“Julien’s Victrola,” the fifth episode of Mayfair Witches Season 2, takes viewers into a maze of dark magic, broken identities, and long-buried family secrets. As more pieces of the Mayfair family history come together, Rowan played by Alexandra Daddario finds herself in a metaphysical battle for survival, while the rest of her family tries to figure out where they came from. The stakes have never been higher—or more dangerous—as Scotland has become the center of the Mayfair mystery.
Rowan’s Broken Soul
In the beginning of the episode, Rowan is trying to find his way through Julien’s dangerous world inside the Victrola, a strange Victorian-era pub-like world where Julien rules. Always the manipulative host, Julien has split Rowan’s personality into two separate parts: her mind (Rowan2) and her feelings (Rowan1). Rowan1 goes back to the real world, but she’s not the same as she was before because she doesn’t have her intellectual half. Rowan2 stays in the Victrola and has to deal with Julien’s mind games and mysterious revelations.
Rowan1 is vulnerable and can’t concentrate because of how she feels, but no one in the Mayfair household seems to notice how much she has changed. She moves through the falling apart First Street house like a ghost. Instead of being sharp, she is strangely calm. When her boyfriend Lark tells her about the illegal DNA test he did on her, Rowan1 reacts in a surprisingly calm way. She doesn’t show anger or betrayal; instead, she tells the truth about her witch family, her demon-seed son Lasher, and the supernatural forces at work. Her lack of emotion is upsetting, especially when she starts to imagine a future with Lark, complete with made-up kids.
Rowan2, who is stuck in the Victrola, is also racing against time. Julien has made a terrible rule: both halves of Rowan will die in an hour if Rowan1 doesn’t realize she’s missing something and pull Rowan2 back into the real world. Julien, who is always playing a mean puppet, seems to enjoy Rowan2’s desperation as she figures out the dark history of the Mayfair family.
Repressed Memories of Cortland
Rowan is trying to figure out how to fix her broken identity while Cortland (Harry Hamlin) goes to hypnotherapy with Moira. Using the leftover Thorazine from Deirdre and her own psychic abilities, Moira helps Cortland bring up painful memories of a trip she took as a child to Scotland. These memories show a scary part of the Mayfair story.
Cortland remembers going with his father to the made-up Scottish village of Donnelaith. As he walks through the woods, he meets a little girl and her sheep. He also sees his blond psychopath half-brother Ian. To please the “old gods,” Julien, who loves to gamble, makes the boys play a bloody game of chicken sacrifice. Ian shows how cruel he is by killing the sheep and the girl, which scares Cortland. Julien is unhappy with Cortland’s performance, so he uses a magical elixir to erase the memory completely. Dolly Jean later makes a copy of this recipe for Rowan1 to use on Lark.
These new details not only show how cruel Julien was, but they also hint at a deeper link between the Mayfair family and Scotland. The Taltos, who were ancient gods that the Mayfairs worshiped, are at the heart of this mystery. Rowan’s great-grandmother, Marguerite Mayfair, was a devoted follower of these gods. Her journal, which is missing some important pages, holds the key to understanding how powerful they are.
Lark’s Scientific Method
Even though Lark has done bad things, he turns out to be an unexpected ally. He tells Rowan1 about the DNA test and then suggests a scientific way to get her powers back. Lark tries to make a cellular concentrate that could boost Lasher’s essence by using her baby teeth, which is both creepy and interesting. The fact that the experiment fails shows how creative Lark is and how open he is to the supernatural.
Rowan1 doesn’t want to use Dolly Jean’s elixir to erase Lark’s memory because she loves him and has to protect the Mayfair family. Even though her smarter half warns her of the risks, her emotional half holds on to the hope of a future with him. The main idea of the episode is that love and duty, emotion and reason, are in tension with each other.
The Dark Revelations of Julien
Back at the Victrola, Julien makes fun of Rowan2 by telling him bits and pieces of the Mayfair family’s history. The Taltos, the old gods that Marguerite and other Mayfair ancestors worshiped, are where their power comes from, he says. Blood sacrifices are what these gods want, and Julien and Ian gladly did them. Rowan2 can watch what’s happening in the real world through Julien’s dollhouse replica of the Mayfair house. This shows that he has power over both worlds.
Julien’s real goals are still a mystery, but it’s clear that he doesn’t like the New Orleans Mayfairs. He sees them as just pieces in a bigger game, with Rowan being the one who gives birth to Lasher. Julien doesn’t see any reason to use Rowan anymore now that Lasher is born. He is happy to let her die in the vape. However, Rowan2’s sharp mind is her most powerful weapon. The fact that Julien leaves a bottle of whiskey out carelessly gives her the idea that Albrecht took Lasher to Scotland, to a distillery in Kilbride.
The Link to Scotland
The last part of the episode takes place in Scotland, where Albrecht has brought Lasher to keep an old promise. Lasher, who is now dressed for a Renaissance Fair, looks uncomfortable and out of place. His discomfort doesn’t last long, though, because Ian, who is now an adult, comes in with a big show. In a shocking turn of events, Ian cuts Albrecht’s throat and takes Lasher for himself. The Taltos and the Mayfair legacy are at the center of a darker, more sinister plot that starts with this horrible act.
Ian calling Lasher “Ashlar” adds to the mystery by implying that Lasher’s real identity is much more complicated than anyone knows. There is no doubt that Scotland holds the answers to the Mayfair family’s deepest secrets by the end of the episode. But Rowan’s journey is far from over.
“Julien’s Victrola” is a key episode that adds to the mythology of Mayfair and sets the stage for a violent confrontation in Scotland. Rowan’s broken identity, Cortland’s buried memories, and Lark’s clever scientific work all come together to show how much Julien has manipulated people. The fate of the Mayfair family is uncertain because Ian has Lasher in his grasp and Rowan is rushing to bring her two halves back together. As the pieces of the puzzle come together, one thing is certain: the path to Donnelaith will be paved with terrible things like blood, sacrifice, and hellish pain.
For more Mayfair Witches news, recaps, and sneak peeks at what’s coming up in Season 2, go to tvacute.com!
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