‘Mayfair Witches’ 1×04 Review: “Curiouser and Curiouser”

Mayfair Witches has officially hit the halfway point through the season and has remained steadily mystical yet ominous. This week, Rowan attended Deirdre’s wake. She was ready to figure out who she was and who the Mayfairs are. She got more than she bargained for. Elsewhere, Ciprien learned of killed Deirdre.

Let’s Review!

Warning: It’s about to get spoiler-y!

Save Your Tears

The episode began shortly after where it left off in 1×03: “Second Line”. Suzanne Mayfair’s (Hannah Alline) story continued, Her mother officially died, but Suzanne was kept from mourning by the men in the family. They didn’t care that the woman who’d mended their injuries and taken care of them had died, only that Suzanne was taking her place. How rude.

A funeral was held for Suzanne’s mother by the women of her coven, and it was in total Midsommer style. In the dark of night, Suzanne sobbed aloud with all of them. Together, they mourned without judgment while supporting one another. It was tragic and beautiful.  However, the shrine made in the shape of Suzanne’s mother did give the heebie jeebies.

Each glimpse of Suzanne’s life thus far has been dark but illuminating. I suspect that Suzanne will eventually come into contact with Lasher. Through the books, it was a creation from desperation, but I can’t wait to see how the show will take on Lasher’s origin.

 

Strange Dreams

In the present, Rowan (Alexandria Daddario) woke from a hazy dream that she couldn’t tell if it was real or not let alone a dream or a nightmare. I certainly can’t forget about it.

The dream had been quite steamy. After finally letting her walls down, Rowan was already wondering (subconsciously) what it would be like to roll around in the sheets with Ciprien (Tongayo Chirisa). I can’t blame her. He is quite a catch. He’s smart, kind, and has some impressive skills.

Lasher (Jack Huston) popping his head into that dream was so uncalled for. Not only did it verge on creepy, but it got me wondering. Was Lasher really there or was his ability to get her to think about him just that good? Or, maybe, the dream was a premonition of what’s to come for Rowan. He was luring her to him like a mouse to cheese in a mousetrap.

 

Just a Peek

Ciprien was called into the Talamasca headquarters during Deirdre’s funeral. Talking about bad timing. But, the man who’d killed Deirdre (Annabeth Gish) had been caught. Leaving Rowan on her own to face the mess of Mayfairs was less important than getting to the bottom of Deirdre’s mysterious murder. Still, Ciprien didn’t leave Rowan without assuring her that he’d keep up her up to date and she’d do the same with him.

While getting to the bottom of both mysteries was important, splitting up was a horrible idea. It’s like they forgot what happened last week.

Ciprien wasted no time when he made it to Talamasca headquarters even though his boss and everybody there worried for his safety regarding Rowan. He remained unmoved with only the desire to help her understand herself and gain control of her powers. Once in the interrogation room with Deirdre’s supposed killer, Ciprien could instantly tell that the man wasn’t in his right mind. He seemed to be fighting something inside that had him writhing horribly. Somebody had taken control of him and forced him to kill Deirdre.

Lasher. The suspicion was confirmed when the man’s neck was abruptly snapped in front of Ciprien and Lasher released himself from the body.

 

Somebody’s Watching

During Deirdre’s funeral, the doctor that had tried to give Ciprien the Brotherhood flyer from 1×03 was tucked away in the bushes like Norman Bates and was taking photos of the Mayfairs. What made me giggle was that he seemed to think he wasn’t seen.

Rumors of the witch hunts finally reached the Mayfair house. Tess (Madison Wolfe), another Mayfair out of many, was all too excited to share how she was keeping up with the news. Though Tess is new, it’s too bad her introin the episode was so short. She made quite an impression and was very similar to Mary Jane from the books.

This has been such a great side story even though it’s still murky. All of the shadiness from the Brotherhood has me really hoping for a confrontation between them and the Mayfairs. That’s mostly because it’ll be entertaining to watch the Mayfairs hand them their asses in the most brutal fashion I know they can.

In Wake of a Nightmare

Deirdre’s funeral was a traditional, yet extravagant affair that left Rowan in the middle of Carlotta (Beth Grant) and Cortland’s (Harry Hamlin) feud. Lasher made his presence known by blasting open the church doors and showing rose petals down on Deirdre. Though he’s moved on to Rowan quickly, his grief isn’t just for show.

Rowan didn’t waste time looking for answers as Deirdre was put to rest in the Mayfair mausoleum, especially when she saw her own name etched in stone. Carlotta used that to try to lure her to the Mayfair house where Deirdre’s wake was held.

Rowan’s curiosity got the best of her. Instead of going back to the safe house, she attended the wake. Carlotta didn’t lie to Rowan. She was quick to tell her that it was she who sent Rowan away. I can applaud her for remaining honest even though it’s also savage. Whether she was right or wrong, it was a cruel choice that she made for all involved.

When it came to talking about Lasher, Carlotta didn’t call him out by name. She did tell Rowan that he was dangerous. And she’s not wrong. More intriguing, is that Carlotta seems to follow the rule that by not calling out a demon’s name, you will keep it away.

Rowan was dragged into the witchy half of the Mayfairs when Tess admitted how thrilled she was that there’d be a new designee, a witch that would finally take the head of the family and utilize power to help everyone. Seeing as how Rowan can barely take care of herself, taking care of the Mayfair coven might not seem likely at the moment.

Meeting Cortland and his daughter, Josephine “Jojo” (Jen Richards), was a more lively affair. Rowan learned that not only was she the designee but she now owned the Mayfair house since it had technically belonged to Deirdre, not Carlotta. Cortland took a different approach than Carlotta. Where she was terrified of Lasher, Cortland welcomed him. He even considered him an extension of Mayfair women.

Being pulled between Carlotta and Cortland, it was like a game of tug-of-war with Rowan in the middle. Anybody would be overwhelmed, but Rowan kept her wits about her.  When she realizes what Lasher really is and what he wants that may change.

 

Be Our Guest

Rowan was offered to stay for dinner after the wake and took the opportunity to explore the Mayfair house. The flickering lights guiding her through the house to Deirdre’s bedroom were some of Lasher’s best work. She found Lasher’s necklace where (I’m assuming) he’d put it after Delphine’s “incident”.

Carlotta remained quiet, but she couldn’t hide the horror on her face at seeing Rowan wearing the necklace. Dinner didn’t go very well following that. Carlotta’s sweet façade dropped, and whatever hope she’d held for Rowan faded. She didn’t mince words about what a pain it had been to raise Deirdre, implying she felt the same about Rowan now.

Things took an even darker turn. Carlotta locked both herself and Rowan in the dining with the intent to burn the house down with them inside. Carlotta reached new heights with this half-cocked desperate plan. I half-expected Rowan to dispose of this woman with a mind-aneurysm. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Nonetheless, I will still dream about it.

Lucky for Rowan, when she wasn’t answering Ciprien’s texts, he’d gone to the Mayfair house, drawn there. He managed to get inside but was met with a knife in the gut that was meant for Rowan. Before Carlotta could do any more damage, Rowan managed to get both herself and Cyprien from the room.

The two never made it out of the house. Lasher took over the show, locking everybody inside and adding to Carlotta’s mania by telling her she was too late. Rowan was already his.

Did I shudder? Yes. Yes, I did. Things are about to get ugly. For whom, it’s unclear.

What did you think of the latest episode of Mayfair Witches? Let’s chat in the comments below and don’t forget to follow us @capeandcastle on Twitter!