Diana probably didn’t think she’d be meeting the family yet, but here we are in the fourth episode of A Discovery of Witches. She’s afforded a look at a different side of Matthew, where he comes from, and where his allegiances lie. Surprisingly enough, Diana hits Matthew with an “I love you” that feels a bit too soon. (I didn’t binge the show so be gentle with me. I come to understand it and why she did it.)
Could it be that Diana is super sure of what she wants and has no problem telling Matthew? Or is she being overtaken by the extreme emotions of everything that has happened to them in the last month? We discuss this and more in our review of episode four of A Discovery of Witches!
That I Love You*
*Note: I watched an episode and then wrote a review. I didn’t binge. So, please be gentle with me as I eventually see why this ‘I love you’ was said. <3
Not gonna lie, I’m a little on the fence about the “I love you” that Diana said to Matthew.
On one hand, we can attribute this boldness in statement as Diana being very sure of what and who she wants. She makes a decision and that’s it. It’s final, she’s sure, and she keeps moving right along. On another hand, it kind of came out of nowhere and felt too soon.
Diana and Matthew have only known each other for a month, have had a handful of kisses, and now one is declaring their love for the other? I need more information. Because right now, it looks rushed and out of place for a show that has been doing pretty good (at least for me) with their pacing and the decisions they’ve been making.
From the epic scene at the end with Diana crying in the rain and the sky reflecting her pain, we can also attribute the “I love you” to the intensity of everything that’s been happening all around her. Diana has lost her home in Oxford, her friendship with Gillian, and has learned that the community that she has always thought herself part of, is full of bigoted jerks.
Throw on top of all that, a strange and newfound control of her powers while Diana is around Matthew, and you’ve got a recipe for strong feelings that surpass logic or reason. And the difference between this show and those that have come before it when has to do with forbidden romances, and the reason why I’m sticking around, is that they’ve proven themselves to do things differently.
I’m not gonna say goodbye or write off Diana because she said, “I love you” to Matthew without a care for the war that could erupt between their witch, vampire, and demon communities. I’m going to have faith in Diana based on everything that she’s done so far. And I’m going to watch and respect the time she spends away from Matthew. Maybe that’ll give her the clarity and time that she needs to examine what she truly feels for Matthew.
And if after everything, after she analyzes her feelings for Matthew separate from the vampire, she finds that she still loves him, then who am I to stand in the way? There’s no real way to measure the amount of time before someone falls in love with someone else. And I trust these two. After a handful of episodes I truly do. And I’ll keep to this gold standard that is Diana and Matthew’s feelings for each other if that’s what they choose.
The Covenant & The Power of Fear
The more we learn about The Covenant, the more I think that Diana’s parents were butchered for trying to enact change among the creatures. Fear is a key component in keeping the creatures apart. It’s what humans do in politics and I have no doubt that it’s what the witches, vampires, and demons have done to keep their hold on power.
I also think that knowledge is a key component on why The Covenant is in place and why Diana’s parents died. If the communities come together, they run a risk of interspecies love happening. With love comes trust and the ins and outs of being a vampire, witch, or demon. Some like Diana and Matthew, wouldn’t use that information against another species. But other’s, oh I have no doubt that they would use that knowledge to their advantage to hurt.
That’s why Peter Knox is so damn adamant that the witches get the books and that no interspecies relationships should be allowed. He doesn’t want information on witches getting out but he wants to assure that they’re getting vampire information coming in. It’s a power play of a treacherous man who doesn’t practice what he preaches. He just wants to hurt and if Diana’s parents were in the way, I have no doubt that they would be killed for it.
And right now, Peter Knox is probably thinking that Diana is going down the same path and that he’s going to have to put her in her place to. Because there’s no doubt that Knox had something to do with the death of Diana’s parents. We know that partially because Diana’s aunts/moms told her that Knox was obsessed with her mother. But also because Knox is just the right kind of asshole to pressure, bewitch, and kill a woman that does not think the way he does.
What an Awkward Way to Meet Mom
**Couldn’t find a gif of Mama Clairmont so we’re gonna use this happy beauty while we talk about Diana’s journey to Matthew’s home & family.
I know you’re a vampire and all, Matthew. But if you’re bringing this super powerful witch to your families home you can and you SHOULD ring up your mom and tell her. Especially if you know you’re mom has killed tons of covens because someone killed someone in your family. Like, I love you Matthew, but HOT DAMN that was an oversight that put mom AND Diana in an uncomfortable position.
Movinggggg on, let’s talk about that interaction in the old office between Diana and Matthew’s mom, Ysabeau. Diana understood Ysabeau’s hesitation and anger at having a witch in her home. She didn’t brush Ysabeau’s feelings aside or try to turn Matthew against and away from his mother, like other shows/movies/stereotypical storylines try to do. Diana respected Ysabeau’s position in the home and in Matthew’s life.
That right there is the reason that I think Ysabeau accepted Diana and looked to be on the brink of protecting her when an intruder came looking for her in their family home. Respect. Understanding. All the good stuff of an alliance borne out of acknowledging the others pain, hesitation, and strengths. It’s also the reason why Ysabeau is going to protect Diana while Matthew is away.
Who knows if Ysabeau has something up her sleeve to try to drive a wedge between Matthew and Diana. But right now, she’s going to follow Matthew’s wishes while keeping the welfare of their family at the forefront of it all. Ysabeau will bid her time, help where she can, and will most certainly NOT end up like any other stereotypical mother figure you see in tales such as the love between Matthew and Diana.
Favorite Scene from 1×04:
Look how free they look. How liberated. How happy. This is Diana and Matthew at their core. Comfortable and open in a way that they’ve never been before. Who wouldn’t want more of that or to be part of that? I do. And they do as well.
I think that’s why Matthew’s departure hurt so much and why Diana’s powers gave that powerhouse display of pain and rain. Our girl is powerful and feels deeply!
A Discovery of Witches is available on Sundance Now and Shudder.