Teresa Palmer and Michael Jibson in A Discovery of Witches TV from Far Far Away
Happiest Sunday, darling Clovers.
We’re back with our discussion of A Discovery of Witches TV 2×07 and it’s rather fun, if we do say so ourselves. In this episode, we’re talking about smart adaptation choices, killer costumes, Hapsburg creeps, and how mad we are at the Bosch tease (GIVE US OUR TRIPTYCH, THX). Oh, also: consider this your vaguely inappropriate pun warning.
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Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop and Matthew Goode as Matthew de Clermont in A Discovery of Witches TV. Image from @adiscoveryofwtv on Instagram.
With great celebration and joy and fanfare, the day we’ve waited for is finally (FINALLY) here! In this episode, we’re discussing the breathtakingly beautiful, dramatic, moody premiere of A Discovery of Witches TV on Sky, Shudder, AMC Plus, and Sundance Now.
Today is the day when we can finally gush–in extraordinary detail–about costumes and sets and lighting and adaptive choices and casting and the work of art that is the second season of this remarkable series. In addition, we get to talk about HATS and Matthew being a clever little sausage. Lucky us. So, without further ado, please pull up a chair and let’s get this Elizabethan Vacation off to a grand and glorious start.
As a side note, we 100% goofed and forgot how to podcast and this episode has a little bitty spoiler section between 1:06h-1:14h. In the future, we will relegate those naughty little buggers to the Spoiler Corner.
We’ll be live-tweeting every episode of A Discovery of Witches TV Season 2 as the series is released on streaming platforms, so please join us every Sunday evening at 7pm EST, 4 pm PST using the hashtag #ccalchemy.
Because the universe (and La Harkness) are generous indeed, Deb will be doing a #Witchalong every Sunday at 11AM PST, 2PM EST on her Instagram and Facebook. Peep her details below:
In the meantime, please follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook group, the Chamomile & Clove Clovers, to connect with us and other fans squealing with joy about this remarkable premiere. We can’t wait to connect with you and celebrate the triumphant return of Matthew and Diana and all of our favorites.
Matthew Goode as Matthew de Clermont and Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop in A Discovery of Witches. Image shared by @adiscoveryofwitchestv on Instagram.
There is so much magic in store for us in Season 2 of A Discovery of Witches — and not just the cinematic kind! Shadow of Night is central to Diana’s development as a witch; she discovers the depths of her powers and asks important questions about her magic and her place in the world. We’ve long been curious about how the production and creative teams behind the television show would illustrate Diana’s magical education with Goody Alsop and her growing understanding of how her power can change the world. By all appearances, we have a lot to look forward to — time travel! Weaving! The potential for familiars! The search for the Book of Life! Diana’s journey from reluctant witch to powerful weaver is one of our favorite storylines in the All Souls Trilogy and we can’t wait to see it take shape on screen. To whet our appetites for magic of all kinds, take a peek at this lovely behind-the-scenes video shared by A Discovery of Witches TV on Instagram. Are you following them, yet?
Which of Diana’s remarkable powers do you hope to see on display in Season 2? What spell do you wish you could perform?
We’ll celebrate the premiere of Season 2 with a live-tweet on Saturday, 9 January 2021, at 7pm EST. Use the hashtag #ccalchemy to join us and invite your friends!
In the meantime, follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook group, the Chamomile & Clove Clovers, to connect with us and other fans dreaming about the magic and wonder of Season 2. See you tomorrow!
“The Armada Portrait” of Elizabeth I, located at Woburn Abbey, dated 1588.
Y’all. We’re only nine sleeps and a wake-up — or ten days — from the premiere of Season 2 of A Discovery of Witches TV on Shudder, Sundance Now, and AMC+ on 9 January 2021. To get properly excited, we thought we’d share our thoughts on what we’re most looking forward to about Season 2.
Elizabeth I, as portrayed by Barbara Marten in Season 2 of A Discovery of Witches. Image captured from trailer released by Sky One.
One of everyone’s favorite aspects of Shadow of Night, the source text for Season 2 of A Discovery of Witches TV, is how it whisks the reader into Tudor England — full of real people, real intrigue, and real events. From early production stills, trailers, and behind-the-scenes sneak peaks, we can certainly expect to encounter our favorite historical people and places from the books on-screen. For many of us, this is a wonderful opportunity to attend the court of Elizabeth I in the company of Matthew Roydon, her shadowy spy, and to peruse the extensive library of John Dee. Thanks to the incredible production team at Bad Wolf, we’re in for a phenomenal tour of Tudor England and Renaissance Europe–warrens, libraries, castles, countryside, and everything in between. If you haven’t already, take some time to watch this incredible “Behind the Magic” feature from New York Comic Con this fall and get in the mood for some A+ historical tourism.
If you can’t get enough, you should also check out the fabulous Biography Sundays in the All Souls Discussion Group on Facebook — there are book discussions, chapter questions, and lots of great details about characters (real and imagined!) from the All Souls Universe.
We’ll celebrate the premiere of Season 2 with a live-tweet on Saturday, 9 January 2021, at 7pm EST. Use the hashtag #ccalchemy to join in the fun and keep your eyes peeled for our updated release and live tweet schedule.
In the meantime, follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook group, the Chamomile & Clove Clovers, to connect with us and other fans eagerly awaiting the return of our favorite series in just. ten. days.
Tell us which historical figure you’re most excited to see in Season 2 in the comments!
After the death of Francis Walsingham, Cecil became the head of Elizabeth’s intricate spy network aimed at discovering (and squashing) Catholic plots against the queen.
The little snippet of Latin Lord Burghley quotes to Diana (Vanitatis vanitatum, omnis vanitas) comes from the Vulgate translation of Ecclesiastes 1:2, a verse which translates as “Vanity, vanity, everything vanity.” It’s a curious bit of verse for a Protestant, as it comes from the official version of the Latin Bible dating from the 4th century.
If you’re interested in Lord Burghley as a spymaster, there’s a current BBC series airing on PBS that looks pretty interesting.
“Because if we are not in the audience chamber at Richmond Palace by two in the afternoon tomorrow, Elizabeth will arrest us both.”
Going to court in Tudor England was no small thing. First of all, the Tudor palaces were explicitly designed to restrict access to the monarchy and channel people of different rank into appropriate spaces. Because only the most important (and affluent) people made it into the presence of the king or queen, it paid to appear in court dressed in the finest clothing money could buy. In Tudor times, proximity to the king or queen was the quickest way to attain favor–and thereby improve your title and fortune. However, if Elizabeth I felt that you slighted, betrayed, or otherwise disobeyed her, the consequences could be brutal. Court was complicated, political, and highly performative.
In Shadow of Night, Elizabeth I’s court is located at Richmond Palace, the lost palace of the Tudor monarchy. Henry VII died in the palace and it became Elizabeth I’s favorite — she died there in 1603 and her body made the journey to Westminister Abbey from its gates. In the mid-seventeenth century, after the execution of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and his administration systematically stripped the palace until only a few bits and pieces remained. You can still visit the site of Richmond Palace in southwest London today.
“And silver and black are the queen’s colors. That’s why Walter is always wearing them,” Mary explained, smoothing the puffed sleeves.
Elizabeth I had a vast and impressive wardrobe. As she grew older, she apparently leaned into the image of herself as the Virgin Queen and preferred to dress in black, white, and silver — colors she believed represented purity and virginity. Throughout Elizabeth’s reign, England remained under strict sumptuary laws — Elizabeth I believed that her courtiers should dress according to (but not exceeding) their rank. This is why Elizabeth has a bit of a fit when she notices Diana’s borrowed ostrich feather fan — a luxury restricted to gentlemen and above by the sumptuary laws. Fans in particular were a symbol of wealth, and fixed fans were a bit of A THING for Elizabeth I (you can see all of her fixed fans in her portraits here). Ostrich feathers came into fashion in England in 1552 and remained popular for the rest of the sixteenth century.
Three days later on the feast of St. Brigid, we set sail on our long journey to see the Holy Roman Emperor, find a treacherous English daemon, and, at long last, catch a glimpse of Ashmole 782.
We hope you’re enjoying the Real-Time Reading of Shadow of Night. If you like what we do, consider supporting us on Patreon or joining our Facebook group, the Chamomile & Clove Clovers. As always, you can find us on Twitter @chamomilenclove or e-mail us at chamomileandclovecast@gmail.com. We talked about this chapter and the end of Section III in Episode 31 — Full Elizabethan.
Until we see Verin in Berlin, take care of yourselves.
Chamomile & Clove 
