"A Discovery of Witches" | S3:E1 | An Analysis (contains details of E1)

Before I get into the actual episode, this season of "A Discovery of Witches" is one of the first shows filmed during the pandemic. The extra effort that it involved in keeping everyone safe will not be seen on the screen. If you follow the show on social media, you'll have seen behind-the-scenes footage of enduring all sorts of protocols as well as torrential downpours, and freezing cold temperatures. I have a great appreciation for the hard work put into making this season happen amongst all of the challenges that the cast and crew faced. I'm so grateful to have the privilege to watch this show. I enjoy connecting with the characters adapted from the three books, All Souls Trilogy, by Deborah Harkness, therefore, writing about the show brings me closer to them.

The following analysis is solely my own. Some of it offers an opinion while recapping portions of the episode. The analysis below is intended to focus on a particular aspect of the story or aspect of a character. This may or may not recap every moment and may not cover every character of the episode. Anything written for this post is created by the blog's author who is an inspired fan with the intention of promoting the work. If you enjoy reading this, please leave a comment here or on Instagram @thataddamsgirl.

This episode:

• Director: Jamie Donoughue 
• Writer: Lisa Holdsworth
• Description: Matthew and Diana return from Elizabethan London to find tragedy at Sept-Tours; Agatha challenges Knox in the Congregation; Diana learns she's carrying twins.

If you haven't watched season 3, episode 1, or any episodes from the two previous seasons, you will be spoiled if you read any further. 

Get ready for a very quick season consisting of seven episodes of "A Discovery of Witches." Season 3 covers The Book of Life, the third book in the All Souls Trilogy. The first 7-½ minutes remind us of where the story left off. The recap runs down the basics, but the camera angles, the lighting, and the location shots let us know we’re dealing with a life-altering crisis. 

The opening is the POV of someone flying above and arriving at the castle grounds of Sept-Tours, first passing over the sacred space, aka the temple, where Emily Mather (Valarie Pettiford) was murdered by Peter Knox (Owen Teale), and then over the castle Sept-Tours. Interior shots with the familiar hallways and early dawn's light streaming through the windows as Diana (Teresa Palmer) and Matthew (Matthew Goode), through her magical Wiccan powers of timewalking, return from the 16th Century. A devastated Aunt Sarah (Alex Kingston) is surprised to see them. She's at the bedside, holding the hand of her partner, Emily, and within seconds Emily succumbs to her injuries.

The story continues as we see the Congregation member and daemon, Agatha, saying goodbye to her son, Nathaniel (Daniel Ezra). She's heading for Venice to call a meeting with The Congregation to deal with Peter Knox. Notice the portrait to the far right of the screen just barely visible with a dim, amber light above it. It is the portrait of Philippe de Clermont, whom we previously met in episodes 5 and 6 of season 2.

Philippe became one of the most beloved characters of season 2 and was a key part of Matthew's arc; his coming to terms with his past. In season 2 we saw Philippe welcome Diana, a witch, into the de Clermont family. Philippe had previously established The Covenant that states species should be kept separate and not cross-mate or even socialize with species other than their own. For centuries the creatures have existed under the radar, blending in and avoiding detection by humans. Vampires and witches are particularly forbidden from being with each other. Philippe changed the rules by welcoming Diana but he kept their presence secret all of these centuries, which keeps The Covenant intact. The Congregation still thinks the species cannot have relationships with others outside of their species like a vampire and a witch or a witch and a daemon, or a daemon and a vampire. In season 3, episode 1, The Covenant's usefulness/uselessness is debated, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Portrait of Philippe de Clermont in the entryway of Sept-Tours.

This is a screen capture using the stream at HD 1080p. The indoor photography for this show is notoriously darker, which can be quite frustrating.

Matthew is back and calling the shots at the first gathering following their return from the 16th century. He stands at the table with all gathered around. The camera captures him from below just like it did in season 2 when he was meeting with Queen Elizabeth I as a man exhibiting confidence. Notice the framing of the drapes vs. the columns. 

One of my favorite scenes of this episode follows the meeting. Phoebe (Adelle Leonce), Marcus’s girlfriend, introduces herself to Matthew. He’s very tense and acts quite in the same patriarchal manner as Philippe, who was rather cold when Diana and Matthew arrived at his command back in season 2. Matthew's attitude is stern and reprimanding. In fact, Phoebe finds Matthew looking out of the window where we last saw Philippe doing the same at the end of episode 6 of season 2. Matthew is standing in the very space that was Philippe’s office when he loses his cool. Matthew echoes Philippe’s tone of disapproval in addressing Marcus who enters shortly after Phoebe. At the end of season 1, Matthew entrusted him with the responsibility of the Grand Master of the Knights of Lazarus. He sees Emily Mather’s murder as something Marcus (Edward Bluemel) should have prevented regardless of the powers that overcame him when he went to the temple to stop Peter Knox.

Beautiful framing that calls back to Philippe in S2

The funeral for Emily Mather

The return of Gallowglass (Steven Cree) riding up the Sept-Tours driveway and in his motorcycle jacket creates an image of a tough exterior. He is a thick-bearded biker with chunky silver rings. Observe closely that his fingers are inked with tattoos of runes. The runes are part of his story of being a very old vampire dating back to the time of the Vikings. Gallowglass figures much more as a protector in the books and we'll see how much he fits that role in the TV version of his character. I know that the fans have a lot of expectations, but I hope all of them can be patient with the fact that book-to-TV adaptation may not give as much time to the characters as one may hope.

In the book, Gallowglass and Diana's reunion is slightly different, but the script for the TV captures essentially what the book's text is here without tears flowing:

“There, there.” Gallowglass lifted her into a bear hug. “It’s been some time since the sight of me brought a woman to tears. Besides, it really should be me weeping at our reunion. As far as you’re concerned, it’s been only a few days since we spoke. By my reckoning it’s been centuries.”

Steven Cree portrays Gallowglass. You can almost see his grin beneath the beard.

If you are an All Souls book reader, Gallowglass's hug likely made your heart swell as it did this writer.

The index finger has a tattoo with a combination of runes from the ancient alphabet. Bind runes may be depicted in this shot of Gallowglass's index finger.

Another choice moment is the gathering of only the de Clermonts in which Baldwin (Peter McDonald), Philippe's bloodborne son, tells Matthew, “Family only, oh, but bring the witch,” and he is the worst passive-aggressive family member in every possible way. He cannot say anything nice without it sounding like a backhanded compliment, like his toast, “To my brother’s mate, and their unborn children, whatever they are.” He continues to enlighten Diana that a witch and a vampire had a baby and the witches were the species that "sent the baby with the mother into the desert to die." 

We finally get to hear about the vampire Matthew sired named Benjamin. I was hoping it would come up in conversation so that Diana could tell Matthew that she met him. Soon she does and Matthew explains the reason for turning him into a vampire was to "expose his true nature" in hopes he would be caught and killed. Here Matthew cannot downplay any of his irrational decisions and admits to Diana that his "abandoning a new vampire with blood rage" was "a horrible miscalculation" on his part.

Matthew Goode as Matthew de Clermont

Agatha's eyewear is by Campbell Marson.
Thank you for the info, Molly Emma Rowe, costume designer.
Tanya Moodie portrays Agatha Wilson.

Satu (Malin Buska) voting to banish Peter Knox from The Congregation.

Season 3 introduces a new character in London. Fernando (Olivier Huband) greets everyone upon arrival. He is a vampire who was mated to Hugh de Clermont. Hugh is Gallowglass’s father and we learn what happened to Hugh when Fernando offers his kind sympathy to Sarah. He also makes coffee for Sarah, which is something mentioned in The Book of Life. In the book, the coffee is brought in during a later chapter with a bottle of whiskey on a tray. The episode definitely has wine, but not the hard stuff.

Miriam (Aiysha Hart) is holding the page from Ashmole 782. Matthew walks over and looks at a painting across from him. It is another portrait, but this time it is of both Ysabeau and Philippe, which is also dimly lit. We fans really loved the distant relationship in episode 6 between Ysabeau and Philippe. I know it was one of the most memorable episodes of season 2. This is a loving acknowledgment of their undying love for each other.

Portrait of Ysabeau (Lindsay Duncan) and Philippe (James Purefoy)

Diana sets up a meeting with an old friend and research scientist, Chris (Ivanno Jeremiah). The goal is to analyze the page's DNA from the book (actually printed on the skins of ancient witches) and to study the genetics of the disease that causes blood rage. It sets up next week's episode in which we see Matthew talking to an audience about the fact that he is a vampire.

Diana is wearing Philippe’s arrowhead pendant that he gifted her at the end of season 2. Much more visible, slightly bigger. She’s wearing it to show others that Philippe de Clermont willingly, as in, he wasn't bewitched by Diana, welcomed her into the family with a blood vow.

Blood rage is going to throw off the balance of everything in Matthew and Diana's world. Domenico hands Baldwin evidence that ties the killer to Matthew and Diana. He makes it clear that he's not helping to take down the de Clermonts, unlike Gerbert.

Gerbert (Trevor Eve) hates the de Clermonts and is determined to rid them of their power.

We arrive at the moment in which Benjamin Fuchs, the vampire that Matthew sired and abandoned, gets a call, which could be informing him that Matthew is back. Recall in season 2 that he sensed Philippe's powerful blood vow as Diana stood in line while he passed and then he told her that he recognized it. Benjamin leaves a calling card of dead bodies everywhere he goes and is likely conspiring to take down the de Clermonts. His screentime is exciting because he's dangerous to the lives of everyone he touches including other creatures. The supply of creature parts that Gallowglass discovered in Rudolph's secret collection, i.e., vampire teeth, a witch's hand, etc., were all a result of Benjamin's actions.

Jacob Ifan plays Benjamin Fuchs

Indeed, Matthew and Diana land back in the 21st century to deal with threats in what's to come as they try to unravel the mystery of The Book of Life. It is likely more characters are going to be introduced as Marcus sets about to form a scion. This is explained in the episode, however, if you have the book, go to chapter 5 where you can find the explanation. I've copied it out of the book for you here:

"Any male with full-blooded children of his own can establish a scion, provided he has the approval of his sire or the head of his clan. The new scion will be considered a branch of the original family, but in all other ways the new scion’s sire shall exercise his will and power freely."

We're also going to see a couple of other characters return from season 2. Stay tuned for more posts!