REVIEW: ‘Motherland: Fort Salem,’ Episode 3 – “A Biddy’s Life”

Motherland: Fort Salem Episode 3, “A Biddy’s Life,” sets a standard for the series. In the previous episode, the trio and several other units travel to Salem Town for an annual witch celebration, but an unexpected disturbance throws the proceedings into chaos. Tally (Jessica Sutton), after a difficult conversation with her mother, wonders if she made the right choice to embark on a military career. After failing to convince General Alder (Lyne Renee) to grant her request to switch units, Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams) attempts to bury the hatchet with Raelle (Taylor Hickson). Raelle grows closer to Scylla (Amalia Holm), while the unit impresses Anacostia (Demetria McKinney) in their magic lessons.

In Motherland: Fort Salem Episode 3, several male witches, led by Witchfather (Nick E. Tarabay), arrive at Fort Salem for the Beltane festivities. This sparks feelings amongst many of the soldiers, including Tally and Gerit (Kai Bradbury). Tally takes attempts to make a big step in order to bond with Gerit. Someone from Scylla’s past confronts her, which puts Raelle on edge. To ease the situation, Scylla confides more personal details of her past to Raelle. Meanwhile, General Alder meets with the International Military Council of Witches to discuss a new crisis. As all of this is going on, the Spree makes another move against civilians.

I was beginning to wonder if I really was watching a Freeform show since there hasn’t been much development in romantic relationships besides Scylla and Raelle. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t oppose teen relationships in tv shows, but they can often be dramatized for the sake of their target audience. Male witches arriving at Fort Salem seemed like the obvious choice to add to that teen drama. However, it turned out to be so much more, especially for Tally’s character development. I have issues with a guy being the reason that she opens up more, but I’m glad that it helped. She was no longer just someone devoted to a cause; she became a regular teenager for a day. In the world she lives in, I can’t imagine there were too many days where she could feel like that. Tally was able to appreciate being with someone like Grit without any other complications, even if it was just for a limited time.

I shouldn’t be surprised by how fast the worldbuilding seems to be coming, but I am surprised by how spectacular it’s been. The first two episodes made it seem like all witch activity was happening in the U.S., but it’s great to see that witches are all over the world. Given that every country’s government works differently, it’s no surprise that witches from other parts of the world would have various viewpoints on several issues. These differences of opinion caused tension amongst the council and even led to people questioning General Alder’s leadership. I would love for the council to make more appearances as the military looks to make a grand move against the Spree.

Tally wasn’t the only character affected by the arrival of the male witches. More of Scylla’s past came to light as she was confronted by someone she knew. In last week’s episode, she revealed that she evaded the pledge to join the military alongside her parents. They were on the run but were eventually caught. This led to her parents being killed, and Scylla ultimately joined the one thing she had been running from her whole life. Confessing all of this to Raelle in this episode shows how close the two have become. What worries me is how her past will play into who she becomes once Scylla’s true identity is revealed. There are still seven episodes left this season, which will hopefully give the show enough time to lead up to this.

Motherland: Fort Salem Episode 3 added more details about the world the show’s set in, making it the best yet. Tally’s character development was great to see, especially since the other two episodes have mainly focused on Abigail and Raelle. The meeting with the council showed not only the challenges of differing viewpoints but also just how overwhelming it can be for Alder to be in charge of all witches. All of these various elements made this episode stand out from the rest in ways that I did not expect.

Motherland: Fort Salem is available now on VOD.