The Big Picture
- A Discovery of Witches offers a fresh perspective on paranormal romance genres with detailed historical accuracy.
- Meet the de Clermont family – a complex and centuries-old vampire lineage with deep dynamics.
- The show’s supporting characters, like the de Clermonts, add layers of nuance and depth to Matthew and Diana’s romance.
On the surface, it might seem as though A Discovery of Witches draws heavily from the human-vampire romances that preceded it. That assessment’s only half-true. Deborah Harkness, author of the New York Times bestselling All Souls series upon which A Discovery of Witches is based, didn’t read any vampire literature before penning her novels. But her creativity was sparked in 2008 after seeing the sheer wealth of paranormal romances adorning bookshelves. “It seemed to me much bigger than what had happened with Anne Rice,” Harkness explained to The Los Angeles Times in 2011. “As a historian of science, […] I thought, Why do these creatures still exert such a pull on us?” Furthermore, Harkness “[ wondered] if there really are witches and vampires, what do they do for a living?”
In 2024, 16 years after inspiration struck, Harkness published the fifth book in her ongoing All Souls series (with more on the way). Often described as “Twilight for adults,” the comparison, while a convenient descriptive shorthand, doesn’t quite apply here. Her All Souls universe is a delightful enterprise that shares inevitable DNA with Twilight, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Interview with the Vampire, and other popular sagas, because certain paranormal romance story beats tread similar ground. Harkness, a decorated historian, scholar, and university professor, weaves the forbidden love story of historian witch Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) together with magic, philosophy, metaphor, and detailed historical accuracy. That convergence makes for a fascinatingly fresh perspective on the genre while never losing sight of its romantic heart. With that said, there’s a specific unintentional similarity A Discovery of Witches shares with Twilight — that awkward feeling when your in-laws are vampires. The Cullens of Twilight might welcome you into the fold with a baseball game, but A Discovery of Witches has the better, more intriguing, and more complex family by a home run mile. Sorry, not sorry.
What Is ‘A Discovery of Witches’ About?
Set in modern London, A Discovery of Witches follows Diana Bishop, an American scholar tenured at Oxford University and a witch running from her magical heritage. She wants nothing to do with the secret supernatural world of witches, vampires, and daemons, largely because of her parents’ unexplained deaths. Once Diana accidentally summons a long-lost manuscript from Oxford’s Bodleian Library, however, she’s plunged into her paranormal birthright. Diana’s fellow witches and ancient vampire Matthew Clairmont both covet that manuscript, but only the latter cares about Diana’s safety. As Diana and Matthew fall in love (a union forbidden by their world’s government), she discovers that her enemies and her untapped magic run deeper than she knows.
Who Are the de Clermonts in ‘A Discovery of Witches’?
The Cullen family’s loving dynamic is one of the Twilight franchise’s highlights. Nobody expects the vampires to be the nicest family on the block. Unsurprisingly, because Hollywood cuts things for a time, it’s an aspect the film series underutilized. Each Cullen has their own backstory and personality, and the unit they form remains unconditionally supportive. They squabble like siblings, which is disarmingly average and oddly charming. Nevertheless, the film Cullens (your mileage may vary with the book versions) bring little to the table. They’re “living” — pun intended — set dressing. The few backstories that make it to the screen don’t inform their personalities. Their warm welcome of Bella might subvert the stereotypes one expects from meeting the in-laws (especially if they’re all blood drinkers), but the fantasy is too convenient. Ultimately, the Cullens’ bland film portrayal robs the series of what could otherwise be prime dramatic tension.
Enter the de Claremonts of A Discovery of Witches, a French-based vampire lineage dating back to at least 500 AD. They’ve had their undead fingers in all of history’s major events. Such notoriety has bought them sociopolitical and psychological power. The de Claremont name isn’t one to be crossed; don’t even sneeze around them without begging for forgiveness. Harkness’ All Souls series features a larger de Claremont family than the television series, but the direct players hold true to her characterization and dynamics. There’s Matthew, the series’ brooding romantic lead; his “blood” brother Baldwin (Trystan Gravelle, Peter McDonald); their sister Louisa (Elaine Cassidy); their mother Ysabeau (Lindsay Duncan); and her husband Philippe (James Purefoy), the family patriarch.
The De Clermonts Have a Long and Complicated History in ‘A Discovery of Witches’
In either medium, the de Claremont dynasty is a beautifully complicated handful. Harkness develops each member fully, making them subject to their past flaws (just a little murder), current biases, and redemptive qualities. Her vampires aren’t evil or devoid of their unique human personalities; they’re lethal predators capable of choosing any skein of morality, just like any creature. It’s here that Harkness’ historical knowledge amplifies her characterization. Not enough paranormal romances take advantage of how dang old these vampires are and how that impacts their priorities. Because each de Clermont is a hot mess in ways both conflicting and complimentary, it means something that they love one another. That unquestionable loyalty is intricate, the ever-flowing dynamics reflective of centuries, but their affection has survived centuries of estrangement, wars, and bloodshed.
Ysabeau and Philippe, for example, share a three-thousand-year love story. Baldwin’s prone to sibling jealousy but aims to protect his family at any cost, which means playing by the rules. Louisa, who died decades before the story’s events, was banished for carrying a disease that makes its vampiric carriers mindless murderers rather than distinguished thinkers. Philippe’s also passed by A Discovery of Witches, leaving Ysabeau to navigate widowhood and Matthew to grieve his father only to reunite with him via time travel — and we’re just getting started. The de Clermonts are a smaller unit than Twilight yet offer a more intimate scope, grappling with immortality, sin, evolution, and whether peace can exist after millennia of carnage (witnessing and inflicting). Forgive the pun, but the de Cleremonts have “bite” exactly where the story needs it.
Ysabeau de Clermont Must Confront Her Biases
Because of the de Clermonts’ fierce loyalty, when Diana meets her blood-sucking in-laws, there’s no easy outpouring of kindness. Ysabeau, Philippe, and Baldwin’s respective receptions of Diana are bristly out of feral protectiveness. Ysabeau, the first de Clermont relative we meet, radiates imperious disdain with her frostily furious eyes and perfect blonde updo. She’s a boogeyman figure for witches, having wiped out countless covens. Ysabeau makes no bones about believing the worst of other species and has no interest in changing her opinions. Some of that bias boils down to elitism. The rest stems from heartbreak — a group of witches tortured Philippe to death decades earlier, and Ysabeau’s lashed out in misplaced revenge. Her beloved Matthew dating a witch would be offensive enough, but in A Discovery of Witches‘ world, the supernatural governing body — the Congregation — has banned interspecies relationships. Those who break this Covenant are executed. Ysabeau believes Diana has bewitched Matthew for her own ends, or worse, that Matthew’s selfishly risking his entire family’s well-being.
Ysabeau can’t kill Diana outright, so she tries to scare Diana away by devouring an animal’s guts in front of her (Lindsay Duncan casually licking blood off her fine leather gloves is a sight to behold). When Diana doesn’t bow to this implicit threat, Ysabeau shares Matthew’s tragic past. In so doing, Ysabeau accidentally proves how capable she and Matthew are of tenderness. Their mutual compassion underscores that genetics does not a family make: love does. And vampires love most ardently (sorry, Mr. Darcy).
Since Diana staunchly remains by Matthew’s side and accepts him warts and all, Ysabeau has to grant Diana’s will a modicum of respect. She also can’t begrudge her son’s joy, or ignore a kinship with Diana when the younger woman tells Ysabeau about her parents’ brutal murder. “Make them pay,” Ysabeau advises. “It doesn’t take the pain away, but it helps.” That line doesn’t condone Ysabeau’s massacres, but it casts them into understanding. She tried to heal the wound left by her husband’s loss with indiscriminate violence. Ysabeau does everything out of love for her family, even her mistakes. Diana’s arrival forces her to confront her prejudices in the flesh. Ysabeau’s opinion doesn’t alter 180 degrees overnight, but it shouldn’t; her approval is all the more satisfactory for its slow burn.
‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 2 Heals Old Wounds
Season 2 of A Discovery of Witches shakes things up by time-traveling Matthew and Diana to Elizabethan England. In so doing, it swaps one vampiric parent for another when the Philippe de Clermont of 1590 summons Matthew to his side. If Ysabeau was a lithe predator in wait, then Philippe is the snake camouflaged to look harmless until its poisonous bite. He’s too calculating and discerning by half. Philippe puts the couple through their paces to strengthen their union and to prove it’s something worth risking life and limb for. As he half-hisses to Diana, “I do not take risks with my family.” She doesn’t impress him; open the dictionary to “sick burn,” and you’ll find James Purefoy drawling, “There is nothing new under the sun for me.”
Of course, Philippe comes around after seeing Diana’s undeniable merit. The contrite father formally adopts her and would break the world to protect her. And just like Ysabeau, Philippe has his own arc: reckoning with the knowledge of his future death. For a man who’s already lived for centuries, Philippe’s mortality terrifies him. It’s the most human panic of all. Diana’s influence helps him find peace with his fate. He even changes the past by hiding one last love letter for Ysabeau, something she’s both desperate and terrified to find. For Matthew, meanwhile, encountering his dead father is as nightmarish as it sounds. Yet the meeting soothes that reopened wound, allowing Matthew to emerge from a cycle of self-inflicted guilt. That’s nuanced, gripping, and satisfactory character work across the board.
Sibling Rivalry Can’t Overcome the de Clermonts’ Love for One Another in ‘A Discovery of Witches’
Baldwin and Louisa, Matthew’s siblings, prove themselves tougher nuts to crack. As the head of the de Clermonts and the leader of the Congregation, Baldwin is a calculating and ruthless strategist who prioritizes duty in the name of family. Matthew and Diana must pay the price for breaking the Congregation’s “no romance” rules, even if that means angering Matthew and putting Diana back in harm’s way. Heeding the rules is how Baldwin protects his family, so in that way, he’s a natural de Clermont.
The problem with establishments is that the rules need breaking. When pressured between supporting his brother and obeying the Congregation he rules, Baldwin reluctantly chooses Matthew. The two have rarely seen eye to eye; Philippe favored Baldwin and named him his successor, but still gave Matthew control over his secret spy/military/hospitaller order. Baldwin’s jealousy views that as a slight. Matthew, meanwhile, considers his brother a destructive force. Once Baldwin witnesses how much Matthew loves Diana, they physically join forces to protect her. Baldwin also lies to the Congregation, manipulating them to keep Diana safe from their scheming and officially accepts her into the family. He’s not so keen on the pair splitting off to form their own vampire scion, but once Matthew and Diana lay down the law, all three forge peace. Putting their longstanding sibling rivalry to the test with an arc that ends with acceptance packs more punch than instant acceptance.
Louisa de Clermont Is the Family’s Only Outlier
The Louisa de Clermont of 1590 is the sole outlier. Her disease — blood rage — renders her feral, self-serving, and conniving. Blood rage is a tragedy within the vampire community, and it’s especially so for the de Clermonts stricken with it: Ysabeau is an asymptomatic carrier. Louisa and Matthew both inherited it from their vampire mother, and the siblings take different paths. Louisa indulges her voracious appetite for their ever-changing world, traveling from country to country — and, of course, her voracious appetite for blood. She’s a predatory hedonist, a troublemaker persistent enough to earn the ire of her morally gray family.
Like Ysabeau before her, Louisa convinces herself that Diana bewitched Matthew. Unlike Ysabeau, she tries to kill Diana to free her brainwashed brother, and brings Matthew’s close friend, legendary poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe (Tom Hughes), down into delusion land with her. Matthew, who lives with blood rage as a constant companion but fights fang and claw to suppress its lethal dangers, unleashes his blood rage upon Louisa. He almost kills his sister to protect his wife, an act that’s both horrible and strangely romantic. Louisa’s ultimate fate can’t be altered (hello, time travel rules!), but it says something that the only de Clermont permanently severed from the family was the one driven out of her mind.
The de Clermont Family’s Complexity Strengthens Matthew and Diana’s Romance in ‘A Discovery of Witches’
A Discovery of Witches might be Matthew and Diana’s story, but a story’s nothing without its supporting characters. The de Clermonts are flawed, contradictory, adoring, and shaded with granulations of messy nuance. They enhance the series and its leads, casting the world with flavor and the emotions with heft. Yes, a vampire baseball montage set to a Muse song is fun. Refined characterization, precise dynamics, and sincere arcs surpass that every time.
A Discovery of Witches is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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