From the very beginning, Briar's mission is clear. She wants to hunt down her mom's murderer at all costs. Apparently, the danger doesn't scare her, nor does it faze her as she's learning she belongs in the supernatural world.
Things start to grow more intense with each passing day and the more time she spends at Coven Academy. She may be "Brooklynn" to Jake, but she's not in New York anymore, and the spell-cast drinks proved that at her first party at the academy.
Ollie and Briar carry secrets
Briar zones out during class to confirm plans to meet Ollie later. He's surprised she came, especially since it is at Tamora's house, but she needs to know what he knows about her mom’s case. Despite their kinds being so different, they get along easily. I love that they are both new to the magical world. A month ago, Ollie was a DJ, and Briar was skipping school to grab pizza. Ollie reveals he drinks cow's blood but misses food now that he's on a liquid diet.
He hands her a box of his aunt's things, hoping it isn't the last time they see each other. She wishes they had met before he was a vampire, on a pier, at a pizza restaurant when he was a DJ. But now, they are worlds apart and dangerous to each other.
In her room, she searches for answers as Teagan and Sasha sneak up on her. She confesses she got the box of Tamora's stuff from Ollie. Sasha looks through the box and discovers a scrying mirror that's broken, but since it's not normal, the owner's memory can unlock the past that's hidden inside it.
Briar tracks down Jake and still doesn't finish her conversation from the Hex Festival. He takes the opportunity to warn her about how hungry Ollie is, but she believes Ollie is different and ignores Jake. Instead, she wants him to help her unlock the scrying mirror and shape shift into Tamora. So, it's time for him to level up.
Briar passes on coffee with the girls as Ollie knocks on her window. He's levitating so he can talk to her at the window. She invites him in and he prepares a redo meet cute for them. Where he's a DJ and they're having pizza with music in the background. Then, after much too long, they kiss. As they are kissing, Sasha opens the door with coffee for Briar. Neither of them sees her, and she walks back out, hurt that Briar would go behind their backs and mingle with Ollie.
Mr. Cole's secret
Episode 8 reveals Mr. Cole's dark side. One minute everything is normal as he's shaving his face, then he cuts himself when a sound startles him. When he turns, his tank top reveals some branching veins on his back similar to the ones Tamora had on her face when she vampirized out. He stomps to a door as a male yells for someone to let him out. Mr. Cole opens the door and yells, "Nobody can hear you so why don't you shut up?" before slamming the door.
Jake attempts the shape-shifting spell as he sits in Mr. Cole's empty classroom. As he's getting frustrated, Mr. Cole walks in and questions him about casting a shape-shifting spell. Instead of being a man, Mr. Cole warns him that dark magic is required to master the art of shape-shifting. He alludes to knowing someone who can guide Jake, but it'll have to stay between them. Jake isn't afraid to do it, so Mr. Cole tells him to come to class tomorrow and arrive with an open mind. In the end, he tells him his talent is wasted in a good way. He understands Jake's upbringing because he had the same. Jake doesn't seem convinced but leaves anyway.
A bad omen changes Autumn exams
Miss Graves goes out into the field and casts a spell again where light cracks into the ground. Clouds roll in as crows fly across the sky. A ghost from the past (Mary) stops her, and Miss Graves wakes up with a jolt and out of breath. Later as she comes out of her office, Agnes asks if she's okay. She's the opposite because she said an omen. She gives into Agnes being right about danger coming and it being life or death for these girls. Now they have to prepare the girls at all costs.
Briar is in a good mood, as she's ready to ace their autumn exam. Sasha knows her secret and doesn't believe she was up late cramming for the exam. Before they can finish their conversation, Miss Graves welcomes the class and hopes they are ready. After McKenna confirms her group is ready, Miss Graves informs the class that the exam will be more experimental than in years past. She casts a fire spell and lights the desks in flames that quickly go out. Then, she warns the class about the threats looming and ignores Agnes' request to talk in the hall. She creates a room to test each trio: they have to find their way out by working together.
Briar, Sasha, and Teagan enter the unknown room first with their hands clasped. They're dropped off in a yellowish/greenish maze with no idea where they are. They come face to face with a giant black wolf that Teagan decides she can calm down since she's good with animals. But the wolf doesn't listen and leaps at them. Briar knocks the wolf back, and they run away through the maze.
The maze’s vines attack Briar, but Sasha has her back and sets her free with her magic. As they are bickering about honesty. Another monster comes for them. The maze zooms out and we see Miss Graves standing over a table-sized version of The Maze the girls were dropped into. Agnes scolds Miss Graves for putting the girls through a horror-style maze, but Miss Graves holds tight that if they can handle this, they can handle anything in the real world.
Instead of seeing a threat, Briar sees Ollie as the vampire comes for them. Briar stills, Sasha panics, while Teagan bends time to stop the attack. Sasha stabs the vampire, and it disintegrates. Sasha calls out Briar for lying and dating a vampire behind their backs. We zoom out, and Agnes yells enough and pulls the girls out. Teagan worries that they failed. But Agnes lets them know they passed because they are all still alive.
Mr. Cole visits Miss Graves in her office at the end of the day to check in on the outcome of the autumn exams. She reveals that the students are unprepared for the real world, especially now that the threat is higher. He offers his help, but she has it under control. Yet, everything is under control on her end. He's here for her if she needs him.
Mr. Cole passes on his knowledge to Jake
As discussed, Jake meets with Mr. Cole one-on-one to learn how to level up his powers. So, he has Jake chant the first incantation. He calls upon a shadow that can destroy things and uses it on the moth in the room, taking it out in one move. Mr. Cole calls him natural as the power starts to go to Jake's head. Since he's had a taste, they move onto the spell Jake has been waiting for: shape-shifting.
When he admits he's a little afraid, Mr. Cole walks away. To get him to stop, Jake starts chanting. The spell isn't working, as his face doesn't change, but then it does. Mr. Cole scolds him for focusing on a girl as Jake changes his face to Briar’s. He calls him distracted and not ready for this. Instead, Mr. Cole has him focus on his face, and after a few minutes he morphs into Mr. Cole and back to himself.
The scrying mirror works
They've passed the exams, but things are more tense than ever. Although they are in the same room, Sasha and Briar aren't speaking to each other, and Teagan tries to meditate.
Briar hid it because she knew Sasha would be upset. Of course, Sasha is upset because Ollie is a vampire, which is just wrong, but that's their lives. Briar tries to plead her case and Ollie's, but then Sasha reveals her normal brother, Mason, was murdered by a vampire. It all makes sense why she panics around vampires. Getting close to Ollie puts all of them at risk, especially if Briar lies for him. Now she must pick between her sisters or him. To Sasha it looks like Briar had chosen Ollie over them.
Jake runs in after Sasha and Teagan storm out to get Briar. He can finally shape-shift and unlock the scrying mirror. He assures her he can do it because he's a quick learner as she hands over the photo of Tamora. She almost walks out because she's in a fight with her sisters, but Jake reminds her she wants to find her mom and he's invested now. He tells her to sit as he starts the spell and morphs into Tamora in one try. After he successfully unlocks the mirror and morphs back into himself, Briar gets up to steady him and thanks him. He wishes her luck as she asks the mirror to show her who killed her mom.
Coven Academy season 1 is now streaming on Disney+.
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