Motherland: Fort Salem: Season 1 Episode 10 “Witchbomb” [Season Finale] – Recap/ Review with Spoilers
Endings mean new beginnings, and as we learn who has been hunting the Tarim, we get a handful of other surprises that pack a punch.
Endings mean new beginnings, and as we learn who has been hunting the Tarim, we get a handful of other surprises that pack a punch.
| Directed By | Steven A. Adelson | |
| Written By | Eliot Laurence | |
| Aired (FreeForm) | 5/20/2020 | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Willa | Diana Pavlovska | |
| Edwin | Hrothgar Mathews | |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
From A Celebration To The Front Lines – Petra, Abigail, General Adler, Edwin, Raelle, Tally, Anacostia
Time flies, doesn’t it? It seems like only yesterday Raelle was hemming and hawing about having to go to Fort Salem, Abigail was breaking up with some boy, and Tally’s mother was questioning why, when given a pass, she’d risk her life? Now they have graduated, and in retaliation for what they did, they end up on the front line. Yeah, General Adler figures out they nearly derided her leadership, and while Abigail, thanks to her mother, is given an out, as for Raelle and Tally? Well, Raelle gets to say her goodbyes to her father, Edwin, and preps for possibly dying.
Edwin (Hrothgar Matthews)
Making it so, despite growing close to the kids, Anacostia can only hope for the best and pray the girls aren’t made into sacrificial lambs as they are to head out to China.
Second Chances – Anacostia, Scylla, Tally, General Adler, Adil, Khalida. Abigail, Raelle
But, rather than abandon her unit and get a free, solo ride to War College, Abigail joins her team, and off they go to the Altai Mountains, to General Adler’s shock. Though, at Fort Salem, the bigger shock might be Anacostia letting Scylla go. However, that’s for her to discover in the confirmed second season.
For now, it’s all about saving the Tarim witches, which is no easy task. Never mind Khalida having to stay behind, so her power is unavailable, but there is still the fact Tarim witches don’t trust outsiders, and there are a multitude of groups hunting them. Making Adil traveling with the crew to China a blessing, and smoothing things out with his community.
However, while Adil’s presence and Raelle healing a child leads to cooperation of what’s left of the Tarim, Tally and General Adler butt heads. Specifically, Tally calls out all of her qualms with General Adler from making them murderers to putting them into battle before they were ready. Adler’s response?
Well, she writes off all Tally says with noting Tally is young and hasn’t been in her shoes. Shoes that she has filled for 300 years, so from the death of the innocents to taking over the president, she feels justified through experience. Add in Abigail noting her mother saying, something akin to, “When the decisions are easy, that’s when you quit” Tally’s disgust goes down a few notches.
Nothing Ever Stays Dead – Anacostia, Scylla, Willa, General Adler, Abigail, Raelle, Tally
Which is a blessing for, after securing the Tarim, the group is attacked! By who? Well, not the Russians, Chinese, or any formal military. Also, it isn’t the Spree. Rather, it is the Camarilla! There are a notable number of them, and while not witches, they seemingly are able to emulate witch powers, thus producing a dust storm. One that leads to General Adler getting injured and, to save her, Tally becomes a biddy.
That isn’t the only sacrifice made by the Bellweather unit. Thanks to a child, maybe a few years younger than Khalida, Raelle finds herself propelled to get him after he runs from the helicopter. Leading to, no sooner than her removing her mother’s charm, being stabbed through her chest – in the heart area. Following suit, Abigail runs after her and tries her best to connect to heal Raelle but ends up dying in the process.
Sike! For reasons explained in the “Worth Noting” section below, as General Adler, Tally, and the others leave, we see what looks like an explosion, and afterward, hand in hand, we see Raelle and Abigail walking. As for where they are walking? Your guess is as good as mine since they are an ocean away from American soil.
Oh, and one last thing, despite being given a chance at freedom, Scylla ends up returning to the Spree without realizing Anacostia is right behind her. Thus leaving you to wonder, did Anacostia allow Scylla escape to track down a Spree hideout, or has she truly become curious enough about their ways to want to join? Either way, in the house, guess who Scylla sees? RAELLE’S MOTHER WILLA! Someone who, despite allegedly dying, is not only alive and well, but seems to hold some form of a leadership position!
Worth Noting
- According to the after-show, what produced that bomb-like magic and allowed Raelle and Abigail to survive was when Raelle touched that sentient being—the one in the basement where the necromancy students study. Apparently, it took some of Raelle’s DNA and gave some of its own, thus allowing her to tap into otherworldly powers. Add that with the magic of the Bellweather family line, and BOOM!
Highlights
A Real Villain
With no offense to the Spree, what “Motherland: Fort Salem” needed the most was an undisputed villain. Yes, in minor ways, Libba played the role, even General Adler to a certain degree, but I’m talking about someone to outright find despicable. The Camarilla fill that void, and considering how their aim is genocide, not sending a message, it’ll make them the most fearsome thing we’ve ever seen in the show. Especially considering even General Adler is fearful of them and, after her actions towards the president, this opens us up to see more humans who are against witches. Never mind the politics of the mortal world.
Did We Just Meet A Spree Leader?
Willa (Diana Pavlovska)
I don’t know what to be more excited about, meeting a member of the Spree who we know the name of and won’t just end up randomly killed, or said person being Willa, who comes off as a leader? Granted, the Spree are supposed to operate without a leader in order to be effective and not easily be toppled. However, with only random faces, outside of Scylla, as notable as their terrorist attacks were, being that Scylla was the face of the organization, it didn’t have the oomph it could.
Not to forget, the whole balloon thing, and the music which preceded an attack, it gave “IT” vibes.
On The Fence
Tallys Is A Biddy
While creator/ writer Eliot Laurence pushed that, with Tally being a Biddy, it would mean access to her memories, this comes at the cost of the Bellweather unit. A group that just became solid, and then a wrecking ball breaks them apart. But not due to drama over secrets, but Tally making a commitment that she may not be able to break. Never mind she has aged at least 40 years so, even if the team did get back together unless there is some kind of de-aging magic, Tally is bound to die within a couple of years. Lest we forget, outside of the biddies, there aren’t too many witches who get to become senior citizens.
Check out more from Motherland – Fort Salem.
