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Cauldron of romance bubbles along nicely
Supernatural show has magical end
Despite its title, this show is about more than just witches, with vampires, daemons and humans also along for the supernatural ride.
Matthew Goode (Matthew) and Teresa Palmer (Diana) return from their trip to the 16th Century during the previous season with a whole host of problems to deal with in this story of forbidden love between a spell-weaver and blood-sucker.
The stakes are raised in these final seven episodes which, quite surprisingly, makes this the shortest of its three seasons. Diana, Matthew and their assembled family and friends have a lot on their plate as they have to deal with sudden losses, unexpected pregnancies, blood-raged vampires, meddlesome witches, enemies from the Congregation of creatures, revengeseeking vampire children and so much more.
The season adds a new villain in Jacob Ifan’s Benjamin, but previous baddies, witches Satu (Malin Buska) and Peter (Owen Teale), are far more sinisterly spell-binding this time around, while vampire Gerbert (Trevor Eve) has even greater bite and Gregg Chilingirian’s Domenico proves he’s more than just a power-hungry stooge with a late change of heart.
The head of the De Clermont vampire family is Matthew’s brother Baldwin, played this season by Peter Mcdonald, replacing Trystan Gravelle who departed the production due to scheduling issues.
Mcdonald plays the role well, cutting a fine figure as the respectable, authoritarian and traditional businessman whose loyalties are never fully clear.
The main cast shine and fully embody their characters. The bonds between them are showcased through often hard-to-hear conversations, standing side-by-side in battle and even small moments like the passing of a cup of herbal tea.
The soundtrack is also a triumph, delivering cover versions of several hit songs, and keep your tissues handy throughout as the adaptation of Deborah Harkness’ trilogy of books closes with an emotional punch and calls back to prior seasons’ events.
●What are your thoughts on A Discovery of Witches? Which of its three seasons did you think was the best? Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments to your fellow readers.