Motherland: Fort Salem: Season 3/ Episode 6 “Book Club” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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As Silver begins to deploy tactics to suppress witches in California and drum up a war in the Cession, while the witches aren’t scrambling, they know tough times are ahead.

Aired (FreeForm)	7/26/2022
Director(s)	Shannon Kohli
Writer(s)	Nikki McCauley
Introduced This Episode
May	Jillian Fargey

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Recap

Splits and Reunions – Quill, Willa, Raelle, Edwin, Scylla, Tally, Abigail, Thelma, Alder

With so much going on, it is decided that the Bellweather Unit should split up. Well, better said, Tally decides to go to California, Scylla wants to stay with Edwin and see him home, and Abigail is going to take Alder to Fort Salem.

So, with everyone’s plans confirmed, Scylla finds herself being the only one not getting into more trouble as she takes Edwin home and gives him a chance to not only speak to Raelle but Willa! How? Well, for Raelle, it is through a mix of necromancy magic and Spree magic, but Willa quickly shuts their conversation down. However, thanks to Quill, Willa decides to meet with everyone face to face about Raelle and even has a moment with Edwin.

However, despite their time together, there is no resolution regarding Raelle and Scylla seeing her.

Meanwhile, In California – May, Tally

Tally’s return home seems to happen in no time, but unfortunately, things aren’t the same. California is being used as a testing ground for collars that would keep witches from doing their spell work, and the enforcement is quite disheartening.

Why? Because it isn’t just for adults, but children as well. Which is why Tally isn’t the most comfortable and happy about her mom pretending everything is okay, but, like many others, May has someone tracking her movements, so she is limited on what she can say or do when she feels someone unwelcomed is within earshot.

But the truth is, May is part of a rebel force, and with them, Tally burns burn down a government facility which not only housed records about witches but collars that, unlike the ones currently issued, don’t come off.

A Haven For Witches – Abigail, Penelope, Izadora, Alder, Petra, Silver, Kara, Alban, Anacostia,

After quite a few days, Anacostia is back at Fort Salem and unwilling to slow down, and with the arrival of both Abigail and Alder, it doesn’t seem like slowing down is an option. However, picking up the speed doesn’t make things any easier on Petra as M, The Marshall, and President Wade are still in the wind. Also, when Abigail meets Penelope and realizes she is alive, that brings a new level of complications.

However, the biggest issue is that, with the Cession not extraditing the Bellweather Unit, Kara sees this as a justification for war and to destroy the harmony the Cession has built. Which to add another level to things, Petra not only has to orchestrate but, per Alder, the Salem Accords bounds her through magic. So, Petra’s ambitions are increasingly biting her in the ass.

But, with Alder’s appearance comes renewed morale, Izadora wishing to join her in the Mycelium, and a short farewell to viewers. Mainly since it appears Alder, alongside Willa, have handled all the attempts to poison the Mycelium, and now they, and Raelle, can properly heal.

Things To Note

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. What type of work is on the Salem Accords to coerce Petra, and maybe witches in general, to act?
2. Considering Silver was talking about controlling witches at a multi-nation economic forum, should the witch prejudice be considered universal and not strictly amongst the Camarilla?
3. Does the Salem Accords just apply to American witches only? Do foreign witches not have the same problem?
4. Is the Cession the only nation or area in which witches hold senior, if not the executive role, in government?

What Could Happen Next

1. Overzealous cadets trying to become heroes and legends

Review

Highlights

Edwin’s Scenes

For most of the characters, they are so stuck in their archetypes that they seem robotic at times. Abigail is the flawed leader who is not a girl, not yet a woman. Scylla only talks about Raelle and occasionally drops reminders that there is more to her than missing her girlfriend. Overall, most characters feel very goal-oriented and rarely shine as individuals in the process of being part of a much larger story – with the exception of Tally, since she is the only character who has broken away from how we were introduced to her.

This is why Edwin is fresh air. While he is squarely Raelle’s dad and Willa’s husband, his sense of urgency, worry, and overall emotions doesn’t seem dialed in. Nothing about Edwin seems jaded, robotic, or another character on a hamster wheel. He isn’t a warrior who has long tamed their emotions, he is just a raw human being, who hasn’t experienced trauma similar to Adil and Khalida, but with being unbridled by expectations or an archetype, it seems there is an ability to explore.

A Taste Of California

One of the things which have always been boasted about the California in “Motherland: Fort Salem” is that it is largely a matriarchal society. Sadly, we don’t see that in full, but considering May and her unit destroying government records and a building and furthering the narrative of how women run all aspects of the world, be it the Cession, the Witch-side Military, and locally as well, we can only hope to see how things are run in California better.

Low Points

Kara Tries Her Best, But The Villains Still Come Off Too Campy – And It’s Getting Worse

While there are times where our heroes may feel like they lack complexity, the villains are far more worse. Originally, it seemed to be just a case of making men seem bland compared to the various women on the show. However, Kara proves that may not be the case. Simply put, “Motherland: Fort Salem” may not know how to craft credible villains who are on par, or even rival, their heroes?

Which could be due to the desire to want the villains to be cartoonish, especially since they are prejudice. However, while that point can be made, the show does suffer a bit for it.

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