In this week’s episode of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, Rowan finds a way to rid herself of Lasher once and for all while Ciprien goes looking for answers. But will the ceremony work? And will Ciprien’s quest for answers lead to more questions? Read on to find out what happened in “Transference”!
Giving Up Lasher
Rowan wakes up in bed with Ciprien, sensing that Lasher is near. She tries to get him to leave by getting up for a midnight snack, but instead, he appears before her.
I’m always with you. I’m a part of you. I’m the part you pretend not to see when you look in the mirror.
He shows her one aspect of her powers and tempts her to be “happy” again as Ciprien wakes up, ending the fantasy. Realizing that the necklace is what’s giving Lasher the ability to enter the apartment, he moves to take it off. Hysterical and barely in control of herself, Rowan yells at him to get away and not touch it — it’s hers. He gives her space before she breaks down in his arms, crying that Lasher won’t get out of her head. She hands over the necklace to Ciprien.
The next morning, Tessa arrives for breakfast and brings news. She’s been tracking the group of witch burners over time, and one has reached out via DM with proof that he has a witch’s heart. It’s Deidre’s, and Tessa wants Rowan to help her get it back. Rowan is distracted by Lasher and doesn’t give Tessa’s warnings much attention, especially since, by Tessa’s admission, the rest of the Mayfairs don’t think it’s a threat. She tells the younger girl to simply ignore the trolls.
Trying to get rid of her own unwelcome troll, she goes to Cortland to find out if there’s a way to transfer her designee status. He tries to tell her that it’s impossible. Rowan notices that his hand is shaking — he has ALS, which he’s been hiding from the family. She offers to help him with his treatment plan and pleads with him to understand that, for her, Lasher is a disease. Cortland caves and tells her that one successful transfer was made — from Catherine Mayfair to her twin brother Julien (Cortland’s father). But it’s complex, and most importantly, Lasher must accept the new designee. He agrees to call his cousin Dolly Jean for more details on the process as long as Rowan walks through the Mayfair wing of NOLA Medical Center to help Josephine.
Cortland talks with Dolly Jean, who is skeptical about transferring the power. Cortland notes that if they have a designee who does not want the role, it will only hurt the family. She agrees to help after revealing that she found the method of transference in Julien’s diary. Meanwhile, Josephine gently tries to get Rowan to stay by mentioning that they are looking for a new chief of neurosurgery. Lasher continues to follow Rowan down the hall. Josephine empathizes with Rowan’s discomfort while also noting that others in the family would “kill” to be the designee. In a vision, she sees that she needs to bring Rowan to meet Dolly Jean.
At the Mayfair home, Dolly Jean outlines the process, which will require all of the Mayfair women coming together. She also breaks the news that getting rid of Lasher may also mean getting rid of Rowan’s powers, like her medical intuition. Rowan scoffs at the idea that Lasher has anything to do with her years of experience or skill as a surgeon. Sensing that Rowan will not be deterred, Dolly Jean takes her to Julien’s workshop. Inside, they find a doll made from the bodies of every previous designee. Dolly Jean has Rowan weave in Deidre’s hair to complete it for the ceremony.
Ciprien
With Lasher’s necklace, Ciprien plans to use his powers to understand how Lasher became connected to the Mayfairs in the first place. He lets a healer into the room to watch him and potentially intervene if Lasher gets defensive.
Flashing back into the past, he finds himself in Suzanne’s village. She has been dragged from her home by armed men who claim she is a witch. As the town mocks her, they menacingly insist she face “the river.” Ciprien notices that the key their leader uses to lock her in a cage is the same key on Lasher’s necklace.
Suzanne’s sister is dragged away, screaming for her to “use the wicked words.” Seeing no way out, Suzanne calls out.
Mi Daemon, mihi labora. Mi Daemon, me libera. Mi Daemon, ad me veni.
The entire town lights on fire, villagers screaming as they run from the carnage. Lasher walks out of the flames, making eye contact with Ciprien as he goes to Suzanne. Lasher knocks him to the side, knocking him out in the real world as well. Suddenly, the key appears in necklace form on Suzanne, who uses it to unlock the cage. As she realizes the scope of her power, she smiles as she watches the remains of the village burn.
Suzanne: Am I a witch?
Lasher: You’re my witch. You will have all that you desire. And in return, you are bound to fulfill an ancient prophecy.
In the real world, the healer desperately searches for the necklace. She realizes it’s gone, meaning that Ciprien no longer has a link to the physical world to come back to. It’s up to him to find his own way back.
The Ceremony
As Dolly Jean reads the spell to ask the ancestors to help transfer Lasher, each woman in the circle kisses the doll and passes it around. Rowan calls for Lasher using Suzanne’s spell as the rest of the women help her chant. All of a sudden, Lasher appears to Rowan. He laments her “forsaking” her true self and reminds her of the risks. Pushing her back to the real world, she chokes out the necklace from her body. Dolly Jean picks it up and walks to each woman in the circle to see who Lasher chooses. She settles on Tessa, who is as overjoyed as Rowan is worried. She insists to Dolly Jean that she’s fine as the older woman clucks, “Then why do you look so sad?”
Tessa is excited to finally be able to make a real difference. Not checking to make sure that Lasher is truly with her, she DMs the man who claims to have Deidre’s heart, thinking that Lasher will help her get it back and stop the witch hunters. She goes to the woods alone to meet him, but he’s not alone. He’s brought his entire group with him, and as Tessa calls out for help, we see that Lasher is not with her as they easily capture her.
Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. You can find our other coverage of the series here.
