Season 1 |
Season 2 |
Season 3 |
Episode Guide
Episode 1 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 4 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 5 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 – | Review Score – 3/5
A Discovery of Witches is one of those fantasy shows that has a very specific audience in mind. This is not a gritty, bloody epic like The Witcher or Game of Thrones nor is it a wide-spanning journey like His Dark Materials. Of course, if you’ve made it this far into Sky’s three season show then you’ll already know this. And season 3 delivers everything fans enjoyed from the previous two chapters of this show.
Season 3 picks up right off the back of the dramatic graveyard fight last year. Emily is dead. Knox is back in Venice, trying to stir up Baldwin and Gerbert to hit out at Matthew and Diana, who coincidentally return from the 16th Century to find tensions between the races more volatile than ever.
The real talking point here though is the blood rage vampire on the rampage. With Oxford a new hunting ground for this killer, a face from the past returns with a vengeance. The sins of a father come back to bite Matthew while Diana juggles pregnancy with a fetch quest that keeps her busy for much of the season.
Diana in particular needs to find three missing pages from the Book of Life, intending to bring them together in order to stop this fight once and for all.
Despite its teasing promise of a big, epic brawl to conclude the season, A Discovery of Witches just sort of… ends. The conflict is wrapped up with a neat little bow and while it’s great to see everyone get their happy ending, it also leaves the final chapter feeling rushed and a bit underwhelming.
That’s a shame because there are some great verbal duels across the 7 episodes. Gerbert and Ysabeau have a particularly memorable stand-off during the finale while a guy called Ransome has a tense meeting with Matthew during the middle chapters.
The journey itself is pretty compelling and there’s a consistent effort to try and add as much magic as possible into this season too. Following the subdued journey into the past, there’s a consistent effort here to really live up to the fantasy genre this series occupies.
There’s a lovely fight in episode 9 between Matthew and the main antagonist (no spoilers here!) while Diana uses her magic powers across the 7 episodes. The visual effects are suitably glossy the entire time too, and whether it be projections transforming a whole alleyway or simple flame conjuring spells, A Discovery of Witches is undoubtedly a visual treat this year.
The big questions hanging over these three seasons – what is Blood Rage, who is the prophecy about and how do these races come together in harmony – are all explored and explained, meaning fans should be satisfied with the way A Discovery Of Witches concludes.
Of course, the big focus here is on love and romance, which is ultimately the drive for A Discovery Of Witches. If you’re going into this expecting any differently then you’re bound to be left disappointed. A Discovery Of Witches has never pretended to be anything but light, fluffy entertainment – and season 3 delivers that in abundance.
Although it does feel a bit rushed at times and the story could have done with a big, epic showdown between the different races, this is a decent send-off for this entertaining fantasy romance.
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10
I realize there are always differences between books and screen, but Matthew’s homes are described light and airy. On film, the indoor scenes in his various homes were so dark and claustrophobic that it became distracting.
Season 3 Was a major disappointment I was so looking forward to it so much but it fell completely flat. The actors were all great considering what they had to work in and with. I’m going to chalk it up to the pandemic and the obvious appearance of “Diane” real life pregnancy . The last scene of the show where Matthew and his wife are dancing her abdomen is screaming
“I’m really pregnant”
The whole season was plague with pretty bad dialogue . Their wardrobes looked cheap and unappealing. These are first rate actors in a third rate production .
I think these “showrunners” don’t or didn’t realize we ,the audience have been suffering with this pandemic effects to a greater degree then them. We needed a escape . I work my 12 sometimes 16 hours on the covid unit and when we get a day off ,we want to escape . It had such great characters , great acting , great scenery , then flops in the last season . As my co-worker says ” it’s a poor pitiful shame “
Why in Season 3 did they start calling Mart, Marta? Even Matthew and Miriam who have known Mart for centuries. Even if the writers got it wrong, I wonder why the actors wouldn’t speak up and say this doesn’t make sense. They’ve never called her Marta or introduced her that way. This will drive me crazy.
Season 3 was a disappointment. I missed Matthews’s possessive “struggle” when in New Orleans and missed Cora. She should have been at the library when they found the Book of Life. Even at the end. Benjamin had no army to protect his captive? Just him and Satu? Benjamin spent all those years plotting to get Matthew and allows himself to get killed so easy? With that said, assuming he had an army, why didn’t Marcus have a team of Knights to accompany them on the rescue. The entire rescue mission seemed anti climatic. Then at the end, barely any pushback against Diana’s proposal at the congregation? It all seemed too rushed and too easy. Plus Matthew’s recovery seemed too fast. I’ve read all the books at least 20 times and will probably read another 20 times before I get bored. I just love that world so much. I know Teresa Palmer wanted out, but I wish they could have stretched to season 4. So, so much was cut out.
Season 3 was such a disappointment! The entire plot was rushed and didn’t follow the book at all. You think they would have taken their time and made season 3 amazing but nope, it was boring and most of the book was left out. And why did you change Baldwin? The new one was horrible. Diana looks old and frumpy in most of the episodes. Y’all seriously butchered this.
I’ve seen the first 3 episodes of season 3. Why are the sets so dark and gloomy? Deborah described the Mayfair house as bright and airy, not someplace in desperate need of a case of lightbulbs. The whole psychology of Matthew’s possessiveness which was a huge part of the Book of Life, is totally missing.
I am dissapointed by season 3.I have loved this story re-read the books a so many times and still I know I will read yet again…but the acting in this season felt rushed…they changed so much from how the book made it feel…I just wish they put all their love in making something epic from a very GOOD and MOVING BOOK…I mean how can the final chapter feel this way?yet the book made me want to re-read again..I know they couldnt act out everything…but they shouldnt have changed most of the story…but am still a fan anyways..am a BISHOP-CLAIRMONT fan to the end…thanks Deborrah for this amazing journey..
Where was Cora was in season 2. I was disappointed not to Cora in season 3 like the book
‘Light, fluffy entertainment’?! I’m not sure when things like an exposed heart in a ripped open chest and women being chained to beds and murdered alone in a remote, defunct hospital became ‘light and fluffy’! Just how gory does the reviewer need things to be not to be classed as fluffy I can’t help wondering? I am clearly in the minority here but I enjoyed the 3rd series the most and was satisfied with the final episode, I really enjoyed it and didn’t feel that the lack of a massive final battle took anything away. The point about the series ‘just ending’ rings true to me but without any negative aspect as that is how I felt about the books, that after all that in-fighting things just ended. I read the trilogy a good 4 years ago now so didn’t have the frustration of comparing it to the books as I couldn’t remember much about them! This meant I was able to enjoy the series exactly as it was. Personally I think they did a fine job with this but light and fluffy it ‘aint’!
I was also very disappointed with season 3 of a discovery of witches, I know you can not always include everything from the books but I feel so much was missed out of this and it felt so rushed, also other parts completely different from the book regarding the witches, some of the main characters changing actors in season 3 spoils the collective series for me, season 1-2 had over a two year gap and season 2-3 less than a year gap would have been better to wait for the actor to become available, and why were the three pages completely different from season 1 and 2 where is the consistency. I feel sky rushed this and did not give it the same love and commitment it put in to season one and two. Its like well it the last season of the trilogy there won’t be anymore so we will just do the minimal to get it out there and save money, if there had just put a few more episodes in the last season and followed the third book more accurately this could have been so much better, But if you have not read the books then you will properly enjoy the third season as much as the first two seasons.
I have was very disappointed with season 3.
I thought the characters had no depth and the difference from the book was significant.
Season 3, Episode 1 did not disappoint but I hate waiting until Saturday for Episode 2 and I will be thoroughly disappointed if the writer does not continue into more books about the Blood Rage.