Marvelous Geeks

Type: Romantic Show | Books: A Discovery of Witches and Deborah Harkness’ All Souls trilogy Featured Characters: Matthew Clairmont and Diana Bishop

When it comes to fantasy or science fiction, fated mates and forbidden romance thread together gorgeously. And, more often than not, they work best within the genres because the high stakes feel believable enough to know that the couple will withstand the tribulations that cross their path. Such is the case for A Discovery of Witches, where Matthew Clairmont and Diana Bishop’s relationship takes center stage from the first episode to the last.

Though their love is prophesied from the beginning, Matthew and Diana’s story still focuses on what it means to choose one another through everything—to put aside everything they once believed to become one instead. It’s a story about physical desires fusing into emotional bonds stronger than either of them thought possible.

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Matthew Brown’s Freud’s Last Session, based on Mark St. Germain’s play of the same title, should’ve been one of the best films of the year. On paper, it sounds nothing short of remarkable, with a rich premise and two unbeatably gifted actors at its helm, but the execution misses nearly every mark. 

What the story and title propose versus what we get are so vastly different that, at times, it feels like we are watching two completely different films. The story supposes what could have happened if neurologist Sigmund Freud and writer C.S. Lewis met and brought their opposing viewpoints to the surface. Cast a legendary actor like Anthony Hopkins to embody Freud and pair him with someone as sharply gifted as Matthew Goode, and we could’ve had an Academy Award contender at our hands. The only problem is that Freud’s Last Session tries harder than it needs to, doubting that compelling conversations can carry a film to absolute completion without the unnecessary use of morose flashbacks. 

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Raise your hand if Shadow of Night is also your favorite book in the All-Souls trilogy–it’s certainly ours and we were already so thrilled by the series’ renewal that our expectations were high. And we’re happy to report that with what we’ve seen so far from season two, A Discovery of Witches is now even better than it was before.

While we are without question obsessed with the stunning coats Diana and Miriam were rocking last season since it served as inspiration for us in our own lives, Elizabethan fashion is working wonders in the second season and especially with Matthew. Not to get objective, but we’re here for it. We love nothing more than period pieces and Shadow of Night gives us just that with the time travel storyline allowing for the second season to do so as well.

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There’s nothing I appreciate more every year than performances that make me want to ramble and scream about over rooftops. Performances that are so well done, words suddenly become nonexistent. And this year especially, the top performers were so fascinating, I couldn’t even choose as easily as I often do. I almost added more than I could write for because there were a far more than 10 of them I wanted to talk about.

The Actors

The Emmy winning performance of the year. (It gives me unbelievable pride and joy to say that, as if I know Rhys myself and he is some distant uncle of mine.) But truly. There’s been nothing quite like this year’s most intensely gripping performance that I’ve yet to find the words for. Phillip caught a bit of a break from the spy life this season, but that meant a lot more work for Rhys in order to show us sides of him that we’d not known in the last five years. And while Phillip was seemingly calmer, Rhys was actually showing us a more frantic angle, especially when it came down no longer understanding his wife or being able to converse with her. It was during the simplest, most quiet moments that Rhys was reminding us of just how much is at stake and just how fleeting this new life of his would be. But then the final few moments of the series happened and just when you think Rhys has probably outdone himself, the confrontation we’ve all been waiting for takes place, and the greatest mic drop in TV history occurs. The Americans excels in a number of ways, but its strongest suit has been the carefully nuanced performances, and although this was the scene we’ve long waited for, I don’t think any of us could’ve imagined the vulnerability it would’ve been filled with. Vulnerability we should’ve probably been prepared for, but at the end of the day, we could never — or rather, at least I couldn’t have. The sheer pain and utter shame Rhys projected while they “confessed” everything to Stan was nothing short of brilliant. The faint break as he states “I finally got caught” or the most sincere reveal throughout the confrontation, “You were my only friend in my, in my whole shitty life” shattered me. Finales in the espionage genre often have their actors go out with a bang, but with The Americans, the bang surprisingly doesn’t involve a gunshot, instead, “Start” concluded with a man and a woman on a bridge, in a country they can no longer call theirs, trying to remain hopeful. And hope is an emotion The Americans has had a special way of revealing. Rhys’ tensed jawline, the palpable dejection in his eyes, and the damaged, hollowed spirit that stood before us was the very paradigm of greatness. Matthew Rhys (And Keri Russell) have always spoken far more in silence than they have with words, and such robust silence can only be described with so few words, it demands to be felt. And it was.

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It’s been a solid four weeks since it’s aired, plenty of stunning footage followed, and yet, I can’t stop thinking about how the untitled episode ends.

Cue, Lissie’s “Go Your Own Way” the most stunning cover of Fleetwood Mac’s original hit I’ve ever heard. Maybe throw a ton of bricks at me, I’d feel less than I did during the scene I’m going to discuss. There’s so much to be said about why this is the episode that sets everything into motion beautifully. (And the episode that had me officially hooked.) Where there’s a formidable hindrance in any relationship, the result of overcoming and giving in to the resistance could go a number of ways, and A Discovery of Witches may have just set the bar too high to meet. Matthew dropping to his knees as an immaculate effort to comfort Diana in a position of overwhelming uniformity showcased his very intentions with her beautifully. Intimacy is more than a physical touch or in this case, a breathtaking first kiss. Intimacy is the choice to share oneself with another — mind, body, and soul. Intimacy is the exhibition of complete and utter vulnerability, gorgeously validating that Diana has, in every way, captivated Matthew to his core — awakening the disposition to love that’s long been dead inside of him. Intimacy is a man with great strength and in this case, a threatening reputation, revealing himself in the form of pure humility in front of a woman he’d risk everything for. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her and the physical showcase of malleability brought his heart to life impeccably.

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