The Big Picture
- Diana harnesses her powers and defeats her enemies in Season 3 of A Discovery of Witches, ensuring the safety of her household and bringing an end to the conflict.
- The key to curing blood rage, a genetic illness plaguing vampires and daemons, lies in daemon DNA, which also affects witches' powers and ability to reproduce.
- Diana confronts the Congregation, revealing her possession of The Book of Life and advocating for a more inclusive future, resulting in the abolition of the Covenant and the election of a new leader.
Season 3 of A Discovery of Witches has come to its dramatic end, and we now have answers to some of the big problems that were plaguing our main cast of characters. The final episode sees our heroine Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) finding what she needs to harness her powers completely and defeating the people trying to destroy her household. It also gives us answers to one of the biggest questions of the series: will there be a future where all creatures (vampires, daemons, witches, and humans) can exist together, despite their differences, in peace and harmony?
For those who don’t know, the series is based on the best-selling book trilogy written by author Deborah Harkness. It begins with Diana, an American witch and scholar, and her discovery of a strange manuscript named Ashmole 782 in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. This manuscript, secretly known as The Book of Life, is the key that unlocks Diana’s dormant powers and brings into her life a cast of other witches, daemons, and vampires, one of which being Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode). The series follows both Diana and Matthew through their love story as they try to retrieve The Book of Life. So how does A Discovery of Witches's third and final season wrap up any loose ends? We'll explain.
Diana Faces-Off With Satu and Benjamin to Save Matthew
In the penultimate episode of Season 3, we are shown Diana finding out that her spouse Matthew has been taken captive by our vampire villain (and the son he disowned), Benjamin Fuchs (Jacob Ifan). Benjamin, in cahoots with Diana’s witch rival Satu, uses him as bait to lure in Diana as she inevitably attempts to rescue him. With Baldwin’s (Peter McDonald) help, Diana and her friends realize that Matthew is being held at a creepy, abandoned hospital in Poland, and is being tortured in much the same way as his father Phillipe had been during the Second World War. They journey to Chelm to find Matthew in a state of delirium, but after recognizing that it is the work of a highly effective enchantment, Diana leaves him and her friends to confront the impending battle alone. She faces off against Satu (Malin Buska), and after defeating her relatively easily and taking her powers, uses her magic to conjure a bow and arrow to take down vampire Benjamin. “Justice,” she says as he dies on the floor. Justice, indeed.
The Truth Behind Daemon DNA Is Unveiled in 'A Discovery of Witches' Season 3
Throughout the entire season, Benjamin has been trying to cure blood rage, the genetic illness that has been affecting both him and his adopted son, Jack (Toby Regbo). It causes a loss of control and violent impulses and is often triggered by strong emotion. The Book of Life reveals that the key to everything, including this illness, is daemon DNA.
It starts when a human with a sufficient amount of daemon DNA (enough to trigger the sickness) is reborn into a vampire. Witches can also suffer from it, and this addition of daemon DNA is what makes them Weavers (a sub-sect of witches, who are extraordinarily rare and have the most powerful abilities out of the entire species). This is why Diana and Matthew are able to have kids; as they both share the same genetic makeup, they have the ability to conceive children with one another.
However, because the Covenant had decreed that creatures of different species cannot intermingle, the prevalence of daemon DNA has decreased. This is the reason for the decline in the witches’ powers and for the inability to sire in vampires. So long as the law remains, the likelihood of these species undergoing extinction continues to rise. These guidelines could very much be what destroys them all.
Diana Confronts the Congregation and Abolishes the Covenant in the Series Finale
Because of its importance, Diana is encouraged to take the de Clermont seat at the Congregation (the main governing body for supernatural creatures) and tell them all what she and her friends now know. She heads to the hidden Venetian island where they reside, and reveals that not only does she possess The Book of Life, she is The Book of Life. She uses magic to make a tree come out of the blank pages of the book, one that shows how all the species are intricately connected, and scientific proof to show them all that they need dramatic reform.
There is some obvious debate among the members of the Congregation, with many of them recommending a systematic and careful reform. Daemon Agatha (Tanya Moodie) quickly sides with Diana, but leader Gerbert (Trevor Eve) advocates for her punishment, viewing her as a criminal. In the end, after a few minutes of discussion, they all vote (with the exception of Gerbert) to abolish the Covenant. Agatha is elected the new leader and the Congregation is on its way to creating a new, much more inclusive future.
Diana and Matthew Get Their Happily Ever After in 'A Discovery of Witches' Series Finale
Overall, the ending of A Discovery of Witches Season 3 is fortunate for everyone involved. Matthew tells his son, Jack, that he loves him, and our newly-appointed leader, Agatha, reunites with her family (her son, his spouse, and their child) after they finally emerge from hiding. Even Domenico, a vampire who had always had rather shady motivations, is able to emerge from Gerbert’s shadow.
Diana’s friends also find their happy ending. Marcus gives his human girlfriend, Phoebe, a hoop, we see a little touch of romance for Miriam and Chris, and Hugh’s household finally acknowledges his relationship with Fernando. Gallowglass, having fulfilled his promise to protect Diana, rides gallantly off into the sunset. The end of the episode shows Diana and Matthew dancing happily, surrounded by the ones they hold dear.
Unfortunately, it looks like this will be it for A Discovery of Witches. Sky has confirmed that this will in fact be the show’s final installment, and as it is based on Harkness’ book trilogy, it makes sense that Season 3 would be its natural end. However, we can take comfort in the fact that the series has wrapped up neatly and all the main storylines have come to a satisfying conclusion.
All three seasons of A Discovery of Witches are available to stream Max.