Witches of East End – “When a Mandragora Loves a Woman” Retrospective. How To Slay A Mandragora.

Season 2, Episode 6

Airdate: Sunday, August 17, 2014, 9/8c on Lifetime

Rating: ★★★★★

[warning] There are SPOILERS in this article.[/warning]

The Beauchamp women work their magic!

Witches of East End just gets better and better. Without a doubt, “When a Mandragora Loves a Woman” serves as one of the season’s best episodes, hitting a high point with the quality of its storytelling. The continuity is solid, and the emotional intensity from the entire cast of characters is spot on without skipping a beat.

In the aftermath of Ingrid’s (Rachel Boston) possession and abduction by the dangerous creature known as the mandragora in last week’s “Boogie Knights,” the lives of many characters hang in the balance. In addition to the clear and present danger of a monster on the loose in East End, some light is shed on the seductive witch Eva (Bianca Lawson), whose ulterior motive regarding Killian Gardiner (Thomas DiTomasso) becomes clearer.

Love’s A Beast

Even though the mandragora is the cause for the havoc throughout the episode, he doesn’t make much of an appearance. When he does show up, it’s to attack and leave his victims with a deadly venom in their system, which causes psychosis and hallucinations. The use of the venom is really a clever plot device that pushes the core characters out of their comfort zone, finally bringing to the surface some much needed discussions.

As seen in “Boogie Knights,” Dash Gardiner (Eric Winters) is one of the first to be infected; this leads to a long overdue confrontation with Freya (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) who needs his family’s grimoire to save Ingrid. Their fight scene is one of my favorite moments, particularly for Freya. For a while now, Freya has been caught up in a heavy love story line, and seeing her kick some serious ass is refreshing. Viewers get to see Freya use her powers in a way that shows off her skills and intelligence, validating that she is more than a pretty face.

Joanna (Julia Ormond), Wendy (Mädchen Amick), and Alex (Michelle Hurd) have their own share of action as they work to find a solution to save Ingrid from the hold of the mandragora’s spell. There are more scenes with Alex and Joanna this time around, and the topic about an intimate past together comes to the forefront again, detailing their breakup and Joanna’s horrible coping skills. I hope we haven’t seen the last of Alex; she has great chemistry with Joanna. Alex is also a good voice of reason that Joanna needs to hear from time to time. I cannot imagine anyone else, apart from Wendy, who could give Joanna the support and strength to stab Ingrid with a potential lifesaving serum.

There are two very distinct storylines at work during “When a Mandragora Loves a Woman.” The primary is Ingrid’s journey, which I’ll get to in a bit. The secondary, and more heated of the two, revolves around Eva and Killian. Besides using magic to drug Killian, Eva puts her skills to work between the sheets. At first, I thought Eva’s determination to keep Killian from straying far from her bed had to do with love and jealousy regarding his connection to Freya. Yet, the passion behind Eva’s use of magic this week suggests more. Using Killian’s current dilemma with his telepathic abilities, she starts to seduce him again but this time adds some wax magic. In the end, when she tells a sleeping Killian her desire for a child, it becomes clear he’s not going to be leaving any time soon. It’s almost like the Stephen King novel, Misery, except less homicidal.

I Will Survive

If there is a singular character that stands out the most, it has to be Ingrid. For the past several weeks, she has been possessed and “feeding” a beast that not only killed innocent strangers, but a close friend. Out of all the East End citizens, it is Hudson (Tom Lenk) who comes to Ingrid’s aid and suffers an attack from the mandragora. The moment I saw the mark of the king on Hudson’s chest, I knew he was a goner. Still, it didn’t make it easier. Back at the Beauchamp household, Frederick (Christian Cook) attempts to help Hudson but is kicked out of the room by a protective Wendy. Frederick doesn’t have many scenes but when he does, it’s with purpose.

Meanwhile, at the East End Public Library, Joanna and Alex find a way to break Ingrid out of her trance. Racing back home, Ingrid recalls all the events that happened while she was possessed. Boston goes all out delivering a lot of the emotional intensity this week, whether she’s in hysterics in Frederick’s arms, or when she is breaking viewers’ hearts as she says goodbye to a dear friend.

Ingrid: “I love you, I wish I could help.”

Hudson: “It’s ok. I always knew there was magic in the world.”

Memorable Moments

Dash and Ingrid’s reunion – Dash and Ingrid commiserate about being stabbed with the serum, providing one of a few lighter moments.

Dash: “She stabbed me in the brain.”
Ingrid: “They got me too, right through the ear.”
Dash: “It hurts, right?”
Ingrid: “Like a mother. Oh, I’m so glad you’re ok.”

Frederick’s Master Plan – In the last scene, Frederick undergoes another seizure, revealing that he may or may not be in leagues with his grandfather. Knowing how well Witches of East End likes to spin their stories, I wouldn’t judge Frederick’s true allegiance just yet.

Bottom Line

In the end, it’s all about Team Beauchamp.

What I love about this episode from the start is how it cuts to the chase, grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until the very end. The performances by the cast are memorable, the plot twists leave your heart racing, and an unfortunate farewell to Hudson made me teary-eyed. What makes “When a Mandragora Loves a Woman” significant is the way the premise for the second season, which deals with the consequence of opening the portal to Asgard, reaches fruition without losing the heart of what makes Witches of East End a strong show—family is everything. Akela Cooper, episode writer, does a fantastic job of setting the priorities of where the story would follow regarding the mandragora, but at the same time doesn’t lose sight of the vital character dynamics. Joe Dante, the director, does some really great camera work, and knows how to set up a scene without being overly dramatic. The lighting is great, and I like some of the choices where he used visuals to his advantage during the moments lacking dialogue.

Overall, a great episode, one that will definitely stand out in my mind this season, and I can’t wait to see how in the wake of the mandragora menace, it will impact all the characters.

What did you think of the “When a Mandragora Loves a Woman?” Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @conallen.