A Discovery of Witches is a British fantasy series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness; the show is named after the first book (and Harkness’ debut novel) in the trilogy. Starring Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode as a witch and vampire who learn about magical creatures and how to defend themselves against them, we were first introduced to an eight-episode season on September 14th 2018, with the show premiering weekly in the UK on Sky One. After much success, Sky renewed the series for a second season, which consisted of ten episodes and was released in its entirety in 2021. Finally, fans were gutted to learn that season three would be its final season, which was released in January this year.

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The first season introduced us to a witch, Diana, who discovered a strange manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, called Ashmole 782. Otherwise known as The Book of Life, it unlocked Diana’s witchy powers and forces her to channel the world of magic, while also attracting vampires, daemons, and witches to her, one of which is the handsome and mysterious Matthew Clairmont.

Over three gripping seasons, we followed not only Matthew and Diana’s passionate love story, but also a crazy ride of betrayal, death, and the unraveling of dark secrets and mysteries hidden in the book, as they fight threats from magical beings in order to protect the manuscript. The final episode was a magical and tense ride as we found out Diana and Matthew’s fate. Let’s find out exactly how A Discovery of Witches ended.

The Drastic Daemon DNA

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The final season began by showing us a human who had a very large amount of daemon DNA, and was reborn into a vampire. However, vampires aren’t the only ones who can suffer from it — witches can also have daemon DNA, which makes them Weavers. These are a sub-sect of witches, who are incredibly rare and are the most powerful people in the entire species.

This explains why Diana and Matthew are able to have children, as they both share the exact same genetic makeup. Although, when the Covenant declared that different species are forbidden to mix, the records of daemon DNA decreased rapidly, which also caused a decrease in the witches’ powers to sire vampires. This heightened the risk of extinction and could destroy them all.

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Daemon DNA was an important factor within the storyline of the season, especially when we saw Benjamin who had been struggling with a condition called blood rage, which had been affecting both him and his adopted son Jack. With a loss of control and an urge for violence, it is understandable why he had been searching for a cure.

Throughout the season, Diana found that Benjamin had been torturing Matthew, so she searched for him on a journey to Poland, only to find him completely hysterical (which happens to be caused by an enchantment). In a battle to save him, her opponent, Satu, binds her and takes away her powers; but this doesn’t stop Diana, who creates a bow and arrow to end Benjamin. With a rescued Matthew, it is revealed to us by The Book that they key to Benjamin’s blood rage was caused by his excessive amount of daemon DNA.

The Book of Life in A Discovery of Witches

Heading to the Congregation (which is the man government for supernatural creatures), Diana tells them all what they found out. She heads on a journey to the hidden island of Venetian, where we mysteriously realize that she actually is The Book of Life. From this, we find out exactly how all the species are interconnected, with all the scientific proof they need to be reformed and be able to mix. While Diana is praised by some members of the Congregation, others view her as a criminal. Although, with Agatha voted as the new leader of the Congregation, they are finally heading to a new and bright future.

Thankfully, the season finale brought A Discovery of Withches to a satisfying close. While Matthew tells his son, Jack, that he loves him and Agatha reunites with her family after being in hiding for so long, everyone finally achieves some peace and puts the past behind them. For viewers, it feels like everything has been put right and all the loose ends have been tied.

While we may be sad that A Discovery of Witches is over, it makes sense and feels like a good time to bring it to a close. Fans might be disheartened that this was the final season, but A Discovery of Witches is one that we will always go back to when we’re in need of a real gripping binge-watch session.