Created by Michelle Ashford and Esta Spalding
1.02 “The Dark Place”
Written by Michael Goldbach
Directed by Michael Uppendahl
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Tongayi Chirisa, Jack Huston, Harry Hamlin
Available on AMC/AMC+

by Sam Morris, Staff Writer

First, some business about book-to-television adaptations: I was one of those people who had read the A Song of Ice and Fire series before Games of Thrones aired on HBO. The A.V. Club is the gold standard for reviews of Game of Thrones, publishing reviews for “experts” and “newbies.” In the halcyon days of GOT’s early seasons, I considered it a treat to be able to compare the show to the novels, but I acknowledge that the experience was likely just as good if one went in blind. All this is to say that I’m going to continue making references to Anne Rice’s original novel, but I don’t consider these references to be spoilers. One could infer certain conclusions from what I choose to discuss, but those inferences may or may not be correct.

That said, we have to talk about Ciprien Grieve. As I mentioned last time, I have concerns that Ciprien, as a combination of Curry and Aaron Lightner, will ultimately be the greatest mistake that Ashford and Spalding make in this adaptation. At the same time, though, the combination of characters is a great idea. Let me explain.

Remember in the first episode when Rowan goes on the hunt for sex, engaging a random man in a bar when her booty-call bartender turns her down? Remember how the bartender subsequently confesses his love for Rowan and her soul all but departs from her body? Those scenes are supposed to tell viewers something vital about Rowan, but I suspect that uninitiated would have little idea what that something vital is—or even that those scenes meant anything at all. Here’s the thing: Rowan likes himbos, and she is about quantity, not quality. The burlier, the better. Men without calluses on their hands need not apply. Michael Curry, half of our Ciprien, is that kind of man. This proclivity matters. It matters a lot. It’s definitely something to be watching for in future episodes.

In The Witching Hour, Rowan’s initial interaction with Michael is saving him from drowning. She resuscitates him, and it is this brush with death that gives Michael his “dead zone” powers that we see from Ciprien in “The Dark Place.” Months later, Rowan and Michael reconnect and realize that they have a bond—and some serious chemistry. (Not that Michael is a himbo; he’s actually an accomplished contractor/architect/restoration expert/lover of literature.) One of the weakest parts of The Witching Hour is how Rice inserts Michael into Aaron Lightner’s world of the Talamasca so that he can become an expert on the Mayfair Witches. Ashford and Spalding’s choice to cut out this clumsy storytelling by combining the two characters is genius (not to mention the fact that Rice will never be lauded for diversity in her characters). In making this choice, unfortunately, viewers will never pick up on the thread of Rowan’s sexual desires.

Why does that matter so much? Without spoiling the novel (and perhaps the show), I can’t say. Consider, though, for a moment the character of Cortland Mayfair. While Cortland is definitely not the only Mayfair who would be part of the LGBTQ+ community, he is definitely the locus of Mayfair sexuality. (Okay, remember what I said about Rice and diversity? One of the Mayfairs was definitely trans.) Rice wants her readers to see a clear contrast between the burly Michael and the gadabout Cortland. It’s as if Michael and Cortland are Rice’s continuum of masculinity.

At this point, I have to confess: I don’t think Anne Rice cares about writing women characters, to the point that Rowan feels most defined by her relationships to Michael, Cortland, and Lasher. A word or two on Lasher: in The Witching Hour, Lasher seems closer to the Cortland side of the continuum than the Michael side. I’m not sure that’s the vibe that I get from Jack Huston’s portrayal of Lasher, but let’s leave that where it is for now. In a tome about witches, Rice has way more to say about her three Lestat stand-ins than the witches. (Men can be witches too, I know!) My suspicion is that Ashford and Spalding are attempting to steer away from Rice’s celebration of masculinity in its many forms; after all, an entire season of Lestat and his boyfriend is right there.

No matter how one looks at it, Rice has a very particular relationship with gender and sexuality. To adapt her work is to confront that relationship; how these showrunners make that confrontation could have very large ramifications on where Mayfair Witches is going to go.

For now, we are left with Ciprien Grieve, who wears gloves just like Michael Curry. There are several shots of those gloves in “The Dark Place,” and we get a glimpse of what Ciprien can do with his magic hands when he breaks into Rowan’s boat. One of the thrills of watching Game of Thrones was knowing how things went in the book but having no idea if they would go the same way on the show, or down another path. I have no idea if Ciprien’s powers are the same as Michael’s, but it’ll be fun to find out!

There’s another big divergence from The Witching Hour that occurs in “The Dark Place”: Deirdre is awake! And ambulatory! Or she was. Poor Deirdre. Saved by the helpful Dr. Lamb, only to be murdered. The doctor is in the first chapter of The Witching Hour, but his role has been greatly expanded for Mayfair Witches. In the novel, Deirdre’s funeral is what draws Rowan to New Orleans. (She also has a very cordial relationship with her boss, but that change doesn’t make much of a difference in the greater scheme of things.) Ashford and Spalding are having Deirdre’s run-in with lucidity cover a lot of narrative ground in a short amount of time. Again, if I had faith that Ashford and Spalding had something meaningful to bring to the story of the Mayfair Witches, I’d be a lot more glowing in my assessment of their adaptation choices.

Nonetheless, say goodbye to San Francisco—we’re moving all the chess pieces to The Big Easy. Well… unless one thinks that we’ll return to Scotland to find out what that opening scene was all about. Anyway, “The Dark Place” is mainly about moving pieces and my concern is that the narrative economy with which those pieces are moved will cause some of Rice’s big ideas to be lost. Actually, I don’t care much for some of those big ideas, so good riddance! I just hope Ashford and Spalding have some big ideas of their own to replace Rice’s.