In the first series, I didn't realize for several episodes what total garbage this is because the adoring, nearly sexual, gaze the cinematographer gives lovely Oxford, and more specifically the delicious interior of the Bodleian, is genuinely intoxicating. Location shooting through the whole show is unimpeachable.

By the second series I was very clear it was silly and cringe, but stuck with it because where else can a nerd for early modern culture find depictions of John Dee and Rabbi Loew in popular entertainment? Saints preserve us from those costumes though--in addition to the ongoing nonsense.

Early in the third series, I had to accept that it's literally just this woman being told through space and time what a super special supremely smart pretty princess she is. Very occasionally she has to take half an episode to win over an adversary with her extreme specialness. Sometimes, there are up to ten whole minutes where no one verbalizes how special she is. It's got big wish fulfillment lit written by a teenager energy.

A primary driver of the plot is a tense council comprising witches, vampires, and demons. I've given up halfway through series 3, and thus far there has been no demonstration, or in truth even discussion, of what distinguishes a demon from a human. They look like humans. If they have particular powers the viewer has not been made privy to them. They do seem to disproportionately inhabit black and brown bodies though. SMH.

I hope all the extraordinary talent, in front of and behind camera, that got suckered into participating in this mess were appropriately compensated and had a great time in the beautiful locations. I'm ashamed I stuck with it so long, and would like to get those hours of my life back.