If you're going through True Blood withdrawal since the series finale, it's time to buck up, move on, and turn to a new fantasy show — Lifetime's Witches of East End . Season 2 has brought more twists and turns for the women of the Beauchamp family, including for the fun-loving, sexy Wendy, played by Mädchen Amick. In the last episode, "Art of Darkness," Wendy, unveiled some of her past to her niece and kindred spirit Freya (Jenna Dewan-Tatum).
Wendy isn't a character in the Witches of East End book (written by Melissa de la Cruz) that the show is based on. Executive producer Maggie Friedman said, "The Wendy character is brand-new and she's very dear to my heart. She's that crazy aunt that we all either have or wish that we had." So true. Who doesn't love that aunt character who kind of doubles as a cool, wise, older sister?
Props to the casting directors of Witches of East End for employing Julia Ormond (Joanna — Wendy's sister), Dewan-Tatum, and Amick, since they all look so much like actual relatives as the mysterious, raven-haired Beauchamp women. (And there's Rachel Boston who plays Ingrid, Freya's sister, but she doesn't look as remarkably similar as the other three.)
Dewan-Tatum and Amick get to ooze the sex appeal a bit more as the free spirits of the family — and it looks like oh-so-much fun. Amick even got to seduce Freddie Prinze Jr. in Season 1, which really makes the show's other ties to Buffy the Vampire Slayer all the more awesome.
In the last episode, we met Wendy's warlock ex-husband, Ronan. But he's not just an ex, he's an ex-, ex-, ex-husband, since Wendy married and divorced him three times. That's more intense than Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Ronan had secretly invited Wendy to an art exhibit (which was comprised of paintings of all her). She brought Freya as her date, and of course, Ingrid and Dash attended (which understandably didn't sit so well with Freya). Wendy explained to Freya that Ronan is a scam artist and they haven't been together for 20 years, but that she always has a hard time resisting the charming, bad boy warlock.
Wendy and Ronan's relationship is super steamy (like Wendy's outfit!), but it was good of her to stop their make out session before things went too far. (She has EMT Tommy, after all. Even if he was camping with his daughter.) When she resisted Ronan's advances, she made the most badass speech ever on why she can't be with him. And what an excellent call that was, since he proved what a total scumbag he was when we discover that the real reason he lured her to this art exhibit was because he uses a part of her hair in all of his paintings, and he ran out of her hair.
Actress Amick is no stranger to the dramatic or seductive, as she played Shelly Johnson in David Lynch's cult favorite Twin Peaks. She's also had tons of roles on TV including on Dawson's Creek, Gilmore Girls, ER, and Californication. Offscreen, Amick has been with her husband, David Alexis, for 27 years and they have two children. On Twitter, she also shows her fun side by tweeting as the black cat that Wendy can shift into on Witches of East End.
So lovers of True Blood, it may be time to swap out vampires for witches. And to make the transition smoother, it helps that Amick reminds me of another witch — Maryann from Season 2 of True Blood. But although Wendy may like to party as much as Maryann did, she's much less evil.
Images: Sergei Bachlakov/Lifetime; yulinikka (2), bellecs, miakirshners, jillsandwich, altvsjv /Tumblr
