The hesitation that I had during my last A Discovery of Witches review is over and done. #Bishmont is the name of the game and I’m 100% behind them. This is love, this is forever, and this is exactly what the Congregation is afraid of. Diana and Matthew represent the future where old fears about the mixing of witches, vampires, and demons are gone. Acceptance, change, and unity is coming and those who want to keep the creatures separated, hate it and hate #Bishmont.
Sucks for the Congregation, though. Because Diana and Matthew, and the love/change they represent, isn’t going away. If anything, it’s getting bigger and stronger by the moment. So, let’s dive into episode 4 of A Discovery of Witches and break down the beauty of #Bishmont and every bit of them that is revolutionary, eye-catching, and unforgettable.
#Bishmont Has Stolen My Heart and There’s No Going Back
Last review I expressed some doubts as to why Diana said, “I love you” to Matthew. It felt too soon. It felt like too much. And I just couldn’t process it all or understand how Diana knew that she loved him after such little time. The answer is that she’s a certain AF person. When Diana wants something, when she feels a powerful connection with someone, she’s honest about it. And this honestly isn’t based on the fact that Matthew is her Prince. It’s based on empirical evidence.
Diana loves Matthew because he respects her. Diana loves Matthew because he isn’t perfect. Diana loves Matthew because he stood by her side while dealing with Knox. Diana loves Matthew because he sees her and he allows her to see him. They are the ying and yang, the death do us part, and the ride or die for each other. And there’s no going back, no take backsies, no control alt delete. This is who Diana loves and if she’s certain about it, who am I to judge her? Hell, I’d love to be as certain as Diana is. It would be the kick in the ass that my anxiety needs for sure.
Ok, onto more Bishmont since my hesitations about the “I love you” are right out the window!
#Bishmont is practically married now. That scene in the courtyard. Those words. The way the looked at each other. The promise they made to each other. It’s permanent. It’s forever. And it’s too people being certain that the bond that they have is something that will not break or wither no matter what obstacles or time passes. And honest to God, it’s so damn beautiful.
Diana and Matthew have chosen each other. C-H-O-S-E-N, people. They weren’t pushed into this or manipulated into falling in love. They chose each other. And even then, even after making this decision, Diana and Matthew are still their own people. Being together doesn’t mean that they are suddenly in agreement on everything and it doesn’t make it so they are JUST #Bishmont. They are Diana and Matthew, two creatures who have decided to kick bigotry in the ass and give this thing between them a chance as partners. AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL!
We Need to Talk About That Sex Scene
First of all, Diana wanting to destroy every single person that hurt Matthew in the past, IS HOT AF! As soon as she said it I was like, “Yup. I’m in love. This is it.” I’ve never ever heard a woman say something like this to a man. It’s always the opposite. Man finds wounds on woman’s body, is shocked, and then declares to destroy all the people who hurt her. That’s not happening on A Discovery of Witches. DIANA is the one worshipping Matthew’s body, comforting when he thinks that she will be disgusted by his scars, and shows her commitment to protecting him with her words.
Seriously, just HOT AF and I can’t get over it.
Let’s turn up the heat and continue talking about all the heart eyeing that I did during this episode and that I have no doubt you did as well.
Matthew let Diana set the pace. He put what happened into her hands and was scared of what she’d find when she looked at his scars. This handing over of control, is…game changing. For me at least. Men don’t act like the hesitant ones when it comes to sex. Most of the time when you see a guy being offered sex, he’s the one ripping off her clothes and throwing her on the bed. This time around it’s Diana taking his clothes off and caressing his skin.
And the world didn’t explode when a woman was in charge and setting the pace. If anything, it made me appreciate Deborah Harkness’ work even more and KNOW, deep inside my heart and in the very fiber of my being, that there’s nothing wrong with me taking control or asking for what I want during sex, love making, or any kind of intercourse. And knowing this, being shown this, matters to me and countless other viewers watching who have been told time and time again that women should be docile during sex unless they want to be called a slag, a whore, or any other vulgar name that men think is acceptable to call a woman who knows what she wants.
Now, onto the bed scene.
Even though this show has done countless things that have surprised me, I feel like a part of me is still stuck in the old world of TV where women’s pleasure isn’t a staple or even something that people care about in books, TV, and movies. That’s why it was so important to me that #Bishmont continued their love making scene with Matthew pleasuring Diana. Better yet, the way that is was filmed was a testament to the care and dedication that the team at A Discovery of Witches has taken into showing that HER pleasure is nothing to be ashamed of, ignored, or set to the side because the man needs to be pleasured.
Matthew found pleasure in pleasing Diana. He revelled in it and saw nothing wrong with taking care of her with no expectations of fucking in return. If anything, I think her acceptance of his wounds was pleasure in itself. I don’t think anyone has looked at Matthew the way that Diana has, and pleasuring her is something he’s down for because he loves her.
The teasing at the end wrapped up the #Bishmont sex in such a lovely way that my eyes still are gigantic hearts. We don’t get to see much laughter when it comes to sex. It’s always carnal with heaps of pleasure on top, practically leaving no room for anything else. I learned that from the TV and movies I consumed when I was younger. It’s thanks to scenes like the one in A Discovery of Witches 1×05, that I know that there is laughter during sex, that there is nothing wrong with laughing during sex, and that you CAN totally tease your loved one during sex.
Sex is more than just punishing mouths, hard bodies, and orgasms that are somehow in sync despite the constant lack of stimulation of the clitoris. That’s not real and I’m done with TV teaching me things that aren’t based on reality. Sex is about partnership, companionship, and freedom. There’s something so raw about sex and the way that it clears everything on the board between you and your loved one, and just leaves you naked and exposed. That’s what I felt and what I saw when Diana and Matthew made love and that’s what I hope to feel/see when they have sex/make love once more.
A Man, Actually Went and Got Advice About Love & Talked Feelings?!
One of the most disturbing things that TV, movies, books, or life has taught me about men, is that they don’t talk with their friends/family about their feelings. It’s seen as girly, as being weak, and like someone’s going to turn around and call you a “pussy” for even expressing a dime of heartache or pain. This attitude towards men when it comes to expressing their emotions is crippling and completely unrealistic.
Men have feelings. Shocker, I know. But it’s true. Men feel pain, heartache, confusion, elation, and a whole wide range of emotions that I think gender stereotypes/norms have tried to tell them they don’t have. And as long as TV keeps perpetuating this lie about mens capabilities to feel, the more damage we do to the young men of the next generation and the one after that.
A Discovery of Witches doesn’t fall into this trap where men feel nothing and when they do, they are called “pansies” or some other fun term to try and degrade them for being human. Matthew goes to his dear friend Hamish Osborne and lays it all out. He talks about what’s happening with Diana, gets engaging questions from Hamish that make him see how foolish it was to run from Diana, and feels better for it.
As a feminist, these are the kind of men I want to see more in my life and in the media that I consume. I want men who aren’t afraid to speak up about what they feel. I want men who listen and learn when they are stuck in a rut. I want men who go to their friends for advice because they know there’s nothing afraid with admitting that you might not have it all figured out.
I want more men like Matthew Clairmont and Hamish Osborne, even if one is technically a vampire and the other demon.
We Could All Do With Being a Little More Like Diana
Every episode I am shocked and awed by the kind of person that Diana Bishop is. Any other show on any other network would’ve twisted this up and made a mess of it all. But not SkyOne, not Bad Wolf, the network and company responsible for A Discovery of Witches being brought to life. Diana Bishop is one of the best women I’ve seen on TV.
Diana has no wish to destroy the magic creatures, like Knox and the rest of his counterparts want to. She doesn’t want to use the book to hurt anyone or end someone’s life. Part of this comes from Diana minding her own damn business. But it also comes from her understanding that just because someone is different, doesn’t mean that they are evil. There’s more to vampires, demons, and witches, and Diana Bishop knows it. That’s why Diana survives Ysabeau and her fear tactics. Diana knows that even vampires are not what they seem or what bigoted witches like Gillian think they are.
We could do more with being like Diana. The vampires could do with being more like Diana. The witches could do with being more like Diana, especially Gillian, who I end up disliking a bit more every time she pops up. Even the demons could do with being more like Diana, except Hamish Osborn. He’s perfect and we love him. A woman like Diana doesn’t hate, gives chances, and picks sides that respect and honor those around her instead of wanting to destroy them.
This is why I believe Diana will save them all at the end of the day and why the Congregation will fall!
A Discovery of Witches is now available on Sundance Now and Shudder.