Last year, Motherland: Fort Salem was a sneaky queer surprise from Freeform. The premise was simple: What if the witches won the Salem Witch Trials? Like the best alt-history type stories, it’s one simple catalyst that makes monumental, world changing events. If the witches won, and survived, they would excel and lead. The entire face of the earth was changed into a matrilineal warrior woman society.
Season two will air next Tuesday, June 22nd, on Freeform.
Season two is a solid beginning for the journey into the deeper mythos of the world of Motherland: Fort Salem. Questions will be answered and more will take their place as the witches face their greatest, most ancient foes.
How We Got Here
Back in season one, we followed Raelle and Abigail and Tally as the three wildly different women became a cohesive unit. By the end of the season, they’d graduated and were deployed. Their first mission looked like it was about to be their last, when Raelle went down Abigail appeared to be willing to give up her life for the shitbird, while Tally was giving herself over to being a Biddy to save Alder.
As we learned, the ancient threat of the Camarilla, whom Alder thought she had destroyed, were back. They were stealing vocal chords from witches (including a lot of Abigail’s extended family) and then somehow using them to power weapons! Everything was looking lost. Raelle was stabbed and dying, Abigail was giving her life, Tally had (effectively) given her own.
But out of nowhere, Raelle and Abigail created an explosion. A Witchbomb, as it were, that erupted, destroyed the Camarilla who were about to kill them all. The two were about to die and then suddenly they were healthy, healed, and in possession of new, strange, power.
And if that wasn’t enough? Raelle’s mom is alive and oh yeah, she’s the head of the Spree. Dun dun dun!
And Season Two?
My burning question was about Biddy Tally, how long will she stay a Biddy? What is it like being a Biddy? Do they really hear Alder’s thoughts? The good news is by the end of the first episode, “Of The Blood,” I had all the answers I wanted, and then picked up some more questions. A lot more questions. I have a lot more thoughts about what other parts of history changed, and what the implications of those changes, but also how did all this change.
I still have questions about that weird mystery mycelium wall. You know the one that Raelle touched and it did a weird thing to her hand? And now she has extra powers? There are even more questions when you learn more about the Spree and what happened to make them who they were.
Which of course means I have a lot more questions about the Spree, which the reveal of Willa Collar being alive and their leader has some impressive ramifications for Scylla. It’s time for Scylla to learn the truth about who she’s joined and why, and what they fully stand for.
Finally the Camarilla. They’re back, and neither Spree nor the witches of Fort Salem have any lost love for them, and that makes sense. After all, the Camarilla wants all witches dead, while the Spree really want just a different system of government.
We also have some new questions, like what about lost witches? The witchline being matrilineal means that by tracking mothers and daughters, they have always been able to monitor and find new witches. But there are always people who get lost. What happens if there are more than just one or two?
Season two is a go from the start, a no holds barred journey into their greatest foes, with complicated choices that aren’t always right or wrong.
Watch On Tuesday the 22nd
If you were holding off on season one, there’s just enough time to catch up before the second season drops next Tuesday. Motherland remains the twisted, slightly campy, adventure with queer witches that we didn’t know we needed, but we very much do.
