'A Discovery of Witches' Is an Underrated Vampire Romance Series (original) (raw)

Published Feb 9, 2023, 11:30 AM EST

Kelcie Mattson is a Senior Features author at Collider. Based in the Midwest, she also contributes Lists, reviews, and television recaps. A lifelong fan of niche sci-fi, epic fantasy, Gothic horror, elaborate action, and witty detective fiction, becoming a pop culture devotee was inevitable once the Disney Renaissance, Turner Classic Movies, BBC period dramas, and her local library piqued her imagination.

Rarely seen without a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, Kelcie explores media history (especially older, foreign, and independent films) as much as possible. In her spare time, she enjoys RPG video games, amateur photography, nerding out over music, and attending fan conventions with her Trekkie family.

In the expansive world of the vampire romance, one series remains criminally underrated in the pop culture sphere: A Discovery of Witches. The appeal of a romantic entanglement with immortal bloodsuckers has existed for decades onscreen and on the page, whether it was the tangibly queer subtext-almost-text of Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (re-envisioned in 2014 as a web-series with an openly lesbian love story), Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire novel in 1976 (re-envisioned in 2022), Frank Langella's explicitly romantic Dracula film (1979), or both of Buffy Summers' (Sarah Michelle Geller) nocturnal boyfriends. Supernatural romance fans are spoiled for choice, especially after the early-2000s popularity boom responsible for Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries brought the sub-genre into mainstream awareness — unabashedly so. Swooning over the vampire bad boy was no longer an indulgence kept within specific communities.

In 2018 the British television network Sky One premiered A Discovery of Witches, a series based on the New York Times best-selling All Souls trilogy by author Deborah Harkness. Often described as a "Twilight for adults," that's a simplistic analysis applied to Discovery only because of Twilight's zeitgeist nature. Fiction has toyed within the forbidden romance realm since time immemorial (Romeo and Juliet, anyone?), and various mythological creatures existing in one space isn't a modern invention, either. Overall, Discovery features enough classical narrative set-ups within its three seasons to whet any fan's appetite (I'll stop the puns now), as well as charming twists, compatible lead characters, and a feminist slant that transforms a semi-guilty pleasure into an irresistible delight.

'A Discovery of Witches' Both Is and Isn't Like Other Vampire Romances

Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont talking together in 'A Discovery of Witches.'

Image via AMC

One of A Discovery of Witches' strongest, and most unique, selling points is its heavy emphasis on history. Despite centering figures who are hundreds or thousands of years old, most vampire romances take place in modern times and fleetingly refer to the vampires' past lives. Harkness, the trilogy's author, was (and remains) a historian before she ventured into published fiction. Her scholarly nature shows in the weighty respect she pays to past events and their formative effects on the present, not to mention replicating Elizabethan London's social practices and architectural composition to astonishing detail. This love translates into the Discovery of Witches series, which follows Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), a decorated doctor of philosophy with an emphasis in science and a fascination for alchemy. Diana is also a tenured historian on the Oxford faculty, and inhuman: an amateur witch in hiding.

That latter aspect is the one Diana tries to avoid. Within Discovery's universe, witches, vampires, and demons hold to a tenuous peace agreement upon the condition none of them interfere in human affairs. All three races remain in the shadows, passing as humans when applicable. An orphan raised by her beloved aunts, Diana believes her parents were murdered by humans who were superstitious of her parents' witchcraft. That's enough to make her steer clear of practicing spells, and Diana has always been a messy hand with the magical. Her passions lie elsewhere.

Teresa Palmer playing Diana Bishop in A Discovery of Witches

Image via AMC

Things change irrevocably when Diana accidentally retrieves an alchemy book from the Oxford library. Dubbed the Book of Life_,_ the tome has been missing and sought after for centuries by vampires, demons, and witches alike. It's rumored to hold knowledge about the origins of all creatures, including how to wipe them out; something a select group of witches want to weaponize against the vampires in a fight for sociopolitical supremacy. Diana didn't intend to start a possible war by summoning the manuscript, but the unconscious action brings violent, power-hungry beings down upon her peaceful life.

Quickly betrayed by her own kind, Diana refuses to help the witches commit genocide and instead joins forces with Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), an ancient, brooding, handsome vampire with his own interest in the Book of Life. Oh, and that aforementioned peace treaty forbids romantic relationships between supernatural beings, which complicates Diana and Matthew's rapidly-growing affection.

'A Discovery of Witches' Prioritizes History Over the Modern Day

Teresa Palmer in A Discovery of Witches Season 3 Episode 5

Image via Sundance Now

The series' use of history as a type of character takes center stage as the couple time travels to 1590s London and remains there for the duration of Season 2. Such an overt narrative strength — setting the action in the past — seems so obvious in hindsight, it's a wonder why other vampire media didn't take advantage of the conceit. In this way, Discovery is as much a historical period piece as it is a supernatural romance and mystery thriller. Season 2's sets were built by hand to replicate real London streets. Production designers created the interiors from scratch. Diana's numerous gowns are period-accurate to the smallest detail and staggering to behold. If you love to watch pretty people in pretty costumes walk through gorgeous scenery, Discovery ticks that box. These careful efficiencies strengthen the series as a whole; Harkness's historian expertise translates from page to screen into an environment that feels appropriately weathered.

What's more, history lays the groundwork for why Diana and Matthew are initially drawn together. The vampire has witnessed almost every significant event in recorded time, while Diana's understanding of humanity's ever-evolving state provides the requisitely reclusive Matthew with a knowledgeable partner. Diana alone can discern the reasons for Matthew's faults, predilections, and romantic loneliness.

Diana Is an Empowered Heroine, and Her Vampire Boyfriend Isn't a Jerk

A Discovery of Witches Diana Bishop Matthew Clairmont

Image via AMC

Although Discovery should stand separate from its young adult peers, there are times it's tricky to exorcise Stephanie Meyer comparisons from one's mind; namely, Diana is the heroine supernatural fans dreamed of. For one, she's much older than a teenager, with a doctorate and published books under her belt. Her ignorance surrounding witch culture is a willing lack of knowledge; Diana is no naive, blushing innocent. She's curious, attentive, doesn't lack tender playfulness, and is as fiery as her mythological namesake, the goddess of the hunt. "You don't protect me," she defiantly informs Matthew, in response to his frenzied desire to keep her safe. "We protect each other." Being a witch places them on an equal footing versus a vampire and a human woman, especially following a mid-season reveal concerning the extent of Diana's powers. There's a healthy balance between some sweeping initial rescues on Matthew's part and Diana saving him in return. She's believable and recognizable, whether it's her long hair constantly creeping out of its braid or the comfortable clothing she wears without concern. While informed by Harkness's experiences, Diana isn't a Mary Sue (which is a sexist critique, anyway).

Matthew Goode, meanwhile, embodies all the tall, dark, and handsome qualities necessary for a moody vampire love interest. A darling of prestige indie films and television, as well as an Ozymandias (Watchmen, 2009) so excellent that only Jeremy Irons (Watchmen, 2019) could follow, Goode is normally a bit player rather than a lead. Which isn't fair. His fictional Matthew is as sultry as he is feral. Not even the most dignified of vampires is tame; he's a hunter first and foremost, a legitimate threat to Diana if he so chose. His past trauma also gives his regretful angst weight. Touches like Matthew's lasting, if turbulent, Catholic faith, gradual acceptance of change, and pursuit of biochemistry balance him into a character rather than just a swoonworthy mannequin.

Together, the two's chemistry crackles like lightning. Diana never romanticizes Matthew's past actions (or his present), but loves the monster that's interchangeable with the man, mistakes and all. Diana motivates Matthew without existing solely to facilitate his character growth.

'A Discovery of Witches' Is Criminally Underrated Entertainment for the Vampire Lover in Us All

These touches reinvigorate tropes that, while undeserving of the often vicious critiques leveled at them, still benefit from a fresh perspective. Discovery's spooky atmosphere and historical skew appeal to existing vampire romance aficionados as well as those seeking more out of their love stories. It's absorbing, inviting, and indulgent without falling into the twisted morose of AMC's (masterful) Interview with the Vampire. And the series's concluding message champions the value, preservation, and proper use of knowledge. What would destroy in others' hands fosters peace through Diana's custodianship.Atmospherically and narratively, Discovery is a series akin to a cup of tea and a warm blanket — an underrated romance to disappear into time and again.