Motherland: Fort Salem’s “Up is Down” gave us the aftermath of the Bellweather wedding/disaster and dear lord was it a mess and a half! Raelle is climbing the walls trying to find Scylla. Which, who wouldn’t? Tally is broken because she wants to tell her friend about what she knows when it comes to the young witch. I wouldn’t know what to do either. And Abigail is hanging on by a thread, showing us a new side of the witch. All in all, “Up is Down” was a strong episode that showed how powerful love, loss, and secret truly are.
Watching Raelle Mourn Scylla
Raelle broke our hearts in “Up is Down.” First off, she was looking for Scylla non-stop. She was angry, impatient, and desperate to find the young woman that she has fallen in love with. And who can blame her? Everything was so crazy during the Bellweather wedding/disaster that I’d be at the end of my rope looking for my boo too.
Her investigations ended up bringing her to the answer she totally didn’t want: Scylla is dead. Now, we know that she’s not dead because of storytelling and because we saw the ending. But watching Raelle mourn Scylla, it hurt. This is a young woman who doesn’t have many connections with people and here she is losing the love of her life.
And this isn’t me throwing big words out there with no regard for the reality of Motherland: Fort Salem. This is me stating facts. Raelle is a young woman who, according to what we know, has never felt the way she feels for Scylla. And to have that connection, that person, ripped away from her has left her raw, angry, and so desperately sad because she considers Scylla the one.
Where we go from here, I have no idea. Raelle is a young witch, convinced that her boo is alive because of that palm message without knowing the reality of the kind of person Scylla truly is. She will fight for Scylla, tooth and nail, that’s a fact. But what she does when she finds out her first love is Spree, well…that will truly define the kind of person that Raelle is and what she’s willing to fight for.
Tally and Her Big Heart
Back when this all started I thought I knew who Tally would be. Initially she was the follower; so desperately affixed to the idea of war and being a witch that I thought she would have a witch of a one track mind. A mind that only saw rules, following them, and enforcing them upon others. I’m glad that I was so utterly wrong.
Tally is a caregiver. And it was with awe and great respect that I watched her struggle with the knowledge that Scylla is Spree. Because yes, this is bigger than her and everyone at Fort Salem. And she understands that the Spree are a dangerous foe while understanding that her friend Raelle is struggling with the disappearance of her love.
And before anyone comes on here and says that Tally is a bad friend, she’s not. She’s the best kind of friend that you can have. She’s the one that looks after you and has your back even when you don’t know it. And I’m proud of her for how she dealt with everything when it came to Scylla and Raelle because there was love in and loyalty in all of her decisions.
I have no idea what’s to come next, but no matter what, Tally is the kind of witch you’d be lucky to have by your side, no matter what. So, bring it on Spree and angst. Tally has Raelle and Abigail’s back and she’s a force to be reckoned with, no doubt about that.
Getting to Know Abigail Better
I’ve come to appreciate and love Abigail in “Up is Down” in a way that I haven’t before. Sure the badass fight of last episode left me screaming at the badassery on my screen, but it was this episode that left me feeling like I’ve seen the entirety of who Abigail is. Why? Because we got to see her being vulnerable.
Abigail showed her soft and tender underbelly and came out better because of it when Raelle and Tally had her back. And yes, it felt a little weird to Abigail. She’s not used to being vulnerable. But I think she was really touched by the care, trust, and understanding from her sisters and unit.
This soldier is forever changed because of what happened to her cousin. But she is even more changed because of the way that the ones around her supported her. That’s why she was able to go and find Raelle when she was in pain and mourning despite Abigail working through her own pain. She has found her strength in her team and Abigail will forever be changed because of it.
And we’re proud of her.
Hell, we’re ecstatic.
Now, let’s see where they go from here and how they conquer the darkness coming for them all.
Motherland: Fort Salem airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Freeform.
