Aahana Swrup
Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe expands to deeper, darker corners with ‘Talamasca: The Secret Order.’ The supernatural spy show centers around the titular Intelligence Agency that operates in the shadows, recording and surveilling the world of witches, vampires, and other magical deities. The protagonist, Guy Anatole, is a law graduate, burdened with the ability to read people’s minds. Helen, the Head of Talamasca’s New York Mother House, recruits the young man to the secret society as an imperative agent in unraveling the suspicious activities taking place in the agency’s London branch. Initially, the young man goes along with her plan in hopes of learning more about his past, which has always been shrouded in mystery. Nonetheless, in his first few days as an undercover operative, he quickly realizes just how many secrets Helen has been keeping from him. Therefore, as he learns more about her mission, which involves tracking a powerful, ancient artifact, he makes possibly dangerous decisions of his own. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Guy Meets His Handler and Learns About 752
In the aftermath of Kevis and Archie’s death, Guy finds himself in a downward spiral. He begins to question everything he knows, but more importantly, everything he doesn’t know about Helen and her elusive secret society. Furthermore, he’s worried about becoming a potential suspect in a case of double homicide. Therefore, he’s all too happy once he receives the signal that symbolizes new correspondence with the older woman. Soon enough, he finds himself meeting up with Helen face-to-face. The fact that the mystery girl from the night of Kevis’ murder is also there adds further intrigue to the whole thing. As it turns out, the girl, Olive, is another Talamascas operative and has been allocated to be his handler on the unofficial assignment.
Guy also learns that Kevis was apparently a witch, belonging to an ancient coven, who was using her powers of seduction to retrieve some information from him. Naturally, none of the new information subdues his distrust of Helen and her mission. Therefore, she has no choice but to reveal the truth of the matter to him. In 1972, a fire at the Talamasca Headquarters in Amsterdam resulted in the burning of the organization’s information and data that had been collected since the society’s establishment in 752 A.D. However, in the wake of the event, rumors began to surface about the existence of a secret backup reserve, which came to be known as 752. Although many deem the book’s existence to be a conspiracy, Helen believes in its existence. Furthermore, she thinks that the London Mother House is on the hunt for it since its Head, Gregory Owens, ended up under the influence of a menacing vampire named Jasper.
Jasper Begins Building His Own Army of the Night
Helen’s insider information about the change in power in the London Mother House proves to be entirely factual as the narrative takes a peek into the inner workings of the establishment. Gregory Owens, a high-ranking Talamasca operative, has recently been diagnosed with a case of terminal cancer. However, where modern medicine continues to fail him, he has found a viable solution to slow down the cancer’s spread through Jasper’s vampire blood. Therefore, in exchange for the commodity, Gregory has surrendered the Mother House to the supernatural being, becoming a puppet of sorts for him.
Nonetheless, much like Helen, other Talamasca operatives have also taken notice of the management difference in the London Mother House. Many of the establishment’s employees have grown restless, continuously lodging complaints to Gregory’s deaf ears. One agent in particular, Checkers, has even gone as far as to blatantly accuse the Head of being under a secret third party’s influence. However, it seems Jasper has finally decided to make the man pay for this show of insubordination. Consequently, the vampire has his men abduct Checkers, bringing him to a dark cellar. In the basement, he initiates the process of turning him into a vampire by bleeding him dry, feeding him his own immortal blood, and then burying him in a shallow grave. Although it’s unclear whether this is an act of vengeance or a part of an overarching plan, it’s likely that Jasper would find himself with a new ally very soon.
Guy Loses His Faith in Helen and Knocks on Jasper’s Door
Even after Guy’s conversation with Helen, he remains suspicious of her motivations. Therefore, he finds himself at a memorial gathering for Kevis, where he meets one of her close friends, Doris. Through her, he learns about Marcel, the other Talamasca agent who died while on the same assignment as him. Consequently, the next day, he follows Helen for another confrontation. The woman continues to keep up her cool, calm, and purposeful vague persona. She insists that the mind-reader was only recruited now in such haste because she suspects Jasper of moving fast. Therefore, she needs someone like him to infiltrate the Mother House and find the 752 book before anyone else does. Nonetheless, Guy refuses to back down without any answers.
Guy confronts Helen about the secrets she has been keeping from him, including Marcel’s death and the fact that his birth mother was a Talamasca agent who is apparently still alive. In turn, the New York Head insists that every secret was kept from him to ensure his own safety. She also reveals that his mother ran away from the Talamasca after committing some grave crime, but refuses to name it. The final nail in the coffin arrives when Helen tells Guy that he can no longer return to his old life without getting on the secret society’s bad side. In the aftermath of the subtle threat, Guy ends up marching right up to the London Mother House, where he demands to meet with Jasper.
This audacious move catches the vampire’s attention, and he agrees to hear the mind-reader out. As such, Guy ends up revealing Helen’s entire plan, keeping no secret from Jasper. In the end, he discloses that he wants to take revenge on the Talamasca for ruining his life by snatching the 752 book from them. Thanks to his previous conversation with Kevis and Doris, he has been able to figure out that the book is likely the now-dead witch’s scrapbook, which she always kept on her person. Since he knows what the book looks like and Jasper has a good idea about who could’ve stolen it (Archie and Kevis’ murderer), a team-up between them seems promising. Ultimately, chances are high that this is an elaborate ploy from Guy to get Jasper’s attention by making him believe they are on the same side. Even so, the plan remains incredibly dangerous.
Read More: Where is Talamasca The Secret Order Filmed? All Shooting Locations
