A Discovery of Witches stars tease “much darker” second season
As Matthew and Diana find themselves in Elizabethan London, new challenges could lead them down a deadly path…
Fantasy romance A Discovery of Witches is returning to Sky One after a long break, with season one airing at the end of 2018 and fans waiting over two years to see what came next for star-crossed vampire/witch lovers Matthew and Diana (Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer).
But anyone hoping for a happy reunion for their favourite characters may need to temper their expectations – because apparently, as Matthew and Diana find themselves trapped in 1590s London (having timewalked at the end of the last series) the new episodes take the characters down a dark path.
“It’s much darker than the first season,” Goode told RadioTimes.com and other press from the set in 2019.
“We do have some things that come between us. There are some obstacles for us to overcome.”
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The major source of this darkness? Matthew’s submersion into the more violent persona of his younger 1590s self, whose life he picks up as a disguise when the pair first arrive in history, as well as his continuing struggle with blood rage, a vampire disease hinted at in the series before.
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“It is a lot darker,” Palmer told us. “There’s no violence that I see first-hand, obviously, but I know that he has violent tendencies, as does [his younger self] Matthew Roydon, and then I see blood rage for the first time. It’s a lot to process. So obviously there’s some conflict between the two of us.
“I’m getting to know him again in this time. It feels like a totally different Matthew in moments. It really throws her for a loop. And again, she feels quite isolated.”
“And Matthew’s father,” she added, referring to James Purefoy’s paternal vampire Philippe. “The treatment at the hands of his father that I cop – that also puts a little bit of a wedge between us too.”
“Like all fathers and their sons, really, it’s like: how much do you know them? How much have you given of yourself to them?” Goode said. “Or do you spend a lot of time not sharing a lot of yourself?
“So it’s all bound up in that, really. And obviously it’s more complicated because he’s going back to a time of 500 years before when Philippe is pretty bloody formidable, and in France.
“All in all, it’s a man seeking the approval and love of another man. And you’ll see how that pans out.”
In other words, things will be looking pretty fraught for Diana and Matthew as the series continues – even if behind the camera, things were brighter than ever as Goode reunited with “the wonderful James Purefoy” after working together before.
“He’s his mate from The Wine Show,”Palmer told us, “which is quite funny. So they’ve been having lots of giggles on set.”
“I think we’ve had more laughter than season one – by quite a bit,” Goode said.
“Yeah, it’s been fun,” Palmer agreed.
Laughs and tears? Fun and doom? Like the series itself, it sounds like filming was a perfect balance of dark and light.
Sky original drama A Discovery of Witches Series two is coming to Sky One and NOW TV on 8th January 2021, with all episodes available at once. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide.
