Motherland: Fort Salem – Who’s the Real Enemy?

This Motherland: Fort Salem story contains spoilers.

The Motherland: Fort Salem storyline picks up where it left off at the conclusion of its season one finale “Witchbomb” as Abigail Bellweather and Raelle Collar struggle to rejoin the remainder of their unit, and Tally Craven suddenly finds herself one of General Alder’s biddies after saving the commander’s life. However, it’s the introduction of a second faction into the mix that complicates things for the witch army, and alliances and allegiances look to be severely tested during the ten episode sophomore offering.

While the season two premiere “Of the Blood” reunites Abby, Raelle, and Tally after their disappointing graduation ceremony, there’s no time to wallow in self pity after all three fail to land spots in the coveted War College. (Fortunately, the writers make everyone happy in the end with Anacostia’s delightfully executed reveal.) Though the Spree still pose an imminent threat to the country, and the Tarim seem reluctant to share their powerful songs lest they be exploited by the military,  new, dangerous forces enter the picture and resurrect an adage that promises to become a central element of the narrative. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. 

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But which faction constitutes the true enemy of the United States and by extension threatens its witch army? It was difficult to watch Scylla deceive Raelle, but once we learn that, not only is Raelle’s mother alive, she’s been working with Scylla the entire time, the potential for emotional blackmail rises incrementally. Whether Scylla possesses any real feelings for Raelle remains unclear, but her co-conspirator Willa Collar now finds herself in the middle of a plot thread that appears to indicate she’s willing to expose her daughter to untold dangers to further whatever end game she seeks. 

There’s no question Willa has a lot of explaining to do regarding her Spree connection, the soccer stadium event, and the fact that she appears to be manipulating her own daughter for her own purposes, but the resurgence of The Camarilla potentially poses a much greater risk to Alder and her troops. Thought to be long dormant after they were supposedly eliminated by General Alder, this group of ancient witch hunters now stands ready to take on the latest incarnation of the witch army. We’ve seen the power Raelle and Abby generate with their witchbomb, but at this point it’s unclear which side holds the advantage.

Now that a new Big Bad has entered the picture and appears intent on wiping out all witches, former soldier Willa Collar and Generals Bellweather and Alder appear fated to form an uneasy alliance. We know the Spree seeks to end the conscription of witches into the army, but the group’s attitude toward the witch army in general hasn’t been stated. Regardless, the Camarilla’s goal is to eliminate both witch factions, and the only reasonable solution appears to be for the army and the Spree to unite against their common foe. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

In addition to the witch army plot twist, Motherland: Fort Salem, which airs Tuesdays at 10:00 PM on Freeform, continues to follow our three young protagonists as they navigate the minefields naturally produced by army life but also the delicate tightrope they walk as they venture into the complexities of womanhood. Bring on college life!