Each week, Joe (@bstolemyremote) and Terry (@gaylydreadful) review an episode of Freeform’s Motherland: Fort Salem, alternating between our respective sites — queerhorrormovies.com and gaylydreadful.com.

Spoilers follow for the finale, episode 10…

S01E10 “Witchbomb”: After Raelle, Abigail and tally graduate from basic training, Abigail becomes desperate to prove her unit belongs. Alder eyes the unit for a rescue mission. Anacostia and Scylla find common ground.

TERRY

I don’t know about you, Joe, but I have a sudden hankerin’ for mushrooms. We’ve made it to the finale of Motherland: Fort Salem Season 1 (and Season 2 was literally just announced!) and like the show itself “Witchbomb” both surprised and, well, did a lot of the things we’ve been expecting.

Time has been weird in this season and I had no idea that we were moving towards graduation so soon. But as General Alder (Lyne Renee) was congratulating the class and telling them to go outside to find out whether they were off to War College or joining their sisters on the front line, I knew immediately that our little Bellweather Unit wasn’t continuing their education. After Alder puppeted the president, we kind of suspected there would be a reprisal and sending the unit to the frontlines only felt natural.

Of course, Petra Bellweather (Catherine Lough Haggquist) cannot have the last of her line die in battle so she finagles the system the way rich families in power are able to, to get Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams) a solo seat at the college. And when Abigail, who’s finally showing some character, tells her mother that both Raelle (Taylor Hickson) and Tally (Jessica Sutton) are also the last of their lines, her mother responds: “Some matrilines are more important than others.”

Ouch.

I mean, given what we know about Petra, the statement makes sense. But still. Ouch. This further tears down the ideals Tally joined the military for, as she lashes out at Anacostia (Demetria McKinney). “The unit that, the unit this. Every single thing we fought for is a joke.” It’s just another betrayal in a line of betrayals that has eroded everything Tally believes she was fighting for, and it’s pretty sad to see her idealism turn to cynicism, however appropriate and realistic it is.

Anacostia, meanwhile, is also having a crisis of faith as she continues her chats with the imprisoned Scylla (Amalia Holm), sharing bits of her own personal familial loss. They share a common heartbreak tied to witchery, even if they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. Scylla’s family were Dodgers and when they finally surrendered, they were murdered by the military police to make a point.

Anacostia’s family were so by-the-books that when they were on icy roads, they had an accident and didn’t use any magic to save themselves since it’s Army law to only do magic on the base or in combat. Regardless of the mechanisms or reasons, both women lost their family because of the rules put in place. Or, as Scylla says, “They were wearing collars and chains and didn’t even know it.” And when Anacostia says that the Army became her chosen family, Scylla counters with, “Is a family that eats its young really a family?”

Lots of moral dilemmas, here, Joe. And that continues as we get to the main thrust of the story: the deployment to save the Tarim. But I’ll send that your way. What are your thoughts on this episode/finale? Did the deployment surprise you? What did you think of Alder’s candid campfire explanation of why she did what she did?

JOE

Yes, the Motherland finale truly did give us everything we expected, as well as a few unexpected tidbits to gnosh on, didn’t it?

Did I groan when our trio didn’t get into War College? Yes.

Did I anticipate that Tally would straight up challenge Alder about her crimes? Nope!

And then there’s that final shocking “reveal” that Raelle’s mother is still alive and leading the Spree...which I believe you and I clocked all the way back in week 1. 🤣

Look, we’ve spent a fair amount of time ragging on Motherland for steering into obvious YA tropes this season, but I was legitimately pleased to hear that the show was renewed for season two. For every silly or annoying narrative development the show introduces, there’s usually a genuine flash of creativity or unexpected delight that keeps me coming back.

Take this deployment to save the Tarim. After last week’s episode, I firmly believed that the stage was set for an Alder showdown, as well as confirmation that the Camarilla are the real enemies. I was right on both accounts, but not in the way it plays out. In “Witchbomb,” Alder remains a complicated adversary, but she’s not the Villain that (I and) the girls thought she was after she literally puppeted the President to grant herself absolute power. Tally says it best when she denounces Alder’s techniques to secure the Tarim as less than altruistic: the head witch is clearly in this for herself, but she also clearly believes that the ends justify her manipulative means.

For now, Motherland the show seems unwilling to choose a side. Both the Spree and the Camarilla are killers, but that doesn’t justify Alder’s decision to kill unarmed hostages and then lie about it on national TV. The girls point out that they weren’t ready for battle, but history supports Alder’s claim that they were ready (perhaps not for the emotional fall-out, but on the battlefield the three of them are more than capable of handling themselves).

These shades of grey is what makes Motherland enjoyable to watch as an adult and although I would have preferred more of an interrogation of Alder following last week’s big swings, I also appreciate that the finale is trying to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Graduation, a rescue mission and setting up at least two cliffhangers for next season. Still, I can’t help but feel that the surprise Camarilla attack outside of the Tarim cave feels a little too artificially shoe-horned in to ensure there’s some action in the finale; I would have been content to dig into the moral implications of the characters instead (though I recognize that that probably just makes me the old man in the room).

Still, it’s hard to quibble with the results, particularly on an affective level. I won’t lie: I was shook when Tally, after all of her verbal spars with Alder, volunteered to become a Biddy to save everyone’s life. Yes, a ton of that has to do with my enthusiasm for Jessica Sutton as the most likeable actress on the show, but credit should also go to series creator and episode writer Eliot Laurence. It’s a bold creative choice to strike the youth out of one of your three main characters! (Sidebar: I fully expect this to be reversed in the first episode of S2; Tally will be restored to youth and vitality as soon as Alder can suck dry another volunteer)

Throw in the weirdness of seeing Raelle and Abigail seemingly explode in a shower of the black webbing before wandering away into uncharted wilderness, hand-in-hand? These are genuinely exciting and unexpected developments that will hopefully embolden Motherland to explore new storytelling avenues when the show returns. What more can I ask for in a finale?

Terry, what are your thoughts on the big character moments in the climax? Would you have liked a slower pace to appreciate things like Raelle immediately healing that Tarim boy in the cave? Do you wish the Camarilla weren’t just regular looking folks in bandannas? And where do you think the show goes next?

TERRY

Oh gosh, Joe, I, too, was shook when Tally gave some of her life to save not only Alder’s but the entire strike force’s lives. You’re absolutely right that this will invariably get reversed in the opening of season two but still. Shocking! I was also surprised with Raelle immediately healing the Tarim boy, like you mentioned above. I had literally written in my notes “it’s not going to work” and then had to go back and quickly amend it with, “oh. I guess it did.” Surprised because, going back to the “Mother Mycelium” episode, it seemed to suggest that the mushroom growth in the Necro’s mausoleum that was still clinging to Raelle’s finger when she saved Khalida (Kylee Brown) was the healing force. Not Raelle.

That said, I also started thinking that maybe it still is the mushroom power and it was still, somehow, inside Raelle. You mentioned above the black explosion that emanated from Raelle and Abigail (awesome effect, by the way) and I immediately started referring to it as spores, not really thinking about it. But it’s intriguing because the next sequence has mushrooms growing wherever Abigail and Raelle walk. It’s almost as if the mushroom power (something I never thought I’d write once, let alone twice, but here we are) saved the two of them. This also coincides with the finale’s final image of Willa Collar (Diana Pavlovská) washing mushrooms in her little kitchen. I’m just saying there’s been too much mushroom talk for this to not mean something.

Unless these weren’t magical mushrooms and were instead “magic mushrooms” and this whole second half is one big trip.

As for the introduction of the Camarilla, they were...fine. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but a safari-cum-militia-looking group absolutely wasn’t it. Although, I will say that if there were ever going to be a group of individuals hunting women down to silence their power, it is a pretty appropriate image. One subtle thing I did notice was the voice boxes that the Camarilla was using and Alder’s declaration that they’re using “some twisted version” of their magic. Because if there’s one thing the series has quietly established, it’s the missing voice boxes from the murder spree of Bellweather witches.

These two facts combined means that I’m pretty sure those voice boxes hold the vocal cords they’ve been cutting out. And that’s another little bit of cool world building. Also? I was floored at the shot of Alder literally ripping a dude in half with her magic! Like showing Chantal’s torn throat earlier in the season, I appreciate the series’ effective use of gore.

As for where the narrative is going next, I appreciated the subtle little confused expression on Scylla’s face when Willa tells her, “You were supposed to bring my daughter.” It confirms that Scylla had absolutely no knowledge of the real reason she was sent. I’m guessing we’re going to learn more about Willa, why she’s with the Spree and, potentially, why she has such an axe to grind with Alder.

Otherwise, I don’t know, Joe! And I think that’s exciting. This season has been a bit all over the place as it tried to do a lot with little. I wish some of the characters felt like real people out of the gate (i.e., Abigail and Libba), and I wish that some things didn’t happen simply because the plot dictated it. But the mix of world-building, some strong performances and moments that subverted my expectations made this a show I’m genuinely glad you suggested we cover and excited to see where it will go. I give this season, as a whole, a B.

But over to you, Joe. Where do you think the show will go in S2? Do you think Anacostia following Scylla is another ruse to suss out the Spree? Or do you think that maybe she wants to join them? And what is your rating for this season?

JOE

Oh, I absolutely think that this was Anacostia’s plan all along. I feel silly for even considering that she was trying to understand Scylla, especially since everything that we know about Anacostia is that she is a by-the-books soldier (just like her parents).

With that said, it would be far more interesting from a character and narrative perspective if Anacostia does legitimately join the Spree, rather than simply try to infiltrate them or expose the location of the hideout. One of our big complaints this season has been that the character arcs have rarely strayed from the safe, predictable path (Abigail is the prime example and it also explains why she’s been our least favourite character). Motherland is so good at world-building and delivering occasional unexpected moments, but it could really stand to let its characters go off-book and evolve. Let’s hope Anacostia will be the one to do just that.

As for the other characters and their S2 arcs? It’s pretty unclear, isn’t it? Presumably a recovery effort will be mounted to find Abigail and Raelle, which might mean more screen time for Petra. Obviously everything will build to Raelle meeting up with not only Scylla, but also her mother. And one has to think that Alder’s duplicity will come to light and/or bite her in the ass.

For you and I, though, it’s really all about the mushrooms and the Necros, isn’t it? Lol.

Overall, I mostly agree with you: I give S1 of Motherland a B-. There is lots to praise, but even more opportunities to grow and expand. I really like this world and with Abigail and Raelle freed from the confines of the school, perhaps we’ll see even more of it when the show returns for S2.