Mayfair Witches Episode 6 proves there is a good show here after all

Mayfair Witches finally delivered a good episode; too bad it took six weeks to get there. Mayfair Witches Episode 6, “Transference,” proves that this show is capable of being excellent. Now we’ll just have to see if it can maintain that momentum into the final two episodes of the season (and into season 2).

This episode is exactly what I wanted from the show, but it also should have happened much earlier. “Transference” is what we should have seen in Episode 3 or 4, rather than at the tail-end of the first season. However, I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying it, because as frustrating as I’ve found Mayfair Witches, deep down I’m still rooting for it! I love witches, I want them to thrive on TV!

Spoilers ahead for Mayfair Witches Episode 6

So what makes this episode stand apart from the rest? For starters, we finally get a solid connection between the Ireland flashbacks and the present-day story. Secondly, every storyline legitimately moves forward, and there’s actual witchcraft. I finally felt like I was learning what it means to be a Mayfair witch.

This week, we see that the horrifying witch hunt taking place in the 1600s is happening again in 2022, only now it’s being led by men’s rights activists and incels who connect via Reddit instead of Puritans. One of the most active members of the community is the morgue worker, Keith, who actually has possession of Deirdre’s heart, having taken it out of her body during his day job. He brings it to a rally full of men intent on finding more witches to burn.

Tessa Mayfair has infiltrated the subreddit to track these men. She’s frustrated with Rowan for not using her power to put a stop to it. Rowan thinks they’re all “trolls” and advises Tessa not to get involved. The whole “1600s witch hunts aren’t so dissimilar from modern-day politics” angle absolutely works, even if the show’s approach is rather heavy-handed.

There’s something about Lasher

And then we come to the Lasher problem. Mayfair Witches has been struggling to figure out what to do with Lasher since the start. The show doesn’t really get closer to solving that problem this week, but Rowan does finally take action to get rid of him via a transference ritual.

The Mayfairs work together to remove Lasher from Rowan, and he appears to choose Tessa as his new host. Using her newfound power, Tessa agrees to meet Keith in the woods to discuss the “Mayfair problem,” thinking she can use Lasher to get rid of them all. Unfortunately, Lasher never appears and Tessa is kidnapped by the witch hunters.

It looks like the transference ritual didn’t go as planned, meaning Lasher is…somewhere. Is he still in Rowan?

Another interesting conflict presents itself this week as Rowan must discern whether or not her medical intuition is really her gift or if it’s something that Lasher and her innate magical ability has assisted her with all these years. Who is she without Lasher? If he’s always been inside her, lying dormant, does that mean she will become someone new without him?

Rowan is at a crossroads now, torn between embracing her true, magical heritage or retreating back to San Francisco. Of course, with Tessa being kidnapped and Lasher potentially on the loose, she’s clearly not returning to California anytime soon.

And speaking of people in trouble, poor Ciprien tries to use Rowan’s skeleton key necklace to see where Lasher’s connection to the Mayfair family began. He goes to the Talamasca headquarters to ensure he has someone watching over him while he descends into the memory, but even having a partner doesn’t prevent him from getting trapped inside Suzanne Mayfair’s memories. When we leave Cip this week, he’s trapped in the past and will have to find his own way back.

Overall, I’m giving this episode credit because for the first time I’m genuinely excited to see what’s coming next.

Episode Grade: B+

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