Recap: A Vampire Is on the Loose and Secrets Are Discovered in ‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 2, Episode 4

Lindsey
13 Min Read
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In last week’s episode of A Discovery of Witches, Diana and Matthew came across what may very well be their first credible lead for the Book of Life. Diana also began her training with Goody and the other witches and learned something about herself along the way. However, any and all plans came to an abrupt halt when Matthew received a summons from his father, Philippe de Clermont. Keep reading to find out what happened in the fourth episode of season 2.

Thus far, we’ve only received brief glimpses of what our other characters are up to while Diana and Matthew remain in the past. This episode, however, is set entirely in the present day.

We open with a man riding a bicycle in Oxford. When he begins walking down an alleyway, he is attacked and killed by a creature that is likely a vampire. The same detective from the previous episode is at the scene, and he calls Domenico to let him know what has happened.

Marcus arrives at an auction house, Cooper Sinclair. He enters the building, approaches two women that work there, and tells them that he’s interested in one of their lots. They’re fully booked, but one of them (Phoebe Taylor) offers to take him through anyway. Once they’re settled at her desk, Marcus informs Phoebe that he would like to buy lot 42 even though the auction lots aren’t available for advance purchase. Phoebe is floored by the amount of money Marcus offers for the lot, and he explains that his grandmother has her heart set on them. She agrees to at least physically show him the lot in the meantime, and it turns out to be the set of paintings that Matthew and Diana gave to Jack in 1590.

We find out that Marcus found the paintings because he had tasked Nathaniel with searching the internet for any signs of Diana and Matthew in the past. At Sept-Tours, Ysabeau approaches Em and Sarah with a tablet and shows them the auction house’s webpage advertising lot 42.

Marcus wins the lot, but he’s not allowed to collect them until the following day. His attempts to convince Phoebe to let him take them early fall flat, unfortunately.

At the Congregation headquarters in Venice, Peter Knox tells Gerbert that a witch from the Madison coven finally cracked and told them that there were daemons and vampires at the Bishop house. Three different species working together in secret? Another de Clermont conspiracy. They return to Gerbert’s house, and he shows Knox a map of information about the Book of Life that he’s gathered over the years.

Meanwhile, Sophie, Nathaniel, Miriam, and Agatha are gathered at Marcus’ house. The couple has been staying with him for the safety of their unborn child, because she will be a witch mysteriously born to two daemons. Agatha reassures them that because Baldwin still owes her a debt (from when the daemons of the Congregation voted to spare him), he will let them know if the Congregation becomes aware of their whereabouts.

Miriam calls Marcus over to take a look at some of Sophie’s medical information, and he determines that there’s a slight abnormality with the baby’s heart rate. Though she will be fine, they can’t risk a home birth. She needs to give birth in an actual hospital with specialists on-site. Sophie is worried, because there are spies for the Congregation everywhere.

Domenico visits a morgue to see the body of the latest victim of the rogue vampire. He calls Gerbert and lets him know that although he does not recognize the vampire’s scent that is on the body, he can confirm that blood rage is back. Gerbert is set on making sure that Domenico finds a link to the de Clermonts. Domenico approaches the auction house and hears a vampire attack that is in progress.

Marcus arrives at Cooper Sinclair the next day to pick up the paintings. He learns that the vault door was ripped open the previous evening, and it appears the only thing that was stolen was lot 42.

At Sept-Tours, Em and Sarah are convinced that Peter Knox orchestrated the theft. As they discuss what to do, Ysabeau receives a text from Gerbert requesting to meet with her. Although they’re not happy about it, she tells Em and Sarah that they need to stay inside in case Gerbert has eyes on the chateau.

Em tells Sarah that if they could find out what’s inside the Book of Life and how it’s connected to Diana, they would be doing something productive. Sarah doesn’t seem receptive, because they only have one page of the book. Em casually says that they need to talk to someone who has seen it all, such as Stephen or Rebecca, but Sarah isn’t open to the idea of summoning the dead. Unfortunately, she comes to realize, Em has clearly already attempted this recently despite what happened the last time that she did it. Sarah begs her to wait until Diana returns, because she’ll be able to call up the book herself with her newly mastered powers.

Marcus returns to Cooper Sinclair and asks Phoebe to go out to dinner with him. Meanwhile, Domenico spies on them from across the street as they leave the building. Shortly after the two settle down at their table, Marcus is concerned when he looks up to see Domenico standing across the room in the restaurant. He quickly excuses himself and goes to meet the other vampire outside.

Domenico asks him what he was doing at the auction house and sniffs him to check if his scent matches the killer’s. He informs Marcus about the murder spree that has been happening and explains that he tracked the killer’s scent to the auction house. He then tells him that whoever is doing this is infected with blood rage, though Marcus tells him that Philippe eliminated the disease centuries ago. After Marcus leaves, Domenico makes a phone call and asks someone to find out if anything was stolen from the auction house.

When he returns to the table, Phoebe begins to talk about the mystery around the disappearance of the security guard (plot twist, he’s dead). Thanks to Domenico’s thinly veiled threats, Marcus is forced to awkwardly skirt the topic entirely. Despite all of this, by the end of the evening it appears that their night went fairly well.

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Back at Marcus’ house, he stands in the kitchen with Nathaniel and learns that he and Sophie have agreed on a hospital after all. Nathaniel expresses his concern for his child’s safety, and Marcus reminds him that she also has the Knights of Lazarus to protect her. The daemon scoffs at this and tells him that the Knights may be in need of a rebrand.

Phoebe appears to have changed her mind about where they left their evening off at, and she has determined that Marcus is a mystery that she needs to solve. She comes to his house, and the two chat over wine as she unknowingly asks Marcus if he has a secret identity.

At Sept-Tours, Gerbert meets with Ysabeau and immediately accuses her of harboring Diana’s aunts. He takes the time to remind her that Philippe’s devotion to the interests of the de Clermonts and the vampire species are now in direct conflict due to Matthew’s choice of mate. Ysabeau doesn’t seem shaken by this, so Gerbert then informs her that a vampire infected with blood rage is murdering humans in Oxford. He implores Ysabeau to side with him, and in turn he will steer any investigation away from her family. Ysabeau declines and walks away. Inside, Em attempts to summon Rebecca again, but with minimal success.

Back at Marcus’ house, Phoebe has woken up in the middle of the night to get a drink. Upon opening the fridge, she’s concerned when she finds a bag of blood sitting on the shelf. She begins to poke around the rest of the house, and she comes across a box full of old photos of Marcus from his lives in centuries past. Sophie comes downstairs and catches her, and their conversation wakes Marcus up.

Phoebe tells Marcus that she knows he’s hiding something, and she begins to leave when he can’t offer her a reasonable explanation for the photos and the blood bag. He asks her to take a walk with him, and he ends up telling her that he’s a vampire that’s hundreds of years old. Marcus then goes on to explain that witches, vampires, and daemons all exist. Phoebe refuses to believe him, and she tells him that she needs help.

The next day, Baldwin pays Marcus a visit. The vampire storms into the house and slams a newspaper down on the table with a headline about the rogue vampire. He makes an attempt at convincing Marcus to hand over the Grand Master title to him, because they need an experienced and committed leader. This was exactly what Matthew had been trying to avoid.

Domenico receives an email with the police report from the auction house and sees the paintings of Matthew and Diana. Gerbert calls him, ranting about the latest murder, but Domenico decides not to tell him about the paintings.

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Marcus has arrived at Sept-Tours at Ysabeau’s request. She reminds him that a Grand Master cannot make reckless decisions, such as his choice to reveal himself to Phoebe. He needs to understand his new responsibilities. Ysabeau then ends up explaining that Philippe may have formed the Congregation and the Knights to ensure the survival of their species, but he also did it to protect her. The blood rage disease comes from Ysabeau’s bloodline. Although she is asymptomatic, others weren’t so lucky. Matthew, for example, is fully afflicted. Marcus is also an asymptomatic carrier, which is why the children he has sired in the past were culled. If the Congregation finds out about this secret, it will be the end of the de Clermonts.

Episode 5 of the second season of A Discovery of Witches will be available on Sundance Now, AMC Plus, and Shudder on Saturday, February 6. Check out the rest of our season 2 recaps here.

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By Lindsey
Lindsey joined the Nerds and Beyond team in 2018. If she's not writing or out and about with her camera, she's probably watching anime, nerding out over Star Wars, reading manga, and definitely forgetting to water her plants. And waiting for the Genshin loading screen to pop up. Contact: lindsey@nerdsandbeyond.com
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