The Witch Baby
We’re back in London 1591 as episode 8 of A Discovery of Witches Season 2 starts. Diana tries in vain to read the shifting texts of the Book Of Life. With whispers shivering round her, Matthew sees how much this book is affecting her and convinces Diana to head downstairs and get something to eat. Back in the present, Peter Knox returns to Gerbert and informs him about Kelley’s pages and how they were ripped out the book. Given there are three pages left in the present, Gerbert tasks Knox to head out and retrieve them. Marcus gets dressed up and heads out to meet Pheobe, handing back the clothes she left at his. At the gallery, he shows her the Knights Of Lazarus necklace and implores her to do some research and learn who he is. And research she does. Phoebe looks through the various files, coming across the Elizabethan miniature paintings and how it’s aligned to Marcus’s story. Deciding to try and learn the truth for herself, she heads down to the vault. Only, Domenico suddenly shows up. Phoebe immediately senses something is up and smartly remains sceptical. Domenico notices the necklace though, learning what Marcus’s role is in all of this and walks away. This certainly rattles Phoebe as she’s left with lots of questions. When Marcus returns home, his visit there is short-lived as Sophie is rushed to hospital with the birth of their child. The birth goes ahead without a hitch, despite being several weeks premature. As we soon learn though, the child is most certainly a witch. While Emily and Sarah come to blows over the former conjuring up Rebecca’s spirit, Ysabeau receives a threatening call from Gerbert promising to rip down the foundations of their house unless she hands over the pages of the book. She refuses to do so and puts the phone down. Emily and Sarah eventually patch up their differences though and set out to find the sacred site together. Phoebe’s niggling questions see her visit Marcus again. He sits her down and reveals the truth about everything that’s going on. After kissing, Marcus lectures Phoebe about how human prejudice is worse than ever, building walls and enforcing borders. Hmm I wonder who this could be referring to? Anyway, the pair continue to talk and then they sleep together. Afterwards, Phoebe mentions a vampire showing up at the gallery asking questions about the paintings. Marcus decides he wants to do away with everything and turn away from this life. Phoebe convinces him to make some positive changes though and not give up his position so easily. After all, there’s a reason why he decided to be a doctor. When Marcus meets Baldwin again, he decides to make it his mission to protect Sophie and Nathaniel’s family. Baldwin scoffs at the notion, telling him his ideas are contaminated like his blood. Eventually Baldwin and Marcus go their separate ways, with Gerbert watching from afar and seizing on this opportunity to strike. He shows up and immediately learns from Baldwin that Marcus is protecting a witch child born to daemons. Unfortunately Knox shows up at the hospital and uses his magic to knock Nathaniel out on the floor. Knox promises that sooner or later he’ll come for the child as Agatha shows up and promises she’ll kill him if he shows up again. Things look set to explode at any moment but for now, this volatile situation is left hanging on a knife-edge. As the episode comes to a close, we cut back in time again as Diana has a bad dream about a tree burning. As she bolts upright in bed, waking from her awful night terror, she tells Matthew that she’s not okay.
The Episode Review
The latest episode of A Discovery Of witches does well to shift the focus back to the present as Sophie’s baby seems to be the catalyst that will start the ensuing war between the different races. Given Diana was originally in this same position, the dynamic this time is that much more volatile as the different races are divided and look set to explode into war at any moment. The tense stand-off between Agatha and Knox is probably the best example of this, although Domenico’s icy, cool demeanor certainly adds a layer of suspense to every scene he occupies. Around this though is the budding romance between Marcus and Phoebe, again playing on that divided line between races but involving humans into the fold. Personally though, his lecture about humanity and being divided feels a bit on the nose and could have been written a little more elegantly. The contrived argument between Sarah and Emily is probably the biggest blemish of the episode but to be honest, everything else sets the scene nicely for what should be a very dramatic penultimate episode – especially if that preview is anything to go by!
