I’m a latecomer to the A Discovery of Witches bandwagon, but I didn’t see enough people talking about the show when it came out, so here I am, to tell you why it deserves more hype. A miniseries based on Deborah Harkness’s book of the same name, A Discovery of Witches is exactly the kind of indulgent, feel-good show the world needs right now. I don’t mean feel-good in the sense that it’s particularly happy or funny – I mean feel-good in the sense that every aspect of the show is simply a pleasure to watch. Not only do the two main protagonists the most wonderful chemistry, but the show also has a complex, well-developed plot and picturesque European locations that are beyond gorgeous.
Set in a supernatural world where witches, vampires and daemons live amongst humans, A Discovery of Witches centres around Diana Bishop, a historian who tends to avoid her magical heritage at all costs. Whilst conducting research in Oxford, Diana finds an enchanted book that has been missing for centuries. Thinking nothing of it at the time, her discovery invites unwanted attention from a number of magical creatures who are in search of the book, which is rumoured to contain vital information about the origin of supernatural creatures. Diana crosses paths with a vampire, Matthew Clairmont, who helps her navigate the world of supernatural, despite the enduring tensions and prejudice between vampires and witches. It doesn’t take long for Diana and Matthew’s relationship to develop into one of romance, and things only get more complicated from there.
Teresa Palmer is wonderful in the role of Diana, who makes a captivating heroine that gradually comes into her own throughout the series. I’ve been a casual fan of her co-star, Matthew Goode, for a while throughout his supporting roles in The Good Wife, Downtown Abbey and The Crown. As soon as I heard he had landed a lead role in this series I knew I had to watch it. At this point, Goode has truly perfected the role of the dashing gentleman and uses it to his advantage in A Discovery of Witches, breathing new life and depths into the role of Matthew. (Yes, they have the same name – clearly, Goode was destined for this role).
I was unapologetically invested in these two characters main characters – far more than I initially expected going into the show. It wasn’t uncommon to find me shouting at the screen or giggling with pure delight whilst watching their scenes together. If I’m being entirely honest, I’m still not entirely sure what makes their romance so special, but I suppose their chemistry is just that good. Even in the most dramatic, cliche over the top moments (which there are a lot of), I couldn’t bring myself to care – I was enjoying it far too much.
The show definitely has a guilty pleasure vibe (and I’ll admit, it does feel like you’re watching a better-quality version of Twilight at times) but it still manages to be intelligent enough that you don’t have to feel all that guilty. Is it a revolutionary romance? No, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s comforting for a romance to have a certain level predictability – it’s like a warm security blanket in TV show form (which I swear is a compliment – albeit a bit of an odd one).
Modern media has been oversaturated with vampire romances for far too long, but A Discovery of Witches still manages to put its own spin on the genre. The show takes a far more scientific approach to the supernatural than you would usually see. In an interesting take, it presents the theory of evolution as a danger to the future of magical creatures – who, in the modern world, don’t rely on their powers as heavily as they used to and, are therefore gradually losing their powers. This is an issue which Matthew is intent on investigating, which is what originally pushes him into the path of Diana (and the all-important book she finds).
Both of the main characters, Diana and Matthew, are highly intellectual individuals – a historian and scientist respectively. As a result, they both approach the supernatural through a lens of logic that grounds the show in a refreshing sense of realism. Whilst A Discovery of Witches is intellectually stimulating in many ways, its utmost strength is its emotional centre, which whisks you away into a captivating world of magic and forbidden romance.
A Discovery of Witches is visually stunning in every sense of the phrase (and I’m not just talking about Matthew Goode – or Teresa Palmer for that matter.) With primary settings of Oxford, Venice, and France, the show is filled to the brim with beautiful architecture and scenery. On top of this, the colour palette is to die for, with gorgeous subdued blue and brown hues (aka the classic orange and teal look at its prettiest). It also has the most beautiful soundtrack that works in tandem with the picturesque imagery, creating a leisurely atmosphere that completely immerses you in Matthew and Diana’s world.
Other than the clichés and over the top drama, my main criticism of the show is simply that there is too much plot and too many characters to keep track of at times. I’m sure those who’ve read the books would manage to keep on top of everything just fine, but I’ll admit I struggled at times to remember who certain characters were (or, more importantly, what they were). Perhaps if they had more episodes to flesh out the plot, it wouldn’t have been such an issue. Still, considering the limited number of episodes, they did a great job of covering the amount of story that they did. The fast pacing worked well for many other aspects of the show, so I’d still say they made the right call on making it a miniseries. This way, it’s short and sweet and doesn’t seem like such an overwhelming task to watch.
A Discovery of Witches is the perfect show for when you just want to sit back, relax and forget about all your worries. The holiday season is the perfect time of year for shows like that, which is why I’m actually glad I waited until all episodes were released before I started watching it. Binging the show was not only tremendous fun, but it managed to ease me into a relaxed state for the holiday season like nothing else could. (I guess you could say, it worked like a charm?) So, if you’re in need of a break or you’re in the mood for a good romance, get a cup of tea and a blanket, sit down and start watching this show. As long as you’re open to a few clichés here and there, I promise you won’t regret it.
TheScreenReview 