Generations of Mayfair witches bask in the power provided to them by Lasher. One descendant always has to carry the personal burden of being tied to him. The family is far most expansive than that. The majority of the cousins view it as a blessing. They would be honored to be connected to him more deeply. It's actually a curse for anyone meant to endure that bond. Lasher has always been a master manipulator in pursuit of his own goals. He promises powers beyond anyone's imagination. However, he tortures everyone to submit to his will. Rowan has spent a lifetime without freedom to make her own decisions. Everyone else thought they knew what was best for her. They each tried to control her in their own ways. Lasher didn't present as the better alternative. She was simply trapped in a situation where she had to rely on his power to survive. The family was distraught because Lasher failed to protect Tessa. She died because he was only ever interested in Rowan. She was the prize he wanted. She relented and delivered the ultimate promise. She was the thirteenth witch. She gave birth to Lasher in a new physical form. Now, everyone can interact with him. He ages rapidly. In a matter of days, he has become an adult once more.
Rowan struggles to make sense of everything that's happening. She knows she must protect her child. And yet, she is haunted by desperate pleas to kill the devil. She won't be punished for doing so. It's the righteous action to take especially as Lasher is so vulnerable right now. He doesn't remember all that he has experienced. He recognizes Rowan as both his mother and the object of his desires. It's creepy and so incredibly twisted. Lasher wields so much power. The family expects greatness from him. However, the family is tortured by the idea of more. They have already obtained a lot. They are each powerful witches with their own unique skills. They want to be amplified further. That promise hasn't been fulfilled despite Lasher achieving what he has always wanted through their sacrifices. Rowan reckons with whether to free Cortland from his confinement in stone for answers. She seeks the truth in the pages telling the stories of the generations of witches that came before her. She can't trust anyone or anything. She leans on her scientific background once more. That doesn't offer much protection. It also doesn't provide immediate relief like curing others of their pain either.
All of this was allowed to happen too. By the time the moment came, Rowan didn't really have a choice in the matter. She was nothing more than a vessel meant to fulfill a role in a prophecy. Lasher still needs her. He relies on her healing abilities. He needs a caretaker in the first few days of life. The dynamic isn't one that ponders if Lasher will grow up to be the same person he was before. By the conclusion of the premiere, that presence has returned fully. Instead, he asks questions about dreams while others wonder his true purpose. No answers are forthcoming. That makes it infuriating how the Talamasca wanted this to occur. Sip fears he is about to have his memory wiped for all he has uncovered. He puts a plan into motion to restore crucial information. Instead, he is given a new task within the Mayfair family. Suddenly, the organization wants to contain Lasher. They want to observe his greatness that everyone speaks so highly of. Sip can't enter the First Street home. He needs an ally inside the family. That conveniently arrives in the form of Moira, Tessa's mind-reading sister. She doesn't want to accept Tessa's death as an acceptable sacrifice for something greater. She wants the truth. She needs time to mourn and blame those responsible.
The events aren't particularly surprising. They are setting up a new reality. One in which the threat from Lasher becomes more pronounced. More members of the Mayfair family will get to experience what he is truly like. One is already a victim to his ways. Lucy Mayfair dies following her brief encounter with Lasher. Of course, the audience doesn't get to witness all that occurs between them. The intensity and ickiness are amplified through Lasher's obsession with smelling women's hair. Then, he arrives home with a dead Lucy begging Rowan to revive her. That's impossible. Instead, Rowan goes into protective mode. She wants to fix things for her son. Covering up the truth is the best way for her to do so. She investigates but is still motivated by love. And yet, she can't keep everything confined to the First Street house. Lasher escapes. He is ready to embark on the world once more. Everyone in the Mayfair family should be worried. His true motives are still unknown. His unique presence has informed all of their lives for centuries. Plenty of mysteries still loom in the past. The danger resides in the present. Keeping that as the central focus will hopefully allow the narrative to build on the momentum. The narrative is good at exploring a sense of powerlessness and desire to control. That backfires in some meaningful ways. It presents desperate people doing desperate things in the name of self-preservation. But now, time has come for them to face consequences for their actions leading Lasher to this moment.
