Spoilers for Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches Episode 3, “Second Line”
The first two episodes of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches took time with character and story building while trying to immerse the viewer into a place where they cared about the characters on the screen, especially Rowan (with mixed success). After Mayfair Witches episode three, “Second Line,“ Rowan’s eyes are finally beginning to open. All it took was another tragedy and a member of a secret society offering to fill in some of the blanks.
The end of episode two saw the daughter Rowan (Alexandra Daddario) and mother Deirdre (Annabeth Gish) meet face to face for the first time, only for Deirdre to die and leave Rowan in an even worse place than she was before. She leaves the hotel (still covered in her mother’s blood) and is taken to a safe place by Ciprien (Tongayi Chirisa), the watcher from the secret order, the Talamasca. Rowan tries to absorb yet another loss while wrapping her brain around what Ciprien is telling her while trying to keep her safe. To say she is in shock is an understatement.
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The death of Deidre sends waves of discontent and change through the Mayfair family as we get a little glimpse into the clan and what certain people are up to. With Deidre dead, Lasher (Jack Huston) begins his quest to make Rowan his, cleverly finding a way to get her away from Ciprien’s hideaway. At first, she falls for it, in an acid-like induced trance playing follow-the-Lasher through New Orleans. However, as Lasher said himself to Cortland Mayfair (Harry Hamlin), Rowan is resisting. As we end the episode, Rowan and Ciprien take the next step to discovering more about Rowan’s hidden powers.
Mayfair Witches episode three finally takes the viewers past the character building and begins pushing us into what is to come. There is still a gigantic lack of information regarding the Mayfair family and what part the witches play, but one thing is clear: everyone is afraid of Rowan. There are some legitimate reasons for this, as she seems to carry strong powers yet to be unleashed. However, the Mayfair family is also afraid of what she represents to them, their way of life, what they’ve become accustomed to, and their future.
I find it curious yet enjoyable how the show gives Carlotta Mayfair (Beth Grant) what seems to be an overabundance of screen time. This woman is in the middle of many storylines. Her faith and controlling nature guide her to make curious and nasty decisions. There is a sense that the bloodline of the Mayfair family has undergone some interesting changes over the generations. Some generations skip bestowing family members with any kind of power at all. That said, Rowan seems to be a perfect storm, a mix of intelligence, power, and a strong will.
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With everything swirling around Rowan and the Mayfair Witches, it’s still unknown if the Talamasca understands what part Lasher plays in all of this and what he is. We’ve seen how he captivates and corrupts the witches of the family. We watched how easily he slipped past personal and professional defenses in this episode to get to Rowan. All these years later, is it possible the Talamasca still doesn’t know much about him?
However, the Mayfair family undoubtedly knows. We saw the confrontation between Lasher and Cortland and what Carlotta did with the necklace she took for Deidre. It is an intriguing mystery but also a bit puzzling in its logic.
If anything, “The Second Line” was a solid step forward for the show, giving us a glimpse into how all the pieces connect yet leaving much for the viewer to debate about for themselves. Hopefully, this trend continues, and the show quickly digs deeper into the Mayfair secrets, Rowan’s power, and how Lasher is seemingly connected to everything.
