Motherland: Fort Salem 2×04 Review: “Not Our Daughters”

Tensions rise between the army and the public as the recruitment of undiscovered witches ramps up in “Not Our Daughters.”

Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams) thankfully recovers quickly from her collapse at the end of “A Tiffany”, however, a larger threat looms for her and the rest of the witches in “Not Our Daughters”. The bulk of the current episode revolved around a public appearance of General Alder (Lyne Renee), and the rest of the main cast as security, in an effort to quell public protests over the Army’s newly created witch testing sites. The episode does a good job at showing how the general public feels about witches and how they are still ostracized in this society where they have always been prevalent.

This season has expanded beyond the confines of Fort Salem and has really added to the world of the series while continuing to escalate the conflicts between the various groups. This latest installment opens with a piece of military propaganda as Alder attempts to recruit potential witches into the army, and that coupled with the push back from protestors is a theme that resonates even in our world. In addition to emphasizing how disliked Alder and witches are among civilians, the protests provide an interesting social commentary on the real world as the Camarilla, seemingly with the help of stationed police officers, attacks the witches and protestors with the help of sound wave bombs.

It’s also clear that Alder’s influence is starting to wane in the army, with both Anacostia (Demetria Mckinney) and Petra (Catherine Lough Haggquist) going behind her back with their operation to have Anacostia infiltrate the Camarilla with Scylla (Amalia Holm) and standing up to Alder when confronted. In particular, it’s amazing to see Anacostia start to question her role in the army and push back against Alder’s unethical methods. With so many people beginning to confront and question Alder, it will be exciting to see what side of the conflict everyone ends up on as the season concludes.

Abigail is upset to find out that Adil (Tony Giroux) is leaving Fort Salem after their previous fight. It’s unfortunate that the two are at odds with each other, but hopefully, she and Adil will eventually be able to work things out. Abigail is also continuing to struggle with her lack of special abilities compared to Raelle (Taylor Hickson) and Tally (Jessica Sutton) and with the expectations of her continuing the Bellweather bloodline. Her storyline this season has been interesting but it’s unfortunate that she’s had the most difficult struggles this season compared to Raelle and Scylla. Still, it will be great to see where this path will lead and how she will overcome the challenges in front of her.

During the Camarilla’s attack on the protests, Abigail is lured into an empty parking lot with the voice of her dead cousin. While it’s understandable that she would be hopeful that her cousin was somehow still alive, she falls far too easily into the obvious trap. After escaping the trap with the help of her classmates, Abigail expresses her distrust of Alder in a frank conversation with Raelle and Tally. It’s impressive to see how much Abigail has grown since the start of the series and is on the way to forging her own identity.

Tally continues her research on the mysterious Nicte (Arlen Aguayo-Stewart) but comes up empty. She also continues her mentorship of Penelope (Mellany Barros), and her encouragement helps Penelope embrace her role as a witch. The episode ends with Tally, spurred by her conversation with Abigail and Raelle, confronting Alder about Nicte. Tally’s storyline this season has been interesting, and it will be exciting to finally receive clarity on who Nicte really is. It remains to be seen how Alder will react to the confrontation, but Tally’s bravery is admirable and exciting to watch.

This episode featured a tease of the highly anticipated reunion of Raelle and Scylla, as the two glimpse each other at the protest while Scylla works undercover with Anacostia in the crowd. Though the two former lovers don’t talk to each other, Scylla leaves behind an old photo of Raelle that she had previously taken from Willa’s (Diana Pavlovska) fridge. The full reunion between the two will most likely happen soon, and the additional revelation that Willa is both alive and a leader of the Spree will cause issues for both Raelle and her former relationship with Scylla. Regardless, the eventual Raelle and Scylla reunion remains highly anticipated and will hopefully live up to its promise.

“Not Our Daughters” featured many exciting moments while the depth of an already fascinating world continues to expand. As the conflict between the army, the Spree, the Camarilla, and the civilians of the world grow, it is clear that many of the characters are reconsidering their role in the army and it will be exciting to see where each of them will find themselves.

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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