‘Motherland: Fort Salem’ Recap: ‘Mother Mycelium’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

At first glance, it would seem that the new Freeform series, Motherland: Fort Salem has done its best to shy away from any heavy social commentary on our modern world and it makes sense as to why. After all, this is a show about a world where a Witch Army just so happens to be the most powerful fighting force on Earth. And really, the only commentary present there is that America still has its appetite for war in this alternate world; regardless of who is leading the charge. But as it turns out, this series has been preparing to offer some serious commentary on war and America’s might for when the time is right and last night’s episode of this fascinating series, served as the perfect moment to bring it to the forefront of the story.
​
For ‘Mother Mycelium’ took the time to explore how others view the Witch Army, and in turn our own and this analysis turned out to be incredibly fascinating when all is said and done. For so many see the American War Machine as nothing more than a force of catastrophic nature, since the Witches leave great damage in their wake, something that Adil was eager to explain to Abigail while he waited for his sister to heal. And Scylla’s interrogation revealed that the Spree view the Witch Army as a roadblock for all of Witch kind to rule over everyday humans and all of this information truly resonated in familiar fashion, since there are so many people in everyday life, who see our fighting forces as a scourge or an obstacle to their respective goal.

But while that exploration alone would have been enough to carry this story, this episode also took the time to look at the flip side of all of that. Since there are also a great many people out there who view the Witch Army and our own forces, as legitimate liberators and saviors of nations that are in desperate need of help, and those respective concepts were explored by way of Abigail’s unit. Because she worked hard to show Adil that there are witches who want to make the world a better and safer place and there was no better way to prove this, than by having the finest healer in the corps help his sister, and thankfully, Raelle’s powers did just the truck and saved that young life from an unsettling illness. But despite Abigail’s best efforts to win this young man over, Adil and Khalida still had reservations, with good reason.

Which brings us to the most cerebral aspect of the night. For while the show was quick to present the pros and the cons of modern armies in an industrialized world, it also took the time to remind us of something that cannot be debated. In that, a war machine is just that, and once it gets rolling it cannot be stopped and that’s why Adil and Khalida were hesitant to share their songs since they would be weaponized for the war effort, and it is that effort that led to the most powerful sequence of the night. For Anacostia used Raelle and Scylla’s love to get the intel that she needed, speaking volumes to how far one side will go to win the war and while this will eventually bring about consequences, in the here and the now, it would seem that the war effort is about to take the fight to the Spree.

For all of these intrepid witches have been ordered to conduct their first combat drop and there’s strong implication that they’re headed to the Spree stronghold that Anacostia discovered, and sadly we will have to wait until next week to see if that is the case. But while we wait for that particular answer and the fallout of some bold actions, we can take a moment and continue to bask in the wonder of one incredible episode. For this one was filled to the brim with intelligent and thoughtful storytelling, and strong performances and surprises all around. Either way, it’s clear now that season one of this magnificent series is building toward something big, and it should be interesting to see how everything comes together as we close in on what should be an explosive season finale. Until next time.

---