The idyllic life for residents of a town called Sanctuary is rocked to its foundation by a death, and the aftermath threatens to tear everything apart in Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale, a story based on the book by V.V. James. What to Watch called the new series "bewitching" in our review.
At face value, everything in Sanctuary looks like it would in any other town, but there's a big difference: some of the residents are witches and they're free to practice their magic in the open and are cherished friends and fellow community members. But Sanctuary has a dark side, too.
Let's take a look at what happened in the first episode of Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale.
The Good Witch of Sanctuary
Sarah Fenn (Elaine Cassidy) is the resident witch in Sanctuary. Long known as a haven for witches and witchcraft (her family has lived there for over 300 years), Sarah is the person the town turns to when they need help.
She helps a pregnant woman who is desperately afraid of losing her baby. After some mystical analysis, Sarah learns the woman lost a baby in the past. While she can't use magic to prevent the woman from losing her baby now (there are laws preventing her interference), she can offer her help to stay calm and positive to increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.
During a local celebration, Sarah offers a consultation and spell as a raffle prize, which draws cheers from the crowd. She's clearly a beloved member of the community.
Sarah's daughter, Harper (Hazel Doupe), has no interest in following in her mother's footsteps as a witch. She wants to hang out with her friends and be like other teens. Sarah struggles with this as other mothers in her friend group talk about what their kids are doing and how they're preparing for college or careers. At one point one of the other mothers tells Sarah that Harper will eventually find her path, which is little consolation.
Several of the mothers are members of Sarah's coven. While they're not witches, they offer their energy to Sarah so she can cast more powerful spells. They get a rush of energy themselves once they exchange powers and it's clear how close they are to each other through this powerful bond.
Abigail's triumph and tragedy
Abigail (Amy de Bhrún) is Sarah's best friend. She's also the unofficial social leader in Sanctuary, organizing welcome parties for new residents and throwing lavish parties. Her husband is a doctor who spends more time working than focusing on family, which leaves Abigail to dote on their son, Dan (Max Lohan), who is a superstar rugby player.
Her son is the featured guest in the town's celebration. As she introduces him on stage she tells everyone about how there are professional teams looking to sign him. Dan, clearly embarrassed, tries to downplay the attention.
During the hexing party, where Abigail continues to be the proud mom whose son is the most successful of all the other kids, the mothers start getting calls and texts from their kids and from the police. There's been an accident at a party.
Abigail's call is different: she's called to the morgue to identify her son's body. During the party a fire broke out, and somehow her son fell to his death. The details are murky but he's the only one who didn't make it out alive.
Stricken by grief, Abigail's life has been turned upside down. As she prepares for the funeral she finds her husband still working as much as before, leaving her to mourn on her own. She leans on her friends, especially Sarah, who offers to make her a potion to help her relax.
Secrets and lies
As the police work on the case, Detective Maggie Knight (Stephanie Levi-John) arrives in Sanctuary with fellow law enforcement officer Ryan Greenhoff (Adam Isla O'Brien). Through them we learn that even though witches and witchcraft are accepted in society, there are still deeply rooted prejudices against witches. This is evident when they talk to one of Sarah's friends, who steadfastly assures them that she's not a witch, but she lends her energy to Sarah. The distinction seems to be very important to her.
The local media circles the case and rumors of what happened at the party abound. Maggie and Ryan discover that there was a sex tape being played at the party featuring Dan and Harper.
During their investigation, as they try to piece Dan's final moments together, they learn that Dan's fall wasn't an accident. He was murdered. This changes everything.
New episodes of Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale air Thursdays on AMC Plus and Sundance Now.
