Mayfair Witches Season 2 Episode 4, “Double Helix,” sees Rowan and Moira finally learn to trust each other. Slowly but surely, that is. “Double Helix” is Lasher-less; however, it’s better for it. Without him influencing Rowan, we see her at her most levelheaded and unwavering as she leaves no stone unturned in her quest to free Jojo and Daphne. This is one of the stronger Mayfair Witches episodes — it’s not perfect, but it plants intriguing narrative seeds (Taltos!) and sets the stage for what’ll hopefully be an entertaining exchange between Rowan and the crafty Julien.
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Mayfair Witches, “Double Helix”
We open with a flashback featuring Rowan (Alexandra Daddario) and Lark (Ben Feldman) renovating Rowan’s houseboat. They’re still a couple here. However, their picture-perfect life shatters when Lark reveals the Keplinger Institute in New York offered him a job. Rowan can’t believe he would apply for an out-of-state job without telling her. She reminds him they have residency the following year. Lark admits he’s not a surgeon like her. Rowan shuts down, refusing to entertain the conversation further.
Later, in the present, Moira (Alyssa Jirrels) wakes up Rowan after Ciprien inadvertently knocks her unconscious. Moira demands that Rowan remedy the Jojo/Daphne situation. They’re still stuck in a thrall in the house. Rowan attempts to pull them out. We see Jojo (Jen Richards) and Daphne (Olive Abercrombie) for a split second before vanishing again. The effort exhausts Rowan, but Moira urges her to keep going. Unfortunately, much of Rowan’s abilities are dependent on Lasher’s proximity.
The Thrall
Rowan calls Lark back after realizing she barraged him with texts the night before. When he asks if she’s okay, Rowan claims she had too much to drink. She agrees to meet him in his hotel room for breakfast. Before she departs, Rowan asks Moira to call Sip and persuade the Talamasca to bring Lasher home. He doesn’t even have to get out of the car. Simply having him parked in the street would help Rowan free Jojo and Daphne from the thrall.
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Meanwhile, Sip (Tongayi Chirisa) checks the records for proof that Lasher is locked in a cell in the Talamasca headquarters. However, Lasher wasn’t signed in. Sip scans the various cells housing the Talamasca’s supernatural prisoners. He finds no trace of Lasher.
Then, Sip asks Mawbel (Melissa Chambers) if Albrecht returned with Lasher. Mawbel notes there’s evidence of Lasher’s capture outside the First Street house, but after that, radio silence. Sip sees an incoming call from Moira on his phone but ignores her. He takes a team to track Albrecht’s vehicle, discovering it underneath a bridge. Naturally, it’s empty.
Searching for Albrecht and Lasher
Sip orders his crew to search the area and collect anything deemed relevant. He removes his gloves and touches the dashboard, steering wheel and various other places in the car. Unfortunately, he doesn’t see anything. Elsewhere, Rowan visits Lark for breakfast. Rowan plays up the “hangover” excuse. Lark teases that the real reason she hasn’t invited him over to her home is because she still decorates like she’s in college.
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Next, Moira writes a note for Daphne and holds it up, hoping the latter sees it. Ryan (Frank Monteleone) calls Moira and invites her to his home for a family meeting. They’ll all discuss deposing Rowan as head of the family and promoting a new designee. Suddenly, one of the lights explodes. The house starts acting up and seemingly taking on a life of its own.
Meanwhile, Cortland (Harry Hamlin) tries to break free from the room in which Rowan locked him. Millie (Geraldine Singer) materializes. Aw, it’s a brother-sister reunion. Millie pisses off Cortland, and he lobs something at her. It strikes the ceiling, sending debris crashing onto a table. That can’t be good.
Family Matters
Rowan and Lark reminisce about Rowan’s boat. The conversation pivots to Rowan’s peculiar behavior. Lark knows something’s up. Rowan reveals there have been a few deaths in her family (which is true). She admits she sent Lark the blood sample to learn more about this inexplicable disease. Lark asks if the blood is from someone in her family. Rowan reminds him she can’t discuss anything about her “patient.” Lark gets irritated and accuses Rowan of shutting him out.
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Moira phones Rowan to share that the house is literally falling apart. Rowan leaves, reassuring Lark that they can meet in New York someday to finish this conversation. Lark calls out to Rowan as she scurries off. Rowan barrels into the house to find debris from the ceiling on the dining room table. She touches the wall and accidentally punches a hole through it.
Where He Belongs
Meanwhile, Sip finally gets a vision. He sees Albrecht (Dennis Boutsikaris) reassuring Lasher (Jack Huston) that they’re going home. Not to Rowan, but some other undisclosed place. He knows what Lasher is and where he belongs. Sip is furious.
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Rowan reluctantly calls Sip to ask the latter for a favor. She wants him to bring Lasher around for a spell so Rowan can extract Jojo and Daphne. Sip admits that neither he nor the Talamasca has Lasher. He asks to chat with Moira. Sip informs Moira that Albrecht took Lasher, but he doesn’t know where. If Sip can track down Lasher, he’ll do what Rowan wants.
After this, Rowan and Moira head upstairs to free Cortland. They stand outside Cortland’s door and ask him about Albrecht. Where would he take Lasher? Cortland reveals he’ll comply if they unlock the door first. Reading Cortland’s mind, Moira realizes that Julien and Albrecht made plans for Lasher. Cortland doesn’t know anything. Cortland sings to himself, hoping to keep Moira out of his head.
Communication
Rowan asks if she could talk to Julien. After all, anything is possible in this family. Death is irrelevant. Cortland pivots, admitting there is a way to communicate with his late father. Of course, he’ll only disclose the solution if Rowan frees him. After this, Moira reads Cortland’s mind while he eats in the kitchen. Moira tells Rowan that Cortland is willing to be turned back into stone. He spent time with Julien there.
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While there, Julien went on about the “Great Work,” which will be carried out by others. Cortland spots Jojo and Daphne in the thrall as they breeze by. Rowan explains what happened to them. When Moira pries too much into his mind, Cortland barrels into the other room, claiming he needs music. He asks about the victrola, which Dolly Jean took the night before. Side note: I got a chuckle out of Rowan telling Cortland that he’s lucky they have milk in this scene.
We learn that the victrola belonged to Julien. Rowan remarks that the victrola would suddenly play whenever she read about Julien in the family diaries. Rowan and Moira depart for Dolly Jean’s to discover why she took the victrola. They order Cortland to stay put.
Taltos
Meanwhile, Lark grabs the cup Rowan was drinking out of and bags it for testing. He calls a coworker and asks if the lab has contacts with Lavelle University. Sip sneaks into Albrecht’s office to snoop. He removes his glove and feels around the space. He pulls out a wine bottle with a post-it note labeled “Sip.” Sip sees a vision of Albrecht congratulating him on a job well done. Albrecht encourages Sip to relax; he’s sung Sip’s praises to the elders.
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Sip leaves a voicemail for Moira, urging her to call him back. Before leaving Albrecht’s office, Sip finds a piece of paper in the fireplace, saying, “Taltos.” (Taltos is the third book in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches series.) Suddenly, a group of Talamasca agents from Amsterdam, spearheaded by Polina Vilkov (Mariana A. Novak), arrive. Polina reveals she was sent from the “Motherhouse” to escort Lasher to his “confinement.”
Polina asks Sip about what he found in the fireplace. Sip conceals the “Taltos” paper scrap from her. She begins questioning his knowledge of Albrecht’s plans to kidnap Lasher. Sip admits ignorance. He doesn’t know what Albrecht plans to do with Lasher. Polina reveals she’ll save the interrogation to Amsterdam. Sip defends himself, asserting his innocence. One of the agents slaps a silver band around Sip’s wrist. Polina recommends he pack a bag.
To the Victrola
Later, Rowan and Moira knock on Dolly Jean’s door. Moira tells Rowan about Ryan’s family meeting that night to give Rowan the boot. When Dolly Jean doesn’t answer, they peer through the window to see her (Charlayne Woodard) dancing to the victrola. It’s as if she’s in a trance.
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Rowan and Moira sneak into Dolly Jean’s house through the back way. Moira’s about to stop the music on the victrola when Evelyn (K. Steele) barges into the living room with a cup of tea. Moira admits she and Rowan were trying to help Dolly Jean.
Rowan learns that Dolly Jean is in the victrola with Julien. That’s where he lives. Evelyn adds that Julien bound himself to the victrola before his death. So that his, Evelyn and Dolly Jean’s “passion could continue indefinitely.” The sisters take turns. Fun. Evelyn spies the hourglass on the table, realizing she must pull Dolly Jean out of there. Evelyn performs a spell to free her sister. During said spell, we see Evelyn temporarily age significantly. As it turns out, she’s the older sister.
The Slaughter of Innocents
After Dolly Jean returns to the Land of the Living, Evelyn explains that you can’t leave the dead alone. You need a “rope.” That’s where Evelyn comes in. Meanwhile, Lark runs tests on Rowan’s cup while Cortland and Millie continue their conversation. Cortland begs Millie to reach out to Jojo to reassure the latter that he’ll fix the situation.
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Then, Dolly Jean and Evelyn give Rowan and Moira context regarding their bond with Julien. Carlotta took an ax to their love story. Dolly Jean admits she took the victrola because she has questions for Julien, specifically about his plans for Lasher. Julien isn’t thrilled about Albrecht betraying them, though. Rowan wants to speak to Julien herself. She believes he knows more than he told Dolly Jean.
Moira touches the victrola. She looks possessed as she recites a terrifying string of words in someone else’s voice. “The slaughter of innocents — we will drink the draft of the favorite children of God. Taltos!” She repeats “Taltos” three times before Rowan pulls her away from the victrola. Dolly Jean reveals that Moira was mind-reading. Julien’s mind, perhaps? Moira seizes on the ground. Rowan urges Dolly Jean to call 911.
Be My Rope
Later, Polina and the Talamasca agents drive Sip to the Motherhouse in Amsterdam. Polina admits that the Motherhouse has security concerns about the future of the organization. She believes Sip knows where Albrecht went, and he’ll share that with the elders. We see that Sip saved the “Taltos” scrap. He surreptitiously pulls it out to examine it.
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Next, Millie informs Cortland that Jojo doesn’t want his help. The chat pivots to what Julien did to Millie’s love of her life, Philip. Cortland apologizes for that. Elsewhere, Rowan sits with Moira in the hospital. Moira discourages Rowan from venturing inside the victrola. Rowan admits it felt like Moira was channeling Julien. She asks Moira about “Taltos,” but the latter doesn’t know what it means.
Rowan is resolute in her desire to meet Julien. He’ll undoubtedly give them answers. Moira volunteers to be her rope, but Rowan doesn’t feel Moira’s up for it. Eventually, though, Rowan reluctantly accepts that Moira won’t stay bedbound for long.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Then, Lark compares the results from testing Rowan’s cup to Lasher’s blood sample. He spies four extra chromosomes, too—double helixes. At home, Dolly Jean pricks Rowan’s finger and smears her blood on the record in the victrola. This time, Cortland is there, too. He asks Rowan to let him go in her stead. Dolly Jean explains that Julien has constructed many rooms in his victrola home. They all have their own magic. Dolly Jean flips the hourglass to mark the time as Rowan downs a vial of liquid.
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Inside the victrola, Rowan encounters a cozy, dimly lit room. A man sits before a roaring fire. We see it’s Julien (Ted Levine) with a beard. He grins.
He knows she’s here.
Mayfair Witches drops new episodes every Sunday at 9/8c on AMC and AMC+.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
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