Motherland: Fort Salem Season 2/ Episode 4 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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As the Camarilla execute their first public attack, Tally finds herself tired of the politics and lies, just as much as Anacostia.

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Episode Title	Not Our Daughters
Aired	7/13/2021
Network	FreeForm
Directed By	Nimisha Mukerji
Written By	Bryan Q. Miller

Recap

So, Everyone Talks Back & Makes Decisions Now? – Adler, Petra, Anacostia

From all directions, people are undermining Adler. Petra and Anacostia have made it clear they know Adler is using puppet magic to get the results she wants, and with Petra working with Anacostia, without Adler knowing, it shows that people think General Adler doesn’t have to be aware of all that happens in her own army.

This, as you can imagine, makes Adler feel a bit insecure, so she tries to reassert control by pretty much co-signing all that was already in motion. Be it Anacostia’s mission, Petra handling the schools, couriers, and the Camarilla’s attempts to find young witches before they do, everything.

Parade Duty – Adler, Penelope, Tally, Raelle, Scylla, Anacostia, Abigail, Jack, Shane, Bonnie

With Adler’s mass testing effort beginning, so are protests, and to up the ante of protests, you have agitators like Shane and Bonnie. But, while they are helping to get the crowd riled up, Scylla and Anacostia are keeping an eye on Jack, standing off to the side, looking all kinds of suspicious – for good reason.

You see, the Camarilla planned not only to disturb the testing pilot but to also attack it! However, while Raelle is on Adler’s detail and Tally is supposed to protect Penelope, once more, the Camarilla draw Abigail away to try to take her voice. Thankfully, she is saved before they can do so, but this situation shows the Camarilla are bolder than ever, which makes them immensely dangerous.

Enough Is Enough – Tally, Abigail, Adler

Rather than acknowledge the Camarilla and potentially strike fear into witches, maybe even create a cause for Spree to form an alliance with the army, the Spree get blamed for the attack. Due to Adler doing this, many who know what happened aren’t happy, and considering this means Abigail’s attack being swept under the rug, her mother is certainly not happy.

However, Tally is the one who doesn’t just let this slide by. At this point, knowing the truth has become a burden and General Adler hiding the truth about the Esterbrook witches, and so much more, it has become too much. So, Tally storms into General Adler’s quarters and pressures her to talk about Nicte Batan.

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. What are the chances of someone being a whistleblower and General Adler being brought in on war crimes?

Review

Highlights

Tally Confronting Adler

Because we’re only getting bits and pieces, Tally’s story is a small part of the overall show, and her search for the truth has sputtered a bit. It does allow us into Adler’s background and further exploration of how she has done what she has to, but with the show’s imperative not being her downfall – yet – Tally’s investigation hasn’t really gone anywhere. So her confronting Adler seems to be about speeding things up or giving it that urgency it needs.

Adler Recognizing Her Power Continues To Slip

In season 1, the downfall of General Adler was one of the show’s top focuses as it showed domestically and internationally, her influence was waning. In the second season, due to the rise of the Camarilla, she has had to contend with an old threat rising from the ashes. This is alongside a President and Vice President with whom she has no favor and underlings who increasingly are prepping for when she is put to pasture.

Because of this, we often see Adler on the brink of what almost seems like tears at times, as she comes to realize she has dedicated her life and survival to this one thing, and without it, what will she have? Especially considering her mortality has continued thanks to her position of power and losing the army could potentially mean death.

On The Fence

They Could Do More With M

From their look to her attitude and position, M seems like the type of character who would have a prominent role if General Adler still held some sort of mystique and wasn’t overexposed. Add on their interest in Raelle, and I wouldn’t say they could become a love interest but definitely an influential force. Someone you could see getting killed off in a moment of glory or disappearing and not returning until the series’ final season as a treat to long-term fans.

Either way, we need and deserve more M.

Generally, Most Storylines Need A Punch Up

The Camarilla are the main focus of the season, and while we have Raelle with this new power, Tally dealing with an investigating Adler’s memories, and Abigail trying to figure ways to be valued beyond her DNA and uterus, a lot of these stories don’t pack much of a punch. Are they appropriate and fit into the show? Yes.

But Raelle getting mixed up with an ancient being who has specifically chosen her? Even when that was focused on and made a presentation of, it didn’t necessarily wow like it did in the season 1 finale. Tally may have learned General Adler sacrificed witches, potentially to maintain or earn her place in the army, but considering we’re getting minuscule pieces on Nicte’s story? At least, not enough to say she is fleshed out and someone we should care about, beyond her connection to Adler? Again, it’s like we’re missing something.

Then with Abigail, taking into consideration her situation is part of why the Spree exists? Never mind the larger conversation of how values we’d see as patriarchal are held so tightly in a matriarchal system? It almost gives you this Joss Whedon, performative feminism vibe. Where, yes, the women are strong, agile, and formidable, but what specifically women go through because of the society built by a dude, they don’t wish to go as deep into that as they can or should.

And mind you, I get balancing so many characters, stories, and trying to attract a diverse audience has to be difficult for a show which likely doesn’t have the smallest of budgets. But I don’t know if it is worst to see it crumbling under the weight of its own created expectations or just omitting certain topics, stories, and issues for the sake of having a tight ship and tunnel vision focus?