Motherland: Fort Salem 2×09 Review: “Mother of All, Mother of None”

Secrets are revealed, the Army changes leadership, and war with the Camarilla is brewing in “Mother of All, Mother of None.”

The penultimate episode of Motherland: Fort Salem’s second season, “Mother of All, Mother of None,” was thrilling from start to finish. Nicte’s (Arlen Aguyao-Stewart) capture in “Delusional” sets the stage for a dramatic shake-up of the army and the start of a war with the Camarilla as secrets are revealed and characters step up to face the challenges ahead of them.

Tally (Jessica Sutton) and General Alder (Lyne Renee) are the biggest standouts of the episode, as Tally steps up to expose the truth behind Nicte’s decision to start the spree and Alder is forced to step down as the leader of the Army. Both Sutton and Renee shine as they deal with the Nicte and when Alder’s backstory is revealed.

With Nicte in custody, President Wade (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Vice President Silver (Victor Webster) visit Fort Salem to see the interrogation. However, Nicte will only speak to Tally, and Tally gets her to admit her reasons for creating the Spree as well as explain that the Spree kills a civilian for each witch that dies in combat. The latter revelation provides interesting depth to the Spree, though it seems unbelievable that nobody in the Army was able to pick up on how the two numbers of casualties consistently matched.

As the truth is revealed, President Wade confronts Alder and tells her that Petra (Catherine Lough Haggquist) will be placed in charge of the Army after Nicte’s execution. When Tally finds out that the truth of what Alder did with Nicte will remain hidden, she is determined to find a way to publicly expose everything. Seeing Tally rise up in this episode shows both the strength of her character and the growth she has gone through since the first season.

Thankfully, Tally has the support of Raelle (Taylor Hickson) and Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams). The friendship between the three is a highlight of the episode, from a light moment where they are hanging out and joking around with Anacostia (Demetria McKinney) to when Raelle and Abigail join Tally in confronting Alder at the end of “Mother of All, Mother of None”. It’s encouraging to see the three continue to support each other and put the fights caused by Nicte’s magic in the previous installment behind them.

As Tally deals with Nicte and Alder, Raelle discovers more about the Mycelium. The Mycelium appears in the form of her mother, Willa (Diana Pavlovska), and whisks her to a past vision of Alder finding everyone she loved burned at the stake by the Camarilla. Her song of grief is what created the Mycelium and Raelle’s abilities allow her to harness the power of the dead witches. The revelation about the Mycelium is interesting and seeing Alder’s backstory is heartbreaking. Renewed by the revelation, Raelle refuses the Army’s request to become a recruiting tool and is determined to join the fight against the Camarilla.

With her mother taking charge of the Army, Abigail argues that she should be allowed to lead the fight against the Camarilla. Her mother eventually agrees, and it will be great to see Abigail, Raelle, and Tally united against the Camarilla. On the other hand, Adil (Tony Giroux) is confronted by Khalida (Kylee Brown) about his decision to kill the Camarilla and go against the principles of their tribe. While Khalida’s position is somewhat understandable, it still seems to be a little unfair especially since he was fighting to rescue Raelle and the Camarilla tried to kill both him and Khalida earlier in the season.

After not getting to do much in the past two episodes, Anacostia gets some great moments in this one. She first reunites with the Bellweather unit and receives a much-deserved promotion to Head of Army Intelligence. In addition, Anacostia reunites with an old flame, Sterling (Luc Roderique), a witch who is now security for Vice President Silver. It will be interesting to see how Anacostia will settle into her new role, both in next week’s finale and potentially beyond.

Outside of Fort Salem, Scylla (Amalia Holm) bonds with Raelle’s father Edwin (Hrothgar Mathews), finds a dodger family for Tiffany (Ava Marchfelder), and flirts with Raelle over the phone. The biggest development is Scylla’s creation of a new ability with the help of a new bird friend. After showing Quinn (Sandra Ferens) that she is able to control the town square and force them to dance with each other, they determine that they can figure out a way to use it against the Camarilla. These moments were enjoyable, and it will be exciting to see how Scylla’s new abilities will help turn the tide in the war against the Camarilla.

The episode culminates in Nicte’s execution. Tally bravely steps in front of Nicte and challenges Alder to a duel. She tells everyone about what happened with Alder and Nicte and adds that they need to all band together to stop the Camarilla before Nicte is properly punished for her actions with the Spree. Raelle and Abigail step forward to support Tally, and surprisingly M (Ess Hodlmoser) and Gregorio (Praneet Akilla) join them as well. The five of them standing up to Alder is an epic moment and Alder’s forced to publicly step down in front of everyone.

Unfortunately, the moment of triumph is short-lived as “Mother of All, Mother of None” ends with the Camarilla launching an attack on Fort Salem, releasing the Witch Plague that Willa absorbed for Raelle back in “Irrevocable.” With the lives of everyone in Fort Salem now in jeopardy, the stage is set for a thrilling finale that will have the witches face off against the Camarilla.

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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