During the previous episode (review here), Rowan had to watch Lasher wed another like himself. A taltos. Elsewhere, Ciprien had learned what LAsher was and how the Mayfairs planned to use him.
This season has been a whirlwind of emotions and magic. Even though the finale was a little over a week ago, we’re still reeling. There’s been so many questions and so many answers. While Rowan has been searching for Lasher all season, Lasher has been searching for his purpose. New Mayfairs and old love interests joined the fold.
In the season 2 finale, Lasher felt the sting of betrayal that Rowan had tried to protect him from. Julien-in Cortland’s body-had big, powerful plans, and they were coming to fruition. Only Rowan, Moira, and Ciprien stood in his way.
Let’s review!
Warning: It’s about to get spoiler-y!
It Won’t Be Long Now
The episode began with Lasher (Jack Huston) and his new bride already expecting a child. Wow, did they work fast.
When Rowan (Alexandria Daddario) came to Lasher’s aid when the baby was ready to be born, she was struck with an odd sensation that offered her a glimpse of Julien inside Cortland (Harry Hamlin). Hopefully, it was enough to get her to help set Cortland free of Julien’s purgatory prison.
Between a Rock and A Hard Place
Ciprien (Tongayi Chirisa) and his Talamascan colleague wound up captured by the Mayfairs and left in an old-fashioned dungeon. Soon enough, Rowan was put in the one next to them. With a little magic, Ciprien managed to get the Mayfair on guard to release them so he could help Rowan.
After being awakened from a sleeping spell that Julien put on her, Rowan was hesitant to accept their help. We can’t blame her. Ciprien didn’t instill much faith in Rowan this season. After they came to the same conclusion that Lasher needed their help, they quickly worked together to get free.
Elsewhere, Moira (Alyssa Jirrels) also managed to break free of her holding room. From there, she got extra sneaky by dressing as a midwife and coming to help Lasher’s new bride with her birth. At that point, eight children had been born. And, the word was that these Mayfairs were planning some sort of horrifying ritual with them. It was looking like a cannibal feast with the way the midwives salivated over the newborns.
A New Ritual
Much like what happened in Lasher’s previous life, he was brought to the woods where Cortland and Ian had performed sacrifices as children. The past was preparing to repeat itself in the worst way. To say it filled us with dread was an understatement.
The betrayal still hurt and left us gasping when Ian slit Lasher’s throat for his blood. Abel was the only one truly horrified. For a moment, he reminded us of the younger Cortland we saw during “Julien’s Victrola” when he refused to sacrifice the goat and the girl at the very same altar. He was also the only one to escape this Mayfair ritual unscathed…well, for the most part.
The power in Lasher’s blood offered a trail of flowers for Rowan to follow. Surprisingly, Rowan managed to save Lasher’s life before he was completely gone. Until this moment, she’d only ever killed or hurt people with her powers. It was magnificent to see her heal with the gift Lasher gave her. This also showed that Ciprien and Lasher were right. This power wasn’t engulfed in death and darkness as it had been manipulated to be for so long by the Mayfairs. It was life and so much more. It was incredible to see Rowan get to experience it. We certainly hope to see more of it in the future.
Magic Feast
Everything came together in the episode when Moira finally reunited with Rowan and Lasher. Though she’d been demanding to meet Lasher all season, Moira didn’t care anymore. It would’ve been comical had there not been children at the mercy of psychotic, power-hungry witches.
Julien and Ian were watching Lasher’s children grow and waiting for the right moment to kill them and drink their blood. Julien carried on with a speech of joy about this moment, almost as if stalling.
Rowan, Lasher, and Moira arrived with perfect timing. It was no surprise that a fight broke out among everyone. However, it was quite a shock that Julien took Rowan’s side over his own son’s.
At the end of the intense and bloody fight, Ian (Ian Pirie), Hamish, and sadly, Lasher had died. Still, Julien looked pleased with himself as he watched Rowan use her magic to destroy their family. There was something fishy going on. Julien’s too smart to just outright slaughter his own family for no reason. He’d been betting on Rowan since before he met her. He knew that she was the most powerful one of the Mayfairs. She’d given Lasher his physical form back and he knew she was capable of so much more, much like him.
The way he encouraged Rowan to drink Lasher’s blood over his dead body was also suspicious. He’s had major plans for Rowan since the start of this season. Julien wants power, but what does Rowan have to do with it since he’s already gotten Lasher?
The dreadful loss of Lasher held such finality, but with the promise that Rowan could learn to raise the dead, is this goodbye for Lasher? There are boundless possibilities where magic is involved. In fact, after having been sacrificed and used once again, could we see the old, corrupt Lasher from season 1 again?
A Powerful Covenant
With Ciprien’s help, the Talamasca managed to sweep in and save Lasher’s children, but not before Julien killed a fellow agent. Yet another loss in the grand scheme of trying to gain more power. Still, the baby Taltos children were saved. There was no cannibalistic feast, which lifts our heavy hearts. We’re not sure that we could’ve handled that.
In the end, Rowan drank Lasher’s blood. As a mother swallowed in grief at being unable to save Lasher again, it was her only hope to bring him and the bond they shared back. The chilling amount of power it gave her rivaled that of Julien’s. She no longer needed Lasher nearby (or alive) for the power he gave her, not with his blood coursing through her. It’s not impossible that she more than likely could bring Lasher back from the dead. She could probably anyone back from the dead and then some.
The Moral Thing
After all was said and done in Kilbride, things were shaky between everyone, especially Rowan and Lark (Ben Feldman). Amid everything, Lark ended up killing a Mayfair in self-defense, but unlike Rowan and the others, he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t stick around for whatever came next. It was all just too much.
Rowan planned on finding Julien and putting a stop to whatever his future plans were. After saving Jojo (Jen Richards), Daphne, and the house, she wanted to use Lasher’s blood to help people. It was all noble-sounding, but Lark refused to stay which was heartbreaking.
So, the memory-wiping tea came back around. Before he drank it, he did ask that if they ever bumped into one another she would introduce herself. It’s sad that Lark probably won’t be around in the future since he grounded Rowan to her humanity, but magic isn’t for everyone. Rowan did manage to get her house back in order, so she wasn’t utterly alone at the end of this season.
One thing is for sure. From the way Rowan stood out on her porch in the final scene, almost as if she was waiting for something and the fact that Julien wasn’t too far off watching her, a bigger battle was brewing. Another Mayfair fight may be coming and this time to New Orleans.
What did you think of season 2? I know we were left wanting more. Let’s chat in the comments below.
