We’re at the part of the festivities where nothing that’s happening is nearly enough.
A Discovery of Witches Season 3 Episode 6 wasn’t bad by any means, but with only two hours remaining, it’s just not where I want the focus to be as the series rides off into the sunset.
Truthfully, The Book of Life was my least favorite out of the three All Souls books, too, but even that had a lot more meat to enjoy.
So, what’s my beef, exactly?
We’re getting to the crescendo, but there won’t be any time to come down once it peaks.
A Discovery of Witches Season 1 focused on Diana and Matthew finding each other, falling in love, Diana’s acceptance of her powers, and Matthew’s acceptance of falling in love with a witch.
A Discovery of Witches Season 2 solidified their love, added depth to their relationship, and Diana got the help she needed to understand her magic to reach her potential.
But A Discovery of Witches Season 3 has been about mourning what was and trying to establish what comes next for all creatures, and that has shifted priorities away from love toward war.
War is necessary to bring an end to The Congregation’s brutal reign and to dismantle the laws demanded by the Covenant. Even its creator, Philippe, would be up in arms given how differently things are for creatures today than when he established The Congregation.
But we now have 40 minutes left with many villains still to get their just desserts, and that means we will have no time at all to bask in the afterglow of their success.
And dammit, Matthew and Diana are so good in love. Who doesn’t want to bask in it at least a little? Far more than the five minutes I expect might be dedicated to said basking in the finale.
That doesn’t even take into consideration the general response from creatures far and wide after they make some headway.
Phoebe can’t stop talking about becoming a vampire, but we will never see it unless, for some odd reason, part of the finale is dedicated to her transformation that takes place in Time’s Convert.
While I enjoy Phoebe, this obsession has made her a little insufferable, and seeing her get her wish at this particular point isn’t high on my list of priorities.
And even worse, I’m writing a lot of this because what happened in the episode doesn’t leave much else to discuss. Scenes with deep meaning that can be explored and analyzed are gone in place of plot-driven scenes that are getting us to the end.
It’s kind of sad. This has been a very short era, but the end of A Discovery of Witches on screen is more painful than losing many other longer-running shows.
So what did we get during the hour I’ve coined “Clash of the Titans”? Just what it sounds like. The big players are starting to throw down after the baptism lit the fuse that fueled the fire.
Diana and Matthew were going their different ways to accomplish things. With the pages in hand, Diana was eager to get to the Bodleian to reunite the pages with Ashmole 782, and Matthew considered ending Benjamin once and for all.
After all of that toiling to get the pages, including honing her magic so she could find the buggers, it was rather uneventful once everything was back together again.
The words rolled off of the pages and onto Diana’s arms, which left her writing out their messages for others to share as they scurried, trying to decipher what it all meant.
But we didn’t get anything out of that. No sooner had Diana finished scribbling than word of Matthew’s impending doom came via video message. Yes, poor Benjamin and Satu are in for quite the surprise.
Peter Knox already got his comeuppance in a short, if effective scene. Sarah needed to squash him like the bug that he was, and she did it with very little effort. He never saw it coming. Honestly, it felt a little too easy. He’s the kind of guy you’d like to see suffer.
Maybe we’ll get our wish once the gang arrives at the sanitarium (or whatever that place is) to rescue Matthew. Benjamin wants Matthew to suffer the same fate as Philippe, but Benjamin will be the one who suffers, and we can expect Satu to get her reward right beside him.
Gerbert let the cat out of the bag, and Domenico had no compunction to keep Gerbert’s secret to himself — if Gerbert even wanted him to. Gerbert has been working with Benjamin for centuries, waiting for the right time to end the de Clermonts.
Could that be any more aggravating? Maybe it wouldn’t have been if we had any idea who Gerbert was to the story. He’s just a suit. He’s like the Richard Sackler (of Purdue…) of the creature world. Utterly useless for anything other than his own gain.
Starting the family annihilation with Philippe won’t do Gerbert any favors. He doesn’t know how to read a room. Baldwin was resigned to support the man no matter what, but you could see his demeanor change once Domenico shared his news.
Baldwin will see the error of his ways and stand by his family. Can’t you feel that, too? They’ll battle necessary evils and do what they can to usher in enlightenment for creatures.
Still, this story cannot accommodate righting the world of every evil, so some people will stay and get to live another day. They might not hold the same positions of power, but they’ll carry on in some way, no doubt planning their rise once again.
We won’t get to see that, although we may be able to read about it as the book series will continue from author Deborah Harkness. Thank goodness!
We’ve got one more to go. Is it enough for you? Do you feel like we’ve just not had enough of what we love about All Souls this season?
Until next time…
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.