Mayfair Witches Finale Recap: Into the Woods

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Well, gee, what happened in “The Innocents?”

In the fantastical world of Mayfair, Emaleth gave birth to several infants throughout the morning, which were later prepared for a gruesome ritual involving sacrifice and drinking their blood. Lasher met his grisly end twice – once on an altar with a slashed throat, only to be miraculously healed by Rowan moments before death, and then killed again shortly after. A group of Talamasca embarked on a daring mission to save Taltos babies. An intense series of events resulted in the decimation of 90% of the Mayfair lineage. Both Julien and Rowan partook in drinking Lasher’s blood, granting them extraordinary magical abilities. The romantic relationship between Lark and Rowan came to an end permanently. After saving Jojo and Daphne, the team returned to New Orleans. Although it may seem like a thrilling episode, it felt more akin to navigating an overly simplified Escape Room for young children.

To clarify, let me suggest a brief pause to reflect on the storylines that never fully blossomed this season: The Nola family’s attempted coup against Rowan, Sip’s tape recorder Bible, the love triangle between Sip and Lark involving Bonnie. A few episodes back, Sip agreed to assist Moira under the condition she would help him in return. I didn’t bring it up before because I thought we’d revisit it when Sip reunited with the main characters. However, that didn’t happen, and I hope these plotlines find peace as they seem unlikely to be recalled again.

In the series “Mayfair Witches,” conflicts arise in two distinct settings without any immediate resolution. For instance, in “The Innocents,” challenges often vanish as soon as they emerge, much like when all the Whack-a-Mole moles are stationary. To illustrate: Sip and Polina find themselves confined within Ian Mayfair’s home prison (a common feature of supernatural antagonist lairs), complete with bars and a grumpy guard. However, this obstacle proves to be quite insignificant. Sip shares with Polina in Dutch (it seems Sip is fluent in Dutch) about the trust token he mistakenly believed had already been used on Moira. All they need to do is outsmart the grumpy guard, and he’ll comply with their commands. Thus, the problem is swiftly resolved.

In another version, it could be said: Initially, it may seem like Rowan has been tricked when Julien, clad in his Cortland suit, drugs her upon waking and confines her once more in the same prison-like dwelling. However, as soon as she collapses, Sip and Polina are swiftly administering a miraculous antidote and reviving her. Despite Rowan’s abhorrent nature, her initial response is to blame them for kidnapping her, as if she hadn’t just witnessed Cortland/Julien lacing her coffee. Yet, that matter is not relevant to the present situation.

One might suspect that the contrived prison break scene was merely a convenient means to bring Sip and Rowan’s characters together at the start of the episode. Given that Moira is being detained elsewhere, it seems Ian possesses more than one confinement area on his premises, suggesting he’s an exceptional antagonist. It’s plausible that keeping Moira in isolation for an entire episode was a plot device to prevent her mind-reading abilities from sabotaging the narrative flow. In fact, it’s hard to believe it took two days just for Moira to get Fiona within striking distance, considering she could’ve read her thoughts much sooner.

After successfully escaping from prison, Moira adopts a convincing Scottish persona with a somewhat questionable accent and manages to blend in effortlessly among the clan members. With her casual “och” and “aye”, she gains access to the planning of the gruesome child massacre. Given how smoothly this episode unfolds, it’s hard to imagine anyone raising an eyebrow at this seemingly insignificant newcomer. Onwards!

Rowan traces her fingers towards the location of Lasher’s ritual killing, where she discovers him on the brink of losing consciousness and bleeding onto the grass. It might astound you to realize that the Mayfairs led Lasher into the forest, severed his windpipe, and gathered his blood in a ceremonial chalice, without any resistance from him. This shouldn’t come as a shock since we’ve previously learned that if you’re in search of someone who would buy a bridge, Lasher is your perfect candidate. Therefore, Rowan uses her magical powers to revive Lasher, and now we can move on to the next obstacle – saving all nine (approximately) of his newborn children, which are about 9 years old.

At last, Rowan demonstrates her genius in a surprising way, not by outsmarting the enemy, but by revealing an extraordinary magical ability: summoning a powerful lightning bolt to protect herself. But let’s be honest, it wasn’t exactly an active role she played; Julien/Cortland had already separated Lark’s body from Ian and their group for reasons that remain mysterious. This allowed them to strike first, which they did without hesitation. In the ensuing chaos, Lasher and his dire wolf familiar attacked. Sadly, Ian met his end.

Rowan, true to her character, mostly watched from the sidelines (although she did manage one action). Mrs. Mayfair, in a surprising move, threw an axe at Rowan’s ally/love interest Lasher – a notion I never imagined would cross Rowan’s mind. In the heat of the moment, Rowan, reminded of her divine identity as Zeus, struck back with a lightning bolt. However, it was too late; Lasher had paid the ultimate price for real this time. Well, that was quite an adventure!

Currently, Julien or Cortland, sporting a goblet filled with Lasher and a blood smear on his lips, is beaming at Rowan, encouraging her to drink as it will transform them into invincible duo. Admittedly, the scene carries an unsettling resemblance to a cunning drug dealer, but in this context, it’s meant to depict a Satanic priest. The Catholic undertones are evident with “this is the blood of the new and everlasting covenant” overtones. However, what I find more intriguing is the question Rowan poses: “Why didn’t the Mayfairs attempt this 500 years ago when they killed Lasher the first time?” Indeed, this plot inconsistency seems to be a puzzle that many readers are pondering over.

Rowan feigns as if she won’t drink Lasher blood, giving Sip and his Talamasca emergency response team enough time to save all the Taltos children who have been enjoying homemade ice cream just 30 feet away throughout this ordeal. It may seem puzzling how the Talamasca arrived so swiftly, but let’s not ponder that question now. In an unexpected turn of events, Julien/Cortland ends up taking Polina’s life before midday.

God, how much longer do we have to go now?

In the story, after Rowen consumes Lasher’s blood, we shift scenes to a dock where Rowen, Lark, and Moira are celebrating their successful mission, carrying a cooler containing Lasher’s blood. (The details of how they obtained it aren’t important.) Presently, the narrative concentrates on Lark strategically deciding that their relationship won’t last. They plan to administer amnesia tea to make him forget about Rowen. Does he realize he’s in Scotland? Is his flight information still with him? The Mayfair Witches don’t seem to care about these details.

Switch to New Orleans’ background, where the house, though run-down, remains intact. Here, we listen as Rowan breaks the spell over Jojo and Daphne, an astonishing act that surprisingly doesn’t incur anyone’s wrath. Meanwhile, Julien/Cortland is observing from the bushes. The story seems to have concluded.

Additional Questions, Comments, and Concerns

It is unknown where Emaleth and the child she was planning to nurse have gone, but if you encounter her, please keep the information about her ‘super-womb’ secret as she has already experienced enough hardship.

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2025-03-03 07:54