Motherland: Fort Salem 2×03 Review: “A Tiffany”

Each member of the Bellweather unit wrestles with their newfound abilities and increased responsibilities in “A Tiffany.”

After the revelation of the source of Raelle’s (Taylor Hickson) newfound power in “Abomination,” Raelle, Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams), and Tally (Jessica Sutton) see their responsibilities increase in “A Tiffany.” As the three deal with their own abilities and problems, the bond between them remains the strongest part of the series. Seeing the three both tease and support each other is a highlight of the episode, even as each of them are on different paths.

With pressure from Izadora (Emilie Leclerc) during training to interact with the Mycelium, Raelle eventually uses a seed presented to her last season by Scylla (Amalia Holm) to sing a song and unlock the Mycelium, causing its tendrils to colonize her vocal cords. Having Scylla be the key to unlocking the Mycelium raises questions of whether Scylla has something to do with the Mycelium choosing Raelle and will make Raelle’s eventual reunion with Scylla even more interesting. After the Mycelium unlocks her abilities, Raelle becomes able to flawlessly speak mothertongue and destroy inorganic objects with her abilities.

General Alder (Lyne Renee) is excited by this power and has Raelle demonstrate it for a group of government officials. Raelle’s demonstration leaves a path of glowing mushrooms in the wake of the destruction, and it will be interesting to see how her powers continue to develop and how Raelle will respond to becoming a potential army weapon. Alder’s excitement over Raelle’s ability in addition to her mind-controlling of President Wade (Sheryl Lee Ralph) to get her to sign a new order allowing the army to search for previously unknown witches continues to show her ruthlessness and her unethical methods will continue to cause conflict.

Meanwhile, Tally continues to see more of Alder’s memories, this time seeing a confrontation between Alder and the mysterious Nicte (Arlen Aguayo-Stewart). Plenty of questions remain about Nicte and why Alder had her erased from the photo Tally saw in last week’s episode. It’s possible that Nicte may have ties to either the Spree or the Camarilla and hopefully, there will be some answers soon. In addition, Tally continues her mentoring of Penelope (Mellany Barros). With encouragement from Tally, Penelope is able to use her magic on command. It’s great to see Tally blossom into a strong witch and leader through both her abilities and her leadership.

The strongest storyline of the episode involves Abigail, who struggles with the expectation to enter an arranged marriage and continue the Bellweather bloodline. Frustrated with the expectations of the overbearing Imperatrix (Marci T. House), Abigail decides to try and master a form of weather control only previously used by her ancestor in an attempt to stop the war for good. It’s interesting to see Abigail starting to become disillusioned with the society she was brought up in and attempting to take control of her own destiny. Unfortunately, Abigail collapses in the attempt but it’s a relief that Adil (Tony Giroux) arrives to help her.

The introduction of the Imperatrix and her expectations of all three members of the Bellweather unit provides more insight into how the witch society works. Raelle immediately points out that she’s not interested in men, but the Imperatrix remains adamant that Raelle must continue her bloodline and informs her that her mother refused to follow tradition. The importance placed on pure blood and procreation over personal desire continues to paint a picture of how undesirable the world is for witches. It will be exciting to see how Abigail, Raelle, and Tally turn away from these traditions and shake up the world by forging their own path.

As the Bellweather unit struggles with traditions, Scylla and Anacostia (Demetria McKinney) continue their unlikely alliance by going undercover to investigate the Camarilla. Their partnership has been enjoyable to watch as the two argue over how to approach their mission. The two follow a member of the Camarilla, Jack (Thomas Nicholson) and discover that the Camarilla have been running their own tests to find undiscovered witches in schools. It is unknown what the Camarilla are doing with the discovered witches or what their overall plan is, but this revelation will likely cause problems for both the army and the Spree.

“A Tiffany” featured great moments for Raelle, Abigail, Tally, and the team-up of Scylla and Anacostia while expanding the world they inhabit. There are many questions remaining, and it will be interesting to see what will happen as the conflict with the Camarilla grows in this season and potentially beyond.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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