Prime Video’s revisionist dramedy My Lady Jane continues to enchant audiences with its historical fantasy setting and sparkling escapist romance. As the history-defining heroine Lady Jane Grey and her reluctant husband Lord Guildford Dudley, lead actors Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel perfectly slot into the will-they won’t-they trope as they endlessly trade irreverent banter, palpably heated chemistry, and satisfyingly steamy love scenes: aka, all the landmarks on true love’s road map. Bluemel, in particular, has caught the eye of many romance fans on social media. Rightly so; he understands the romantasy assignment enough to use the word offscreen. Previously a guest star on such hits as Killing Eve and Sex Education, as well as the lead voice behind Netflix’s animated Gothic horror Castlevania: Nocturne, Bluemel concocts the perfect rom-com heartthrob by fusing roguish energy, “brooding tortured hero” vibes, and screwball comedy precision.
Luckily for My Lady Jane fans, this isn’t the first time Bluemel has played a supernatural creature who woos his charmingly earnest way into a human woman’s heart. Cue Bluemel’s major supporting role in the 2018 romantic vampire drama A Discovery of Witches, based on author Deborah Harkness‘s bestselling All Souls series. Yes, “supporting role” means Bluemel’s Marcus Whitmore, a vampire pushing 300 years old, mostly plays subordinate to Discovery‘s undisputable male lead (a broodingly dashing Matthew Goode); Marcus doesn’t receive his forbidden vampire-human romance until the second of Discovery‘s three seasons. Once he does, however, not only does Marcus claim several episodes all to himself, it’s worth the wait to see one of Bluemel’s career highlights then and to date. He balances the same boyish charm and ardent sincerity that likely won him the Jane role — and, subsequently, the hearts of romantasy fans everywhere.
Who Is Edward Bluemel’s Character in ‘A Discovery of Witches’?
Sired by Goode’s Matthew Clairmont in the 1700s, the Marcus audiences meet in A Discovery of Witches‘ contemporary timeline works in a British hospital. It isn’t just a convenient disguise to pay the bills or steal patients’ blood bags; being a doctor is as part and parcel to Marcus’s genes as his human and vampire parentage. He was originally born in Massachusetts and served as a field medic for American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Matthew saves Marcus’s life from a fever, and the vampiric father-son duo have been close — if unafraid to contentiously butt heads — for over 200 years.
Marcus buoys himself along through eternity by helping others through medical advancements — with “others” meaning all creatures, be they vampires, witches, daemons, or humans. Such unity is a radical notion distinguishing Marcus from his fellow vampires and the wider supernatural community. Their ruling governmental body, the Congregation, keeps a tentative peace by sowing division; the more insular each of the three communities are, the better. To that end, interspecies relationships are expressly forbidden. If the rest of the Clairmont family toe the line, Marcus couldn’t care less about ancient and metaphorically racist rules. Although hesitant to court the Congregation’s wrath, he genuinely considers his human coworkers his friends. Witnessing one of their deaths in a brutal hit-and-run devastates Marcus, especially when he desperately tries to save his friend’s life by turning him into a vampire — and fails.
Every life matters to Marcus regardless of species. His first and final loyalty lies with his Clairmont family, but he’s welcoming to everyone who doesn’t pose a threat. That standout integrity never crumbles. If his peers consider him too soft, then so be it. He’s profoundly ethical, and unlike his vampire father, refreshingly not tortured about his existence. Marcus might find constant bachelorhood lonely, but he’s the vampire equivalent of a Golden Retriever puppy. He spreads sunshine and cheer (and sometimes coffee) wherever he goes. Being in tune with his sweeter emotions also means he can’t hide how he feels to save his life, especially where Matthew’s concerned. The way his robust urgency and irritated impatience grate against Matthew’s arctic stoicism recalls the familiar plight of the eldest child: always asking for more from his parent, always looking out for his family, and never quite meeting the impossible standard to which he’s held.
Edward Bluemel Steals the Show as an Endearing and Compassionate Vampire Heartthrob
Marcus’ natural empathy draws him to Phoebe Taylor (Adelle Leonce), a human art historian. Between their shared love for how history and the arts intersect and some quality flirting, the pair share an instant spark. Everything that makes Guildford and Jane’s courtship irresistible applies here, sans the former’s forlorn sulking: Marcus’s sly smirks and slightly raspy drawl, his welcoming body language as he conspiratorially leans in; Phoebe’s eye contact skittering away once the staring’s gone on too long. When one of them grins, the other catches it as promptly and vehemently as a common cold. A chemistry-laden dinner date becomes sneaky sidewalk kisses, which becomes a passionate tryst followed, finally, by a true love romantic enough to bridge the vampire-human divide.
Obsessively intense romances can be fun as a fictional fantasy; indeed, A Discovery of Witches‘s main romance — Matthew and his witchy lover Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) — plays into that dynamic by deconstructing it. If these sexy creatures of the night went to therapy, we’d have no stories. That said, if Matthew fulfills the typical alpha male architype, then Marcus continues to be his polar opposite in his approach to romance. He pursues Phoebe because he’s eagerly and openly smitten, and she reciprocates. How refreshing is it to see a compassionate vampire with his head firmly on his shoulders? Marcus can even be awkward beneath his practiced charisma. Plainly put, he’s a dork. Who else turns his business negotiation’s opening salvo into a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference? What other vampire uses their superhuman speed to make a high-speed ice cream run for his girlfriend?
Phoebe, magnificent as she is, catches and enjoys that surprise Douglas Adams nod — and promptly discovers Marcus’s vampire secret. A whip-smart, self-sufficient, and professionally ambitious woman, she naturally doesn’t believe the answers Marcus provides to her unnerved demands. (He respects her enough to immediately tell the truth; no melancholic secrecy need apply.) Once Phoebe realizes that this man doesn’t pose a threat but genuinely believes he’s a vampire, she’s mature enough to firmly sever their burgeoning relationship but show him empathy instead of scorn. Ultimately, when Marcus presents her with historical evidence in one last — but not pressuring — attempt to convince her, Phoebe discerns the truth for herself. She asks how he feels about being a vampire, not just the semantics of their existence. Marcus responds by embracing her curiosity and cherishing her valuable human insight.
‘A Discovery of Witches’ Foreshadows Edward Bluemel’s Success in ‘My Lady Jane’
Beneath the witty sex appeal, Bluemel most excels when he’s allowed to explore Marcus’s respectful and aggrieved pining, his enthusiastic vulnerability, and his tentative hope that perhaps he’s found his soulmate — and she’s willing to stay. Similarly, once Marcus’s narrative relevance increases outside his romance, Bluemel carries a deceptively quiet intensity. When Matthew and Diana time travel to the past to hide from their enemies, Marcus inherits Matthew’s leadership duties. Those come with extreme responsibility (protecting the Clairmonts’ lives, running a 12th century secret order) and conflict (discovering he’s an asymptomatic carrier of a genetic vampire disease).
Marcus rises to the occasion in his sire’s stead, but not without confusion, hurt, and the planet’s most uniquely sensitive vampire wanting to buckle under a fresh wave of guilt. The larger story’s severity merges with a considerable personal blow, which gives Bluemel room to evolve from a supporting highlight into a presence able to carry a leading role. In another series, Marcus and Phoebe would be the grounding tale. In fact, in 2018, Harkness published a fourth All Souls book, Time’s Convert, that catches up with all the primary characters but positions Marcus as the one-off protagonist. Bluemel told Good Housekeeping UK that he’s open to returning for a Time’s Convert adaptation and/or Marcus and Phoebe spinoff, calling the idea “so fun.” Until or unless that opportunity arises, he remains booked and busy following My Lady Jane — and A Discovery of Witches is well worth watching to see Bluemel’s adept charisma at work in a (literally) timeless romance.
A Discovery of Witches is available to stream on AMC+.
