Last week (review here), Rowan went inside Julien’s victrola to try to discover where Lasher was taken. Instead, she wound up splitting in two and was left to Julien’s mercy and games. In the midst of all of this, Rowan finally told Lark she’s a witch.
This week, a trip to Kilbride, Scotland took an unnerving turn. Moira goes missing. Rowan, Cortland, and Lark were invited to a family wedding. Lasher was granted a glimpse of his mate and possible future. Ciprien arrived in Amsterdam.
Let’s review!
Warning: It’s about to get spoiler-y!
Never a Carpenter, Always a Hammer
We finally got to catch up with Ciprien (Tongayi Chirisya) albeit briefly. The Talamasca brought him to their Amsterdam headquarters and sought more of his help after Albrecht’s betrayal. Ciprien was understandably tired of their bullshit. He refused to be their pawn anymore unless he got promoted to head of the New Orleans sector. Until then, he was off to ride a bicycle and look at a Van Gogh.
Another Mayfair Affiar
As Dolly Jean and Evelyn tried to take care of the New Orleanian Mayfair house, Rowan, Cortland, Moira, and Lark went to Kilbride Scotland. There, they were pulled into a strange festival celebrating The archangel, Michael and a Saint known as St. Ashler who looked remarkably like Lasher.
There, they discovered that not only was this festival funded by the Mayfairs, but it was celebrating St. Ashler as a deity of life.
Things grew shaky when the group decided to split up and look around town. A horrible idea without a doubt. In fact, Moira (Alyssa Jirrels) went missing and Rowan was invited up to a private hotel that turned out to be Ian’s home. Not good at all and the heebie-jeebies have bad had.
Groom-To-Be
One of the most surprising parts of the episode wasn’t just Lasher (Jack Huston) getting to see his potential mate—a Taltos—or so he was told. Or that he was to be a groom in a wedding he didn’t agree to. It was that he was within range of Rowan and yet they didn’t feel each other once as they did throughout the first half of the season.
Put on a leash, Lasher’s fear only grew in this episode even though he was told that he wasn’t truly an evil being. As those in Kilbride celebrated him, those in Ian’s home hailed him like a god, leaving me asking more questions which will probably have explosive answers by the end of the season.
Is Lasher a demonic force as we’d seen in season 1 where he possessed and manipulated the women in the Mayfair line? Or, was he once this powerful being known for the good of giving life and power before the Mayfairs trapped him in greed to gain power and wealth?
Wedding’s Eve
A pre-wedding party was afoot at Ian’s home and he insisted that Rowan and the others attend. It wasn’t really optional, especially if they hoped to get any kind of answers or find Moira. The celebration throughout Kilbride and at the house was giving me some spooky chills. The deeper Rowan (Alexandria Daddario) and the group got, the more this was all feeling like Midsommar.
Ian (Ian Pirie) and the Mayfairs were preparing a wedding for St. Ashler which sounded very close to Lasher. What was incredibly wild was how mysterious this entire event was. The Mayfairs were shrouded in it last season. This show has done a great job of leaving its audience guessing.
If Lasher is to be the groom, who is the mysterious bride? Will it actually be this veiled being Lasher had been drawn to when Ian’s boys took him on a field trip? Maybe it’ll be Moira? Rowan had been given the impression that she was being held in the tunnels under the house.
It’s A Trap!
Lark (Ben Feldman) was the smart one this week. At least, in my opinion. Though he is just an ordinary human with no witchy powers, he knew something was awry when everyone else was smitten with the other half of the Mayfair family.
With Moira going missing, a sketchy human skin mask of Albrecht, and creepy secrets lingering in Ian’s home, it was time to bail. Of course, he was the only one with logic. Rowan can’t help but feel the allure of more Mayfair secrets and magic regardless of this cult-like wedding approaching.
In the end, nobody listened to Lark. Cortland (Harry Hamlin) ended up belligerently drunk with Ian while Rowan was locked down in the tunnels. You’d think that after all of this time, Rowan and Cortland would learn to be on their guard, especially since they knew all of this was some kind of test. I’m feeling like they didn’t pass it.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Let’s chat in the comments below.
