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Disclaimers All Over the Place

When Netflix acquired the first season of AMC's Mayfair Witches I was torn between knowing the books (my favorite of Anne Rice's works is The Witching Hour, the first in the series, as it happens) were better and wanting to see how they handled it. Ultimately I caved in and watched it. Disclaimer #1: I don't regret that, as I knew in advance the eight-episode series could never cover the entire story. This is a three-book series, and the first book is a huge unwieldy doorstopper of a novel that covers almost five hundred years of a supernaturally gifted/haunted family's complicated history. No way can you condense it down to eight hours.

The three lead actors in the series are excellent, and carry the production and the rest of the cast on their skills. I thought visually Alexandra Daddario worked as Rowan, the neurosurgeon who learns that she is the heiress to the Mayfair legacy and a prophecy that scares the daylights out of me to this day. Disclaimer #2: Her voice grated on my nerves for some reason. She was very convincing in the role, and I just put up with the aggravation. Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, a combination of the characters of Michael Curry and Aaron Lightner from the books, was stellar in his role, and brought all the humanity to the episodes. What a tortured guy. The big surprise was Jack Huston playing Lasher, the demon/ghost/supernatural being who helps, haunts and otherwise manipulates the Mayfair family. Disclaimer #3: I'm biased here, as Jack is the actor who so brilliantly played Richard Harrow in Boardwalk Empire, the disfigured veteran who breaks the heart of everyone who watched that series, including me. He's completely different as Lasher, yet just as intense and disturbing.

The abbreviated storyline was just okay. I also forgave that pretty quickly. I think condensing Anne Rice's work, which is baroque and sprawls across centuries and includes so many characters, settings and plotlines, is basically impossible. I think they did the best job with portraying the Talamasca headquarters and the Mayfair House; both were right on the money as far as I'm concerned. The adjustments they made to the story were likely necessary. I thought some of the visuals were excellent, others were just so-so, and that applies to the cast as well. There, you've been warned. Season one is available now on Netflix, and it's possible they may acquire Season two.

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