Mayfair women are being hunted. Rowan covered up one murder. However, Lasher's rampage escalates quickly. It doesn't remain a secret for very long. Danger is written all over the cards no matter how many times Gifford reads them. Despite that, she is still drawn to the mysterious stranger. Lasher is the source of power for the Mayfair family. Everyone is allured by it. It's attractive. The intensity is overwhelming. It results in death. Even though he is now an adult, Lasher has no recollection of what he is meant to do. He only knows that Rowan no longer loves him. She seeks to control him. She isn't capable of killing him just yet. She tries to convince herself that she was ready to strike him down. She missed repeatedly. She still leads with love. That's the dominant emotion she feels. She pursues answers. This is a puzzle she must solve. She grows increasingly desperate. Jojo has to remind her to eat. She also warns her against breaking Cortland free from his confinement. Her father was a monster who manipulated these events into occurring. Yet he too is in the dark alongside the rest of the family. He doesn't know anything. He was just a loyal and blind servant to the mission.
Cortland doesn't remain stationary while encased in stone. He endures a journey as well. At first, it can be perceived as his own internal punishment. He is being held accountable for every heinous thing he did. This is precisely what he deserves. Nothing he does will ever be good enough to atone for the past. It grows more complicated because of the final reveal. Cortland spends the majority of the time serving food to his father. Julien demands more and more from his son. He has nothing but contempt for his child too. Cortland is merely a lackluster comparison to the towering man who once had control over this family. He whimpers at the thought of being nothing more than a servant. Julien expects Cortland to know his place and be happy to remain there. That's not the fate Rowan delivers. She awakens Cortland because she needs answers. He isn't capable of providing any. Jojo was right. She understood her father better than anyone. She's angry but understanding. This is what he deserved. And now, he becomes a servant to someone new. Rowan takes that power. Julien expresses his anger at that. That infers that these sequences are more than just an internal journey where Cortland projected his feelings. It appears Julien had agency as well. That's fascinating while being rather cryptic too.
Alicia and Gifford Mayfair are killed before Rowan makes that decision though. She tried to protect the family by masking their scent. She is powerful enough to conjure a storm. That still isn't enough. Lasher's sense of smell remains potent. He hones in on members of this family quickly. He travels far to satisfy his desires. And so, Rowan believes gathering the family may be the only way to protect them. She doesn't trust Cortland with any information. She requires his influence and respect within the family. She controls him. She delights in that role reversal. She still feels the burden of facing this danger by herself. She isn't the only powerful witch within the family. She has just enough clues to know to keep digging. Lasher's true mission will be revealed at some point. She asks the right questions. No one else in the family thought to ask them before. Instead, Alicia is delighted by the prospect of her childhood crush coming to life. She gets to enjoy that dynamic. It's short-lived because she dies soon thereafter. That provides more trauma for Moira. In that moment, she decides to trust Sip. He is her first call. She was dismissive of his recruitment efforts. But now, he has the trust and influence of one member of this family once more. He sees the horrors being played out. Someone needs to control Lasher. They just don't know where to find him.
Rowan takes a practical approach in search of answers too. Lark arrives in New Orleans to deliver the results of Lasher's blood sample. He's intrigued by what Rowan has presented him. He can't turn down a mystery either. It's a new dynamic that reinforces the human connection. All of this is magical for Rowan. Her life has completely changed since moving to New Orleans. She has connections to her past. She believes they are relevant in this case. She is reluctant to share much information. She has to balance so much now. Inviting people in may only threaten their lives. Lark isn't leaving though. The sample originally came back with an error. It couldn't have come from a human. When he looked closer, the results revealed multiple chromosomes that don't exist elsewhere. All of this is the show trying to provide a rational explanation for everything that's happening. It doesn't exactly need it. In fact, it takes away from the supernatural elements of the narrative. It's the story itself being unsure how much to embrace. That's strange and annoying. It creates new expectations. It reveals hesitation. It may have a payoff that is meaningful at some point. Yet the mysteries within the family journal are more compelling immediately than whatever is going on within Lasher's genes.
