Motherland: Fort Salem IS the next big show that you should be watching. Not just during this quarantine either. You should be watching Motherland: Fort Salem because of it’s power, diversity, and inclusion when it comes to queer relationships. That’s why I’ve put together a spoiler free set of reasons why you should be watching this Freeform show.
Now, some things on this list of reasons why you should be watching might feel like I’m toeing the line of spoiler free territory, but anything they give you in the trailers is fair game in my book. So, let’s dive into 5 spoiler free reasons you should be watching Motherland: Fort Salem!
1. Witches Here, Witches There, Witches Everywhere
I might be a bit biased when it comes to this witch story because I love witches. Every time they become part of a story, there is some badass world building that changes the story for this particular medium. And it’s true for Motherland: Fort Salem. These witches are powerhouses of energy, sisterhood, and honor that fight for the American people, even when they don’t want the help of witches. These young women are there. They’re there with their voices, their spells, their talismans. They’re there to make the world a better place and I can’t wait until Motherland: Fort Salem explores witch kind outside the doors of Fort Salem.
2. It’s Gay AF
Raylla, the ship name for Raelle and Scylla, is the relationship front and center when it comes to Motherland: Fort Salem. There’s no holding back or tip toeing around the fact that they are two women falling for each other. Freeform goes all the way and makes sure that Motherland: Fort Salem treats their queer couple with as much respect as possible while making it realistic AF. By this I mean, sexy times. They don’t hold back or cut to a train entering a tunnel. They make out, they go at it, and they seek pleasure from each other without it looking like it’s their for the male gaze. Which, love it and can’t wait to see more of it when Motherland: Fort Salem returns for season 2!
3. Stars All Sorts of Women
Motherland: Fort Salem has no time for a bland cast of different kinds of beige. This cast has plenty women of color in positions of power that help shift, change, and grow the storyline that we are seeing come to life before our very own eyes. What that does is make it easy for the viewer to connect with the variety of women on screen. My favorite woman of color is Abigail Bellweather. She comes from a long life of women of color who were battle born badass witches that changed the world for the better. And just seeing that, knowing the power and influence these women of color have, it’s invigorating and the kind of TV I need more of.
4. It’s Action Packed
From the very start, these young women are trained to be lethal killing machines that know how to access their power. And oh, they are are powerful AF. With the use of their voices they are able to defend themselves and take down the craziest foe that comes their way aka the Spree. Because of this conflict between witches, there is action left and right when it comes to Motherland: Fort Salem. Sometimes the action is based on training that each witch must go through and other times it’s action packed sequences where taking down their enemies is key to the survival of witch kind and human kind.
5. World Like None You’ve Seen Before
Eliot Laurence and the rest of the team at Motherland: Fort Salem have created a world like none you’ve seen before. Sure, some things feel familiar to our world; TV’s, prejudice, and technology that clearly shows it’s based on our world. But that’s where the similarities stop. Because Laurence has tweeted key historical events to create a world that knows about witches, sees them as champions of war (well, most of them do), and unshakeable pieces of the U.S. Army. Because of that, you have a world that feels familiar but isn’t when you look closely.
Motherland: Fort Salem will be returning for a season 2 on Freeform.
