Motherland: Fort Salem season 1 episode 4 review: Hail Beltane

This week on Motherland: Fort Salem, it’s Beltane and with the holiday comes love, sex, and secrets rising to the surface threatening carefully laid plans.

Last episode, the boys of the witches army descended on Fort Salem with rounds of applause as well as hoots and hollers from most of the ladies on base. This week, the purpose of their presence was expanded upon as Motherland: Fort Salem showed us how they do Beltane.

For our witches, Beltane is a symbol of life, joy, and sexuality as well as a means to charge their power. It is because of its sacredness that Alder forgoes General Bellweather’s suggestion that the festivities be cancelled as a precautionary action. Beltane is the only time witches across the world observe a cease fire, and Alder wants her soldiers to partake in its offerings.

Alder, however, doesn’t intend to be lax during the holiday. With Anacostia the head of security for the night, she moves forward with a plan to have all the mirrors on base checked. According to Bellweather, The Spree have been leaving behind a residue on mirrors they’ve been using to communicate with their operatives like Scylla’s dorm mirror for example.

Scylla’s secret

In fact, Scylla spent the entirety of “Hail Beltane” trying not to get caught. Anacostia and Bellweather don’t discovery her secret though if Bellweather had stuck by Scylla’s mirror just a few seconds more she’d have seen the ominous light blue balloon that’s The Spree’s calling card. But Scylla does nearly get caught between Raelle’s insistent questions about Porter’s death, and the awakening of his corpse which could reveal answers about his last moments.

Raelle has been having visions since she healed Porter. As revealed by Motherland: Fort Salem‘s showrunner, Eliot Laurence, what Raelle is experiencing is a phase called linking. When Raelle heals people there is a bond that is created, and it is through that bond that Raelle can receive memories from the person she healed. In Porter’s case, she gradually pieces together that Porter went to see Scylla the night he died, and she knows that he was afraid. Raelle is so disturbed by the visions that she confronts Scylla about what she’s seen.

Scylla, ever slippery, tries to maneuver around Raelle’s suspicions by stating that Porter was unwell and then turns the tables on Raelle by projecting offense at her accusations. The clock is ticking on whether or not Scylla will be able to keep her cover at Fort Salem. She managed to wiggle her way out of the repercussions of forcing Porter to commit suicide but only narrowly and if it weren’t for the help of an operative of The Spree, Scylla would have been caught.

Speaking of a fellow operative, Scylla’s feelings for Raelle are liable to get her into hot water with the terrorist group she’s fallen in with considering the last minutes of the episode consist of her getting choked for her sloppiness. She’s accused of bringing Raelle closer to her when her mission is to bring her closer to The Spree.

It’s sound accusation considering Scylla has spent more time getting to know Raelle and earning her trust than she has trying to influence her belief system and pushing her on radical positions concerning the military and the witches’ place in it. Though to be fair, Scylla has been kind of preoccupied pushing Raelle’s hair out of her face and taking her on dates in the various greenery on base and in Salem, so occasionally it may be slipping her mind that she’s a budding terrorist on a recruiting mission.

Beltane

Elsewhere during Beltane, the Bellweather unit are joining in on the reveling. Tally, who has her eye on Garrett, does end up losing her virginity to him after the reel which unites witches with their desired partners. Abigail enjoys a threesome with the boys who have been courting her, and Raelle ends up with a boy named Byron. Seeing as how the both of them are gay, it’s a match made in platonic heaven that finds the both of them jokingly moaning along with their fellow revelers and having a heart to heart.

Porter was Byron’s friend, and he respects and appreciates Raelle’s effort to save him. I’m not sure how likely Byron’s insistence that Porter wasn’t depressed and wouldn’t have killed himself will come up again but he does make a point of telling her and while the visions leave Raelle’s head by the morning after Beltane that doesn’t mean her memory of Porter has left along with them.

It seems the show is setting Raelle and Scylla up to come to some sort of defining character moment regarding their relationship. Raelle asked Byron a deeply personal question on what you’re supposed to do when you love someone, but they may have done something terrible. His answer is that you’re there for that person if they’re worth of it.

Based on the conversation between the girls in yet another beautiful garden setting, when push comes to shove that may be Raelle’s choice when it’s inevitably discovered that Scylla is a part of The Spree. The fireworks that will be on display when Raelle, and possibly her unit, find out the truth are threatening to be quite loud and bright considering Scylla told Raelle that she likes her and that she’s trying to overcome her instinct to be evasive in order to have something with Raelle.

Buckle up, witches, this ride is going to become even bumpier as we plot along through the increasing threat of The Spree, their infiltration into Fort Salem, and the growing tension among the witches as they continue to disagree on how to best move forward. Not to mention there’s a group of non-combative witches in Asia who Alder refuses to talk about with Bellweather despite those witches having seeds (as in vocal magic) no one has heard of in centuries.

At least our girls are getting along. Thanks to her bravery, Raelle has earned Abigail’s respect. Their unit’s performance, though not to the standards of General Bellweather, has caught the attention of those high in command, and their power is spiking the more they learn and work together. The Bellweather unit may prove to be formidable if they’re given time to grow but something tells me they won’t be given that time as The Spree loom large over everything happening in the witches’ world.

Until next time, witches! Stay safe and a blessing on all your houses.

How have you been liking Motherland: Fort Salem so far? Serve up your thoughts in the comments below!