‘A Discovery of Witches’

If you thought supernatural series were dead, you thought wrong. ‘A Discovery of Witches’ is the latest thriller that fuses all things magical and mysterious in a show based on the 2011 Deborah Harkness trilogy ‘All Souls’.

Vampires and witches deemed ‘good’ coexist in plain sight while demons roam the streets, unbeknownst to humans. But what happens when you are not of this world and you deny your heritage?

Teresa Palmer plays Diana Bishop, an award-winning historian who just happens to be magical.

Her abilities often lead her to create impossible series of events, but one fine day, she mistakenly opens a portal through an ancient book that screams ‘bewitched’. Hidden within the shelves of an Oxford library, unspeakable evil infringes on Bishop and her family’s life, and because of this, she is forced to confront the very powers she thought she’d never use again.

The first episode is a rush from the get-go. “It begins with an absence of desire,” a male voice narrates. “And then it begins with ‘A Discovery of Witches’”. Bishop’s intelligence is portrayed through a scene of her giving a lecture, granting her a daunting opportunity as a professional in her field. Her much loved topic? Alchemy.

As she gains an even greater understanding, so do viewers. But producers clearly find no interest in showing you how smart she is, they’re eager get to the point.

Magic exists. So do demons. People die in unnatural ways, and we have to live with it, even though we’ve grown incredibly attached to the characters in a matter of minutes. The producers weren’t here for our feelings.

Matthew Goode’s role is the sleek yet sly vampire and geneticist Matthew Clairmont who seeks the book in Bishop’s possession for his own interests. It’s a vampires-versus-witches affair as Clairmont and Bishop clash, but a sizzling alliance brewing between the two may just be the answer to ‘saving the world’.

The chemistry is obvious, but obscure. As much as Bishop is eager to stay away from her hunky new ally, she really can’t. Besides, a good story always dumps skeletons in a character’s closet which will have viewers questioning their sanity.

There’s a lot in store in terms of history, alchemy and other things you wish you’d knew about mythical creatures. But reviewers are skeptical. Does it live up to the books?

The series was produced by Bad Wolf and Sky Productions, who brought us ‘Dr Who’, so you know you’re in for a whirlwind of visuals and action. And good news – Showmax acquired the series just recently so you may binge as you see fit.

There are diversions from the books, for example, Bishop is supposed to be American, but in the show she’s British. We’re not mad, though. As long as the plot makes sense, we’re good. You’ll spot a ‘Game of Thrones’ character or two as well, so be prepared for the ride of a lifetime.

‘A Discovery of Witches’ is available on Showmax.

– Mickey Nekomba on Facebook; @MickeyNekomba on Twitter

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