Also, the whole ‘in love within three weeks’ thing is easier to understand in the book, but it’s pretty much what she said in the show about them being ‘bound’ together. From the beginning that connection was there because it was always meant to be, just waiting for Matthew and Diana to turn up in each other’s lives. So for me it isn’t really a case of ‘ohh she meet a hot vampire and fell in love’. There is trust built with them, he doesn’t react to her as the witches do to vampires and that makes him interesting and kind, he doesn’t lie about his intentions with the book and he doesn’t attack her for it(and takes himself away when he fears what his nature could make him do). The main thing though is that they were already written into history together, that’s why it was so instinctive. There are all these prophetic touches in the books which I won’t go into cause spoilers, but they are there and will come out as the show goes on. I do agree it’s hard for them to convey that on the show without giving away too much of the plot though. But I would say the stories that Diana’s mother told her were meant to explain this to the audience. Em reminding Diana of those stories was a big flashing sign to the audience to say that Diana and Matthew were meant to be. 30 years ago her mother knew about Matthew and she used the little time they had together to give Diana these stories for her to remember when the time came, and remembering them is what seems to give Diana the final push to pursue Matthew romantically against everything else she has been told.
Well stated!
I also feel within the scope of the narrative of the show that she’s calling him on his bullshit.
He leaves her with a tender face touch, having just passionately kissed her and then trying to defend her from harm.
He walks back in completely cut off and cold. She’s seen this before when he shut down after dinner, only to run after her later.
So while yes, it’s soon, I feel like it also makes sense as her rushing things to make it clear that this isn’t nothing and he can’t just shut himself off.
Also, I have to say, it is possible to establish such a strong connection in such a short time. I tend to be skeptical of that, but then I remember that my parents were already talking about getting married after a month of meeting each other, and they’ve been together 20 years and counting, while people that have waited years to say I love you have divorced in less than a year of marriage. If you find the right person, this kind of connection in a short period of time is possible. It’s not common, but it’s possible.
I am 100ish pages into book 2 and everything about book 1 is already making sense. The ~prophecies about them we’ve already seen on the show could be explained by magic anyway, but now they make the narrative way more believable. Past and present are linked together in amazing ways!
Matthew Goode’s first official ADoW interview. A Discovery of Witches series 1 premieres Sept 14! (Source: Sky Corporate Media)
Why did you want to be a part of this project? I met Jane Tranter, who is a force of nature. I have never met anyone do a better take on a book that is 750 pages in absolute detail. By the end of that meeting I wanted to be a part of it because it sounded like an incredible world to inhabit. I’d never played a vampire before and there is a kind of a dark mythology to it. The whole point of A Discovery of Witches was that it was going to turn that on its head, it’s more about his involvement with this human woman. So, it has a love story and notions about equality. It has a lot to say about the politics of our time.
When people think of vampires and witches they think of Hammer horror and Twilight. What makes A Discovery of Witches different?
There have been many degrees of how people wanted to portray this extraordinary figure. Some of it is like Gary Oldman; the Count Dracula thing, which is great, but that is very Machiavellian and seems a lot darker. What I think is great about Deborah Harkness’s work is that it takes the nuances of that to a greater degree and sees them living in a modern society.
Tell us about your character and what attracted you to him? Matthew Clairmont is a professor of biochemistry and an expert in genealogy. At the start, he is searching for the ancient manuscript, Ashmole 782. It talks about how vampires, daemons and witches came to be, and he’s been looking for it for hundreds of years. Matthew is so many different things: a chemist, a poet and he is also lethal. He is multi-faceted, but he is without love. So Matthew’s past and his involvement with Diana are confusing for him because he wants the manuscript but then he starts falling in love with her. Matthew doesn’t have all the answers yet and he is an intriguing figure – that’s what attracted me to him. He’s mysterious and charming but at the same time he’s deadly. It’s a lot to play.
Matthew is very guarded when it comes to love. How does he feel about Diana? When he first meets her his only consideration is that he wants to find the Book of Life. Then, obviously, his opinion of witches is not great because of the wars that have been fought over many centuries. So, he first finds her quite intriguing. I think given the chance he would like to eat her because they are obsessed with witch blood, as witch blood sings to them. That’s how he talks about it: “I can hear your witches’ blood singing in your veins”. He has been training himself not to fall in love again but there is just something about her. When they first met there was a frisson between them. She, like him,does not judge other species. Her mind is also hugely important to him as it is what intrigues him. She is
accepting of him and believes in him.
And she is also going through her
own journey of being attracted to
someone that she isn’t supposed to
be, being a witch and all that jazz.
What is the Congregation? Over time, when humans started to be the ruling class, witches, vampires and daemons realised that if they were going to survive they had to keep the species separate and this council made up the rules of how they should live. Kind of like the Houses of Parliament for creatures. If anybody stepped out of line they’d be punished and have to be dealt with by this council. That is not to say that some of the people on the Congregation aren’t out for their own good. Gerbert, played by the wonderful Trevor Eve, and the de Clermonts have been warring forever despite both being vampires. So a power struggle exists not only between the daemons, witches and vampires but also between many of the families within each species.
On the subject of the de Clermont family: tell us about working with Lindsay Duncan She was everything I had hoped. She is one of the greatest human beings I have ever met, she is brilliant, but she is also hilarious. She brings a real gravitas and depth. Ysabeau is quite cold, I mean she is incredibly warm and fun in real life, but on this she is ice cold. She is such a pro, and it is just great to be in scenes with her.
Gif: mine
Can you tell us a bit about the dance scene with Teresa?
So we didn’t actually have a lot of rehearsals which was a bit nerve racking. Teresa is a natural. I, on the other hand, have two left feet. She helped me get through it and we had a wonderful choreographer. It ended up being one of my favourite scenes in the entire series. Teresa is really fun to work with, we are like an old married couple now.
What’s the significance of that scene for your characters? For Matthew, there is a fulfilment of duty as the head of the house, because he loves his mother (Ysabeau) dearly, not to mention wanting to protect her. He is not quite himself when he is there; he is quite reserved and polite because Ysabeau holds a deep wound. The reason he dances with Diana is to try to show to his mother that she isn’t just any old witch and she is special to him.
Could you describe the set? Two words: James North. I think he is going to be one of the greatest set designers of our time. This is a fantastic set! The Bodleian Library was how we started – James built it and it was staggering, the Witches’ Archive is magnificent. I wanted it to be my office. My favourite set is Sarah and Em’s house. It feels like the house you’ve always wanted to live in in the countryside. It’s just beautiful, the detail is amazing.
he stole our hearts w a dance now find out why they do it
For Matthew, there is a fulfilment of duty as the head of the house, because he loves his mother (Ysabeau) dearly, not to mention wanting to protect her. He is not quite himself when he is there; he is quite reserved and polite because Ysabeau holds a deep wound. The reason he dances with Diana is to try to show to his mother that she isn’t just any old witch and she is special to him.
I was struck today by just how amazing the endings of each episode have been – and how they perfectly encapsulate the progression of Matthew & Diana’s relationship.
Episode 1:
Matthew is craving Diana. She is scared of him, but still intrigued…
Matthew rejects Diana in an attempt to save her from the congregation (but that little pause before he gets in the car shows how much it hurt him to do so)
She is devastated…and calls the witchwater!!
I can’t wait to see how episode 5 ends! But I’ll be gutted when the season is over!
Say, Thanos, I recall you telling your adopted space daughter (who you routinely abused, by the way) that her home planet of Zehoberei was now thriving because you killed half its population – including her birth mother – because ‘balance was restored’.
Do you know what I think about that?
I think it’s nothing more than a
BIG
FAT
LIE!!!
So apparently her planet prospered to the point everyone spontaneously died? Troll-logic yourself out of that one, you insane oversized prune.
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