Motherland: Fort Salem: Season 3/ Episode 8 “Petra’s Favorite Pen” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
Desperate times lead to desperate measures, which means Petra, Abigail, and Tally do what must be done for the sake of witches as a race.
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Desperate times lead to desperate measures, which means Petra, Abigail, and Tally do what must be done for the sake of witches as a race.
| Aired (FreeForm) | 8/9/2022 |
| Director(s) | Jem Garrard |
| Writer(s) | Nicole Avenia, Tom Hanada |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Recap
Goodbye Again – Alder, Tally, Raelle, Abigail
No sooner than the Bellweather unit is reunited, Alder calls upon Tally to use her sight to find a steward, and they are off to Germany together. This is quite bittersweet for Raelle, and Abigail since being called upon has too often caused them to part from one another. But luckily for them, but not so much for Tally, the trip is relatively short.
Tally and Alder get to Germany, and the steward of the first song isn’t that fond of their arrival. They have been trapped in a cave, seemingly by their own powers, for centuries, and it is all because of the song. So, when Tally tries to get it from her, Tally is attacked, and there is an attempt to kill her.
But with Alder freeing Tally, there is an agreement with the still alive witch that for her song, Tally will give her sight. Sadly, no sooner than the exchange happens, the cave begins to collapse, and while Tally makes it out, Alder becomes stuck in the rubble. Though considering she doesn’t seem brought back to life the same way Raelle has, there may not be too much need to worry.
I Was Expecting A Show – Silver, Petra, Anacostia, Nicte
The war in the Cession not being a civil war amongst witches is upsetting to Silver and the Camarilla, but Petra really isn’t trying to wage some form of genocide. She is just trying to buy time for Anacostia to find the Marshall, but most importantly, President Wade and Nicte is the key to that.
The problem is, however, Nicte is still very much Spree and doesn’t want the status quo re-initiated if Wade comes back and the Camarilla are defeated. So an alliance is a complicated idea. But, considering The Marshall isn’t her favorite person, Nicte operates on a “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” notion. Even if she and Anacostia have the kind of relationship Abigail has with most people when they are as influential or more than she sees herself.
Enough Is Enough – Lupe, Petra, Sterling, Abigail, Raelle, Scylla, Adil, Tally, Silver
The women of the Bellweather family appear to be in sync, without saying a word to each other through work. Petra decides to rid herself of Silver’s lackey and have Sterling use Spree work to trick Silver into thinking the man is still alive. Meanwhile, after rescuing Scylla, Abigail and her unit watch Lupe and others die at the hand of the Camarilla. Lupe’s death triggers Abigail and her unit to decide to turn themselves in, and as they do so, Petra arrives to announce it on television. Thus ending the occupation of the Cession and leaving us with only one silver lining: Raelle proposing to Scylla.
Things To Note
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- So when they do that high pitch squeal work, is it about the frequency that decides whether it breaks your insides or just throws you back? Because Alder used it on Tally, and she was still conscious, but all but Lupe seemed to die instantly after being hit by the attack.
What Could Happen Next
- The Salem Accords being destroyed, or else the Spree will return to being a problem
Collected Quote(s)
What good is sight when there’s nothing to look forward to?
— Tally
Review
Highlights
A Reminder That The Spree Will Be An Issue If Status Quo Returns
Because Nicte was becoming Tally’s new idol and training her in Spree work, it was forgotten that Spree, while they shield defectors, are also a terrorist group. I’d even submit that their acts throughout season 1 completely eclipse any and all things we’ve seen out of the Camarilla thus far – including having leaders with personality.
Which is why the reminder that Nicte isn’t just some babysitter or mentor to Tally was necessary in this episode. Too often, there is this joining of similar sides for one goal, in this case, the army and Spree joining to deal with the threat of the Camarilla, with no resolution as to why the two sides had differences. As shown, the Salem Accords are tyrannical. They, alongside the limitations Silver has put on witches, would need to be appealed for there to be peace.
The only question is, what is more terrifying? Witches with absolute freedom or witches itching for rebellion?
Low Points
The Occupation Was Anti-Climatic
We’re not saying that we expected a notable amount of witches to die during the occupation. However, considering how gung-ho we saw the likes of Abigail when she was a cadet, it is fair to say that there should have been some overzealous cadets who had a “War is war” mindset. That isn’t to say we didn’t enjoy Lupe for her short stint this season but because she had a watered-down Tally vibe to her? It didn’t make her stand out and create the type of death scene that could be notable.
The Camarilla – Still
I don’t know what more can be said beyond them being a blight on this show, mainly because their leadership is borderline camp the way they are written and sometimes performed.
On The Fence
Knowing Alder Isn’t Really Dead
With the Mycelium providing an out for any witches death, it undercuts anything happening to Alder, Tally, Raelle, anyone. So while it is noble of Alder to sacrifice herself for Tally, watch her pop up again.
Raelle’s Proposal
When it comes to Raelle’s proposal, the issue for us is that their relationship has been under threat so much, that this felt less about love and more about desperation. Raelle needed something to latch onto for some form of hope during the trial to come, hence the engagement. So as much as you could love these two together, like many storylines and things that could have been done in season 3, the ball has been dropped for Raelle’s proposal.
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