Sometimes binge watching things on the weekend that they drop on Netflix isn’t the best idea, because it can take forever for a new season to come out. The Order is a prime example. The first season premiered in March of 2019 and the second season is set to air on Thursday. If you, like me, watched all ten episodes the same weekend that they premiered, then you may not remember exactly what happened.
I’ve already written about how I think that The Order is one of the Hidden Gems on Netflix. So if you want to know why I think the show is worth checking out, then you should read that. This is going to have a few spoilers from the first season, but the good news is the episodes are pretty short so you still have time to binge the show before the new season.
The gist is pretty simple, college campus, secret societies, and a war between magic and werewolves. The way the story plays out however, is far more complicated.
Plot
College student Jack Morton (Jake Manley, A Dog’s Journey) is accepted to Belgrave University, under false pretenses. Spurred on by his grandfather (Matt Frewer, Watchman) his goal is to join the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose and get revenge on his father, Edward Coventry (Max Martini, 13 Hours) for the death of his mother. The only problem is they are missing a key bit of information, the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose is a secret society that teaches and practices magic and being accepted is more than just being invited, you have to pass the tests first.
After working his way into The Order and killing a Golem that has been killing recruits, he finds out that his father, Edward, is the leader of the Order.
Now the fun part – the werewolves – my favorite part of the show by far. I love the werewolves. I watch this show for the werewolves. The Knights of Saint Christopher are werewolves, charged with keeping dark magic in check. There is Jack’s RA, Randall Carpio (Adam DiMarco, The Magicians), the only girl Lilith Bathory (Devery Jacobs, American Gods), and Professor Hamish Duke (Thomas Elms, Motherland: Fort Salem). They also solve disputes with a game of beer pong, so they aren’t exactly mature. The knights lure Jake into their hideout, where he is chosen to house “Silverback” , the hide of a werewolf that grants him his powers.The werewolves give Jake a choice: he can either pledge an oath or die.
They decide to work together because they have the same end goal. The Knights want to erase bad magic and Jack wants Coventry dead. He agrees to be a double agent, spying on The Order for the Knights.
Characters
Pete Morton (Matt Frewer)
Jack’s Pops. He is dead set on destroying Edward Coventry whom he blames for his daughter’s suicide. He has raised Jack with the sole purpose of bringing Coventry down and is the sole non-paranormal character on the show so it’s no surprise that he doesn’t survive the season. It doesn’t even seem like he really cares about Jack until the very end. His death should have long-term ramifications on Jack, presuming that he remembers him.
Jack Morton (Jake Manley)
Then there is Jack who is by far the worst secret keeper. He is wholly incapable of keeping his mouth shut. He is always saying more than he should and may be the worst double agent ever. During the season he loses Silverback and bonds with Midnight, another werewolf that they call cannon fodder. He has a relationship with Alyssa Drake, a medicum, second-year, in The Order. At the end of the season, he is told by Vera that he must choose between The Knights and The Order. He refuses. Alyssa then wipes his memory after his grandfather’s funeral leaving Jack asking who he is.
The Order
Alyssa Drake (Sarah Grey, Power Rangers)
Alyssa is a second year member of The Order, torn between loyalty to The Order and following her relationship with Jack. In the end of the season she chooses The Order and erases Jack’s memory.
Edward Coventry
Edward ends the season trapped in the Vade Macum, the spell book that he spent the season searching for. He was on a quest for power, but the werewolves, Vera and Alyssa outsmarted him in the end.
Vera Stone (Katharine Isabelle, Ginger Snaps and also the Gone Too Soon:Hannibal)
Vera is the Temple Magus. At the end of the season, she has gained control of The Order and is seen clearing out the werewolves house.
Gabrielle Dupres (Louriza Tronco, Zapped)
Gabrielle was shown to be pretty cutthroat throughout the season, so it’s no surprise that she sided with Edward during the final battle. Now that Vera is back in charge and well aware that Gabrielle betrayed her, it will be interesting to see where her character goes from here
The Knights
The season ends with all of the knights, Randall, Lilith, Hamish, and Jack having their memories wiped by The Order. It is unclear just how much they remember. Their clubhouse is also raided by The Order, and all of their magical artifacts are taken. In the final episodes Randall and Lilith kiss, while it seems like Hamish and Vera are flirting.
Season 2 Speculation
Personally I cannot wait for all the werewolves to get their memories back and wreck shop on the Order of the Blue Rose. I’ve already said that they were my favorite part of the show. I couldn’t care less about any of the characters that aren’t werewolves and with a ten episode season I really don’t want to spend half of that time with the werewolves separated.
I’m usually against quick fixes, but in this case I’ll allow it. I think the best case scenario would be Lillith retaining her memories because of the spell done to restore her memories of her time in The Order. Then she can gather up all of the other wolves and fix their memories as well.
There is the question of just how much the werewolves remember, Jack for instance. His entire life he has been groomed to take down The Order, does that mean he doesn’t even remember who he is? The final moments of the season seem to hint that he doesn’t. While it could be interesting to see Jack try to figure out his identity, I would rather just watch them get their memories back pretty quickly.
I don’t know where the storylines are going for the other characters, but I am interested to see where Vera and Gabrielle’s relationship goes from here. Things were pretty tense when we last saw them and I’m sure that a fight is on the horizon between the two of them. Gabrielle isn’t one who is okay with just being ordered around, no matter how more advanced Vera is than her.
Are you excited for the second season of The Order? What are you hoping for?
