Aahana Swrup
Lasher’s rebirth in his human form has already started to wreak havoc on the Mayfair family in season 2 of AMC’s ‘Mayfair Witches.’ Now that he has grown into his adult form and escaped Rowan’s surveillance, he becomes a greater threat, whether intentionally or not. As a result, the 13th Mayfair witch has no choice but to go after her son and learn his weaknesses. An attempt to do the latter unexpectedly brings her closer to an old friend. Meanwhile, her ex, the Talamasca agent Ciprien Grieve, turns toward new avenues to find help. The episode offers some clarity on Lasher’s actions while continuing to build upon the mystery behind his motives. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Lasher Leaves Behind a Trail of Dead Bodies
After Lasher escapes Rowan’s basement in the wake of Lucy’s death, he finds himself setting course for a path that brings him to Gifford, a witch specializing in tarot reading. Earlier that day, the cards predicted a bleak outcome for the woman and her family. Yet, she can’t help but grow intrigued by the stranger she meets on the pier in front of her inherited family house. As a result, after some conversation, Gifford invites the stranger, Lasher, into her home. Inevitably, this leads to a tryst in the sheets—or the couch, more fittingly. However, shortly afterward, a shooting pain consumes the witch’s abdomen, leaving her dead in her own blood—much to Lasher’s horror.
After that, it doesn’t take long for Gifford’s family—the Mayfairs to learn about her demise. It also offers an answer to the mysterious death of Lucy—who likely also met a similar end after her meeting with teenage Lasher. As Rown arrives on the scene with Jojo, she realizes her son must have been there—mostly through intuition but also because of the empty milk gallon he leaves behind. As such, she ventures out into the forest near the house, following his trail with her magic. Even though it takes a while, Lasher agrees to show himself to her.
Consequently, Rowan realizes that her son has now grown back into the old Lasher she knew—at least physically. Perhaps this, paired with the recent deaths he’s responsible for, opens the witch’s eyes to the danger her son proposes, especially for the Mayfair women. Initially, this compels Rowan to attempt to manipulate Lasher into coming back home with her by insisting that she still loves him, even if in a new way. Nonetheless, he sees through her facade, recognizing that she simply wants to control her. This results in an altercation where the witch tries to stop her son by hurling lightning bolts and insulting him while he escapes into the night.
Cortland is Trapped in His Mind
After Rowan’s latest encounter with Lasher, she realizes that she needs to stop her son for good. Lasher is directly behind the recent upsurge in her powers. While he was a kid—albeit only for a few days—it’s easy to pretend he is harmless and could be controlled. Nonetheless, Rowan has now realized that isn’t possible. Still, despite her intentions, she lacks the conviction to kill her son partly because he’s the source of her powers. Still, she wants to find a way to stop him. Therefore, she first needs to learn his motives. From the start, she has been confused about why Lasher wanted to be reborn as a human in the form.
For the same reason, Rowan reconsiders her previous decision against bringing Cortland back to the Land of the Living. Cortland, her presumed uncle who turned out to be her father, has been turned to stone as a workaround for his granted immortality. While his rocky self has been stashed in Rowan’s basement, the man himself has been trapped inside the deepest recess of his mind. As such, he is haunted by every misdeed he has committed in his life—of which there are many.
Yet, Cortland’s biggest challenge arrives when he finds himself locked inside a room with his father. His father, a previous Mayfair family patriarch, was a cruel man who was eternally disappointed in his son. Therefore, his apparition in Cortland’s mind remains the same, insisting upon the latter’s useless and cowardly character. As such, he finds himself trapped in a cycle wherein he brings platefuls of food to his gluttonous father until the buffet runs out. As a result, the son butchers his own arm to satisfy his father’s hunger.
This torment continues for some time until Cortland’s presence in the outside world experiences a major shift. Rowan has become desperate to discover Lasher’s motives. Her other research into her son’s blood goes marginally better than this, thanks to Lark, an old friend who can’t give up on a puzzle. Even though it also brings the man back into Rowan’s life, it also makes it clear that Lasher’s blood isn’t entirely human. Nonetheless, despite pouring over family albums and diaries, the witch remains unsuccessful in cracking the code.
Ultimately, after Lasher causes the death of another Mayfair, Rowan’s desperation mounts, compelling her to free Cortland from his magical prison. The Cortland that emerges is much different. His experiences have changed him and made him see the horrors of his crimes and the errors of his ways. Even though Rowan has no sympathy for the man—rightfully so—it seems Cortland himself might be looking to turn a new stone. Yet, it won’t be by helping to decode Lasher’s motives because he is also in the dark about it.
Sip Gets Closer to Teaming Up With Moira
Since the last episode, Sip—who now works with the untrustworthy Brent—has been vying for a partnership with the estranged Mayfair cousin, Moira. Her min-reading abilities have made her somewhat of a black sheep in the family. Additionally, her growing hatred for Lasher due to his part in killing her sister, Tessa, only adds to her unpopularity with the Mayfairs. For the same reason, Sip believes she can be used to get closer to Rowan and, thus, Lasher. Initially, he tries to approach this with magic, acquiring a trust tab that will compel the witch into trusting him.
Nevertheless, when the time comes, he chooses to earn that trust by opening his mind to Moira. By doing so, he can actually rely on a partnership with her rather than a one-off manipulation tactic. Still, Moira remains unconvinced that she can be of use to the empath because she believes Rowan won’t let her anywhere near Lasher anyway. Furthermore, she doubts Sip’s motives due to his persisting feelings for his ex-girlfriend. However, a drastic revelation may just compel Moira to change her mind.
The following night, as the young woman returns home, she finds her mother’s dead body on the couch. As it turns out, Lasher—weakened and hungry due to his battle with his mother—had stumbled into Alicia Mayfair’s house. A drunken Alicia had recognized him and easily fallen for his charm, especially given her childhood crush on him. Thus, the same fate awaited her that claimed the lives of other Mayfair women who fell into Lasher’s arms. Once Moira discovers her mother’s death, she instinctively calls Sip. As such, it remains evident that a bridge of trust has been formed between the two that could lead to a team-up in the future.
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