'Motherland: Fort Salem' Episode 6 Review: Abigail, Raelle and Tally bond over sorrow after deadly Spree attack
Spoilers for 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Episode 6 'Up is Down'
Pain, grief and weakness are the highlights of 'Up is Down'. It is an episode that most predictably dealt with the aftermath of the violent Spree attack on the Bellweather that saw a few casualties. And as for the three main protagonists, each of them was scarred in different ways and the episode sheds light on their sorrow, which ultimately leads to them bond better. It is a sorry situation, but some of life's best lessons are learned when it hits hard enough. And for Abigail, Raelle and Tally, it has hit right where it hurts.
The focus is more on Abigail Bellweather (Ashley Nicole Williams) and Raelle Collar (Taylor Hickson) than Tally Craven (Jessica Sutton). The two of them have lost family, or at least one of them, as the end of the episode lets in on a secret. A bruised and battered Abigail has a huge dent in her self-confidence. To make matters worse, Petra learns the attacks by the Spree were well-directed towards the Bellweathers and despite the fightback, they seemed to have gained the first round by killing Charvel (Bernadette Beck).
So now Abigail has a bodyguard, Bridey (Naiah Cummins), who gives out a Nick Fury vibe. And this new character addition comes in at a crucial juncture as she plays a key role in teaching Abigail some life lessons worth knowing and incorporating.
Raelle, on her part, is devastated even if all her instincts scream that Scylla (Amalia Holm) is alive, there's no proof and she battles the emotions hard. It does lead her to take an immensely foolish but understandable decision to steal everyone's Salva and use it to fly across to the beach and watchtower hoping to find Scylla. It eventually ends with a heartening sight of the trio bond, perhaps this time to form a stronger unit.
Scylla is alive. Now that the rabbit's out of the hat, we can't help but see that there's something shady going on at Fort Salem because that's where Scylla is held captive. And interrogating her is General Sarah Alder (Lyne Renee). The other reason to doubt Alder is the fact that she looked to gain those long-lost Tarim spells by treating Adil's (Tony Giroux) sister but failed. It is revealed Adil's tribe is actually pacifists unwilling to let their magic be used to wage war.
That the episode offers little new information is understandable as it focusses on Raelle and Abigail. However, fans' doubts have been put to rest with Scylla's fate. 'Up is Down' may probably be the start of this unit training hard, training with a purpose, and training to kill. While at it, it is also the start of some of Alder's secrets that will soon be unraveled.
'Motherland: Fort Salem' airs Wednesdays 9 pm ET on Freeform.