So, A Discovery of Witches Is Now a Time-Travel Show – Gizmodo

Diana (Teresa Palmer) and Matthew (Matthew Goode) explore ye olden times.Photo: Sundance Now

A Discovery of Witchesabout a historian who also happens to be a powerful witch, and the ancient vampire who falls for heris back for a second season of supernatural intrigue, spellcasting, and romance. But theres a new element this season, as promised by that season-one cliffhanger: time travel!

A Discovery of Witches season onebased on Deborah Harkness All Souls Trilogy and is about a world where witches, vampires, and demons secretly coexist alongside humanswas a fun watch despite the fact that it often felt like a bunch of other fantasy works all stitched together. It takes most of season one for Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), the orphaned daughter of two murdered witches, to realize just how full of magic she is. Her first indication comes when shes able to summon an alchemy manuscript, dubbed the Book of Life, that other creatures have been dying to get their hands on for centuries.

That event, which activates the spider senses of everyone in the supernatural world, is what sets A Discovery of Witches plot in motion. (Worth noting: Dianas inherent Harry Potter vibes are only heightened by the fact that she spends a lot of her time in Oxfords Bodleian Library, basically the real-world stand-in for Hogwarts.)

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As we see in the first season, one of those powerful creatures is Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), a 1,500-year-old vampire whos first only interested in the book but then realizes he finds Diana irresistible (more than a whiff o Twilight there). Witches and vampires arent supposed to hook up, according to the elite Congregation that makes all the creature-world rules, but Matthew and Diana dont let that stand in their way. Since the characters are both adultsand the eight-episode first season didnt have time to drag out any will-they-or-wont-they businesstheir steamy relationship moves at a pretty rapid pace.

As a bonus, A Discovery of Witches also gives us the familiar witch aunts trope, though in this case (unlike, say, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina or Practical Magic), the show makes them a non-related couple (played by Doctor WhosAlex Kingston and Valarie Pettiford). Theres even some Game of Thrones essence thanks to the casting of Owen Tealewho played Jon Snows Nights Watch nemesis Ser Alliser Thorneas villainous witch Peter Knox. By the end of season one, Diana and Matthew have pissed off enough influential creatures that the plotmust dip into the fantasy Filofax and call up Outlander, sending the couple back in time (conveniently, timewalking is one of Dianas newfound abilities).

In the past, they hope Diana will be able to learn to control her magic without her enemiessome are angry about the witch-vampire thing, some have personal vendettas, all want the Book of Lifelurking around every corner. Theyll also search for the Book of Life in this era, when presumably the crucial pages that were ripped out in the version Diana found in 2018 will still be intact.

I dont want to make A Discovery of Witches sound like its just a series of rip-offs; like I said earlier, its a fun watch and there are some original details that dont feel like they wandered over from another fantasy work. Diana is an intriguing charactereven if she wasnt a witch at all, being a medieval historian is seriously cool as hell. The story also balances the lusty stuff with worldbuilding that hints at, but doesnt fully reveal, the scope of the dueling interests within the Congregation, as well as the bitter history that has shaped the prejudices among the creatures.

But yes, theres a familiarity at play here that basically makes A Discovery of Witches the equivalent of fantasy comfort food; it doesnt hurt that everyone is good-looking and the scenery is to die for, whether were in the Congregation HQ (an ornate building thats only accessible by boat and only visible to magical eyes), Matthews family castle in France, the vampire stronghold in Venice, or the adorable haunted farmhouse in rural New York where Dianas aunts live. With season two sending our hot creature couple to the 15th century, you can also add dreamy period costumes to the menu.

Speaking of season twowhich dropped its first entry over the weekendit begins right where season one left off. In the present day, the sinister hunting party consisting of Knox, fellow witch Satu (Malin Buska), and aristocratic vampire Gerbert (Trevor Eve) have arrived in New York seconds too late to catch Diana and Matthew, who have just materialized in Elizabethan London. Matthews already lived through it once, of course, but still must find his bearings and recalibrate himself into who he was hundreds of years ago. That includes reconnecting with old associates, including Christopher Kit Marlowe (Tom Hughes)a demon whose reaction upon seeing Matthew with a witch is distinctly jealousand skating around others hed hoped never to see again, all without letting anyone know hes a time-traveling version of himself.

Clearly, theres a ton of potential drama brewing, between the search for the Book of Life, Dianas quest for a teacher, and the fact that these two crazy kids havent been together long enough to really know much about each other. (As you might guess, Matthew has centuries worth of secrets to unpack.) But the show does allow a little moment in the season premiere for Diana, a historian whos just stepped back in time, to geek out at her surroundings.

That said, theres no room to update us on all the characters still doing their thing in 2018but with 10 episodes this season, there should be plenty of time to catch up with Dianas aunts, whore presumably still hanging tight with Matthews mother (Lindsay Duncan); the pregnant Sophie (Aisling Loftus), a demon born to witch parents whose baby, species unknown, is poised to shake up creature world; and, of course, all those furious witches and vampires whore trying to figure out exactly where and/or when Diana and Matthew are hiding.

Itll be interesting to see how successfully A Discovery of Witches juggles past and present; the Matthew-Diana swoonfest has always naturally dominated all the other storylines, and the fact that theyre now compartmentalized into their own time zone might make pacing a challenge. But perhaps bringing the show into the past will help distinguish it from the other fantasy works it resembles so muchand even if it doesnt, you can be certain therell be eye candy galore wherever it takes us next.

New episodes of A Discovery of Witches arrive Saturdays on Sundance Now, Shudder, and AMC+.

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So, A Discovery of Witches Is Now a Time-Travel Show - Gizmodo