthew. |
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| "You stay away from us both." |
Kit being eager to convince Matthew that he didn't betray his trust, pays an unscheduled visit to Cecil to find out who told Cecil this news. It
should have been him, is Cecil's response because that's why he pays him. It's a confirmation that Kit is a spy for Cecil, "but only when it best suits [him]." Kit, desperate to win back Matthew's trust, asks Cecil to tell Matthew that it wasn't him, but Cecil is above that nonsense. How will Kit fix this so he doesn't lose Matthew? Should he write an apologetic poem?
Countess of Pembroke, Mary Sidney, is turning out to be a much more valuable friend when she delivers to Diana a dress to prepare her for meeting Queen Elizabeth.
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"I'm here to make sure your armor is worthy of the battle to come."
Perfectly stated. Diana is unprepared to meet Queen Elizabeth, being a witch and a woman beyond her time. |
Lizzie's disdain toward witches is apparent. "I will compel my husband to adhere only to your will," says Diana, speaking to the Queen of Matthew's loyalty to the Crown. The Queen sees through this saying, "She's clever. Too clever," and fortunately, she moves the conversation to reveal that she heard that they were with her astrologer, Dr. Dee.
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Barbara Marten portrays Queen Elizabeth I aka Lizzie.
Exquisite detail in the costume, makeup and hair. |
Speaking through her rotten teeth, Lizzie asks if the book that they're seeking has anything to do with the Philosopher's Stone. The Queen is wary of what happens if the "key to eternal life ... the limitless riches, fall into Hapsburg's hands." She can't get to Edward Kelley using her ambassadors because Emperor Rudolf refused them entry. She is counting on Matthew to use his powers of persuasion to bring her Edward Kelley so she can "lock him in the Tower until he creates the Philosopher's Stone." And then she will let Matthew off the hook for snapping the neck of the prisoner and for not being forthcoming upon his return from up north, i.e., presenting his wife Diana to the court as per protocol. Matthew volunteers his assistance while Diana watches and listens -- he's got himself backed into another "corner," in essence, extending their time in the past beyond what they had in mind.
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| Never turn your back on the Queen, especially when it is obvious the conversation has finished and you must leave. |
A note on observing how much the use of natural light in S2 reminds me of the film Barry Lyndon. The candlelight and sunlight are used as much as possible for a feeling of authenticity. It's beautiful even though often dark.
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Sweeping Uncle Matthew off of his feet.
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Saving the best to begin the third act of this chapter, we finally meet an infamous vampire out of the book Shadow of Night. The fun won't be spoiled by detailing how he enters the scene. If you are at all familiar with the intellect of predators, in this case, vampires, guessing an opponent's offensive strategy has helped them survive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Thank goodness for a gag in what's been a rough 24 hours for Matthew -- Lizzie summoning them, Burghley Bossypants, distrustful Kit, and remember, Fr. Hubbard hasn't forgiven him for murder.
Gallowglass (Steven Cree) is Matthew's nephew. As he's being introduced to Diana his keen senses are alerted that she's a witch. He's got a Scottish accent, thicker than Hamish's accent, and we already know his name because Kit mentions that Matthew was meant to be in Scotland with Gallowglass in E1. Gallowglass received a message from a courier to pass along for which Matthew is caught off guard, appearing stunned upon seeing the wax seal on the note in front of him. It's from his stepfather Philippe de Clermont.
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If ever there was a time to say, "F^ckity f^ck f^ck," this is it.
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The emotional rollercoaster that Matthew goes through from joy at reuniting with his nephew to seeing the note. Later describing his last memories are of his stepfather going insane. (Ysabeau, Matthew's mother, said in S1 E5 that it was witches who killed Philippe. Here Matthew says it was the Nazis who tortured Philippe into insanity).
Nice that they include in the adaptation the symbolism from Shadow of Night in referencing Philippe's coin on the seal inside the letter that tests the loyalty of anyone he summons. Matthew at first is wistful, and then serious, and becomes sad as he breathlessly describes how Philippe "could barely hold a pen the last time" he saw him.
Matthew pushed the thought of Philippe from his mind in E1 of this season, being of the mindset that they're going to get what they need and leave as soon as possible. Diana listens patiently and supports him by saying that it will "Reopen old wounds, but heal them, too." She doesn't know what she doesn't know but it sounds really soothing. Of course, Matthew knows the wounds, and Philippe's aim does not avoid them. "Not before making them worse, I assure you," is his response to her. Indeed, the [wine] "glass half empty."
Emotionally fraught, he warns her that he'll "be dragging her through a war," to which Diana thinks he means the Siege of Paris. He shuts his eyes, implying "not that war, Diana." Next, he recalls something his father told him,
"mating was destiny, and when I found her...you, that I would just have to accept my fate. But that's not how it works. In every moment, for the rest of my life, I will be choosing you."
I take this to mean that before he met Diana, and chose her to be his mate, his decisions didn't have to factor in a partner, or the consequences to their lives as a result of his choices. His destiny held little weight until he met her. "From this moment on, we will always be one," he said in E5 of S1. Vampires mate for life. At the close of S1, he relinquishes his title of Grand Master of the Knights of Lazarus, asking Marcus to take over; letting go of that role to time walk to another time and place, to find the book that may save the creatures, but most of all, to keep him and Diana safe from the Congregation.
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| [Alt. dialogue: Where the f^ck is Pierre with the wine?!] |
If by this point you're wondering how Matthew and Diana can journey from England to France, and also factor in the search for
Ashmole 782 in Bohemia, watch how Matthew tenderly shows Jack (Joshua Pickering) where on the globe the journey will take them. But Jack has to stay behind. His nurturing of Jack actually is a side of Matthew we are only beginning to see. Diana is now Jack's mother, so she thoughtfully leaves him a parting gift to hang onto until they see him again. The miniature portraits of Matthew and Diana are so perfect in capturing their images, and also, match the description of the art described in
Shadow of Night.
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Gallowglass (Steven Cree)
[Alt. dialogue: Just tell me. Am I your favorite nephew?] |
Gallowglass tells Diana that he's not going to take them further than to Mont St. Michel over the fact that the French killed his father. He also implores her to be an "anchor" for Matthew or "he may lose himself at Sept-Tours." [Is this family visit gonna be fun, or what!?]
Three episodes into this season and for the next seven episodes, their experiences could be life-altering. We may soon see:
⭐ more of Gallowglass!
⭐ Philippe!
⭐ 16th Century costumes, and
⭐ SCENERY!
I can't wait for more of "A Discovery of Witches"!
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