A Discovery of Witches is a fantasy series based on the bestselling All Souls trilogy by author Deborah Harkness. Historian Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer, Hacksaw Ridge) grew up in a family of witches, but has always preferred to exercise her mind rather than her magical abilities. She is a direct descendant of the first witch to be tried and burned in Salem. Her parents were murdered by humans when she was young—they had been on a remote research trip when the villagers discovered they were witches and turned on them. And so Diana was raised by her Aunt Sarah (Alex Kingston, ER, Doctor Who) and her partner Emily (Valarie Pettiford, Being Mary Jane) in their farmhouse in Madison County, New York. Sarah is upset that Diana denies her magical heritage, and wants her niece to embrace being a witch, but Diana is more concerned with her academic career. While she received tenure at Yale, Diana has now returned to Oxford as a visiting research fellow, in hopes of obtaining a professorship.
This is a troubling time for magical creatures. Their numbers seem to be dwindling. Vampires are having difficulty siring other vampires, witches aren’t as powerful as they once were, and demons are falling victim to depression and addiction. The different species don’t really get along, so the Congregation was put in place in order to keep the peace—this council is comprised of members from all three species. One of the first things the Congregation established was the Covenant, which forbids any inter-species mingling, and there has never been any known infractions to this law. As with all political bodies, there are those who are hungry for power, and seek to circumvent or manipulate the Congregation for their own benefit.
While doing research for a paper on Alchemy, Diana accidentally discovers a bewitched manuscript that had been thought to have been lost for centuries. It isn’t long before others learn that she has found the Book of Life, and many are eager to get their hands on it. One vampire who has been looking for the tome for over a century is geneticist Dr. Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode, The Crown, Downton Abbey). He believes the manuscript contains information that may be the key to the vampires’ survival. He finds himself inexplicably and uncontrollably drawn to Diana after she opens the book, but must try to hold back his urges. Diana also finds herself drawn to Matthew, and that love has somehow awakened her magical abilities, which appear to be stronger than any other witch alive.
However, their love is forbidden, and there are those who are eager to get their hands on Diana and the book. One such person is power-hungry witch Peter Knox (Owen Teale, Game of Thrones). He tested Diana when she was a young girl and saw no signs of magical ability in her. So he is determined to find out how her abilities eluded him. Witches believe that the Book of Life holds the secret to how witches created the vampires, and thus could be used to unmake them. Knox is eager to get is hands on Diana to not only harness her newly blossoming powers, but also get the book that could help him destroy the vampires once and for all.
A Discovery of Witches is part love story, part fantastical drama, and part mystery and political thriller. Much of the first season revolves around Diana learning the truth about herself and what happened to her parents, and discovering her powers and learning how to control them. At the same time it is a story of forbidden lovers, who decide to ignore the rules and conventions and follow their hearts, no matter what the consequences. This ultimately leads them to become targets. There are many who want control of the Congregation and ultimately the Book of Life. They are constantly manipulating situations for political gain, or are secretly grooming and sending witch or vampire assassins to help them acquire what they desire. The season also explores this mystery of what exactly this Book of Life unlocks, why was it hidden all these years, and why was Diana the only one who could see it?
This series is beautifully shot, with phenomenal production value. The sets and locales are meticulously detailed and instantly transport the viewer to this other world, but one that is still very much grounded in reality. The special effects also look seamless. The first season quickly establishes the main characters and some of the rules of this world, where vampires, witches and other demons hide in plain sight among the humans, always fearful of being discovered. It also does an excellent job of slowly building out this rich world and its inhabitants, establishing the vast array of characters and where each of their loyalties lies. The story is quite engaging, and the leads have great chemistry. Each episode ends on a cliffhanger, making you eager to see what happens next. I found myself rapidly binging through the entire season. And while the season also ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, the series has already been picked up for two more seasons. The plan for the series is to have each season follow one of the novels, so there is still a lot more to look forward to.
RLJ Entertainment and Acorn Media have released this first season of A Discovery of Witches on both DVD and Blu-ray. I was sent the Blu-ray version for review, and I was blown away by the production quality of the series. The picture looks amazing, maintaining a detailed, pristine look no matter how dark or bright the scene. The specifications on the packaging list a 16:9 picture, but the aspect ratio is a bit wider than the standard widescreen TV programs, providing a more cinematic look with a 2:1 ratio. The 5.1 audio track sounds quite good, providing clear dialogue, and a wonderful soundtrack that really helps to evoke the right emotions. The surround channel is well-utilized to make the soundtrack boom, and also to provide some more-immersive moments.
The release contains all eight episodes of the first season split evenly across two discs. These are housed in a standard-size HD keepcase, with a cardboard slipcover. The bonus material is split across both discs, providing over 45 minutes of interviews and behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew. These three featurettes could have easily been separated into many separate shorter items, but are provided in a more user-friendly form that makes playback a bit less cumbersome.
If you want to hear more about the series, I got the chance to speak with some of the cast and creators of the series, and hold the actual Book of Life itself in the press room at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con, before the series hit the air! Check out the interview videos here.
What’s Included:
Episodes: (5:56:24)
- All 8 episodes of the first season
- 1080p / 16:9 Widescreen 2:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
Bonus martial is spread across both discs
- About the Characters (14:21)
Each of the actors talks about his or her own character’s arc for the season. Segments include Teresa Palmer (“Diana Bishop”), Matthew Goode (“Matthew Clairmont”), Alex Kingston (“Sarah Bishop”), Owen Teale (“Peter Knox”), Lindsay Duncan (“Ysabeau de DeClaremont”), and Greg McHugh (“Hamish Osbourne”). - Mythology (14:01)
Broken into various segments, in this behind-the-scenes featurette, the cast talks about the various creatures—Witches, Vampires and Daemons—and the powers, advantages, disadvantages and roles of each. They also discuss The Book of Life and the major role it plays in the story, the forbidden Love Story between Diana and Matthew, and the Dancing scenes. Includes interviews with art department member Kelly Anne Walker, executive producer Lachlan MacKinnon, and stars Valerie Pettiford (“Emily Mather”), Alex Kingston, Louise Brealey (“Gillian Chamberlain”), Teresa Palmer, Owen Teale, Malin Buska (“Satu Jarvinen”), Lindsay Duncan, Aiysha Hart (“Miriam Shepherd”), Elarica Johnson (“Juliette Durand”), Trystan Gravelle (“Baldwin de Claremont”), Gregg Chillin (“Domenico Michele”), Edward Bluemel (“Marcus Whitmore”), Matthew Goode, Greg McHugh, Aisling Loftus (“Sophie Norman”), Tanya Moodie (“Agatha Wilson”), and Daniel Ezra (“Nathaniel Wilson”). - TV Magic (17:25)
A behind-the-scenes look at the series, from the sets and locations, to the preparation and filming of the series. Also includes a detailed look at creating the Bodleian Library set, dressing the vampires, witches and daemons, creating the Witch Wind and Witch Water, and building and filming the Congregation. There is also a tour of the Witches Archive with production designer James North. Includes interviews with executive producer Lachlan MacKinnon, location manager Gareth Skelding, stunt co-ordinator Steen Young, director (eps 6-8) Sarah Walker, production designer James North, art department member Sarah Notley, costume designer (eps 3-8) Sarah Arthur, Italian SFX Pasquale Catalano, director (eps 3-5) Alice Troughton, and stars Alex Kingston, Valerie Pettiford, Matthew Goode, Teresa Palmer, Aiysha Hart, Elarica Johnson, Gregg Chillin, Greg McHugh, Malin Buska, Owen Teale, Trystan Gravelle, Louise Brealey, Edward Bluemel, Lindsay Duncan, Aisling Loftus, Tanya Moodie, and Trystan Gravelle.
Final Thoughts:
The first season of A Discovery of Witches transports viewers to a world where vampires, witch and demons live in secret alongside humans. There is magic, a story of forbidden love, and political intrigue as these creatures try to figure out their own survival. The first season makes a great binge, and with 2 more seasons already on the way, you don’t need to be worried about being left on a cliffhanger. The series looks and sounds amazing on this this Blu-ray release, and the discs include 45 minutes of interesting interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the novels, but also for anyone looking for a well-produced fantasy drama.
