The Story of Sarah & Emily's Couple in the A Discovery of Witches Series

『A story of a witch couple bound by love and sacrifice』

🎥 Series Overview

🎬 Title: A Discovery of Witches (2018–2022)
🌍 Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🎞️ Genre: Fantasy / Romance / Drama
🗓️ Broadcast: Sky One, 3 Seasons in total
⏳ Runtime: Approximately 60 minutes per episode
📢 Production: Sky Studios
🖋️ Screenplay: Kate Brooke
📖 Original Work: 《All Souls Trilogy》 by Deborah Harkness
📺 Platform: Sky One, AMC+, HBO Max, etc.

👩‍💼 Cast: Alex Kingston – Sarah Bishop
Harriet Turnbull – Emily Mather

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

👪 A Steadfast Foundation: Love and Family

Sarah (witch) and Emily (witch) are a witch–witch couple who became the true guardians and surrogate parents of Diana after she lost her parents. Their relationship stands out in several ways:

• A stable same-sex couple in a turbulent world: In a world where supernatural beings distrust one another and are bound by the “Covenant” forbidding interspecies mixing, their relationship represents unwavering love and devotion. The show’s portrayal of their interracial, w/w love was praised for its positive and natural representation.
• The meaning of ‘home’ for Diana: Bishop House in Madison, the home of Diana’s aunts, is a magical and loving refuge. It serves as a sanctuary where Diana learns to embrace her magical heritage and deepens her bond with Matthew.
• Complementary personalities:
  • Sarah is more aggressive and protective, showing a warrior’s determination when it comes to defending Diana and the family from external threats.
  • Emily is calmer, spiritual, and intuitive, supporting Diana through her deep knowledge of ancient magic and lore. Although the two aunts sometimes clash, their relationship is defined by mutual trust and love that keeps them balanced.

🦉 Tension and Trust: The Arrival of Matthew

When Diana arrives at Bishop House with the vampire Matthew Clairmont, their family bond is tested.

• Sarah’s distrust: Due to the Covenant’s long-standing hostility and prejudice between witches and vampires, Sarah is extremely wary of Matthew. Her reaction symbolically reflects the deep-rooted interspecies bias in this world.
• Emily’s intuition: Emily is more open-minded and tends to trust Diana’s instincts. Drawing on her memories of Diana’s parents (for instance, the story of the “Prince of Shadows”), she gradually comes to accept Matthew.
• Building trust: Eventually, both aunts recognize that Diana and Matthew truly love each other and are working together to uncover the ancient secrets of magic. Their acceptance highlights one of the series’ key themes — overcoming deep-seated prejudice.

💧 Emily’s Sacrifice and Sarah’s Grief (Season 2–3)

Emily’s death becomes one of the most emotionally devastating moments for Sarah and the rest of the family in the entire series.

• A sacrificial act: Emily attempts to use Dark Magic to uncover the truth about Diana’s parents and the secrets of magic. Though driven by love and good intent, this forbidden act exposes her to the witch Peter Knox, ultimately leading to her tragic death.
• Sarah’s loss and healing: Much of Season 3 focuses on Sarah’s mourning and the process of coping with the immense grief that follows Emily’s death.
• A new bond: Sarah’s grief leads to an unexpected friendship with Fernando, Matthew’s vampire brother. Having both suffered the loss of their long-term partners, their shared grief as “widowed souls” forms a new kind of chosen family — proving again that magical bonds can transcend species boundaries.

🌟 The Significance of Their Relationship

The relationship between Sarah and Emily stands as one of the most powerful and emotionally resonant elements in the entire A Discovery of Witches series.

1. A contrast to forbidden love: By supporting and protecting Diana and Matthew’s forbidden union, their relationship reinforces the show’s central theme — love that breaks through the walls of species and prejudice.
2. Meaningful representation of a lesbian/interracial couple: Their portrayal as a stable, loving, and devoted lesbian couple of different races in a mainstream fantasy drama carries major significance in terms of representation.
3. Emotional anchor: Throughout Diana’s perilous journey, Sarah and Emily serve as her emotional anchor, embodying unconditional love and safety amidst chaos.

Sarah and Emily are not merely Diana’s aunts — they represent the core of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and true family that runs throughout the series. Though Emily’s death is heartbreaking, her sacrifice becomes crucial to Diana’s destiny and the future of their family. Sarah’s enduring grief, meanwhile, adds a profound layer of human empathy to the supernatural narrative.

🎯 Personal Rating (Based on Preference)

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★