by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
I’m not a huge fan of when a movie tries to jumpstart a shared universe before it even has the chance to flourish. DC made this mistake by trying to hammer out an ill-advised plan to try to beat Marvel at its own game. Let’s not forget what happened with the Dark Universe, which died just as quickly as it was announced. Cinematic universes are hard enough, but now that these shared universes are potentially creeping into television, the task becomes harder. AMC has already laid the foundation for their Immortal Universe, as they acquired the rights to Anne Rice’s novels before her death. The Immortal Universe was introduced with Interview with the Vampire, which I generally enjoyed, and is now followed up by Mayfair Witches.
Since The Walking Dead proper ended and the other shows within the shared universe start to end, AMC needed something to hang its hat on. With Rice’s catalog in hand, the expansion from vampires to witches feels like a smart decision. Execution is another story, unfortunately.
Mayfair Witches revolves around Rowan (Alexandra Daddario), a talented but troubled neurosurgeon out of San Francisco. She has a troubled but mysterious past, and strange occurrences begin to pile up when her adopted mother Elena (Erica Gimpel) falls ill. After searching some family history and making discoveries about her birth mother, Rowan eventually finds out that she is part of a family of witches living in New Orleans.
Rowan is a complex character. In a lot of cases, it’s good for a character to have complexity. It brings some layers and gives audiences something to think about. There are a few problems with Rowan, though. As a character, it’s exceedingly frustrating to follow her throughout the series. I don’t understand what she’s doing, I don’t understand her background, and I don’t understand the decisions she makes. Part of this is due to poor character development, and part of it is due to poor scripts. Daddario also isn’t doing herself any favors either. I’ve always been pretty mixed about her as a performer, and I’m stopping short of saying she’s not right for the role. It’s just that I wasn’t a fan of her portrayal, as she tends to overact in distracting ways.
Setting aside Rowan’s life as a neurosurgeon in San Francisco, the bits and pieces we get of her backstory, and her evolution as a witch, Mayfair Witches doesn’t establish much in the name of guidelines or rules for witchcraft, or how to learn to become one. All the other Mayfairs in New Orleans have a lot of history with witchcraft. Rowan, though, is prophesied to be an all-powerful witch. This is sort of an issue I have with any property that has things like magic. It can literally solve anything without having to develop characters or increase stakes. We don’t get a montage á la Doctor Strange of Rowan learning spells or ancient text. She just knows how to be a witch, which feels unbelievable to me.
The other problem is there is so much jam-packed into these eight episodes that Rowan is short-changed as a main character. There’s too much going on for a first season. It doesn’t help that the show is constantly shifting stories from different periods for the Mayfairs. It’s meant to give the audience more context, but all it does is distract from the main story, while also frustrating me with how much time we are taking away from learning more about Rowan.
It’s a little hard for me not to compare Mayfair Witches to Interview with the Vampire. AMC has directly connected the universe, even though the shows don’t have a direct connection, nor do I think AMC intends to make some type of Defenders-style team-up. The main connection between the two series is New Orleans. The city is so rich with history, culture, and gusto that it’s hard not to be captivated by the surroundings. Interview with the Vampire is a more intimate story, revolving around the story of one vampire. Mayfair Witches says, “Hold my beer,” and throws the kitchen sink at the audience.
There are one to three storylines too many that draw our attention away from Rowan. One storyline that could have been pushed to Season Two (assuming that Season Two, if renewed, makes it to the finish line) would have been the incel-adjacent storyline involving citizens, mainly men, around New Orleans attempting to hunt witches. I thought this was an interesting storyline, but we haven’t even established anything going on with the witches.
Two characters that I found interesting are Ciprien (Tongayi Chirisa) and Lasher (Jack Huston). Ciprien, a member of the Talamasca (another part of the story that isn’t explained well), is tasked with helping Rowan. He has abilities that help solve mysteries, but he also entangles himself a little too much. Chirisa’s performance might be one of my favorites of the season, but his character needs to be explored further, especially with how the season ends. Lasher, on the other hand, is a supernatural entity that has been bound to the Mayfairs for centuries. I found myself a little lost about what Lasher can and can’t due, but the way his story ends makes me very curious to see what’s in store for him for Season Two.
The mess continues with storylines involving Deirdre (Annabeth Gish) and Cortland Mayfair (Harry Hamlin). These two are wasted on their roles. I generally like both performers, but how they’re used doesn’t help the story or characters out at all. They are another casualty of too many storylines. There is another story involving another Mayfair named Tessa (Madison Wolfe). We see an episode dedicated to her, but we don’t spend enough time with her to care about the implications of what’s going on. This again points to too much going on during the season.
Mayfair Witches is an interesting concept that has poor execution. Like Interview with the Vampire, New Orleans provides a vibrant setting with an interesting cast of characters. However, the series also does itself no favors by trying to jam way too much into Season One, and by giving its performers poor development and dialogue. I tried to give Daddario the benefit of the doubt, but she seems a little over her head. It doesn’t help matters that Rowan is also a frustrating character who makes odd choices. Given the current landscape that surrounds television, I’m wondering how AMC feels about this show and where to go with the Immortal Universe now. I’m thankful that these are not directly connected, because it’d be hard to undo a potential Avengers-style team-up event. I’m more than likely not coming back for a Season Two, assuming it even gets one.
Score: 6/10
Mayfair Witches is currently streaming on AMC+
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