When we started the first episode of “Mayfair Witches,” the plot of the story became quite clear to us. A woman discovering her origin and using her powers to stave off evil is absolutely not a novel concept. But a closer look reveals an open secret: this series is an adaptation of Anne Rice’s book. Most people probably know her as the writer of “Interview with a Vampire.” But “Mayfair Witches” is not just another book. She is the author we remember as the first one to flip the narrative from the victim to the supernatural being. A lot of people have reviewed her works as alluding to “the monster within.” Now, we have seen enough of that, but this is the work of the “OG we remember.” Forgive the use of slang, but we found no better term. Either way, the question is, just because the story is from Anne Rice, should give this series a chance? As far as the “Mayfair Witches” Episode 1 goes, the one thing we can assure you of is that it is sufficiently spooky without being campy. There is an evident feminist theme here, but only the upcoming episodes will tell us whether it is actually woven into the plot or presented as a temporary element. For now, let’s get into the events of the episode.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Are Deirdre And Rowan?
Episode 1 of “Mayfair Witches” starts with a doctor coming to a woman’s house to give her a dose of Thorazine. It is generally used as a medication for the treatment of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, but it also acts as a sedative. The doctor is surprised that the person he is administering the drug to is a young woman. She is told to be 47 years old, but he senses that something is not quite right and asks for some time to review her file. Meanwhile, 2000 miles away, Rowan Fielding is living her life on a boat. According to her, this is her way of “traveling the world, looking for a home.” Rowan is adopted, and she wants to find her birth parents. Her adoptive mother, Elena, is supportive of her endeavors.
Rowan is also a successful surgeon who often finds herself biting her tongue to keep things going. During a surgery that she was scheduled for, the Chief Surgeon took the reins while the board was watching. While it needn’t have been a matter of concern, Rowan found that her advice was being overlooked even though the child was her patient. She tells the Chief Surgeon that they need to take care of something, but he insists on ignoring her. However, before things can go wrong, she turns out to be right, and there is no damage done. She is asked why she did not put herself out there in a stronger manner, and Rowan replies that it wouldn’t have helped her patients. It is a pathetic reality that for most women, taking care of men’s egos is essential to their survival, be it at the workplace or at home, and that is what Rowan was doing. The Chief Surgeon, Dr Keck, was clearly in the wrong by not listening to Rowan, who was the one to handle the pediatrics department while he primarily operated on adults. Sadly, such micro and macro aggressions are part and parcel of being a working woman. Currently, she has a bigger problem to deal with. Her mother’s cancer has returned.
She asks Dr. Keck to recommend her to Daniel Lemle, who is conducting stem cell research. She believes that she could get her mother into the trial if she was working there. But Dr. Keck refuses. Though he cites the reason as being professional, it is evident that his ego was hurt in the operating room. He seems to find it a fault that she believes herself to be right. Well, he believed he was right, and that could have cost them the child’s life. It is some good old sexism where the man wants the woman to accept him as the unquestionable leader. Normally, Rowan would have the patience to deal with it, but in these circumstances, she can feel her anger rising. She envisions a certain artery of his rupturing, and lo and behold, he falls down unconscious. Rowan blames herself for his condition because, as she tells her mother, this isn’t the first time it has happened. That is why she is trying to find her birth parents, so that she can understand who she is. Her mother, Elena, tells her it is all in her imagination and asks her to get a strawberry milkshake. But the moment Rowan leaves, she makes a call and asks for an investigation by the agent assigned to Rowan. She suspects that “The Man” might be close and needs to certify that. The agent, Ciprien Grieve, checks what we assume is Deirdre’s house and tells Elena that Rowan is safe for now. However, she asks him what will happen when she is not there anymore, and Ciprien promises to protect her.
Meanwhile, Rowan meets Daniel Kilme, who agrees to have her be a part of the study. But the problem is, even he is an entitled sexist who finds nothing wrong in using an open-door bathroom in front of women. He asks Rowan to pick a patient for her mother to replace. She refuses, causing him to become a little pushy. That is when Rowan lets him have it and tells him exactly what she thinks of him. Unfortunately, her anger is accompanied by a vision like the previous one, and Daniel Kilme falls down unconscious. Horrified, Rowan finds that she cannot deny her power anymore and runs to her mother, who tells her to snap out of these thoughts.
‘Mayfair Witches’ Episode 1: Ending Explained – Does Lasher Find Rowan?
Meanwhile, a young Deirdre is feeling suffocated, living with her aunts, who only allow her to go to church and school. She sees “the man,” or as he is called, “Lasher,” and wants to be with him. But he leads her to a party at her Uncle Cortland’s. We believe the uncle was aware of his niece attending and has a plan in place. He sets up a boy to woo her and spend the night with her. The boy is successful, and Deirdre is pregnant. She is locked up in the house, and when her time approaches, the priest comes to talk to her. He believes the father of the child is “the man,” but Deirdre denies it. After he leaves, she tries to take her own life, but Lasher saves her and asks her to come to see him downstairs. When Deirdre does that, he tells her that it is her necklace that has bound them together all these years. He shows her his true form and asks her to make a choice out of her own free will. Deirdre re-wears the necklace, accepting Lasher for herself, but right then, she goes into labor. She gives birth to a baby girl, who is taken away from her before she can even hold her once. Deirdre’s aunt Carlotta gives the child to another niece of hers, Elena, and asks her to raise the baby away from the Mayfair name.
All these years later, while Elena is breathing her last, the doctor who had come to administer the dose to Deirdre makes a decision. He tells her that he is not going to give her the drug henceforth so that she can snap out of her stupor and come back to her senses. He also removes her necklace, noticing some scratches and thinking that she might have tried to remove it herself. However, this act frees Lasher. He is no longer bound to Deirdre if she is not wearing the necklace. That night, while Rowan is on her boat, she is woken up by some disturbance. What she sees is enough to scare anyone—a strange man on her boat in the middle of the ocean. Though she doesn’t know it yet, that man is Lasher. He disappears before she can blink, but he has found her.
What To Expect From ‘Mayfair Witches’ Episode 2?
We definitely liked this episode. The way it was paced, the spookiness of it, and the performances themselves, all come together in a beautiful witchy blend that pulls you into their world. In “Mayfair Witches” Episode 2, since Lasher has found Rowan, others at the Mayfair may be alerted to it, and they might start looking for her to protect her. Ciprien will be given the job. We might see some more backstories for Deirdre and Elena. It felt fishy to us that the doctor was so invested in Deirdre. Is it possible that his intentions are not all that pure? We genuinely look forward to Episode 2 to find out what else can come out of the Mayfair cauldron.
