A Discovery of Witches Season 2 Episode 3 Recap

Relive each delicious moment of A Discovery of Witches with our weekly recap. This week? A Discovery of Witches Season 2 Episode 3 recap.

Do you ever find yourself yelling at the screen in front of you or mumbling cheeky responses to the characters while watching a show? We do. Sometimes we keep those responses to ourselves and, sometimes, we text them to each other as we watch the same show at the same time 700 miles apart. We enjoy these conversations so much that we decided to share them with you. Each week, Ashley and Nikki will publish an episode recap for the long-awaited second season of A Discovery of Witches. You can read it while you re-watch the episode (because you know you’re going to re-watch it) or just read it. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, just do it. We hope that these recaps will be worth a few giggles for A Discovery of Witches fans and that they might even make you think twice about what you’ve just watched. Without further ado, here’s our A Discovery of Witches Season 3 Episode 3 recap….

[1:00] CSI: Oxford Vampire Edition. I’ll take Domenico over David Caruso any day of the week but could we maybe get him some hipster sunglasses to put on as the scene fades?

[2:00] Murder, confession, rinse, and repeat; a day in the life of Matthew Roydon.

[3:00] I’m not exactly a master of interpersonal communications but if a murdery man with a hot temper comes to beg your forgiveness, shouldn’t you just offer it rather than rub his face in it?

[4:00] I don’t like eels either Diana, but I totally get how you could be amused by watching Jack eat them.

[5:00] This scene with Mary and Diana looks a bit like an Elizabethan cooking show and I’m here for it.

[6:00] Is this what “overwhelmed with work” looks? If so, I would like to invite Dr. Dee over to my home office where there are currently 82 Chrome tabs open on two different monitors, post-its covering all the flat surfaces, and Oreo crumbs sprinkled lightly throughout to give it a nice “lived in” feel.

[7:00] “You seek a specific text?” The last time I touched it, it branded me so, yeah, it’s pretty specific.

[8:00] That’s the look I would expect to get if I ever uttered the words “my interest is scholarly.” To a true, modern scholar it must sting a bit.

[9:00] See, this is why I get nervous when people offer to do me unsolicited favors.

[10:00] This is one of those scenes that is even sweeter than I imagined it. Well done Matthew (Roydon and Goode)!

[11:00] Witch training starts tomorrow! Anybody else have that giddy first day of school feeling? 

[12:00] Speaking of the first day of school, this played out exactly like my daughter’s first day of kindergarten: an assurance that she would be ok and then right through the door without even a glance backward. 

[13:00] The warp and weft of all life visible and within Diana’s reach. I have so many goosebumps.

[14:00] “All you have to do is call out the thread that calls out to you the strongest.” I might have missed it but were there wine and chocolate threads?

[15:00] This feels like something that we might dig into in a future podcast, but I love watching Diana, with all her powers, struggle here. 

Is a “cloak of deception” what Matthew was wearing in the last episode because if it was, it’s pretty hot.

[16:00] “You must be kinder to yourself Diana.” On a serious note, we must all be kinder to ourselves. Thanks for the reminder Goody.

[17:00] ”No wonder you’re such trouble.” Can we create a Goody Alsop fan club?

[18:00] Watching Valarie Pettiford work her way through this scene is nothing short of magical.

[19:00] Perhaps Lord Burghley doesn’t know how greetings work? Someone says “nice to meet you” and then you respond with something that might be interpreted as friendly. It’s not that difficult.

[20:00] Yes! We’ve literally got an Elizabethan field trip on our hands! Hold on Lizzie, we’re on our way.

[21:00] While Kit might be duplicitous, his office/study/dungeon cell looks so very cozy.

[22:00] This is quite the entourage! Ashley was hoping for a Queer Eye makeover of Father Hubbard in the second episode but we’ll have to settle for a Mary Sidney Trunk Show.

[23:00] “I’m here to make sure that your armor is worthy of the battle to come.” We can try to deny it all we want but women know that our wardrobe is, in fact, armor. I just happen to be fighting a very lazy enemy at the moment and the only requirements are yoga pants and a sweatshirt.

[24:00] “You look tired Shadow.” Pasty white lady says what?

[25:00] “Men have enough trouble obeying one woman.” Can I get an amen?

[26:00] This dramatic moment from Queen Elizabeth reminds me a lot of some women in my family who shall remain nameless. They don’t want to live forever but since we clearly can’t take care of ourselves they’re just living into their nineties and praying every day that God will beat some sense into us so that they can finally get some rest.

[27:00] I feel like my dental hygienist would strongly encourage Elizabeth to buy an electric toothbrush.

[28:00] Ok, one thread at a time and let the power move through you. You’ve got this Diana. Let’s see some weaving.

[29:00] Who knew that weaving a spell would look so much like learning to tie your shoes? Over, under, around and through, meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through.

[30:00] I’m a treeeeeeeee!!!!!

Let’s pause here to give a huge round of applause to the Special Effects and Visual Effects teams. Whatever concerns we had about the magic looking gimmicky are gone. The effects are stunning!

[31:00] She just turned herself into a tree but she says that she didn’t get to finish. What exactly did she have planned for the finale?

[32:00] What’s that at the door? Is it Santa? No, it’s Gallowglass! I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. As proof of how long we’ve waited for this moment, here’s a link to the post we wrote when Steven Cree was cast in the role and another link to the post I wrote detailing precisely why I love Gallowglass

[33:00] Gallowglass, I promise you that a witch taking her ease in Matthew’s parlor is not the strangest part of this story. 

The intern just said that this note was the 16th century version of a howler. I don’t know what that means but she thinks it’s funny.

[34:00] Diana looks a bit irritated by Gallowglass’ “she speaks sense at least” comment but that’s about the least offensive thing that has been said about her since arriving in 1590.

[35:00] Phillipe puts the coin in the wax and then he rubs the lotion on his skin…oh wait…I’ve clearly confused two things here.

[36:00] “We’ll face it together.” Is it just me or do the quotes from this season feel like a pandemic handbook?

[37:00] I get all this Matthew and Diana connectedness but just tell me that when they get back to the future she’s going to be able to make a trip to Starbucks on her own.

[38:00] Geography lessons with Matthew and Jack is my new favorite television show.

[39:00] This parenting moment looks good on Matthew and Diana.

[40:00] “You must be his anchor.” Jesus Christ, isn’t this a lot to put on the woman who is just trying to put one foot in front of the other?

[41:00] “I suggest you fuck off.” I’m adding this to our A Discovery of Witches Work Meeting handbook. “Karen, if you don’t have those reports I asked for yesterday, I suggest you fuck off.”

Also, “an uncontrolled feeding” is what we call it in my house when we order Chinese takeout.

[42:00] Gerbert is the reason that there is trash floating in the canals of Venice? Damn the de Clermonts! Get in there and fix it Domenico!

Final Thoughts:

I believe that the script for Season 2 would have been finalized long before we knew that we would be watching the show during a freaking pandemic. It is, then, nothing short of magical that the dialogue provides such a soothing balm to our COVID-weary souls. The theme of family, while moving last season, now reminds us of all that we have lost, all that we stand to lose, and all that we are willing to fight for.

The special effects and the magic were the bright, shining stars of this episode and I am thrilled that the production team managed to bring Deb’s imagination to the screen in such a convincing way. However, long after the elemental threads faded, what stayed with me were Goody Alsop’s words. Her encouragement and gentle admonishments are intended for Diana but they also seem destined for my heart. In the coming days when I get frustrated with my inability to be efficient or sufficiently maternal or any of my other perceived failures, I will remember Goody’s advice. Our magic is sometimes hard to find these days and it’s good to know that it’s still there. We just need to find the right spell to coax it out. With that in mind, I promise to be kinder to myself this week. I hope you will too.

If you’ve missed any of our A Discovery of Witches recaps, do not fret! You can find them all here.