A Discovery of Witches Review: Episode #2.6 (Season 2 Episode 6)
Special effects are the best lead character on A Discovery of Witches Season 2 Episode 6, “Episode #2.6.”
Philippe De Clermont realizes the depth of Diana’s powers when her magic start to emanate from her form and lick the air surrounding her.
It looks absolutely incredible.
The episode could spend 20 minutes just on images of Diana’s magic and it would satisfy. It would certainly be a big improvement from the half hour of a single trip we get on A Discovery of Witches Season 2 Episode 5, “Episode 2.5.”
Even the brief snippets we get of her glowing body enliven the episode and help to flesh out the relationship Philippe has with witches.
Matthew’s blood rage comes out on the episode, but really it is all about Philippe.
Philippe is a complex character and that is a gift for us viewers. Matthew and Diana, unfortunately, have become kind of flat as they dance around the singular issue of their love.
Daddy De Clermont, on the other hand, is intoxicated by the knowledge that he has died by the time of Diana’s birth. He struggles with the concept of his own immortality.
He also struggles to accept Diana because the man does not trust.
It is a joy to watch this character that we’ve heard so much about as a scary guy, work through these, honestly, quite relatable issues.
The father son brawl with swords is an epic choreographed dance that is even more heated that Matthew and Diana’s wedding waltz. That is quite a feat!
His anger isn’t brutish, though. It isn’t mean. It is protective.
Philippe knows about his wife and his son’s blood rage. He doesn’t have it but he still dedicates his life, and much of his son’s life, to dealing with the issue.
That is evil from one perspective, but also a very protective father from another.
Philippe manages to make his protectiveness understandable. It’s kind of like Dexter’s father who knew he was raising a killer, so he channeled that into some good in the world.
Philippe believes that Matthew is kind of a monster. He controls him in order to protect him from his own worst impulses.
Those layers are revealed on the episode and as we see them, we understand Matthew so much better.
Don’t get me wrong, Matthew’s super-controlling and secretive approach to Diana throughout the series is still problematic.
But, it is now clear that this was instilled in him from a very young age (vampire age), and now that he has his father’s blessing, he should be able to work through some of those daddy issues.
Diana and Matthew certainly work things out in the bedroom! That fire lit sequence is good TV right there. Right in time for Valentine’s Day too. Thanks, A Discovery of Witches .
Philippe also plays a very important role in the plot. We finally see a connection between what Diana and Matthew are changing in the past and the future.
When Philippe starts to pen his letter to Ysabeau, the witches feels its presence in the library.
Finally, a recognition that what is happening with the time walkers matters!
It is helpful, too, that there is dialogue directly about keeping the information from Ysabeau so that she doesn’t realize what happened until it is the future.
That ties up some time travel holes really well.
It probably isn’t considered “special effects,” but the dancing and fighting choreo on the episode is yet another example of how the behind the camera teams are really what make A Discovery of Witches a strong show.
The cinematography, costumes join the special effects and the choreography to amaze and enrapture the audience. The show should be winning awards for these aspects.
What did you think of this episode of A Discovery of Witches? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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A Discovery of Witches airs Saturdays on Sundance NOW, AMC+, and Shudder.
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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.