What do the Scottish Mayfairs want with Lasher? A feast will arrive the day after his wedding to Emaleth. Each member of this family has heard that story for their entire lives. They are thrilled that it is finally coming true. They've waited for this day. Yet it still offers no resounding clarity to the audience. It's just a ton of anticipatory action. As such, the narrative is building a lot of tension. The payoff needs to be immense. Otherwise, it will only feel like a major letdown. Lasher finally remembers his past and purpose. He discovers his blood provides life. It's miraculous. His story is shared in parallel with Sip seeing it firsthand. The Talamasca has Lasher's physical body from the 1500s. Through his investigation, Sip uncovers that Lasher didn't have a long life. Moreover, Lasher has completely bought into the story being told to him. He sees the majestic beauty of it all. Rowan believes he has been brainwashed. He has been taken away from her. She was the only person who understood him. He wanted her. He still needs her at his wedding. He requires that comfort. He now has a much larger role to play. One where he cannot deny his basic urges. All of this was set in motion a long time ago.
Rowan is just trying to make sense of it all. She is given what she claims to want. She is handed a vial of Lasher's blood. Her powers were strengthened in its presence. Reasonably, she could have walked away at that point. That's what her Scottish cousins wanted. She understood something larger was going on. She didn't want to remain in the dark. Yet it's all tied up in the narrative that she will always protect Lasher. She cares for him as her son. She loves him. It's not just about the power. That's complicated. It goes against the natural instinct of what has been driving the narrative to date. Rowan was on a mission. She needed to save Jojo and Daphne. That has completely been sidelined now. The mystery entirely resides in Scotland. This is precisely where Rowan needs to be. The Scottish Mayfairs planned for the possibility that she was lying to them. It's meant to come across as her lying to herself as well. That doesn't quite hit. The execution of her overarching story this season has been chaotic. She remains unpredictable. Rowan is useful at times. She's disposable at others. That informs how Julien sees her. He's not too worried at the moment. She still has the potential to ruin everything he has built though.
Julien also planned to return to the flesh to see his hard work come to fruition. It's relatively easy for Ian to trick Cortland too. Rowan's father was tasked with getting close to uncover the true plans. No one in Scotland wavers regarding the central mission. Rowan thought she could convince Hamish to join her. Instead, he led her to the tunnels and locked her down there. Meanwhile, Ian was testing Cortland to see how much he know of their father's plans. Cortland's memories were erased. Ian deduced that which required Cortland to confess about his immortality. That's the gift Julien wants. This isn't exactly the plan he foresaw. It still fulfills his narrative. Now, he inhabits Cortland's body. He plays along with Rowan in order to keep tabs on her. This extension of the family remains in control. When Rowan takes action, she's warned about a new tether between her and Lark. He receives all the injuries inflicted on her. It's the same spell the Scottish Mayfairs employed to have Bonnie the recipient of all their pain. It's horrifying and brutal. They won't let anything spoil this moment. That means the main characters just have to sit back and react to the whole thing. That creates a situation where none of them have any true agency.
That results in a disappointing development for Moira. She's trapped in a room without any minds to read. She's protected. Rowan even agrees to keep her there. Moira is a threat if she is allowed to wander. Everyone tries to carefully guard their thoughts. Moira is still powerful. She can get to the truth eventually. Rowan plays along because it suits her narrative to remain involved. It's a betrayal of sorts. It leaves Moira in a position to be relevant again. But it's all so incredibly limiting. Sip makes his way to Scotland as well. He becomes a wildcard too as fate plays out. Everyone gathers in this location to witness something great. The crowd at the wedding rejoices once Lasher and Emaleth are free to consummate their connection. That's all that this truly is. Ian promises even more powerful magic awaits them in the presence of two Taltos. They will deliver what seemed unimaginable previously. That's the source of the intrigue. Everyone can easily be seduced by this power. Lasher was a force for good. He provided life and prosperity. That's in contrast to his actions haunting the Mayfair family for generations. That can't be the full scope of the story though. That would be too easy especially given what else Sip felt. More is being withheld. That's frustrating. It makes for a narrative where the characters at the forefront of the story aren't the ones being placed in situations that require them to make impossible decisions. It's an inverse of typical storytelling behavior. Yet the benefits don't quite seem to be rewarding in the same way.
