Spoilers for Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches Episode 5, “The Thrall”
Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches has consistently walked the line between good, sometimes great, and occasionally average through the first four episodes. In episode 5, “The Thrall,” we are unfortunately firmly stuck in the average category, looping through an all too familiar story with minimal progression in the overall plot, except possibly the last few scenes. The characters also struggle to make their dialogue interesting and full of tension.
At the end of episode four, Ciprien is stabbed by Carlotta after he comes between Rowan and Caroltta in a bungled rescue attempt at the Mayfair house. A fire breaks out, chaos ensues, and Lasher is not far from the action. We pick things up with Ciprien and Rowan in bed; there is no fire or stab wound, and they act like a couple.
The scene begins to repeat, and slowly, the fog is lifted, and they realize they are trapped in a world created by Lasher. This begins the back-and-forth of trying to figure out how to break the cycle while, at the same time, not giving in to Lasher.
While a familiar plot premise, initially, it has some promise. Rowan and Ciprien, in different ways, find clues about not only Lasher but the history of the Mayfair house. Lasher, it seems, doesn’t like people near his Mayfair witches, and over the years, some have found themselves trapped for eternity in the house as payment for having any affection for the Mayfair women. Ciprien casts a spell to call for help, presumably to the Talamasca, as his time is running out, while Rown searches for ways to escape but is delayed at every turn by Lasher.
Unfortunately, some of the scenes and dialogues also seem to be caught in a loop of mediocrity and boredom. The whole episode hits a wall about midway through, and it’s a struggle the rest of the way. The sense of dread and the eerie atmosphere they have been building disappears, which is disappointing. The Mayfair house is a character on its own in this show, and I was looking forward to spending some time with it, but I was left wanting here as well. It became more of a background character than baring its teeth.
RELATED: Check Out Our ‘Mayfair Witches’ Coverage Here!
Lasher sends Ciprien back home with a wave of his hand after Rown agrees to stay in the house if he saves him. Lasher continues to work on Rowan mentally, trying to break her down, but she is stubborn and pushing back. Ciprien is discovered at home by Odette Grieve (Keyara Milliner). She is told to hide as the Talamasca shows up, casting magic and spells that save his life. It was our first close-up look at strong Talamasca magic, and it makes you wonder why individuals this strong continually get bested (killed) by Lasher.
Carlotta, literally hanging in the air in some magical prison, is released by Rowan, who Lasher told is the one keeping her there. Carlotta then rewards Rowan by bringing her to that famous balcony and encourages her to jump. Rowan flexes some of that untapped power and gets Carlotta to jump instead, quickly realizing it was all orchestrated by Lasher. She promptly leaves the house and walks away.
It was a strangely put-together episode, with the bits and pieces of the story not fitting together as they should. We had good parts, like more Talamasca and Rowan tapping into some of her power, but it wasn’t enough to help the episode crawl out of the average category.
Some will not miss Carlotta, but I will, as she brought some great menace and twisted way of thinking to the show. Now that Rowan has been somewhat unleashed, maybe she will tap into that menace, thanks to Lasher, and push the show into a darker and more interesting story than where it currently stands.
