Motherland – Fort Salem: Season 3/ Episode 1 “Homo Cantus” [Premiere] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

To begin its finale season, “Motherland – Fort Salem” begins the push for viewers to realize there is a bigger world and so much history beyond the Bellweather Unit and Fort Salem.

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Aired (FreeForm)	6/21/2022
Director(s)	Amanda Tapping
Writer(s)	Eliot Laurence
Introduced This Episode
Kara	Emilie Ullerup
Nicte (Alternate Face)	Kandyse McClure

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Recap

Adjusting To The New Normal – Kara, VP Silver, Tally, Adil, Abigail, Scylla, Raelle, Alban, Nicte

With VP Silver under their thumb, the Camarilla seek out ways to cause a death blow to the witches, and with some semblance of knowledge about Mycelium and the assumption it is the source of witches’ power, Kara, a major funder of the Camarilla, with Alban prep for the next phase of their war.

As that happens, VP Silver publicly names Tally, Raelle, and Abigail on the news as their daughter’s killers, which makes things awkward at the site Scylla was able to secure for them. But what makes things worse is Abigail refuses to do a work to change her face, and the other girls agree, which puts everyone on edge. Nicte, most of all, since the lack of discretion, she knows, could lead to them getting captured all due to some sense of vanity on Abigail’s part and her sticking her nose up at Spree magic.

There Is Only So Much That Can Be Done – Anacostia, M, Petra, Alban, Sterling, Nicte, Tally

While Anacostia and her boo Sterling are able to get some information out of the various meetings Alban has, it is M, who is looking for something new after losing their Sekhmet, that gets notable intel. Through them, she learns about the Camarilla’s next move, and this information is passed on to Petra. Someone who is adjusting to the overwhelming responsibility of general while managing her emotions regarding her daughter being touted as a murderer.

Switching to Tally, with her being the only single one in her group, it allows her a lot of free time to spend with Nicte, who is trying to train her. However, one of the issues Nicte has is she needs Tally to push herself and be willing to tap into some unethical magic. For example, Tally’s sight gift doesn’t just allow her to see through things or around the corner, she can also see the future. Nicte pushes her to strengthen this gift while warning her of the side effects. Which, when hit with a vision she couldn’t handle, almost leads Tally to fall off the roof she and Nicte practice – thus alerting someone on the sidewalk of something happening.

Off To The Next Place – Abigail, Tally, Raelle, Scylla, Nicte, Petra

This leads to the local police, led by a member of the Camarilla, entering the hideout Abigail, Tally, Raelle, Scylla, and Nicte are at, and with the cover blown, Scylla’s contact decides they have to leave. Mind you, not just Scylla and her friends, but her contact and their clan too. With this leading to Scylla’s reputation getting a bit bruised, she gets mad at Tally, who confesses this is her fault.

However, with them all stuck together, they move on, and since Abigail is so desperate for a sense of direction and misses her mom, she gives in to Scylla and does some Spree work to speak to her mom through a reflective surface. Thus giving her some relief from the anxiety of being on the run for over a month.

Things To Note

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Is there a witch who is helping the Camarilla come up with these anti-witch inventions?
2. What was with the Black rain?

What Could Happen Next

1. We get a tour of America in “Motherland: Fort Salem” and learn about all the witches, especially those beyond the influence of Fort Salem

Review

Highlights

Witch History

With Adler still around, but in a diminished capacity, that has left Khalida to speak of the history of witches in the form of how Mother’s Tongue began. Added in is us getting a visualization of when language was born, and going by the After Show, this is just the beginning. We should expect to see more history as “Motherland: Fort Salem” proceeds in its final season.

Tally and Nicte

Tally and Nicte’s chemistry might very well rival any of the couples on this show. Nicte and Tally have seen the truth and taken different walks of life since its reveal. Nicte created the spree, and with Tally being so young, she isn’t sure how to process what is next? As Nicte notes, Tally doesn’t have the mindset needed to be a killer or a physical threat. Yet, in Tally wanting to push herself, maybe even beyond the limits the group sometimes imposes, you can see Nicte as the key to unlocking new parts of herself.

But, as seen when Tally got too close to Adler, there is this need to wonder what Nicte’s influence may do on the impressionable Tally? Especially as Tally finds herself part of a unit but increasingly striving for individualism.

Being On The Run = Lots Of World Building

The only negative thing about an original property like “Motherland: Fort Salem” is that when the show is over, there is a good chance the story ends as well. That sucks because we’ve only seen a small bit of the world, considering how much Laurence and his team have altered history. In the United States, we’ve been trapped in the northeast. Internationally, we’ve seen bits and pieces, but never enough to say we understand the culture of India, Africa, or parts of Europe thanks to the existence of witches.

So it is hoped that with Nicte driving everyone to the Cessation territory, we’ll learn more of the history of the world, and while the Camarilla may remain a threat, they can be a B-Storyline until the tail end of the season, when it is time for the final battle.

Kara Making The Camarilla Less Of A Boys Club

The Camarilla has long existed as a boys club. Nearly every leader or notable member has been male, and while Kara is more of a financer due to her riches, who knows? There is the possibility she may use her money to exert influence. Now, as for what that influence may get her beyond some government contracts? That is hard to say. But, considering “Motherland – Fort Salem” is a show driven by women, it’s unlikely she is just popping up to be a token.

M’s Spy Skills

M was a breakout character last season, and considering the show’s focus is no longer purely on Fort Salem, there was an understandable worry M would be lost. However, their purpose has been renewed, with Anacostia using them be the kind of spy that doesn’t necessarily require magic. Now there is just a need to question what they may do beyond sneaking around when it comes to Petra’s administration and whether Anacostia will simply be a boss or take on the role of a full-fledged mentor?

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