Created by Michelle Ashford and Esta Spalding
1.05 “The Thrall,” 1.06 “Transference,” 1.07 “Tessa,” & 1.08 “Curioser and Curioser”
Teleplay by Sean Reycraft (1.05), Mary Angélica Molina (1.06), Sarah Cornwell & Esta Spalding (1.07), & Esta Spalding (1.08)
Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour (1.05 & 1.06) & Alexis Ostrander (1.07 & 1.08)
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Tongayi Chirisa, Jack Huston, Harry Hamlin
First season available on AMC/AMC+

by Sam Morris, Staff Writer

Well, Mayfair Witches did not get any better during the second half of the first season. Showrunners Ashford and Spalding made some major changes to the events of the original novel that make Rice’s story a bit more palatable for a 2023 audience. In doing so, however, they also added entire plots that do not exist in The Witching Hour. Having not read the two other books in Rice’s Mayfair Witches trilogy, I can’t say for sure whether some of the things that happen in the back half of season one are from Lasher or Taltos. In the case of the men’s rights activists, though, I’d be surprised if that storyline was a Rice creation.

What I can say, though, is that Rice was at her best in the original novel when she was telling the rich history of the Mayfairs as they journey out of Scotland, eventually ending up in New Orleans. I suspect we will see more of that in the second season. Since we stayed in Scotland, my suspicion is that the second season will focus on another witch in another locale. As a framing device for the television show, I can’t fault Ashford and Spalding. As someone who thinks that the historical Mayfairs are in many ways more compelling than Rowan and friends, I am a bit disappointed.

When we last left Rowan, Carlotta had just accidentally stabbed Ciprien, which makes it odd that he is (once again) in bed with Rowan. Groundhog Day, anyone? Once Rowan figures out that Lasher is punking her and Ciprien, she convinces Lasher to expel Ciprien from the house by agreeing to spend some quality time with him. (Incidentally, Rowan does eventually refer to Lasher’s actions as “trolling”—how droll. Ciprien survives, but Carlotta does not. No tragedy there. After toying with Rowan some more, she insists on exiting the fantasy.

“The Thrall” stretches a story with nearly no plot over an entire episode. We’re supposed to be understanding more about Lasher’s vibe and his relationship with Rowan. I’m not sure, however, that we learned anything in this episode that we didn’t already know. Lasher is in control, except when he isn’t. Got it.

With the next episode, “The Transference,” we really start to get somewhere. During this episode, the show begins to flirt with mediocrity as it finally deals with the power dynamic between Rowan and Lasher. In The Witching Hour, the climax of the novel is a scene between Lasher and Rowan that goes on for way too long, strips Rowan of her agency, and portrays some very bad sexual politics in an extremely graphic manner. The last three episodes jettison Rice’s version of events to create a new version of the first novel’s climax.

Enter Tessa, Rowan’s cousin. With the Mayfair family’s help, Rowan is able to transfer Lasher to Tessa. Bravo to Rowan for creating boundaries and insisting on agency and bodily autonomy. It’s a real shame that this transfer isn’t going to work. Ashford and Spalding have been painted into a corner by Rice’s Lasher rules: Lasher is ultimately under Rowan’s control, but that control exists only as long as Rowan is willing to be in control. Rice's solution to this riddle is a graphic sex scene that is extremely uncomfortable to read in 2023. Credit to Ashford and Spalding for creating a storyline that can create the same result without anything problematic.

Meanwhile, back in Scotland, I realize that I made a mistake in an earlier recap. The younger witch is Suzanne, not Deborah. The show wants us to see the origin point of the “Mayfair Witches” that is Suzanne calling on a demon. Neat. There are two takeaways here: 1) Lasher wouldn’t exist if the men could have been cool and not started a witch trial. 2) Remember when Ciprien was expelled from the Mayfair house by Lasher? Somehow, he managed to hold on to the special MacGuffin necklace, which he uses to “dead zone” his way into the Lasher origin story.

These pieces don’t come together in any sort of compelling way, but they are interesting on their own. Too bad about Tessa, though—I liked her. MovieJawn’s own Tessa Swehla told me that characters named Tessa always die in television shows, so I was pretty sure this character was not long for the world. Thinking she has Lasher to help her, she confronts the medical examiner who has kept Deirdre’s heart. Tessa walks directly into an ambush and is taken prisoner—and Lasher is nowhere to be found.

“Tessa” is the episode where I knew for sure that Mayfair Witches will never be good. Simply put, I don’t like Rowan. Rowan is supposed to be a badass surgeon who uses her witch powers to heal but can also kill people with her mind. I was angry when Rice betrayed that characterization at the end of The Witching Hour by having Rowan succumb to Lasher in the most graphic way possible. Daddario’s Rowan, however, is so wishy-washy that she makes Charlie Brown look well-adjusted and decisive by comparison.

Did I mention that Rowan is pregnant? Cortland had hinted cryptically that Lasher might do something unexpected on his way out of Rowan, and it turns out that something unexpected is a fertilized embryo. To clue the audience in on this development, The Witching Hour briefly borrows the “womb cam” from Blonde—gross. Sure, it’s possible that Cirprien is the contributory party, not Lasher. Wait—is it? Do they like each other like that? Skipping ahead, Ciprien sure seems to think so. Whatever. I’m still stuck on the fact that Lasher gave Rowan a baby on his way out but then didn’t actually leave. Again, whatever.

Elsewhere, welcome to Witch Trial 2023! Tessa is set on fire, Rowan doesn’t get to her soon enough, and Tessa dies. Boy, if everyone in the family didn’t hate Rowan already, which they definitely do, they sure would now. A theme of Mayfair Witches is squandered potential. I liked Tessa much more than I do the rest of the Mayfair family.

The less said about Ciprien’s adventures in dreamland/Lasher’s nightmare, the better. Ciprien learns a valuable lesson about the Mayfairs, and Lasher is a dick. We get it. Ashford and Spalding are doing their best to draw in viewers who haven’t read Rice’s novels, which is fine, but neither set of audiences needs the level of condescension that this show displays on a regular basis. Show us what we need to see and get on with it!

That brings us to “What Rough Beast,” where every narrative thread goes in the worst possible direction that it could. Rowan is angry and, having executed all but one of Tessa’s captors, goes after the last one Terminator-style. In The Witching Hour, her acceptance of Lasher is sad and tragic; here it’s nothing. Why is Rowan so angry? I get being angry on principle, but what do we know about this character that justifies her going back on her decision to rid herself of Lasher in this moment?

On the other hand, turning Cortland to stone is a boss move. He totally had it coming after he got caught in the puppet master act by Rowan. Too bad I didn’t care when it happened. All I wanted at that point was the end of the episode. Because… did I mention that Ciprien’s supervisor is in league with Cortland? Wut. Yeah, the Talamasca is in league with Cortland Mayfair because they believe Rowan’s baby is magic Jesus. Oh-kay.

Anyway, Rowan and Ciprien are reunited, and that’s nice. Well, until Rowan figures out with her witch mind powers that Ciprien isn’t being 100% transparent with his motives. She goes full Evil Willow and… end of season. 

AMC was always going to renew this show no matter how much of a trash fire it turned out to be, I suppose, because that’s the price that you pay to get Lestat and his vampire friends. It’s a shame that the Mayfairs could not have served in a better way than what we saw in the first season of this show. Adaptation isn’t as easy as it looks, folks.