A Discovery of Witches TV Recap: Episode 8

Relive each delicious moment of the TV adaptation of A Discovery of Witches with our weekly recap. This week? A Discovery of Witches Episode 8.

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, Ashley and I 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 first season of A Discovery of Witches. You can read it while you rewatch the episode (because you know you’re going to rewatch 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.

[1:00] I’m confused on how Matthew can smell fear, adrenaline, lust, you name it. But he couldn’t pick up the scent of his former lover lurking 10 feet away? Hmm. Highly suspect.

[2:00] BUT IS IT, MATTHEW? IS IT REALLY?! Because this doesn’t scream under control, at least by my definition.

[3:00] Now that was badass. This show has boasted a lot of special effects, but that’s by far my favorite.

[4:00] Diana has spent her entire life avoiding magic and witchcraft and, yet, in her time of need she knows EXACTLY who to call upon to save Matthew.

[5:00] This is harrowing and gut-wrenching but I’m also a little bit jealous of Matthew’s ability to recall his experiences with Diana through her blood. It’s a little traumatic trip down memory lane.

[6:00] Good on you, Dr. Marcus. It’s so handy to keep friends and family with skills close by. I vow to always have a nurse, lawyer, accountant, chef and mechanic in close proximity. You know, just in case.

[7:00] Gerbert has now called Domenico both a “nosy little fucker” and a “greedy little shit.” This is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black but I can’t argue with Gerbert’s assessment.

[8:00] Diana defeated Satu but Satu released Gerbert’s witch in the box, so maybe we’ll just call this one a draw? It’s the rock, paper, scissors of the creature world.

[9:00] I think I rather preferred the activities that took place in this bed last episode to this. Then again, what’s another couple of pokes?

[10:00] “You craved me all this time and you resisted.” I’ve clearly been on a diet for too long because all I can think about is my own craving for a cheeseburger. #ResistLikeMatthew

[11:00] Hiding somewhere in time. That’s what I’m going to start calling those work breaks where I spend a little too long in the restroom because I know that no one will find me there.

[12:00] Santa? Nooo, it’s a poppet! Speaking of, every time I hear poppet I think of Pirates of the Caribbean; “…ello poppet.”

[13:00] Generally when a woman finds a single earring and asks her man “WHAT IS THIS,” it goes a little differently and someone’s shit gets thrown onto the front lawn. Glad to see that won’t be the case for these two.

[14:00] It’s nice to see that the family has gathered around the kitchen table to make some important decisions. If they were truly serious, they would add some alcohol to the mix. It’s how all the best decisions are made.

[15:00] Was anyone else slightly discombobulated by Sarah’s directions? If you arrive before you leave I’ll be here… sounds awfully similar to my small child trying to explain how you play a board game. “And… then… but not if… but then… also…got it?”

[16:00] Timewalking wasn’t the only feat that Diana accomplished. She also rendered Miriam speechless. Did that ability show up in her DNA markers?

[17:00] Is Gerbert looking at us? I swear he just stared right at us begging for help in finally solving that damn riddle that has plagued him for centuries. You’re on your own, vampire fox.

[18:00] I’m worried about Peter Knox. As Ashley pointed out in the episode 7 recap, his hair has been headed downhill and, here, in the last episode of the season it has hit rock bottom.

[19:00] A car full of daemons! Ain’t no party like a daemon party cuz a daemon party don’t…look…squirrel!

[20:00] I love this AirBnB and its ability to expand to accommodate additional guests at a moment’s notice. Curious, does it also produce more fresh towels? Because those are a bitch to keep washing.

[21:00] Sarah and Em are like truth serum. How could you not tell them what’s on your mind with them standing there, the very embodiment of warmth and coziness, love, and concern?

[22:00] I can’t even comprehend the mental and physical preparations involved with timewalking. It’s hard enough to prep for a date night that only involves an Uber across town.
Added bonus — real-time banter:
Ashley: Nikki, do they just know to pack whatever they want to wear but also whatever they have worn just in case they decided to take a little dip back in time?
Nikki: I don’t know but you’ve just helped me justify my always-overpacked suitcase.

[23:00] I love the way Diana pops a berry in her mouth. She’s clearly a little more comfortable this time around. It makes me think of all the situations that frighten us when we are in them but seem trivial or benign once a little time has past. Oh to have a life mulligan!

[24:00] I’ve been a fan of Glenn Miller since I was a teenager (and, no, I wasn’t born in 1923) and I love hearing “Tuxedo Junction” in this scene. Surely, this is a song that Ysabeau and Phillipe would have enjoyed before his tragic death. The past, the present, and the future all come together in this dance.

[25:00] Take everything I said last recap about the Bishops saying goodbye to young Diana and apply it here to Matthew and his mother. He’s lived hundreds of years with her in his world, but has zero certainty that he will be able to return to a place where that can again be a reality.

[26:00] Old white men plotting domination while drinking in robes….what a novel idea!

[27:00] Can the house expand to make room for two more? Because we want an invite to that dinner. We’re always good for wine. Also, Sarah’s cheers to unusual friends basically describes any friendship that involves me, but I digress. Cheers indeed.

[28:00] “I want to be here…present…for the time we have left.” Amen sister. Amen.

[29:00] How does Satu know that her power is coming back? Did she sneeze and set the kitchen on fire?

[30:00] Every time Matthew references “where we’re going” in that growly voice, I wait for Doc Brown to drop in yelling frantically about 1.21 gigawatts.

[31:00] I find it unfathomable they keep having these board meetings with no catering. No fruit trays, no muffins, no weird bowls of yogurt, no granola bars, no dirty-water coffee, nothing. That’s not a business meeting I can get behind.

[32:00] No need for a polygraph machine when the vampires in the room can detect increased heart rate and respirations. Baldwin has had 1,500 years to learn how to lie properly. Frankly, I expected better from him.

[33:00] I believe that Agatha just told Gerbert that she is finished with his shit. #TeamAgatha

[34:00] “Nuts and berries, at least we’ll lose weight.” Thank you, Aunt Em, for the fleeting moment of comic relief because these driveway goodbyes are poised to do us in for good.

[35:00] I’m not crying. You’re crying!! These goodbyes are killing me slowly.

[36:00] The congregation uses left hands to vote? Finally an organization, albeit a secret one that operates within the walls of a magical disappearing and reappearing building in the middle of a lagoon, recognizes the 10% of lefties in the world.

[37:00] Agatha is going to be one badass nana. She’s a working mother who smacks around the vampires and witches when their testosterone throws everything out of whack. She’ll have no problem at all managing whatever creature is born to Nat and Sophie.

[38:00] I just picked up on how, as the series has progressed, Miriam’s gone from top knot to braid to free flowing locks. She’s let her hair down just as she she’s loosened her reluctance on Diana’s place in their world.

[39:00] Something tells me this isn’t an Amazon gift card. Nope, sorry Marcus, you’ve been named the leader of an ancient chivalrous order. We’ve come a long way from that “Christ Marcus” moment in episode 1.

[40:00] Matthew’s all like quit screwing around with your ET finger (we couldn’t resist just one more reference) and let’s get on with this timewalking business.

[41:00] When timewalking, it’s important for the man and woman to wear matching shirts. And hide in the attic of a pitch-black house. Noted.

[42:00] “Gerbert has the witches” is the worst announcement of party guests ever. Bring beer, bring wine, bring liquor, but please don’t bring those f*#king witches!

[43:00] ARGH!!!!!! I’ve often wanted put to my child in a bubble for safe keeping. In this show, however, if anyone gets that level of protection and invisibility to the world around them, it should NOT be these three.

Ashley’s final thoughts:
Wait, it’s over already?! I read the books so I knew as much and yet I still made some audible mix of groaning and grasping when the episode abruptly went black. This show was paced so well, but like anything you enjoy in abundance, it went oh so fast. I doubt I’m the only one who feels like they pushed play on episode 1, grabbed hold of Diana’s hand, lifted their foot and — whoosh — found they’d time walked through eight episodes in no time at all.

All I can do now is offer a hearty applause and thank you to the mastermind behind the story, Deborah Harkness, who made the book feel quite the same, and to the team at Bad Wolf for taking good care of Deb’s baby and bringing it to life so authentically yet uniquely. May we all take time to celebrate how wonderful it is to stumble upon rich stories we fall in love with so deeply that we find ourselves in a bit of a ho-hum funk when they come to an end. But only for now, poppets! Season 2 will be here[ish] before we know it and you know what? So will we… back for more snark and sap for this delicious series. Thank you, lovely readers, for making a little space and time for us in your All Souls-loving world.

Nikki’s final thoughts:
Is it wrong that I’ve had Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” stuck in my head since Diana told Hamish that she just wants to be “present for the time we have left?” This episode was particularly poignant for me as the characters, in various configurations and locations, said their goodbyes. As a middle-aged woman who is still blessed with three grandparents, I am familiar with the dance that we all do when it’s time to part ways. We laugh, we smile, perhaps nervously, and we try to silence the nagging question in our heads. Will this be the last time? Diana and Matthew don’t know the answers and we don’t know them either when we’re standing before our loved ones. All we have is the moment and all we can do is be present for it. The rest is up to the universe.

Thank you Deborah Harkness for creating this rich world of characters that we love and love to hate and thank you for sharing it with us. Thank you for reflecting back to us the beauty and light that shine from within you. Thank you Bad Wolf for bringing Deborah’s story to life with such care and craftsmanship. Thank you to the folks who have hung out with us for a few minutes each week as we snarked our way through the episodes. We know that you’ll be back for Season 2 and so will we.

If you’ve missed any of our A Discovery of Witches recaps, do not fret! You can find all of our Season 1 recaps here.