Mayfair Witches Season 1 Episode 2 Review: The Dark Place

Rowan’s downward spiral on Mayfair Witches Season 1 Episode 2, “The Dark Place,” provides an opportunity for her to learn more about her ancestors for a dreadful price.

After some grief-stricken searching, it doesn’t take Rowan long to find the inconsistencies in her adoption, which raises red flags immediately. Due to her mental state, she isn’t allowed to return to work until deemed suitable by the company psychologist.

The psychologist’s visit quickly turns into a red alert when the doctor mentions Daniel’s death, and Rowan gets agitated. And from what we learned on “The Witching Hour,” bad things happen when she gets angry.

When the psychologist’s nose begins to bleed, Rowan makes haste and disappears, only to take her anger out on a group of crows surrounding her vehicle. However, we know that’s not her nature. So, she takes the bodies to the beach for a proper burial, where she promptly falls asleep and is transported to a dream world.

In her dream state, Ellie is guiding Rowan to New Orleans and the horrors of Lasher without Rowan understanding the meaning behind the dream.

Unbeknownst to Rowan, Ciprien is watching from afar, gauging his next move. At the same time, he’s fighting the Talamasca to reveal her family lineage and lore, but they refrain from letting him do so.

After thirty years of being protected and kept away from New Orleans, they aren’t going to change their decision overnight just because of Ellie’s death. So far, we know very little about Ciprien besides being a supernatural agent, but now we’re seeing part of the character he attains.

When Ciprien tries to approach Rowan, he scares her, which ends with her stealing his phone after almost killing him, learning small details about her real family, and making the trip to New Orleans. From there, the tragedies in her life continue to grow.

While “The Dark Place” is an entertaining episode, it does have pacing issues, primarily with Deirdre’s storyline. On “The Witching Hour,” we are introduced to her fugue state, where she’s been for the past thirty years, and now, she’s free. Granted, a lot of dark, supernatural powers at work give her freedom, but it feels rushed.

It feels counterproductive to bring Deirdre to life, allow her a brief moment of freedom, and then kill her in front of Rowan. The brand-new information obtained through context clues, like Carlotta’s befuddlement at Deirdre walking around, is much appreciated, but it’s not enough.

One aspect of Deirdre’s arc in “The Dark Place” that is exquisite is her use of magic. While our time with a coherent and able Deirdre may be short, we’re given a glimpse of the limitless power she attained. She’s a powerful witch that I hope we see again, despite her unexpected death.

The episode gets a bit confusing with Deirdre and Lasher’s sex scene. She had not made noise, a movement for herself, or anything in years, and all of a sudden, moans and crashes were coming from her room, yet not one person decided to check on her. It’s a weird sequence of events.

The only acknowledgment we get of the awkward moment from anyone in the house is Delphine’s snide remark about noises coming from Deirdre’s room.

“The Dark Place” is an enjoyable second outing in the new world of Anne Rice, and I can’t wait to see where the lengths the series will go as we progress through the season.

Stray Thoughts:

• It’s understandable, thanks to their connection with Lasher, but Rowan experiencing her mother’s moment of pleasure is unpleasant.
• The more we see of Carlotta, the more sinister she seems. I believe that she killed Deirdre, and I am not excited for her to get her hands on Rowan.
• I’m curious and eager to learn more about the witches from 1681, briefly shown at the beginning of the episode. 

What did you think of this episode of Mayfair Witches? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Mayfair Witches airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

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