After originally airing in 2021, one year later I have finally watched season 2 of A Discovery of Witches. I first watched season 1 back in 2018 and it quickly became my favourite series. You can read my review of season 1 here. It’s been 4 years since I’ve watched the show so delving back into this magical world was very exciting for me.
I read Shadow of Night (the second book in the All Souls Trilogy that season 2 is covering) in 2019. I liked the storyline (which only took up the last 100 pages of the nearly 800 page novel) but did not like Deborah Harness’ writing. I found the book to be very slow paced and cluttered with a lot of unnecessary details. If you’d like to read my review of this book you can do so here. I was eager to watch season 2 because I was very curious to see how the show would adapt such an overly detailed book. Down below you will find my thoughts on the actors, sets, and adaptation.
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Characters
Diana Bishop- I did not like Teresa Palmer’s performance in season 1 as I found her to be very bland and flat, apart from her scenes with Matthew Goode. In season 2, Teresa stepped up her acting and she really impressed me with her performance this time around. She convinced me that Diana Bishop is indeed a strong witch as she played her with confidence and power. Teresa was able to evoke so much emotion through her facial expressions and eyes and her portrayal of Diana’s awakening powers was very believable. Also her American accent was much better this time around, no weird cadence or slow speaking.
Matthew Goode- While I loved Matthew Goode’s performance in season 1, something was not quite right with his performance this season. From what I can remember from the book, Matthew Roydon (as he is known in Elizabethan times) had a much more checkered past than what was shown on the show. I remember Roydon being very tormented and I didn’t get that from Goode’s performance. He seemed nonchalant about being back in time and just didn’t seem to care about anything. I’m not sure who is to blame for this….the writers or Goode? I never for one second believed that Roydon was having problems being back in time and I was hoping that more angst and anger would have been on display. This brings me to my other issue. From what I can remember in the book, Matthew and Philippe had a very fraught relationship, but in the show Goode behaved like a quiet little mouse around his father. Their relationship in the show was far less combative than in the book, and if I never read Shadow of Night, I wouldn’t have known that Matthew had a tumultuous relationship with his father Philippe.
Gallowglass- Not sure why he’s a fan favourite but Steven Cree did a great job.
Phoebe Taylor- I don’t like this character but Adelle Leonce had great chemistry with Edward Bluemel.
Jack- I didn’t like the young actor’s performance of Jack. He didn’t have any chemistry with Teresa or Matthew and I didn’t understand the weird attachment they had to him in the show because they didn’t forge an emotional connection with him in any of the episodes.
Ysabeau- Lindsay Duncan unfortunately still did not wow me with her portrayal of Ysabeau. She’s a little to flat and emotionless.
Louisa/Hubbard/Kit/Queen/Goody- I really liked all of the new characters and their castings. The actor portraying Andrew Hubbard had the most eerie looking eyes and he had a threatening otherworldly appearance and performance, he is one of my favourite characters from this season. Kit was suave, and Goody was wise and fabulous.
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Episodes- Key Observations
Overall I thought the show did a wonderful job at bringing the lengthy story to the screen. It focused on the quest for the book of life which in Shadow of Night, got lost amidst the historical details and useless conversations and scenes. I was happy that this season was 10 episodes because 8 episodes would have made the pacing really weird like it was in the first season.
The sets, locations, and costumes were beautiful to look at and it felt authentic and historically right. The show had a cinematic quality to it with its rich saturated hues and moody dark academia atmosphere.
Diana’s spell weaving was beautifully executed by both the special effects and Teresa’s performance, it’s exactly how I imagined it to be.
The contemporary episodes and scenes were the perfect balance to the Elizabethan storyline and I looked forward to watching both.
There was something a little off about Diana and Matthew’s relationship this season. While the actors do have incredible chemistry, I didn’t feel the love between them this time. Once again, I am not sure if this is due to the writing or the performances? I felt that Matthew was very stand-offish to Diana, much colder towards her than in season 1. He seemed more like her bodyguard than her lover. Diana was distracted with her magical awakening and hunt for the book of life so it felt awkward when she was seeking affection because it felt out of place. I got the feeling that both characters were over each other in season 2. This is contrary to the story of course, and while they are still very much in love in the books, their relationship felt a bid odd, because season 1 they were behaving like hormonal teenagers while in season 2 their relationship matured. I didn’t feel the romance but maybe it was replaced by a more passionate protectiveness? It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what was off, but something was definitely amiss. I hope the spark they had in season 1 returns for season 3.
The wedding scene was very short and both Matthew and Diana acted like it wasn’t a big deal. Neither one seemed interested in getting married and within a blink of an eye, the scene was over. They also didn’t seem to care about the pregnancy either?
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Final Thoughts
The dark academia wild goose chase for the book of life with its moody settings and historical intrigue was beautifully filmed. This season had more magic, more drama, and more alchemy but slightly less romance between Matthew and Diana. The pacing wasn’t an issue like it was in season 1 because each episode covered a lot of material, making it feel like I was watching a mini film each time. This show exudes dark glamour and supernatural elegance which not only makes it a feast for the eyes, but also a rich experience in the world of the occult. Deb Harkness told a very intriguing story about alchemy using classic paranormal creatures and universal themes of love, transformation, and self-acceptance. Season 2 brought Shadow of Night to life in all of the right ways and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
What are your thoughts about Season 2?
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