"Domino Day: Lone Witch" is the newest fantasy drama on AMC+ worth watching

July 3, 2024

Courtesy: AMC Networks

"Domino Day: Lone Witch" is a Sundance Now Original in association with the BBC and Fremantle's Dancing Ledge Productions. It's a racially diverse, critically acclaimed supernatural drama that premiered exclusively in the U.S. on Thursday, June 27, with a double-episode debut on Sundance Now and AMC+.

The six episodic series of the first season, initially titled "Domino Day," premiered in the U.K. in January for BBC Three.

Filmed in Manchester, England, the series stars BAFTA-nominated actress Siena Kelly as Domino Day, a powerful young witch haunted by her need to feed on the energy of others, unaware that a coven of witches is tracking her every move.

Rounding out the supporting cast are Percelle Ascott as Leon, Sam Howard Sneyd as Silas, Babirye Bukilwa as Sammie, Poppy Lee Friar as Geri, Maimuna Memon as Verdita, Christopher Jeffers as Mike, Jonah Rzeskiewicz as Jason, Alisha Bailey as Kat, Molly Harris as Jules, and Lucy Cohu as Esme.

Courtesy: AMC Networks

We first meet Domino alone in a bar. She is a young Mancunian witch who needs to feed off human energy and uses dating apps to find her male victims. When she's finished draining their life force, she uses her powers to erase their memories of knowing her and promptly blocks them on the app. Her powers do not go unnoticed by members of a female coven operating from a nearby plant store.

Things get complicated when her first victim is an attempted rapist who secretly records them. When they get back to his place, within minutes, he starts sexually assaulting her. She drains his life force and quickly leaves. The next day, he's completely out of it but finds the recording with video evidence of her secret. By the time he summons her and tells her to get on her knees and beg for the video back, you're waiting in anticipation for this jerk to really get what he deserves.

What's interesting about Domino's need to feed is that she doesn't want to but has to out of survival; hence the nose bleeds, letting her know when it's time to feed. When she does, it's to men like the sleazeball rapist who deserves it. Watching her inner struggle is what makes her such a compelling character.

Further complications arise when Domino forms a genuine love connection with the local bartender, her ex-boyfriend who returns, and the duplicitous owner of the local occult shop.

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The coven members try to learn more about Domino and the true nature of her powers and report their findings back to the coven Elders with their very militant guidelines set in their European culture.

With Domino's increasing powers, it's a modern-day fantasy of witches and magic, but there are also human components and nuances that makes the show compelling and authentic. The show very realistically incorporates racism, sexism, and microaggressions, which are often very prevalent in today's society. When Domino makes a cup of joe and creatively decorates the foam at the coffee shop, it's met with thinly disguised elitism, if not more. Domino quickly changes the foam art into a skull representing the customer's true nature. It is touches like these that make the show worth watching.

Courtesy: AMC Networks

Created and written by Lauren Sequeira, the series is directed by Eva Sigurdardottir and Nadira Amrani, with Nick Pitt as producer. Executive producers are Lauren Sequeira with Laurence Bowen, Chris Carey and Elinor Day for Dancing Ledge Productions, and Lucy Richer and Ayela Butt for the BBC.

Domino Day: Lone Witch is currently streaming on Sundance Now and AMC+ with weekly episodes on Thursdays through July 25, 2024.