Supernatural beings continue their epically passive-aggresive beefs as Sky’s fantasy saga flosses its fangs for a final season
Dry January? Austere new year? If this stretch of the calendar is about replacing indulgence and cheer with a cold slog, it’s fitting that it sees the return of A Discovery of Witches (Sky Max/Now), telly’s most conservative supernatural saga. Pour a herbal tea, put on a cardigan that does not sparkle, and head back to a world where mythical beings, unencumbered by time, death or physical laws, use this epic freedom to argue irritably among themselves.
This is the fantasy show that treats blood, lust and grotesquery as faux pas to be carefully avoided. It isn’t funny, sexy or scary, not because it fails at those things but because it refuses to attempt them. It also doesn’t think fantasy should be a gateway to anywhere. On the surface it’s about witches, daemons and vampires, but dig for subtext, search for the soul of the creation, and it’s about … no, it’s still just about witches, daemons and vampires.
