‘Mayfair Witches’ Season 2, Episode 8 “The Innocents” Recap & Review

Television season finales are tricky, especially if the show hasn’t been renewed yet. Such is the state of things for Mayfair Witches, tasked with creating a memorable season two finale with its future still in the air. To the show’s credit, it did well creating or expanding on storylines throughout “The Innocents.” Even when it faltered, the episode moved things along fast enough to try at least and tackle all of the plot threads hanging out there, regardless of the show’s future.

With Lasher (Jack Huston) now married and the power in the couple’s blood making the pregnancy move along at an inhuman rate of speed, the real plan for the Taltos couple is unveiled. Of course, it has little to do with any input from them. Julien/Cortland (Harry Hamlin), Cortand’s body now under the control of daddy, wants Lasher’s blood but for a much different reason than Rowan (Alexandra Daddario). The race is on to claim it and all the power it will give to those possessing it. 

Needing Rowan but also needing her out of the way, Cortland/Julien drug her and toss her in a cell. This cell is conveniently located directly across the hall from the Talamasca duo of Ciprien (Tongayi Chirisa) and Polina (Mariana Novak). They were tossed in after they were found wandering around where they shouldn’t have last episode.

An escape, and some assurances to Rowan that they were there to help, sends the trio on the way to find Lasher, He is about to partake in a ritual that has nothing to do with strengthening the bond between himself and his new bride and future family, and everything to do with power hungry Julien/Cortland.

One of the interesting parts of “The Innocents” is how the trio arrives too late. Lasher is killed, his slit throat, which provides the bowl of blood and was the endgame all along. It was a big moment, killing him right then and there. But for reasons, we had to have Rowan bring him back, only to be killed again soon after, this time seemingly for good. It is an odd sequence of events, and while there was some weight to the second death, it still seemed to take away the sudden demise of Lasher in such a brutal fashion. For the little time he was alive after dying, it deflated the power and consequences of the moment.

Thankfully, Moira (Alyssa Jirrels) gets more screen time this week as she escapes and goes undercover. She discovers that the feast they were preparing for involved the sacrifice of Taltos’ children. In another wonderful convenience, Moira leaves and runs into Rowan and Lasher, and they proceed to the place of the feast and where the children are. For more reasons, there is now a wolf with them, who kills Ian Mayfair (Ian Pirie) in the ensuing fight, while Lasher dies again for good (possibly). We see the power of Julien/Cortand on display as he has now helped himself to a drink of Lasher’s blood. 

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Julien/Cortland reveals his end game, enticing Rowan to drink the blood, raise the dead, save those she loves, and become a mirror of his existence. One thing Julien sees, and he sees a lot, is the desire for power in Rowan. Initially, it seems Rowan rejects this idea, instead distracting Julien/Cortland long enough to let the Talamasca get the children to safety, and Julien/Cortland vanishes soon after. But Rowan chooses to drink the blood, reveling in its power, and at least to the viewers, decides not to revive the dead Lasher.

They head home to New Orleans, but not before Rowan and Lark part ways. Lark is not on board with Rowan’s future plans, and she gets him to drink the “goodbye memory” drink so he can be safe, live his life, and not put himself at risk chasing after her. After arriving home and rescuing Jojo (Jen Richards) and Daphne (Olive Abercrombie) with Lasher’s blood, we are left with Rowan staring out into the streets and Julien/Cortland staring back from what looks like a nearby location.

After letting the episode sit with me for a while, I realized that “The Innocents” mirrored the season as a whole, both good and bad. The story came more into focus in the back half of the season, and elements of the finale helped make that happen. Daddario made Rowan a complicated character, being pulled in many directions and breathing life into numerous storylines that would have otherwise faltered.

That said, the season suffered from the same issues as season one: too many characters and some strange decisions. Characters came and went or disappeared entirely. At the same time, the intriguing horror elements introduced also disappeared, leaving the show to rely heavily on its gothic storyline that sometimes fell into soap opera-like territory. 

The episode and the show took the long game approach. The finale did not leave a hardcore cliffhanger for the fans to stew on as they wait to see if the show returns. Instead, they looked at the big picture and what the show could evolve into, and that is not easy to do. 

Mayfair Witches has enough story under its belt now and lore to draw on to justify a third season. Still, if it wants to go toe-to-toe with Interview with the Vampire, the other show in this Immortal Universe, it will have to push itself to bigger heights.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars