In episode 7, the series finale, Diana shows that she’s come fully into her power. She rallies the family, including Baldwin, to find Matthew and rescue him from Benjamin’s torture. Then she confronts the Congregation with scientific evidence that the Covenant is helping drive species extinct, and in the process thwarts Gerbert’s plans, while helping bring justice for the long overlooked daemons. Once she’s done saving the creature world, Diana turns back toward Matthew and tying up loose ends with her family.
Recap
The action picks up not long after the end of the previous episode. Dressed in black dark colors, the family gathers in the Sept-Tours great hall to organize the search for Matthew.
In episode 6, Matthew leaves for Poland to find Benjamin and punish him for being a de Clermont –acting exactly like Matthew – not getting the message that the de Clermonts don’t harm witches any more since Matthew met Diana. And for stealing his grandfather Philippe’s watch. While Matthew is gone, Diana and Sarah set out to retrieve the Book of Life from the library now that they have all three missing pages.
Recap
As Ruelle’s song Genesis plays, Matthew (Matthew Goode) and Diana (Teresa Palmer) say an emotional goodbye, then he drives to Poland, where Benjamin (Jacob Ifan) is holding witches hostage and waiting for Matthew to find him.
Diana informs Marcus (Edward Bluemel) that she and Matthew agreed she’d go to Oxford and retrieve the Book of Life while he was gone. In an out of character moment, Marcus tries to talk her out of it. He thinks they should all sit at Sept-Tours and wait for Matthew to come home.
In episode 5, the Bishop-Clairmont family and their allies travel to Matthew’s French ancestral home, Sept-Tours, for the twins’ christening. The gathering also serves as a war council as they consider future plans in their fight to modernize the Congregation’s rules and operations. Benjamin takes witches hostage in Poland in the hope of turning them into his own “Diana”. The Congregation discusses the twins and how to deal with the threat they could pose to the established order.
Recap
As Tmrw. by Milk and Bone plays, Ysabeau (Lindsay Duncan) oversees the preparations for the twins’ christening at Sept-Tours and Diana (Teresa Palmer) and Agatha (Tanya Moodie) attend Timothy’s funeral in the Cotswolds, England. Timothy wasn’t exaggerating the extent of his isolation- Diana and Agatha are the only mourners at his funeral. Agatha made the preparations to have him laid to rest in the tiny village cemetery, but she feels bad because she has no idea what he would have wanted for himself.
In episode 4, Diana and Sarah seek the help of a local coven to perform a locator spell to aid in their search for the last missing page. Now that they have more blood samples to work with, Chris and Miriam’s research yields some disappointing results, which Miriam shares with Matthew in New Orleans. Everyone returns to London just in time for Diana to go into labor.
Recap
Diana (Teresa Palmer) sits on her bed, weaving a spell using the knots Goody Alsop taught her in the 16th century, with her grimoire and a pregnancy book beside her. After a minute she stops to take a break, then heads downstairs, where she runs into Gallowglass (Steven Cree). He watches her with affection as she takes a cup of tea from Fernando (Olivier Huband) and greets Phoebe (Adelle Leonce) and Sarah (Alex Kingston). The two women have been sifting through the hundreds of potential TJ Westons who might own the third page from the Book of Life and are getting frustrated.
Diana wonders if the TJ with the page doesn’t want to be found, so she’s been creating a locator spell. Sarah is intrigued by Diana’s idea, but realizes they’ll need a coven, since it takes several witches to work that type of spell. Phoebe, Gallowglass and Fernando worry that working with a coven will alert Peter Knox (Owen Teale) to their activities, but Diana has come too far to let Peter scare her off.
In episode 3, Diana substantially ups her sweater game while she and Phoebe continue their research into the missing pages. Matthew, Marcus and Jack visit New Orleans to convince Marcus’ family to put aside their hatred of Matthew and join the new scion. Gallowglass, Fernando and Sarah bond as Diana’s support crew.
Recap
We begin in New Orleans, home of the large circle of vampires Marcus (Edward Bluemel) made after he grew tired of the de Clermonts and ran away from home to join the circus in the 19th century. No, seriously- several of his children were circus performers before they were vampires. Marcus has always had a sense of fun and adventure. When he created a new home and family that was all his own, he made sure they shared those traits, in addition to wanting warmth and love as much as he did. Then the Congregation, Matthew (Matthew Goode) and Philippe took the community they’d built away from all of them again. They didn’t understand why until last season, more than a century later. Matthew earned the bitterness they feel toward him.
In episode 5, Matthew and Diana continue to work with Chris and Miriam to analyze creature DNA. Father Hubbard returns Jack to them, with mixed results. After Benjamin reappears, Matthew agrees to form a scion.
Recap
The episode begins with modern day Father Andrew Hubbard (Paul Rhys) kneeling in his church while doing a little light devotional reading. Hubbard recognizes Benjamin Fuchs’ (Jacob Ifan) footsteps as he approaches from behind. He says he told Benjamin never to darken his door again. Benjamin won’t leave until he gets what he came for (not “who,” though he’s referring to a vampire). Andrew says he hasn’t seen the person in question in months. Benjamin is sure he’ll show up sooner or later and orders Andrew to inform him when that happens. As Benjamin walks away, Andrew whispers, “Why can’t you just leave him alone, Benjamin?” Since Benjamin is a vampire, he hears the whisper, but ignores it.
Fellow creatures, it’s time to travel back to 21st century France and Britain for the 3rd and final season of A Discovery of Witches. After their sojourn in 16th century Europe, Diana and Matthew timewalk straight into Sept-Tours and find themselves in the middle of several crises- as usual. Before long, Matthew’s brother, Baldwin, arrives to stir the pot further.
Season 2 Summary
At the end of season 2, Matthew and Diana had spent almost a year in Elizabethan London, with a side trip to Prague in search of the Book of Life. While there, they spent time with Matthew’s vampire nephew, Gallowglass, and fostered an orphaned human boy, Jack. Before they left, Diana secretly asked the vampire-priest who ruled the creatures of London, Father Hubbard, to watch over Jack for her. On their way to Prague, they stopped at Sept-Tours and stayed with Matthew’s vampire stepfather, Philippe, who sanctioned their mating and marriage, then adopted Diana as his blood-sworn daughter using a vampire blood vow.
Season 3 of A Discovery of Witches, based on Deborah Harkness’ supernatural All Souls Trilogy, premieres in the UK on January 7, 2022 (on Sky Max and NOW) and in the US on January 8, 2022 (on streamers AMC+, Shudder and Sundance Now). The third season, based on the third book in the trilogy, The Book of Life, consists of 7 episodes.
AMC tweeted a whirlwind video recap of the first two seasons which you can watch below. It manages to hit the high points of the series in just 5 minutes. Or you can stick with Steven Cree’s (Gallowglass) especially succinct version. He hits some of my high points. 😇 ❤️ 😉
The third and final season of A Discovery of Witches, based on The Book of Life, the third book in Deborah Harkness’ supernatural All Souls Trilogy, premieres in the UK on January 7, 2022 (on Sky Max and NOW) and in the US on January 8, 2022 (on streamers AMC+, Shudder and Sundance Now). Season 3 consists of 7 episodes.
There are currently no plans to film Harkness’ 4th book about Diana and Matthew’s world, Time’s Convert, which tells the story of Matthew’s son, Marcus Whitmore. Harkness is working on more books in this universe, so let’s hope for another trilogy which can be filmed together!
Now that season 3 is almost upon us, here’s a collection of season 3 trailers, photos and interviews for those who want a sneak peek.
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