‘Motherland: Fort Salem’ Recap – ‘Delusional’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 208 of ‘Motherland: Fort Salem’.
​
It is definitely safe to say that last week’s episode of Motherland: Fort Salem, was quite satisfying in nature. Because at long last, all the posturing and delays and weird strategies that General Alder has been hiding behind, were cast aside by Abigail and Adil and Scylla and Willa and in doing so, they were able to save Raelle from the clutches of the Camarilla and take to the fight to them at last. Crippling their witch hunting operations in the process and destroying their base of operations and well… that sudden surge into action, definitely left all of us wondering if the Army was going to take their cues from this bold act and continue this offensive against their enemies. And it just so happens that last night’s episode of the series, wasted little time in informing us that the United States Witch Army was indeed ready to show its enemies who is in charge.
​
For in the opening moments of ‘Delusional’, Tally was informed by the General herself that she and her unit were going to terminate Nicte Batan with extreme prejudice and well, that didn’t quite sit right with Tally. Because she thought capturing Nicte would be a better choice because of the truth she carried and thankfully, General Bellweather agreed to the point where she asked Tally to capture instead of kill. But before the mission could get underway, there was some downtime we needed to see take place. Since spending a little time with Raelle and Abigail allowed for some loose plot threads to be taken care of. For Abigail worked to rectify Adil’s worries about committing to war and Raelle and Scylla were able to reconcile their past and their feelings and the pain that Raelle was going through regarding the fate of her mother.

But the instant Tally arrived, those softer moments ended and well, it’s a good thing that Raelle and the team and Scylla buried the hatchet. Because she came along to help the team navigate Nicte’s traps and had she not made peace with Raelle and the team, they likely would have perished. For Nicte had all kinds of horrible mind traps waiting for the team. The kind that put their worst fears and worries on display, to the point where they were ready to inadvertently commit self-harm to escape the horror of the moment. But Scylla was able to get each one of them to break free of the nightmare. Making it appears as though at last, they would be able to capture Nicte quickly and easily with her primary defenses down. But that was simply not the case since she had more surprises in store for these intrepid and brave soldiers. 

For she figured out a way to turn most of the team against one another, with Tally being the only exception to that rule and that led to quite the showdown whilst everyone else verbally and physically fought. One where Nicte was in fact, outmatched and at risk of capture because her magic was spread quite thin and well… that motivated her to do something quite bold. In that, she dropped her attack on the others and focused her magic squarely on Tally, allowing for her to use her Spree tricks to adopt Tally’s physical identity and make it appear as though Nicte was defeated in combat. A move that could have led to disaster upon the unit’s return to Fort Salem… had Raelle and Abigail failed to notice their friend wasn’t quite herself. But in the end, they were able to expose and properly capture Nicte and rescue Tally and well, who knows where this incredible twist will take us come next week.

Because clearly, there is now dissension in the ranks since Petra made the call to capture over kill, and of course… Nicte has all of Alder’s secrets buried in the depths of her mind and that could cause real trouble for the general. The kind that could in fact, lead to more division and strife if it comes out that Alder has performed some highly illegal acts. But while we wait to see what Nicte has to say, we can bask in another satisfying tale. One that really did a wonderful job of bringing together and resolving some long-standing storylines and most important of all, it finally let our trio of heroes shine as warriors for a change. Because it is important to see them grow as soldiers as well as people and now that this particular chapter has come to a close, it’s back to the waiting game as we count down the minutes to what should be another magnificent chapter in this dynamic series. Until next time.

---