Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Talamasca: The Secret Order is the next series in the ‘Immortal Universe’ spinning out from Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches. This time the secret (ish) human society that monitors everyone else is in the spotlight with a pretty major cast attached.  The teaser trailer gives some clues nd here’s what Alasdair Stuart spotted…

0.03 – Nicholas Denton

Denton is playing the series lead, Guy Anatole. He’s an interesting actor, best known in the US for the Dangerous Liaisons TV show but with a much chunkier resume in Australia. I’d particularly recommend the very odd Australian supernatural show, Glitch, on Netflix.

0.08 – We Watch and We Are Always There

Never beating those ‘Actually the secret baddies’ if that’s Patrick Bateman-style embossed on the business cards, lads.

0.23 – Design Choices

So that’s a slightly weird looking building, what seems to be an old bookshop, a church which is also a library and closed-circuit TV systems in the space of about eight seconds. Yeah this one feels very much my speed.

0.31 – Elizabeth McGovern

Best known these days for Downton Abbey, Elizabeth McGovern has a storied career including the original movie adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Commuter and She’s Having A Baby as well as massive theatrical experience and a recent second career as the singer-songwriter-guitarist of Sadie and the Hotheads whose guest singers include her Downton Abbey daughter Michelle Dockery and Samuel L. Jackson. She is, in every sense, Legit and makes perfect sense as the anchor for a show like this

0.50 – ‘And most all, remain UNSEEN.’

We all know how likely that is to go well, but it’s a nice line in the sand. Much like the Watchers in Highlander (and shortly the new Highlander reboot), the Talamasca are a neutral party. Until they aren’t, as we’re seeing in Mayfair Witches.

0.59 – ‘We watch the vampires.’

If this show is getting Jason Schwartzman in a guest run as a vampire, it is ridiculous how much I’m onboard. Schwartzman got his start in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore and since then has been part of a half dozen projects you’re likely to have seen and loved. He’s a frequent flyer with Anderson, was the evil Gideon in Scott Pilgrim, The Spot in Across the Spider-Verse and is another gifted musician on the cast. Schwartzman was part of Phantom Planet during the time they went massive with the theme tune to The O.C. and has released three albums under his own name.

1.01 – William Fichtner?!

A straight up and down character acting legend and the living embodiment of ‘It’s the guy from the thing! The good one!’ Strange Days, Contact, Armageddon, The Perfect Storm, Black Hawk Down, Equilibrium, countless video games and shows. The dude is excellent in everything he’s ever been in and I’m thrilled to see him here.

1.03 – ‘The Witches’

So that’s both other shows officially locked in and some subtle world expansion with it. We’ve not seen these vampires before and judging by the accent we hear in a few seconds that’s definitely not a Mayfair witch.

1.10 – ‘The demons.’

Interesting that we get very few visuals here. Also, Lasher aside this is the part of the cosmology that’s least well developed. I wonder if we’ll get that expanded here.

1.12 – Eyeball

Given ‘We watch and we are always there’ and Helen’s reaction, it seems pretty likely there’s a Talamasca agent out there minus an eye.

1.23 – ‘You’ve a rare talent. A talent that you conceal.’

This is really interesting, especially as the shot finishes with some odd visual distortion on Guy although his power is starting to manifest. That distortion is stylistically similar to the lens flare used to show Rowan’s ability in Mayfair Witches. I wonder what he can do?

1.27 – ‘What power do you think you possess?’

Jasper, played by William Fichtner, delivering the first of the three interventions we see Guy receive. Jasper certainly seems to be a vampire, as we see him feed elsewhere. Also he’s not looking too great here.

1.30 – They’re lying to you.’

But if Jasper’s a vampire then that makes Jason Schwartzman’s character, Burton, a demon? He’s got very Louis-esque eyes but the fact we have three named ‘interest groups’ and three people sit Guy down to ask what he’s doing means they want us to think Burton’s a demon if nothing else.

1.44 – ‘You can’t trust them.’

This is the witch we saw earlier. Interesting that Guy’s journey through the series appears to be every single person he’s supposedly to covertly watch going ‘Son, come here. Are you aware you’re working for the bad guys?’

1.54 – Screens

This is interesting, because it’s laid out to look random but there are a few faces the show definitely wants us to see. On the top row, one in from the left is a woman I don’t recognise. Two screens to her right is a man I don’t recognise and two screens on from him is Ciprien from Mayfair Witches. On the next row, directly underneath the first woman is McGovern’s character, Helen. Three across from her and directly under Ciprien is Louis from Interview with the Vampire.

On the next row down is Lestat in full rock star ode and two screens to his right is Guy himself.  On the next row down, three in from the right is William Fichtner’s character, who is apparently called Burton and on the row below him is Danny Huston as Lasher (under Lestat) and two screens directly under Louis is Rowan from Mayfair Witches.

And yes, it is super interesting that Helen is in the same column as Lasher and Lestat, who are both arguably the villains of their shows while Rowan, Ciprien and Louis are grouped together too and Guy is out on his own…

1.57 – ‘They’re using you, kid.’

ERIC BOGOSIAN everyone! Daniel from Interview with the Vampire and a man whose presence is simultaneously playful and intimidating. So happy he’s here.

Talamasca: The Secret Order’s first season is six episodes long and premieres on 26th October

Both Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire are on iPlayer and Netflix, although Netflix only has season 1 of Mayfair Witches