A New World Order
Rallying The Troops
Episode 7 of The Discovery Of Witches Season 3 begins in Sept-Tours with all our characters rallying together, desperate to find Matthew. It doesn’t take long for Baldwin to show up though. He cofires that Philippe was a prisoner of war, experimented on by Benjamin and Gerbert. It’s here he also breaks the news that Gerbert is the ringleader in this entire diabolical scheme. Benjamin wants Matthew to meet the same fate as Philippe, determined to make him lose his mind. Benjamin is playing a much bigger game here, given how nonchalantly he’s been showing off Philippe’s watch in the video. Without much time, Marcus rallies the troops together, setting to work surveilling the area while Diana flies out to meet Benjamin in Poland. Meanwhile, Ysabeau welcomes Gerbert to Sept-Tours as a “friend”. The latter immediately acknowledges the childrens’ heartbeats and warns that Diana will use he Book of Life to destroy all vampires. Ysabeau has more faith in Matthew and Diana than that, and even calls out Gerbert for killing Philippe. Growing impatient, Gerbert promises leniency if she gives up the babes to him. He also warns that this could all be for nothing if she chooses to disobey him. And Ysabeau’s reply? “Go back to Venice, Gerbert. You have no dominion here.”
What happens to Satu in Poland?
Elsewhere, Diana arrives in Poland with Miriam, Gallowglass and Baldwin. Together, they track down Benjamin and a weakened Matthew. Diana realizes this is her fight, and hers alone, and she sets up a barrier, preventing the others from following her. It’s here Diana finds herself face to face with Satu. Still sporting the scars from their last encounter, Diana is vigilant as Satu demands she give up the book. “I am the book,” She snarls back, as Satu realizes she’s not part of the prophecy after all. Since Venice, Satu has believed the referenced all-powerful witch is referencing her and now, she intends to force that out of Diana no matter what. As she conjures forth flames, Diana hits back and spellbinds her, leaving the woman alone in this cell.
What happens with Matthew? Does he survive?
After learning about the knot magic over the past seasons, Diana walks purposefully up the hallway, reciting all the different knots leading up to the all-powerful knot of ten. Why she does this out loud I’m not sure but it’s a pretty dramatic moment nonetheless. This then manifests itself into a giant bow and arrow, which Katniss Diana uses to hit Benjamin straight in the chest, knocking him back. This allows Diana to rush in and see Matthew, who does not look good. The group bring him back to Sept-Tours for treatment. Thankfully Matthew does recover but it’s certainly touch and go for a while. Sarah even gives him a steady stream of healing tea. The last cup Matthew rejects, too busy playing chess with Hamish.
What’s the cure for Blood Rage? Where does it originate from?
In the wake of all this drama, Miriam gathers the group together and discusses that blood rage cure we originally heard about. Chris went back and compared Diana’s DNA to other creatures. It turns out Diana actually has daemon DNA – as does Matthew and several other people. It’s also the key to blood rage too. But how? Well, it turns out if a vampire with the blood rage gene sires with a human with enough daemon DNA, then blood rage can manifest itself. Not only that, the Book of Life also mentions Weavers are descended from witch-daemon unions, reinforcing how everything is connected. Everything we’ve been experiencing – the blood rage, the witches losing their powers and the daemons suffering mental health issues – it all links back to the declining daemon DNA.
What does Diana plan to do?
Diana decide to challenge the current established order; she’s going to confront the Congregation. The thing is, they’re not playing by the rules and despite overwhelming evidence, Baldwin is concerned that Diana won’t be protected. The only solution here is for her to have the support of as many people as possible for her claim. Together with Matthew and Baldwin by her side, Diana shows up to confront Gerbert. He immediately deflects the situation, mentioning her spellbinding Satu and the numerous deaths along the way. Diana ignores him and talks about protecting her family from attacks driven by hatred within this Covenant.
What happens during the council meeting?
Diana implores these men and women to gather together and forge a new path for them all. With the Book of Life in hand, she opens the empty pages and conjures forth a brilliant tree. This symbolism extends to the four creatures – human, daemon, witch and vampire – who, she reveals, are all bound to the same family tree. Everyone is related to one another. With this dazzling visual demonstration, Gerbert claims this book has been bewitched, bringing up the dark ages and how they were hunted by humans. The thing is, Diana realizes that the Covenant has been catastrophic for all creatures since then. With species declining, she reinforces the necessity of daemon DNA and motions the Congregation to stand against the Covenant. Agatha immediately stands by her side but Gerbert turns against her.
How does A Discovery Of Witches Season 3 end?
As the council vote, they unanimously agree (even Domenico) to stand by Diana’s claim. They abide by her decision and decide to forge a new path forward. And that includes allowing Agatha to front this Congregation. Everyone rallies around Agatha, while Diana walks out after promising Gerbert that his time of reckoning will come. What ensues from here is one final montage, bowing everything out with a neat little ribbon, albeit one that feels a little rushed.
The Episode Review
Well that was…. a bit disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed this third season and the increased tension but this finale just feels flat and a bit underwhelming. Benjamin is dispatched without much aplomb, there’s barely any developing arc for Domenico, beyond his little turn at the end of this episode, and Chris and Miriam’s teasing romance never really materializes. Not only that, the Gerbert situation is not really resolved, instead left on a tantalizing teasing cliffhanger that’ll never be resolved as Diana promises that his day of reckoning is coming. However, there have been some nice moments here, including the resolution with Satu and Diana’s stories, forging forward with the new world order. Seeing how everything ties together is a nice way to show the importance of the dwindling daemons, while the ending at least allows for a triumphant, uplifting finish to this three season fantasy show. It could have been better but overall this has been an enjoyable watch. As someone who hasn’t read the books, I’d imagine this season has probably missed a fair few storylines out (given the size of the book!) but this series does an okay job tying everything up, even if it does feel a bit rushed at times.
