‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 3 Ending Explained: Diana Does It All
Diana Bishop has come into her own. She’s always known she was a witch. But the woman at the center of the AMC+/Sundance Now series A Discovery of Witches wasn’t exactly eager to claim her powers when we first met her back in season 1. In the show’s season 3 finale, everything’s changed. The series-ending episode sees her harnessing the full force of her powers to defeat those who aim to destroy her family – and to keep the different types of creatures at odds with each other.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for A Discovery of Witches Season 3.]
Diana faces off against Satu and Benjamin in the ‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 3 finale
In the penultimate episode of A Discovery of Witches Season 3, Matthew (Matthew Goode) was taken captive by his old foe (and the son he disowned) Benjamin (Jacob Ifan). Benjamin – who’s in league with Diana’s (Teresa Palmer) witch rival Satu (Malin Buska) – is using Matthew as bait, knowing that his wife will come to his rescue.
That’s exactly what she does in this episode, though she brings her friends with her to the creepy abandoned hospital in Poland where Benjamin is hiding out. (The same hospital where Benjamin tortured Matthew’s father Phillipe during World War II.) When they arrive, they find what appears to be an injured Matthew. But Diana quickly recognizes that it’s just a powerful illusion.
She leaves Baldwin (Peter McDonald) – who’s finally chosen his family over the Congregation – Miriam (Aiysha Hart), Marcus (Edward Bluemel), and Gallowglass (Steven Cree) behind to face Satu on her own. The two witches fight, but Satu is no match for Diana, who now has the Book of Life within her. Diana spellbinds Satu, leaving her broken and helpless. Then she moves on to Benjamin. She uses her skills as a weaver to conjure up a magical bow and arrow, which she uses to take down the evil vampire.
“Justice,” Diana says, as Benjamin turns into a pile of dust. Indeed.
The secrets of creature DNA revealed
Throughout this season, Matthew has been searching for a cure for blood rage, the disease that afflicts both him and his adopted son Jack (Toby Regbo). He believed it could be discovered by studying creature DNA. His suspicions were right, but Miriam and Chris (Ivanno Jeremiah) have discovered something much more interesting in the process.
It turns out many witches and vampires have daemon DNA. That DNA is the key to blood rage. The condition only emerges when a human with enough daemon DNA to cause the illness is turned into a vampire. It’s also why Diana is a weaver and why she and Matthew were able to have children. In other words, daemons – long the also-rans of the creature world – are far more important than anyone has given them credit for. But because of the Covenant, which prohibits creatures from intermingling, the overall prevalence of daemon DNA has been declining. That’s led to a decrease in witches’ powers. It’s also behind vampires’ inability to sire and the increase in mental illness in daemons. As Diana observes, the very rules put in place to keep creatures safe are slowly destroying them.
Diana confronts the Congregation
Naturally, Diana wants to take this new information to the Congregation right away. But Baldwin advises against it, pointing out that she’d be walking straight into Gerbert’s (Trevor Eve) hands. However, by having Diana sit in the de Clermont seat in the chamber, she’ll have some measure of protection. It’s a sneaky play that doesn’t go over well with Gerbert, but there’s nothing he can do about it. (Matthew stays home with the twins when Diana heads to Venice to take care of business – this really is her moment to shine.)
Diana – wearing a pearl-encrusted jacket and a high-necked white blouse that are a nod to her elaborate Elizabethan gowns in A Discovery of Witches Season 2 – lays out her case for abolishing the Covenant. She does some nifty magic to make a tree grow from the blank pages of the Book of Life, showing how they are all connected. But she’s a scholar at heart and has also brought pages of scientific evidence to back up her claim that dramatic reform is needed.
There’s some quick debate among the members of the Congregation, with the daemon Agatha (Tanya Moodie) swiftly siding with Diana. Gerbert tries to propose a counter-measure to punish Diana and the de Clermonts. Meanwhile, others suggest measured, cautious reform. But in a matter of minutes, they’ve reached a consensus. All – with the notable exception of Gerbert – vote to rescind the Covenant. Agatha is named the Congregation’s new leader. With the election of a daemon (and a Black woman), the Congregation is moving toward a new, more inclusive future.
Matthew and Diana’s happily ever after
A Discovery of Witches Season 3 ends happily for almost all involved. Matthew tells Jack he loves him. Agatha reunites with her son, his wife, and their child, who’d been in hiding because their family ran afoul of the Covenant. Domenico (Gregg Chillin) – a vampire whose motivations have always been a bit shadowy – emerges from Gerbert’s shadow.
Marcus presents his human (and likely soon-to-be-vampire) girlfriend Phoebe (Adelle Leonce) with a ring. There’s also a hint of a romance for Miriam and Chris, while Hugh’s family finally acknowledges his relationship with Fernando (Olivier Huband). Finally, Gallowglass, having fulfilled his pledge to keep Diana safe, rides off into the sunset. The episode ends with Diana and Matthew dancing the night away, surrounded by their family and friends.
It’s a satisfying end to the series, neatly wrapping up all the major storylines. (Though with so many characters, there are a few threads that it would have been nice to have seen explored in more depth.) And it’s one that leaves the door open to a spinoff based on some of author Deborah Harkness’ other work. As Matthew says in the episode’s closing moments: “In every ending, there is a new beginning.”
All episodes of A Discovery of Witches Season 3 are now streaming on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder.
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