Last week (review here), Rowan and the others went to Kilbride to meet Ian and find Lasher. As expected, things went awry. Though they didn’t find Lahser, they were invited to a wedding and Moira went missing.
This week, Rowan and the others fell into Ian’s tangled web. Lasher’s wedding day finally came but nothing was as it seemed. What’s truly in store for him is still a mystery. Ciprien began unraveling that mystery for The Talamasca but came to a crossroads.
Let’s review!
Warning: It’s about to get spoiler-y!
Lost
After getting lost down in the tunnels, Rowan (Alexandra Daddario) finally discovered that Lasher was nearby when a flame lit in her palm. She followed it to the door where Lasher had been captured by Abel Mayfair (Callum McAuliffe) but on the other side were Ian’s wife and daughter as if waiting for her with a vial of Lasher’s blood.
Now that she had what she wanted, she still wasn’t satisfied. No surprise there, right? The Kilbride Mayfairs who’d wanted Rowan and the others to stay for the wedding wanted them to leave more than anything. Strange? Very. So, naturally, Rowan has to stay to figure out what everybody is trying to hide all of the sudden.
On a positive note, Moira (Alyssa Jirrels) was safe and sound. She was locked in a room away from everyone else so she couldn’t use her abilities, but she was safe. More than anybody else, she was annoyed and ready to leave before this wedding happened and we can’t blame her. The closer this event got, the spookier it felt. Still, Rowan couldn’t leave without Lasher like she thought she could. One thing is for sure, if Moira was set loose on the Kilbride Mayfairs, we’d know what was really going on immediately. But, things are never that easy are they?
Blood is Magic
Lasher (Jack Huston) was still conflicted about this wedding. Abel did his best to convince him but in the end, came clean about everything. Well, everything Ian wanted him to. That Ian (Ian Pirie) would be violent and angry if Lasher didn’t go through with the wedding. And, the irony of his name regarding the story of Cain and Abel isn’t lost on us either. That really felt like a *wink wink* moment there.
With a little of Lasher’s blood, Abel did help him see that he wasn’t a monster. That little bit stirred the growth of a tree in the old church that Lasher used to preach in when he’d been known as Ashler. Lasher fully believed he was a force for good, and we’re believing it now, too.
Rowan did eventually find Lasher and the reunion was actually sweet. It turned a little bitter when Rown realized that Lasher didn’t want to leave even though he knew Ian had killed Albrecht and was threatening their lives. He revealed to her what he believed his sole purpose was, the purpose Abel gave him.
What’s in a Name?
During Lasher’s recollection of his birth, there was a deeper revelation of what a Taltos was. Some thought the being was a demon and others, an angel. For Lasher, he discovered that he could bring nature back to the world that humans destroyed. But now more than ever he wanted to have his own family.
This in-depth look not only expanded the supernatural of the Immortal Universe, but also gave Lasher a stronger background. Things weren’t black and white when it came to him and his abilities. How his blood healed and gave power to people is more than likely how the Mayfair witches came into existence.
Rowan didn’t doubt Lasher, but she wasn’t so sure that Ian had his best interest at heart. Refusing to believe her, Lasher gave her an ultimatum. If she truly cared for him and not just the power he gave to her, she would stay for the wedding. If she didn’t, he wouldn’t help her. More so, there was strong insinuation that he wouldn’t help her keep her powers.
Family Binds
Elsewhere, Cortland (Harry Hamlin), poor Cortland wanted nothing more than to escape. To leave and never look back. The metaphorical hairs were standing on end and rightfully so. He still wanted to prove he could change and that left him between two different versions of himself. A version that would help himself. And, a version that wanted to do better for Jojo and Rowan.
Rowan tasked him with keeping an eye on Ian, and in doing so, walked into a trap. Ian fed him a tragedy. Julien (Ted Levine) wanted to inhabit his son, Hamish’s, body. This was the perfect way to strike, though completely villainous of both Ian and Julien. Cortland, as flawed as he is, loves his daughters, so seeing that happen to other kin was unacceptable. Cortland was the one who got trapped in purgatory while Julien decided to take a ride in his body. How unfortunate for everybody. Honestly, Cortland really should’ve seen this coming
Rowan had asked Cortland to help keep her out of the metaphorical ditch, but who was going to pull him out of this literal ditch?
Wedding of Century
Things took an even more drastic turn on the wedding day. With Rowan dressed more for a funeral than a wedding and Lasher looking as if he were prepared for a Midsommar-themed S&M skit, this wedding was hitting an all-time weird.
Not only were the groom and bride held back by a unique harness to keep from reaching each other, but they fully consummated in front of the entire wedding. The cult feeling of this shindig just kept growing and the endgame is still a mystery.
With Rowan subdued because of Lark’s (Ben Feldman) life being threatened, Cortland being body-snatched, and Moira being held in a dank room, the Mayfairs have been snagged in Julien’s cruel web though they tried to stay out of it. We’re starting to think that maybe they should lean into it, if only a little to beat Julien and Ian at their own game.
Yet, it was unmistakable that Rowan’s presence during this ritual was important, not just to give Lasher away, but because she gave him this physical form. There’s more to their connection and what that’ll mean in the finale has us biting our nails down to the quick.
A Promotion
While Ciprien (Tongayi Chirisya) waited to hear back from The Talamasca, he decided to read Daniel Malloy’s latest book: Interview with the Vampire. Another twist that interweaves the Immortal Universe. Though the book revealed a chunk of the supernatural world, Ciprien was unbothered. He said the easiest way to ease the catastrophe the book could cause was to perpetuate it as a work of fiction. Make it the next Twilight. And, he’s not wrong.
He did get his promotion, which there was no doubt he would, but with it came a new task. He would have to look into Lasher’s remains from the last time he had a physical form. This wasn’t easy since there were a lot of memories attached to Lasher’s remains. Eventually, he discovered that Lasher wasn’t a truly evil being. It’s what everybody was learning in this episode. However, that didn’t mean LAsher couldn’t be used as a force for evil and that was concerning.
But, would Ciprien be able to help Rowan and Lasher before Julien and Ian manipulate both of them?
What did you think of this week’s episode? Let’s chat in the comments below!
I think Rowan should confess her feelings for Lasher/Ashlar and him leave Emaleth for Rowan. The two of them should marry.