Having fled to the distant past, Matthew and Diana find themselves confronted with a whole new set of challenges.

The first season of A Discovery of Witches, despite being uneven in places, won me over with its charm and the superb quality of the cast. Certainly it was the best of the triumvirate of witch-based shows that appeared at the time. Now, after something of a delay the second season picks up exactly where we left off and I’m happy to say that the wait was well worth it.

Having gambled on Diana being able to use the same abilities her father possessed, she and Matthew find themselves exactly when and almost exactly where they need to be, All Hallows Eve in the year 1590. But they’re in London, slightly off course and forced to go to Matthew’s house there to regroup. That means Matthew meeting (very) old friends and a revelation that he’s someone Diana has read about in the history books but whose identity has baffled historians for centuries. It also means the show gets to have some fun introducing us to its version of famous historical characters including Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh and Henry Percy.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is just how established and prominent Matthew is in this time, and who specifically he happens to be working for and what that entails. Clearly difficult choices are just a part of this vampire’s long, long life, and Diana has much yet to find out about the man to whom she has hitched her star.

Not that Matthew himself is exactly welcomed back with open arms. Many who know him suspect he has been bewitched by Diana – it seems that Matthew of hundreds of years previously had a somewhat different relationship with witches generally – and Diana herself isn’t exactly welcomed. Still, they have a job to do, tracking down the book of life which means that they need to get their respective feet under the table in medieval London quick.

It’s a beautifully shot episode, making the maximum use of what period architecture is available without being too obvious with the limitations, and the interpretations of historical characters and the way in which the story incorporates them is both clever and entertaining. Importantly, it doesn’t tie itself in too many knots over the whole idea of time travel, which could be distracting in other hands. Nobody here is agonising over altering the future by treading on a butterfly, and the only real struggle is adjusting Diana to the period in which she finds herself before her force of will starts bending the period around her instead.

Verdict: A strong opener for the second series which makes wise choices and focuses on the right elements. 8/10

Greg D. Smith