Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript
Rowan Fielding, I'm
your great aunt,
Carlotta Mayfair.
Is that my...
Your mother.
Where's the necklace?
I took
it off Dierdre.
What are you gonna do?
The only thing worth trying.
I'll find out who did this.
I saw a guy stop the
elevator and get in with her.
They're out looking for him.
Who is that?
He's connected with your family.
They call him Lasher.
Now your time has come.
The 13th witch.
I just felt
like I was swept away.
That's why you
need to understand
the full extent of your powers.
I can help you with that.
Rowan.
Hey.
You sleep well?
Yeah.
Thank you.
How about you?
I had strange dreams.
- You?
- Yeah.
Not surprising.
We shared a lot last night.
I shared a lot.
I overshared.
- I know enough about you
now to know how rare that is.
- And I still don't
know anything about you.
I mean, who is Ciprien Grieve?
He likes baseball, the Astros,
and...
duck hunting.
Thumbscrews?
What is this thing?
That is a maple syrup tap.
It's a good memory.
That's what they all are.
- Yeah, you can go
back to the maple grove
whenever you want.
- I've never been
there, actually.
Odette brought that back
for me from Vermont.
- You don't have a
maple grove of your own?
- Other people's
memories are... cleaner.
Odette dropped that off
for you for the funeral.
You're coming with me, right?
Of course.
We have a couple of hours.
I don't wanna
think about it yet.
Oh, my gosh.
I love poached eggs.
- I know. I was in
your head, remember?
I'm just kidding.
Everybody likes Eggs Sardou.
The necklace is gone.
He's coming for her.
- Amelia, tell Richard
we'll be ready to leave
in 30 minutes.
Daddy, come on.
We need to get there
before Carlotta does.
- Josephine, I am
enjoying the news.
I will not let my
sister ruin my morning.
- You really want
Carlotta in charge
of Rowan's first
impression of the family?
- My sister carries all the rope
she needs to hang herself.
Besides, Rowan seems
like a smart girl.
She's a doctor, after all.
She'll... she'll
see what's what.
Still, hurry up.
It's hard to hurry
on a day like today.
I certainly hope they
catch whoever killed her.
- Whether they catch him or
not, he will be punished.
You've seen it?
Get it off me! Please! Ah!
Asshole!
Help me.
Please, help.
Please, help me.
- No, no, no, no, no, no.
- Calm down.
- Listen, listen.
- No, no.
What is he talking about?
I think we should get going.
I had it.
What did you see?
Its heart, its veins.
It was beautiful.
I just need to keep practicing.
We should get going.
I'll be with you the whole time.
Don't worry.
- It's a strange way to
meet my family, that's all.
- Shall we?
- Yeah.
Let me just grab my purse.
Okay.
There you go.
Pretty as a peach.
That's Barnaby Mayfair.
He married a Kennedy
a couple years ago.
That's Electa Mayfair,
the older woman there.
People say she's been
alive since the Civil War.
- You wanna sit in the back?
- Mm-hmm.
Um, um, I should
go pay my respects.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
I'll see you soon.
All right.
- Is that... is that her?
Oh, my gosh.
I don't think that's her.
Hello, my dear.
I'm so glad you came.
- Of course.
- Please, come to the front.
Okay.
- She's getting her
claws in quickly.
- I hear she's having
a gathering afterwards.
No family invited.
Hmm.
- We now call forward
the immediate family.
Sorry.
I need to take this.
Okay.
Hello?
That was my boss.
They think they got the
guy from the elevator.
I'm sorry, but they need
me over there right now.
I'll drop you off at
my place and loop back.
- No, no, no. You go.
I... I wanna stay to the end
just to see her, you know,
put to rest.
- I don't know. Are you sure?
- Yeah. It's broad daylight.
You go, and I'll take a
cab back to your place.
Keep your phone on, okay?
- Call me if you need me.
- I'll be fine.
- I'm sure it's
upsetting to see that.
- No wonder everyone was looking
at me like I'm a ghost.
- They're looking at you
like you're a miracle.
- Someone knew I was
alive, but said I was dead.
Why?
- I'm sure you have
so many questions.
And I don't want to
leave them unanswered.
But I must get to the house.
There's a small reception.
Why don't you come?
- I'm sorry. I don't
think I should.
- You could see where
your mother lived.
There are a few things of
hers that you should have.
I'll think about it.
Thank you.
But they did send flowers,
so I suppose they had
the flowers covered.
How strange that was.
- Welcome. You must
be Dr. Fielding.
- Yes.
- Please, come in.
Your aunt will meet
you in the library.
Sam said you had come.
I'm so glad you
changed your mind.
Please.
Great.
- I thought you
might want to see
some photos of your mother.
Was she a Mayfair?
She was our cousin.
I'm sorry I wasn't at the
funeral to say goodbye.
But I'm even more sorry
for you, for your loss.
You're mourning two mothers.
And I just can't imagine it.
Thank you.
But all of these photos
and these memories,
and she never said
anything about it to me.
Oh, you must forgive her.
It's my fault. I
swore her to secrecy.
It was one of the conditions
of her taking you.
But why?
Things don't end well
for the women in this family.
So it was you.
You told everyone I was dead?
I'd do it again.
Look at you.
You're a doctor.
You're a success
and so independent.
Ellie gave you that.
- But at the expense of
knowing who I really was,
who I am.
- If it'll make you
feel any better,
it's what Deirdre
wanted for you too.
I don't mean that she wasn't
devastated to lose you.
Of course she was.
But she wanted you free from
this family, free from...
It's all too much to explain.
Free from him.
Good.
Good.
You understand.
Now that you're here,
knowledge is what you need
to protect yourself.
There are some in this
family who will lie to you.
They'll try to convince
you that he is a gift.
The devil comes in many forms.
When I was eight years
old, he came to me
and offered himself.
I'd read enough scripture.
I knew his true nature.
So I rejected him.
- You're saying he
can be rejected,
that there's a choice?
Deirdre wasn't as strong.
But I'm sure you are.
- Let the celebration
of life begin!
Come on, everybody.
All right. You can
set up in there, guys.
Oh, Carl.
There you are.
Thank you very much
for the invitation.
And I am so very
sorry we're late.
Well, you're here now.
Mm.
Why is everybody
looking so somber?
My Deirdre was a beam of light.
Can't we be a little joyous?
Let's party, everyone!
Please, Tessa,
don't get up on your high horse
today and embarrass yourself.
- Two of our guys
spotted him, grabbed him
before he could hurt himself.
- You sure he's
not just tweaking?
No way.
Albrecht's here.
He wants to watch you work.
Oh.
Guess I chose a good
day to wear a suit.
- Jeez.
- Samir.
Ciprien.
Sir, it's been a long time.
Is there a file on him,
anything I should know?
- I would prefer that
you read him cold.
After you.
- Can you work with
him in this state?
Hey.
It's all right.
You're safe now.
I'm so tired.
Make it stop.
- I'm gonna come
a little closer.
I'm gonna put my hands on you.
I promise you, I won't hurt you.
I just need to see what
you were up to yesterday.
It's okay. It's okay.
It was him.
He was in the elevator with her.
- Used a garrote.
- Hmm.
Was he in control
of his actions?
Or was he being operated
on by an outside force?
You mean, was he possessed?
- Well, I try to avoid
that word when I can.
Too many outdated associations.
But yes, that's what I'm asking.
No.
The killing looked professional.
He was hired to do it.
- We need to get him help.
- No. No.
No!
Oh, please, please. Ah!
Lasher.
- Well, now, hair just
like your mother's.
Got her eyes too, didn't you?
- You know, I just
love San Francisco.
My honey took me on a
trip up there, 1998.
If only we'd known you're alive,
we could have met.
But she who shall not be named
made like you never existed.
You know that, right?
- Yes. Yeah.
She told me.
She told you?
- Hi. I'm Tessa.
I've been dying to meet you.
- Hi.
- This family doesn't have
many neurosurgeons who've won
awards and gone to Stanford.
You know a lot about me.
Yeah.
You're Deirdre's daughter,
so I looked you up.
Tessa, I told you.
Beware of my daughter.
She's a real... What
do they call it?
A social justice warrior.
If she starts to talk your ear
off about these burned women,
just walk away.
- The burned women. I
actually read about that.
Has that happened here?
You brought it up.
- Yeah. There's a crowd online
who are saying that the women
were burned for being like us.
They are not like us.
And you know that.
- Anyway, the point is,
it's exciting for the family
to have a designee
who might actually use
her power to help people.
- I'm sorry. A what?
- A designee.
- All right.
That's enough.
Let's let her breathe.
Has anyone offered you a drink?
Not yet.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's lovely chatting
with you ladies.
Oh, great.
Thank you.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
I think I saw you last night
at the funeral procession.
That's what it is.
Yes.
- Did you happen to notice
if I was with someone?
No.
Why?
Just one of those nights.
Hmm.
- Um, hey that... that word
that Tessa used, "designee,"
what does that mean?
Come with me.
The Mayfair Matriarchs.
We call them the designees
because the will
designates them.
That's Mary Beth.
She's my favorite.
That's Antha.
She's your grandmother.
And that's Katherine.
She built this house.
Forgive me.
I'm not certain about these two.
There are 12, after all.
And Deborah.
She's the furthest back
who had her portrait done.
Sometime in the...
I don't know exactly,
but it was way, way back.
Deirdre should be here too.
Of course, Carlotta
never let her
have her portrait done.
Probably never even told
her she owned the house.
- Carlotta doesn't
own the house?
Nope.
She just wants you
to think she does.
The designees are the ones
who are really in charge.
That's you.
Still, 300 years of
women handing down
everything to their daughters.
How many families can say that?
Not many.
- And when you have a daughter,
you'll give it all to her.
Oh, no, no, no.
No kids for me.
My patients are my kids.
If you say so.
Anyway, you should
talk to my dad
about your inheritance.
He administers the trust.
- They all seem to be
wearing the same necklace.
It belongs to you now too.
Where is it?
- That's a really good question.
- He was a hired
hand, like you said.
In and out of jail, nothing
very interesting here.
Thank you for your
help with this.
- So Lasher killed him for
what he did to Deirdre?
- I'm sorry you had to
witness the grisly epilogue.
The thing is, sir,
the elevator at the
Pontchartrain Hotel
was wiped.
Wiped?
- I went over there in the
hours after the murder,
and I couldn't get
a single memory.
- Hmm.
- Somebody did some clean up.
There is a
supernatural component
to this that hasn't
been accounted for.
- Hmm. Well, that's
very thorough
of you, above and beyond.
Thank you.
I will keep it in mind.
- Uh, don't you want me
to follow up on this?
- You have to keep Ms.
Fielding safe while she's here.
That's job enough.
Thanks again for your help.
Oh.
There's the guest of honor.
You can call me Uncle
Cortland, if you like.
- That's a very bad
habit you got there.
- Oh, it's just a
little indulgence.
This was my father's.
His name was Julien.
And we used to sit
together right in front
of that fireplace in there
with the family
ledger on his lap
and this old thing in his mouth.
He'd say, "Cortland, someday,
you're gonna run this business.
And I'll bet you
good money, you're
gonna piss it all away."
Looks like he was wrong.
- Well, let's just say
my name's on the bank.
And it's
a good thing, too,
because soon after he died,
my sisters kicked me
out of this place.
- You don't seem
like the kinda guy
who gets pushed around.
It was all they had.
I'm a softie, really.
Don't tell.
Just look what they've
done with the place.
Of course, the house
belonged to Deirdre legally,
which means it's yours
now and everything in it,
except for this pipe.
I don't want it.
What?
The pipe or the house?
Uh, don't be in a
hurry to decide.
When you're ready,
I'll help you with
the paperwork,
no matter what you choose.
I'm sure you're overwhelmed
with such, uh, an
abundance of gifts.
- They said you
would call him that.
Are you frightened of him?
Shouldn't I be?
Absolutely not.
He serves you, not
the other way around.
Serves me how?
What... what even is he?
- Well, he is an
extension of yourself,
something to connect you to
your mother and her mother
and her mother before that.
I don't know what that means.
- Well, if you want an
explanation, ask him.
Talk to him.
Here you are.
I have been a terrible hostess.
I should've been more attentive.
I wanted to give you
a little something
of your mother's, her rosary.
Oh, no, no, no.
I... I don't think
I should take that.
Oh, please.
Please, I want you to have it.
It's for protection.
- Oh, please, don't scare her
with your
superstitious nonsense.
- I am the only one
looking out for her soul.
- Oh, like you looked
out for Deirdre's?
I did the best I could.
- She kept your mother's
light under a bushel
until she could snuff
it out entirely.
How dare you?
You weren't here day in
and day out, bathing her,
feeding her, seeing to it
that she was still breathing.
I have always had to do the
hard parts in this family
while you played the
master of ceremonies.
Brava, sister dear.
After you held Deirdre
hostage for 30 years,
you somehow made
yourself into the victim.
Your mother was very ill.
I... I did what the
doctors told me.
I'll show you the
medical records.
And then you'll
understand, won't you?
- Listen, maybe you
should sit, right here.
- Please, don't take
pity on her, sweetheart.
Sweetheart?
This woman is a doctor.
You can refer to her as such.
Josephine, it's time to go.
Party's over.
Here, um...
take my card.
Please, find me in my office.
When you're ready,
we'll go over the will...
and everything else.
Will you stay for dinner?
You can have a look around.
I'd like that.
- Why are we leaving her
there, alone with Carlotta?
- She's not alone with Carlotta.
And he doesn't need our help.
Ciprien?
Have you got out the
old Mayfair archives?
Yes.
The Haitian or the Dutch?
The Dutch.
- Now, what do you
want with that stuff,
love letters and diaries?
- If I'm going to end all this,
I need to know how it all began.
End it?
Now, I know that's not your job.
- I'm assigned to protect
the Mayfairs, so it is.
Don't get hurt.
You're one of my favorites.
- Dinner will be
ready momentarily.
- Thank you. I'll
be right down.
- Gather the rest of the
staff in the kitchen.
I've changed the dinner plans.
- "She professes
her love for me,
"but still, she
wears the necklace.
So long as it hangs around
her neck, she belongs to him."
- I heard about the portraits
and the designees today.
Deirdre must've had
all her meals here.
What was she like
when she was young?
It seemed like she
had a little bit
of a rebellious streak.
When did she get sick?
She was never really well.
- What exactly
was her diagnosis?
- Well, she had so
many... diagnoses.
- I mean, I'd like to
read her medical file
if you have it.
- Would that be
all, Ms. Carlotta?
Yes, Sam.
- Very well. Good night.
Good night, Doctor.
Eat, please.
It's all for you.
I'll tell you the truth.
Your mother was the
bane of my existence.
From the moment she was born,
she made every waking hour
of my life difficult.
And the hours I spent
praying for her, prayers
better spent on the deserving.
This will be the last one.
I commend you, Deirdre,
to almighty God.
I entrust you to your creator.
May you rest in the
arms of the Lord
who formed you from
the dust of the Earth.
May holy Mary, the angels,
and all of the saints
welcome you into the
bosom of the Lord!
For Stella,
redeem her soul
from evil, oh, Lord.
For Antha, redeem her
soul from evil, oh, Lord.
For Deirdre, redeem her
soul from evil, oh, Lord.
For Rowan, redeem her
soul from evil, oh, Lord!
What are you doing?
Help! Help!
Get me out of here!
Help!
Someone, help me!
Get me out of here!
Rowan?
Sip, get me out of here, now.
Oh, Lord, forgive me my sins.
Rowan, it's me.
Hold on.
Oh!
- Sip. No.
No.
Sip, stand up.
Don't pull it out.
Don't pull it out.
She's already mine.
No!
What do you want from me?
There's no happiness
ahead for you.
You fell in love
with her, didn't you?
Mortal men are fragile.
There's never been one
who can contend with
a Mayfair woman.
This episode is called
"Curiouser and Curiouser."
Rowan is going down
this rabbit hole
into the wonderland
of Mayfair...
Who they are, what they
are, how they work.
I think, deep down,
what she really wants
is another encounter
with this being, Lasher,
and she's gonna go to dangerous
places in order to have it.
Hey.
It was
really, really fun
to work with the
production designer
to think about what the
apartment would be like
for this character.
I still don't know
anything about you.
I mean, who is Ciprien Grieve?
He wouldn't have, you know,
his shelves crowded with
knickknacks or whatever.
It's too much for him.
He likes baseball?
He wants to curate and choose
these few simple objects
and to pick the memories
that he's gonna experience
when he touches them.
What is this thing?
That is a maple-syrup tap.
It's a good memory.
That's what they all are.
Yeah. You can go back
to the maple grove
whenever you want.
I've never been there actually.
Odette brought that back
for me from Vermont.
You don't have a maple
grove of your own?
Other people's
memories are cleaner.
The rose petals
are really one of the ways
that Lasher showed
love for Dierdre.
It was a particular language
between the two of them.
At the funeral, Lasher
sends these petals in,
and it's the first moment
that Rowan experiences Mayfair
magic as really beautiful.
And Carlotta, who'll do
anything, as we've seen,
to try to stop Lasher, is
furiously, even in death,
trying to keep Lasher
away from Dierdre.
Rowan has never had a family,
and now Rowan is being told
she has this family,
there are all of these
characters and relations.
And I think she's very
curious to know them
and curious to understand who
she is in relation to them,
what they knew about
her mother, Dierdre.
"Why was I sent away?"
I'm sure it's
upsetting to see that.
No wonder everyone's looking
at me like I'm a ghost.
They're looking at you
like you're a miracle.
Someone knew I was alive
but said I was dead. Why?
We know the answer to that,
but she's going to find out very
quickly that it was Carlotta.
I thought you might want
to see some photos
of your mother.
Carlotta is very, very clever
in her approach to Rowan.
She knows there's nothing
to be gained by lying.
Rowan's gonna hear things from
other members of the family.
She has to get out
in front of this.
She wants to tell her
version of things.
All of these photos
and these memories,
and she never said
anything about it to me.
You must forgive
her. It's my fault.
I swore her to secrecy.
So it was you?
You told everyone I was dead.
If it'll make you
feel any better,
it's what Dierdre
wanted for you, too.
Being compassionate,
empathizing, you know, saying,
"This is what Dierdre wanted
for you," which is a lie.
You know, all those things are
real calculations by Carlotta,
but they're true enough that
maybe Rowan will believe
that's all that's bad
about what Carlotta's done.
Cip knows that Lasher is
extraordinarily dangerous.
Can you work with
him in this state?
What he's learning in this is that
Lasher is tormented by Dierdre's death.
It's okay.
Lasher has come and
is torturing this man
for having killed Dierdre.
Lasher is in grief,
and that is information for
Cip and for the Talamasca.
Lasher's clearly not
responsible for Dierdre's death.
Huh.
Will that be all, Miss Carlotta?
Yes, Sam.
Once those doors are
shut in that dining room,
Carlotta can speak her truth.
Those doors have been locked,
and she can say what she
wasn't able to say before
because she knows how
this is gonna end.
I will tell you the truth.
Your mother was the
bane of my existence.
Everything that
Carlotta has gambled on
and tried to do in her life
to stop Lasher has not worked.
Carlotta has been
frustrated every turn.
This is the moment where she
thinks, "I have to do it now."
Redeem her soul
from evil, oh, lord.
Redeem her soul
from evil, oh, lord!
For Rowan!
Redeem her soul
from evil, oh, lord!
"I'm close to the
end of my life,
and so I'm going to do
this to the both of us
and I believe this
family will be purged
and rid of this being, Lasher."
Help! Help! Get
me out of here!
Carlotta's willing to take
herself down, the house down
to destroy Rowan in
pursuit of making sure
that Lasher's connection to
anyone on Earth is extinguished.
Rowan! It's me!
Hold on!
No!
Stand up. Don't pull it out.
Don't pull it out.
She's already mine.
your great aunt,
Carlotta Mayfair.
Is that my...
Your mother.
Where's the necklace?
I took
it off Dierdre.
What are you gonna do?
The only thing worth trying.
I'll find out who did this.
I saw a guy stop the
elevator and get in with her.
They're out looking for him.
Who is that?
He's connected with your family.
They call him Lasher.
Now your time has come.
The 13th witch.
I just felt
like I was swept away.
That's why you
need to understand
the full extent of your powers.
I can help you with that.
Rowan.
Hey.
You sleep well?
Yeah.
Thank you.
How about you?
I had strange dreams.
- You?
- Yeah.
Not surprising.
We shared a lot last night.
I shared a lot.
I overshared.
- I know enough about you
now to know how rare that is.
- And I still don't
know anything about you.
I mean, who is Ciprien Grieve?
He likes baseball, the Astros,
and...
duck hunting.
Thumbscrews?
What is this thing?
That is a maple syrup tap.
It's a good memory.
That's what they all are.
- Yeah, you can go
back to the maple grove
whenever you want.
- I've never been
there, actually.
Odette brought that back
for me from Vermont.
- You don't have a
maple grove of your own?
- Other people's
memories are... cleaner.
Odette dropped that off
for you for the funeral.
You're coming with me, right?
Of course.
We have a couple of hours.
I don't wanna
think about it yet.
Oh, my gosh.
I love poached eggs.
- I know. I was in
your head, remember?
I'm just kidding.
Everybody likes Eggs Sardou.
The necklace is gone.
He's coming for her.
- Amelia, tell Richard
we'll be ready to leave
in 30 minutes.
Daddy, come on.
We need to get there
before Carlotta does.
- Josephine, I am
enjoying the news.
I will not let my
sister ruin my morning.
- You really want
Carlotta in charge
of Rowan's first
impression of the family?
- My sister carries all the rope
she needs to hang herself.
Besides, Rowan seems
like a smart girl.
She's a doctor, after all.
She'll... she'll
see what's what.
Still, hurry up.
It's hard to hurry
on a day like today.
I certainly hope they
catch whoever killed her.
- Whether they catch him or
not, he will be punished.
You've seen it?
Get it off me! Please! Ah!
Asshole!
Help me.
Please, help.
Please, help me.
- No, no, no, no, no, no.
- Calm down.
- Listen, listen.
- No, no.
What is he talking about?
I think we should get going.
I had it.
What did you see?
Its heart, its veins.
It was beautiful.
I just need to keep practicing.
We should get going.
I'll be with you the whole time.
Don't worry.
- It's a strange way to
meet my family, that's all.
- Shall we?
- Yeah.
Let me just grab my purse.
Okay.
There you go.
Pretty as a peach.
That's Barnaby Mayfair.
He married a Kennedy
a couple years ago.
That's Electa Mayfair,
the older woman there.
People say she's been
alive since the Civil War.
- You wanna sit in the back?
- Mm-hmm.
Um, um, I should
go pay my respects.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
I'll see you soon.
All right.
- Is that... is that her?
Oh, my gosh.
I don't think that's her.
Hello, my dear.
I'm so glad you came.
- Of course.
- Please, come to the front.
Okay.
- She's getting her
claws in quickly.
- I hear she's having
a gathering afterwards.
No family invited.
Hmm.
- We now call forward
the immediate family.
Sorry.
I need to take this.
Okay.
Hello?
That was my boss.
They think they got the
guy from the elevator.
I'm sorry, but they need
me over there right now.
I'll drop you off at
my place and loop back.
- No, no, no. You go.
I... I wanna stay to the end
just to see her, you know,
put to rest.
- I don't know. Are you sure?
- Yeah. It's broad daylight.
You go, and I'll take a
cab back to your place.
Keep your phone on, okay?
- Call me if you need me.
- I'll be fine.
- I'm sure it's
upsetting to see that.
- No wonder everyone was looking
at me like I'm a ghost.
- They're looking at you
like you're a miracle.
- Someone knew I was
alive, but said I was dead.
Why?
- I'm sure you have
so many questions.
And I don't want to
leave them unanswered.
But I must get to the house.
There's a small reception.
Why don't you come?
- I'm sorry. I don't
think I should.
- You could see where
your mother lived.
There are a few things of
hers that you should have.
I'll think about it.
Thank you.
But they did send flowers,
so I suppose they had
the flowers covered.
How strange that was.
- Welcome. You must
be Dr. Fielding.
- Yes.
- Please, come in.
Your aunt will meet
you in the library.
Sam said you had come.
I'm so glad you
changed your mind.
Please.
Great.
- I thought you
might want to see
some photos of your mother.
Was she a Mayfair?
She was our cousin.
I'm sorry I wasn't at the
funeral to say goodbye.
But I'm even more sorry
for you, for your loss.
You're mourning two mothers.
And I just can't imagine it.
Thank you.
But all of these photos
and these memories,
and she never said
anything about it to me.
Oh, you must forgive her.
It's my fault. I
swore her to secrecy.
It was one of the conditions
of her taking you.
But why?
Things don't end well
for the women in this family.
So it was you.
You told everyone I was dead?
I'd do it again.
Look at you.
You're a doctor.
You're a success
and so independent.
Ellie gave you that.
- But at the expense of
knowing who I really was,
who I am.
- If it'll make you
feel any better,
it's what Deirdre
wanted for you too.
I don't mean that she wasn't
devastated to lose you.
Of course she was.
But she wanted you free from
this family, free from...
It's all too much to explain.
Free from him.
Good.
Good.
You understand.
Now that you're here,
knowledge is what you need
to protect yourself.
There are some in this
family who will lie to you.
They'll try to convince
you that he is a gift.
The devil comes in many forms.
When I was eight years
old, he came to me
and offered himself.
I'd read enough scripture.
I knew his true nature.
So I rejected him.
- You're saying he
can be rejected,
that there's a choice?
Deirdre wasn't as strong.
But I'm sure you are.
- Let the celebration
of life begin!
Come on, everybody.
All right. You can
set up in there, guys.
Oh, Carl.
There you are.
Thank you very much
for the invitation.
And I am so very
sorry we're late.
Well, you're here now.
Mm.
Why is everybody
looking so somber?
My Deirdre was a beam of light.
Can't we be a little joyous?
Let's party, everyone!
Please, Tessa,
don't get up on your high horse
today and embarrass yourself.
- Two of our guys
spotted him, grabbed him
before he could hurt himself.
- You sure he's
not just tweaking?
No way.
Albrecht's here.
He wants to watch you work.
Oh.
Guess I chose a good
day to wear a suit.
- Jeez.
- Samir.
Ciprien.
Sir, it's been a long time.
Is there a file on him,
anything I should know?
- I would prefer that
you read him cold.
After you.
- Can you work with
him in this state?
Hey.
It's all right.
You're safe now.
I'm so tired.
Make it stop.
- I'm gonna come
a little closer.
I'm gonna put my hands on you.
I promise you, I won't hurt you.
I just need to see what
you were up to yesterday.
It's okay. It's okay.
It was him.
He was in the elevator with her.
- Used a garrote.
- Hmm.
Was he in control
of his actions?
Or was he being operated
on by an outside force?
You mean, was he possessed?
- Well, I try to avoid
that word when I can.
Too many outdated associations.
But yes, that's what I'm asking.
No.
The killing looked professional.
He was hired to do it.
- We need to get him help.
- No. No.
No!
Oh, please, please. Ah!
Lasher.
- Well, now, hair just
like your mother's.
Got her eyes too, didn't you?
- You know, I just
love San Francisco.
My honey took me on a
trip up there, 1998.
If only we'd known you're alive,
we could have met.
But she who shall not be named
made like you never existed.
You know that, right?
- Yes. Yeah.
She told me.
She told you?
- Hi. I'm Tessa.
I've been dying to meet you.
- Hi.
- This family doesn't have
many neurosurgeons who've won
awards and gone to Stanford.
You know a lot about me.
Yeah.
You're Deirdre's daughter,
so I looked you up.
Tessa, I told you.
Beware of my daughter.
She's a real... What
do they call it?
A social justice warrior.
If she starts to talk your ear
off about these burned women,
just walk away.
- The burned women. I
actually read about that.
Has that happened here?
You brought it up.
- Yeah. There's a crowd online
who are saying that the women
were burned for being like us.
They are not like us.
And you know that.
- Anyway, the point is,
it's exciting for the family
to have a designee
who might actually use
her power to help people.
- I'm sorry. A what?
- A designee.
- All right.
That's enough.
Let's let her breathe.
Has anyone offered you a drink?
Not yet.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's lovely chatting
with you ladies.
Oh, great.
Thank you.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
I think I saw you last night
at the funeral procession.
That's what it is.
Yes.
- Did you happen to notice
if I was with someone?
No.
Why?
Just one of those nights.
Hmm.
- Um, hey that... that word
that Tessa used, "designee,"
what does that mean?
Come with me.
The Mayfair Matriarchs.
We call them the designees
because the will
designates them.
That's Mary Beth.
She's my favorite.
That's Antha.
She's your grandmother.
And that's Katherine.
She built this house.
Forgive me.
I'm not certain about these two.
There are 12, after all.
And Deborah.
She's the furthest back
who had her portrait done.
Sometime in the...
I don't know exactly,
but it was way, way back.
Deirdre should be here too.
Of course, Carlotta
never let her
have her portrait done.
Probably never even told
her she owned the house.
- Carlotta doesn't
own the house?
Nope.
She just wants you
to think she does.
The designees are the ones
who are really in charge.
That's you.
Still, 300 years of
women handing down
everything to their daughters.
How many families can say that?
Not many.
- And when you have a daughter,
you'll give it all to her.
Oh, no, no, no.
No kids for me.
My patients are my kids.
If you say so.
Anyway, you should
talk to my dad
about your inheritance.
He administers the trust.
- They all seem to be
wearing the same necklace.
It belongs to you now too.
Where is it?
- That's a really good question.
- He was a hired
hand, like you said.
In and out of jail, nothing
very interesting here.
Thank you for your
help with this.
- So Lasher killed him for
what he did to Deirdre?
- I'm sorry you had to
witness the grisly epilogue.
The thing is, sir,
the elevator at the
Pontchartrain Hotel
was wiped.
Wiped?
- I went over there in the
hours after the murder,
and I couldn't get
a single memory.
- Hmm.
- Somebody did some clean up.
There is a
supernatural component
to this that hasn't
been accounted for.
- Hmm. Well, that's
very thorough
of you, above and beyond.
Thank you.
I will keep it in mind.
- Uh, don't you want me
to follow up on this?
- You have to keep Ms.
Fielding safe while she's here.
That's job enough.
Thanks again for your help.
Oh.
There's the guest of honor.
You can call me Uncle
Cortland, if you like.
- That's a very bad
habit you got there.
- Oh, it's just a
little indulgence.
This was my father's.
His name was Julien.
And we used to sit
together right in front
of that fireplace in there
with the family
ledger on his lap
and this old thing in his mouth.
He'd say, "Cortland, someday,
you're gonna run this business.
And I'll bet you
good money, you're
gonna piss it all away."
Looks like he was wrong.
- Well, let's just say
my name's on the bank.
And it's
a good thing, too,
because soon after he died,
my sisters kicked me
out of this place.
- You don't seem
like the kinda guy
who gets pushed around.
It was all they had.
I'm a softie, really.
Don't tell.
Just look what they've
done with the place.
Of course, the house
belonged to Deirdre legally,
which means it's yours
now and everything in it,
except for this pipe.
I don't want it.
What?
The pipe or the house?
Uh, don't be in a
hurry to decide.
When you're ready,
I'll help you with
the paperwork,
no matter what you choose.
I'm sure you're overwhelmed
with such, uh, an
abundance of gifts.
- They said you
would call him that.
Are you frightened of him?
Shouldn't I be?
Absolutely not.
He serves you, not
the other way around.
Serves me how?
What... what even is he?
- Well, he is an
extension of yourself,
something to connect you to
your mother and her mother
and her mother before that.
I don't know what that means.
- Well, if you want an
explanation, ask him.
Talk to him.
Here you are.
I have been a terrible hostess.
I should've been more attentive.
I wanted to give you
a little something
of your mother's, her rosary.
Oh, no, no, no.
I... I don't think
I should take that.
Oh, please.
Please, I want you to have it.
It's for protection.
- Oh, please, don't scare her
with your
superstitious nonsense.
- I am the only one
looking out for her soul.
- Oh, like you looked
out for Deirdre's?
I did the best I could.
- She kept your mother's
light under a bushel
until she could snuff
it out entirely.
How dare you?
You weren't here day in
and day out, bathing her,
feeding her, seeing to it
that she was still breathing.
I have always had to do the
hard parts in this family
while you played the
master of ceremonies.
Brava, sister dear.
After you held Deirdre
hostage for 30 years,
you somehow made
yourself into the victim.
Your mother was very ill.
I... I did what the
doctors told me.
I'll show you the
medical records.
And then you'll
understand, won't you?
- Listen, maybe you
should sit, right here.
- Please, don't take
pity on her, sweetheart.
Sweetheart?
This woman is a doctor.
You can refer to her as such.
Josephine, it's time to go.
Party's over.
Here, um...
take my card.
Please, find me in my office.
When you're ready,
we'll go over the will...
and everything else.
Will you stay for dinner?
You can have a look around.
I'd like that.
- Why are we leaving her
there, alone with Carlotta?
- She's not alone with Carlotta.
And he doesn't need our help.
Ciprien?
Have you got out the
old Mayfair archives?
Yes.
The Haitian or the Dutch?
The Dutch.
- Now, what do you
want with that stuff,
love letters and diaries?
- If I'm going to end all this,
I need to know how it all began.
End it?
Now, I know that's not your job.
- I'm assigned to protect
the Mayfairs, so it is.
Don't get hurt.
You're one of my favorites.
- Dinner will be
ready momentarily.
- Thank you. I'll
be right down.
- Gather the rest of the
staff in the kitchen.
I've changed the dinner plans.
- "She professes
her love for me,
"but still, she
wears the necklace.
So long as it hangs around
her neck, she belongs to him."
- I heard about the portraits
and the designees today.
Deirdre must've had
all her meals here.
What was she like
when she was young?
It seemed like she
had a little bit
of a rebellious streak.
When did she get sick?
She was never really well.
- What exactly
was her diagnosis?
- Well, she had so
many... diagnoses.
- I mean, I'd like to
read her medical file
if you have it.
- Would that be
all, Ms. Carlotta?
Yes, Sam.
- Very well. Good night.
Good night, Doctor.
Eat, please.
It's all for you.
I'll tell you the truth.
Your mother was the
bane of my existence.
From the moment she was born,
she made every waking hour
of my life difficult.
And the hours I spent
praying for her, prayers
better spent on the deserving.
This will be the last one.
I commend you, Deirdre,
to almighty God.
I entrust you to your creator.
May you rest in the
arms of the Lord
who formed you from
the dust of the Earth.
May holy Mary, the angels,
and all of the saints
welcome you into the
bosom of the Lord!
For Stella,
redeem her soul
from evil, oh, Lord.
For Antha, redeem her
soul from evil, oh, Lord.
For Deirdre, redeem her
soul from evil, oh, Lord.
For Rowan, redeem her
soul from evil, oh, Lord!
What are you doing?
Help! Help!
Get me out of here!
Help!
Someone, help me!
Get me out of here!
Rowan?
Sip, get me out of here, now.
Oh, Lord, forgive me my sins.
Rowan, it's me.
Hold on.
Oh!
- Sip. No.
No.
Sip, stand up.
Don't pull it out.
Don't pull it out.
She's already mine.
No!
What do you want from me?
There's no happiness
ahead for you.
You fell in love
with her, didn't you?
Mortal men are fragile.
There's never been one
who can contend with
a Mayfair woman.
This episode is called
"Curiouser and Curiouser."
Rowan is going down
this rabbit hole
into the wonderland
of Mayfair...
Who they are, what they
are, how they work.
I think, deep down,
what she really wants
is another encounter
with this being, Lasher,
and she's gonna go to dangerous
places in order to have it.
Hey.
It was
really, really fun
to work with the
production designer
to think about what the
apartment would be like
for this character.
I still don't know
anything about you.
I mean, who is Ciprien Grieve?
He wouldn't have, you know,
his shelves crowded with
knickknacks or whatever.
It's too much for him.
He likes baseball?
He wants to curate and choose
these few simple objects
and to pick the memories
that he's gonna experience
when he touches them.
What is this thing?
That is a maple-syrup tap.
It's a good memory.
That's what they all are.
Yeah. You can go back
to the maple grove
whenever you want.
I've never been there actually.
Odette brought that back
for me from Vermont.
You don't have a maple
grove of your own?
Other people's
memories are cleaner.
The rose petals
are really one of the ways
that Lasher showed
love for Dierdre.
It was a particular language
between the two of them.
At the funeral, Lasher
sends these petals in,
and it's the first moment
that Rowan experiences Mayfair
magic as really beautiful.
And Carlotta, who'll do
anything, as we've seen,
to try to stop Lasher, is
furiously, even in death,
trying to keep Lasher
away from Dierdre.
Rowan has never had a family,
and now Rowan is being told
she has this family,
there are all of these
characters and relations.
And I think she's very
curious to know them
and curious to understand who
she is in relation to them,
what they knew about
her mother, Dierdre.
"Why was I sent away?"
I'm sure it's
upsetting to see that.
No wonder everyone's looking
at me like I'm a ghost.
They're looking at you
like you're a miracle.
Someone knew I was alive
but said I was dead. Why?
We know the answer to that,
but she's going to find out very
quickly that it was Carlotta.
I thought you might want
to see some photos
of your mother.
Carlotta is very, very clever
in her approach to Rowan.
She knows there's nothing
to be gained by lying.
Rowan's gonna hear things from
other members of the family.
She has to get out
in front of this.
She wants to tell her
version of things.
All of these photos
and these memories,
and she never said
anything about it to me.
You must forgive
her. It's my fault.
I swore her to secrecy.
So it was you?
You told everyone I was dead.
If it'll make you
feel any better,
it's what Dierdre
wanted for you, too.
Being compassionate,
empathizing, you know, saying,
"This is what Dierdre wanted
for you," which is a lie.
You know, all those things are
real calculations by Carlotta,
but they're true enough that
maybe Rowan will believe
that's all that's bad
about what Carlotta's done.
Cip knows that Lasher is
extraordinarily dangerous.
Can you work with
him in this state?
What he's learning in this is that
Lasher is tormented by Dierdre's death.
It's okay.
Lasher has come and
is torturing this man
for having killed Dierdre.
Lasher is in grief,
and that is information for
Cip and for the Talamasca.
Lasher's clearly not
responsible for Dierdre's death.
Huh.
Will that be all, Miss Carlotta?
Yes, Sam.
Once those doors are
shut in that dining room,
Carlotta can speak her truth.
Those doors have been locked,
and she can say what she
wasn't able to say before
because she knows how
this is gonna end.
I will tell you the truth.
Your mother was the
bane of my existence.
Everything that
Carlotta has gambled on
and tried to do in her life
to stop Lasher has not worked.
Carlotta has been
frustrated every turn.
This is the moment where she
thinks, "I have to do it now."
Redeem her soul
from evil, oh, lord.
Redeem her soul
from evil, oh, lord!
For Rowan!
Redeem her soul
from evil, oh, lord!
"I'm close to the
end of my life,
and so I'm going to do
this to the both of us
and I believe this
family will be purged
and rid of this being, Lasher."
Help! Help! Get
me out of here!
Carlotta's willing to take
herself down, the house down
to destroy Rowan in
pursuit of making sure
that Lasher's connection to
anyone on Earth is extinguished.
Rowan! It's me!
Hold on!
No!
Stand up. Don't pull it out.
Don't pull it out.
She's already mine.