‘A Discovery of Witches’ Recap: ‘Season 3, Episode 7’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of ‘A Discovery of Witches’. To revisit the penultimate episode, click here.
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For the most part, horror stories that have something to say about the human condition or our world, tend to make their commentary apparent to the audience. For instance, Bram Stoker’s Dracula makes it inherently clear that vampires represent our collective fear of death and how we will do whatever it takes to hang onto life and the things we can’t take with us in death. And George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead wasted little time in informing its viewers that it was going to examine our desire to consume over anything else and how stuff has dominated our lives. But some horror stories, are sneaky with their commentary and are happy to wait until the moment is right to reveal it and one such series that had no qualms with keeping its message hidden for three years, is the Sundance Now and Shudder series, A Discovery of Witches.
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For its series finale revealed unto us that this magical and mystical story about a witch and a vampire that fall in love, went far deeper than that and the occasional life lessons about personal growth it threw in along the way. For it turns out, it had a lot to say about our world and the big problems plaguing us right now. But before the finale could reveal that commentary, there was some business to tend to, specifically…. dealing with Benjamin and Satu. For they had Matthew and that was unacceptable and that brought about a rescue mission that Diana handled personally, despite bringing backup. For this was her love, the father of her children, so she only felt it right to do this on her own and well… that decision led to some satisfying moments. The kind that saw Satu be humbled at last when Diana chose to spellbind her and Benjamin, well… he was no match for her magic and wit and with those nuisances out of the way, Matthew was saved and able to heal and the big moments arrived at last.

In that, Diana was able to use Matthew’s recovery time to dig into the Book of Life and learn the secrets of all creatures and she came to discover, that Witch, and Vampire, and Demon… all stemmed from the same DNA and that the problems they were facing currently was a direct result of the segregation that the Covenant put into place for nine hundred years. Which meant, it had to end, in order for creature-kind to survive, and that led to a bold plan on Matthew and Baldwin’s part, to let Diana call a meeting of the Congregation and sit in the de Clermont seat to guide a vote to end the Covenant. And what made that plan so bold, was that Gerbert was itching to bring her and Matthew to trial. But the sheer shock of this move, left him reeling… as did Diana’s words. For she was able to convince the Congregation to end the Covenant and put Agatha and the Demons in charge of the future of all creatures. Bringing forth peace at last and a way forward as well.

But while that is a happy and satisfying ending to this story, it is what Diana said in front of the Congregation, and the discovery she makes about the creatures of the world, that brings about the commentary in question. For in essence, the reality that all creatures stem from the same DNA… is designed to reflect the reality of our world. For we are all human and all share the same blood and DNA. Yet much like the creatures of this world, we look down upon those that are different and ostracize them and judge them or persecute them, despite the fact… they are us and don’t deserve that in the slightest. But prejudice persists despite that reality and until we take a page from Diana’s book and stop listening to the old white rich men who think they know it all, and love their olden and outdated ways, this will be the norm. So, the time is now to make that change, so we can finally treat each other equally and be as one.

Which is a beautiful and powerful message to find within a series that is a romance at heart, but it is there none the less and it sticks with you long after this episode comes to an end, because… it’s all truth, and things have to change and well, finding that message/commentary here, elevates this series to iconic status. For it has been an exploration about equality all along and has in essence, asked its audience to be better, to embrace change and grow so that we as a species can indeed find the better tomorrow we dream of and well, that is a wonderful way to close out this series and while we should find nothing but joy in that, let’s be honest… this is a bittersweet goodbye none the less. For there will be no more new chapters in this story to enjoy, there will only be memories of a journey that captivated us and enthralled us and moved us and perhaps the only solace in saying farewell to this series, is that we can revisit it whenever we like, and we can walk away from this story knowing… that it had a proper happy ending after all, one where a world in chaos… found harmony.  

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