Motherland: Fort Salem’s “City Drop” is one of the best episodes of TV I have ever watched and that’s the tea. From the character journeys to the action, everything was perfection in this episode. Even the angst was on point and made a girl want to break through the TV screen and protect her precious Bellweather squad. So without further ado, let’s dive into Motherland: Fort Salem’s “City Drop” where we discuss Raelle, Tally, Abigail, and more!
Raelle’s Realization and Stages of Grief
Denial. The first stage of grief and exactly what Raelle felt the moment she saw into Tally’s mind and realized that her friend had turned in her girlfriend. Denial with a side of betrayal because Tally had to be wrong, right? There’s no way that the love they shared, the bond that grew between them, no way was that fake.
Anger. It’s what fueled Raelle. What made her go so hard on City Drop. And what made her want to go and speak to Anacostia. Like seriously, she was fire, burning bright and hot with the shocking knowledge that her girlfriend was trapped somewhere because of a Spree accusation against her.
It’s what made her go out in the middle of the night, her anger blocking her actual common sense that this was a dangerous training. And if it wasn’t for that, she wouldn’t have met the soldier that Scylla pretended to be as a means of getting closer to Raelle. That’s when the doubts started to creep in.
Bargaining. Make no mistake, Raelle was angry during this stage, but she started questioning herself based on what she knew of the Spree and what was ACTUALLY going on around her. She listened to her team, took their words and actually listened, and came to the stunning realization that the woman she loved, tricked her.
Yes, Raelle still loves Scylla. There’s no doubt about that. But she now knows she was a mark, a plot to do something bigger and scarier and Raelle won’t get clear and concise answers until she confronts Scylla. Which, I hope happens soon because that fight with faux Scylla broke my heart and snapped into two.
Clarification, for those that think that Raelle went too far with faux Scylla. Raelle knew it wasn’t Scylla. Her girlfriend is locked away somewhere in Fort Salem and this person wearing her face was an enemy. So Raelle did her job and neutralized the threat, something any of us would do in the middle of that shit show of crazy.
As for the other stages of grief, depression and acceptance. Depression, Raelle will easily fall into that one. City Drop is over and they’re all reeling from the events on that highway and the revelation of Scylla being Spree. Now they have down time to process everything that happened and you know with thinking too much comes sadness and the hellish stage of depression before acceptance, except I don’t think she’ll hit the last one until she sees Scylla.
Because yes, Scylla is Spree. But there was hesitation in Scylla. She didn’t take Raelle where she was told. She stayed for the woman she loved. And that’s gotta count for something. Raelle knows it, Tally knows it, and Abigail knows it. Now it’s a matter of time, circumstance, or crazy planning to get these three some answers on what the hell is going on.
Tally’s Loyalty and Everything Else
Tally was the MVP of this episode. While being healed by Raelle, said healer saw Tally’s memories and went on the offensive, as anyone would, about what Tally had seen and what she had done. And to keep her composure like she did….girl, that was some badassery if I’ve ever seen some.
The mission at City Drop was absolutely important and Tally kept her head on straight while trying to assure Raelle that what she had done was to protect her. I don’t know if I could handle the weight of so much on my shoulders and Tally is an amazingly strong, resilient, and compassionate witch.
We’re proud of Tally for sticking to her guns, having her squads back, and being the kind of friend we’d all love to have by our sides. And I think because of Tally and her composure, they were all able to survive City Drop, the Spree “agents” they encountered in that high school, and the real mess that was the two trucks going to Boston.
Which…let’s talk about that.
At the beginning of this adventure I had Tally pegged as the straight laced follower of rules. I thought she was going to be the one who would do what she was ordered, no matter how crazy, without question because Fort Salem is her end all, be all. And technically she did follow orders when it came to those two trucks.
But there was something there, something more, and something that told Tally this was wrong. And I’ve got a feeling that that knowledge isn’t just going to disappear into the ether because it was “orders.” Tally will battle with this lie the General told everyone and come out stronger because of it. Because that’s what Tally does; she learns from things, catalogs them, and does things never expected of her.
Abigail’s Loss and Anger
Abigail had her own struggles and upheavals to deal with in “City Drop.” First of all, she had to learn that Raelle’s girlfriend is part of the same group of murderers who killed her cousin and her family at her own wedding. That’s enough to break a girl, twist her into bits, and leave her as an unrecognizable version of herself.
She had to deal with that pain, anger, and confusion in the middle of a final drill meant to get her ready for war college aka the ultimate goal after Fort Salem. And if it wasn’t for the things that Abigail is going through with her recent discovery, I think she would’ve been more centered and more in control of herself when it comes to these training exercises.
As the episode progressed you saw Abigail leaning on her Fort Salem soldiers. With a touch she had made up with Tally and Raelle, a united front once more, and she even managed to settle things with Libba after hating her for her whole life. That should’ve been the sign for me but I was foolishly brought into a false sense of security where I thought all would survive.
They did not. Libba died. And it broke Abigail.
Trust me, the whole hating thing was a HUGE FRONT. For so long Libba’s been by her side. They grew up together, knew the other better than anyone else, and challenged each other every step of the way. Libba was a mainstay of her life and Abigail can’t bear the thought of Libba not fighting to protect the world by her side.
Top that with the fact that Tally said there were human hostages in that truck and you’ve got an Abigail that is confused, heartbroken, and questioning if her frenemy really died with the honor Fort Salem wants them to believe. And with Raelle and Tally by her side, I think they can control anything that comes their way.
Motherland: Fort Salem airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Freeform.
