Voodoo Dolls, Singing Fornicators, Seer’s Pets Come to Life – This Week’s Episode of “Salem” Saves a Life But Incriminates Another’s…
Hide your wives & hide your sheep, for Isaac the fornicator’s been set loose on Salem – although for an idiot he sure looks like a witch’s patsy. This week’s episode explored power plays between the leaders of Salem, as Mary exploits Hale’s weakness to demonstrate who’s Queen B of this town. Meanwhile, Cotton struggles with his witch-hunter side when Isaac is arrested and Gloriana challenges his methods of conviction, and John whips out his guns and musket to defend Isaac and Anne. With death-invoking dolls, mind-manipulating dirt and toad-induced vomit, episode 1×03 “In Vain” questioned loyalties and invoked confrontations. With the Grand Right still looming on the horizon, the town of Salem should beware. So – let’s jump into this episode shall we?
RELATED: Salem Episode 1×02 “The Stone Child” Review
Witch or Victim… Firstly, thank you Elizabeth Sarnoff & Tricia Small for showing us multiple sides of the town fornicator (whether he was controlled by a spell or not), and secondly, bravo to Iddo Goldberg for portraying Isaac’s contrasting characteristics so well in this episode. As a man whose private deeds were put on display for the whole town to see, it’s a wonder he hasn’t retaliated before now. But this episode wasn’t designed to rally us against Isaac (despite him trying to maul multiple prostitutes at once); only to garner sympathy towards him. When Mary spoke to Isaac about the loss of his Abby and we subsequently saw the tenderness he had towards his lost love (honestly Mary, was that kind? No. Stop tormenting people we like), there was a tangible shift in the way we view his character. He might be the town fornicator, but underneath he has a gentle soul which – like so many others – has fallen victim to Salem’s hypocrisy. This notion was only amplified when Isaac presented said prostitutes with a beautiful bunch of flowers to apologize. For who could hate a man who humbles himself so completely despite the shame which hangs around his head like a black cloud? No one. And even with Salem’s penchant for killing whoever it pleases, it’s a credit to the writers that they chose to keep Isaac alive… even if just for now. I can’t help but question his life status, especially with no evidence of a broken spell. Isaac is in a most precarious position (saved perhaps by his ‘idiot’ title as well as Mary’s affection for John) and temporary insanity or not, those pig-head visions won’t exactly disappear from memory. Let’s hope he keeps his nose out of trouble.
Mary: “Spectacle is fuel for our fire.”
Tituba: “And doubt is indulged by the rich and spoiled only.”
Everything I Do, I Do It For You… One of the best aspects of this episode was watching the power play develop between Magistrate Hale and Mary. Janet Montgomery and Xander Berkeley are rather juicy to watch when their characters are butting heads; especially when one defies the other and reacts to the outcome. I particularly loved the scene where Hale went down on one knee to beg for his daughter’s life: Mary with an exquisitely haughty look on her face and Hale’s desperation leaking through Xander’s voice. It’s brilliant to see a softer side to our villains; for not only does it make it harder to hate them but it assists in humanizing them. Their fight presented an interesting conundrum for future episodes, because while Mary thinks Hale has everything to lose and she has nothing, Mary’s feelings for John aren’t exactly subtle. What happens when Hale realizes Mary knew about John’s presence in the woods that night? How will he retaliate? And if he did, what kind of witchy power does Hale possess, if any? Rose (Mary’s confidante it seems) warned Mary not to underestimate Hale, and I feel like there’s a certain weight behind what she said. Anne might be bratty and annoying, but was it wise to go after a man’s child – one whom he vowed to do anything for? Stupid decision or not, I’m glad we saw another side to Tamzin Merchant as her character freaked at blackened irises and creepy-ass voodoo dolls. Anne hasn’t been an easy character to like, and while she has a long way to go before she wins my favor, I appreciated the fact she stood up to her father (and we were awarded with watching her choke on some of her silliness. No but seriously, I enjoyed that scene way too much). In any case, it’ll be great to see where the writers take us with Mary and Hale’s divided opinions on the town.
Mary: “You have everything left to lose. A sentiment that makes you vulnerable.”
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary… Oh Mary, you are a conflicted little thing aren’t you? I have to admire the way Janet’s character has been scripted: in one sense, you almost loathe Mary for sacrificing innocents as a way to gain power. But in another, you pity her for the circumstances which brought her to this place. It’s a testament to Janet, however, that we can feel sadness towards Mary while feeling equally repulsed: how she can go from earnestly warning John about Salem to crooning over her toad as it settles in George’s belly. It was interesting to hear Mary question her choices; obviously she still cares but those feelings are just buried deep within her soul and they only broach the surface when John is around (or his safety is in question). It seems that if those feelings were to arise fully, then Tituba would be there to squash them. Obviously the Grand Right is the witch’s number one priority (Next Victim: Beware), but could Mary change the course of their plan if she so decided? Or would the Elders simply eliminate her? Her humanity aside, I loved watching Mary go all “wingardium leviosa” on her bed. White irises are undoubtedly disturbing (let’s just close your eyes while you seek to control and manipulate ok?), and the act only added to Mary’s depravity. Similarly, when Mary declared “The magistrate will learn who leads us and he will accept it” while simultaneously feeding a mouse to a snake, she was upping the sinister factor. Heathens, I feel we have a lot more to look forward to where Mary is concerned.
John: “There’s nothing left in you. No feelings, no heart. You’re not the girl I once knew.”
I have to say, I’m impressed by Salem’s steady rise to excellence. Writers Elizabeth Sarnoff and Tricia Small penned an episode with tangible high’s, low’s and promising character development amidst Salem’s recognizable insanity. While some of our characters fell to the wayside in light of Isaac, Anne, Mary and Hale’s troubling acts, it wasn’t so detrimental that we mourned their absence. Granted, a spout or two by Cotton Mather wouldn’t have gone to waste, but focusing on said characters allowed us to see greater depth to them – a fact that assisted in the episode’s overall appeal. In a way, I enjoyed this episode more than last week’s because it combined character development and horror without one overpowering the other. It was like the disturbed came out to play but we could shut them in another room for a brief reprieve. Alex Zakrzewski’s directing was exceptional; especially where Isaac was concerned. By letting us peer through the kidnapper’s sack, we were transported into Isaac’s shoes and thus, felt his fear more acutely when the decrepit shoved dirt down his throat. There was similar directing genius when John was in the seer’s cabin and the dead animals rose to life whenever he turned his back. While there’s still potential for the viewer to lose interest if the plot is ever compromised by an excessive amount of cliché violence or witchy knick-knacks, as a whole this episode remained entertaining, nail-biting and – of course – creepy. I look forward to next week!
Questions, Comments, Concerns…
ISAAC CANNOT DIE WE LOVE HIM. #ThatIsAll
Even if that doll didn’t look like a pubescent Chucky, I’d be tossing that creepfest out the door quicker than you could say “Voodoo.”
Number 1 way to kill a man’s boner? Mention his dad. Seriously Gloriana, you didn’t have to ruin his buzz like that.
Speaking of cock-blockers, Mary and Cotton totally ruined Anne’s sexy dream about John. Guys, you weren’t invited. Wait until next time, capiche?
Anyone else completely forget about Mama Hale? I felt kinda bad about saying “Who the hell is that?” when the camera panned to her at the dining table. Oops.
Okay, someone has to say it – how on earth was Cotton’s hankie SO FREAKING WHITE? Are you using bleach from some non-existent laundry service? 17th CENTURY PEOPLE. That was way too obvious.
What was Mary knitting? It looked like baby booties… :O
I didn’t think George had the motor functions (or should I say frogless freedom) to stab a poker into his leg? Oh well, I just hope you have a plan Georgie Porgie.
Petrus? Ordinary? Yeah, if someone who keeps dead-but-not-really-dead animals in their house is considered ordinary. Only in Salem people.
Anyone else thinking Rose has got to be part of Salem’s “Elders” Hale mentioned last week?
Now that we’ve learned more about Isaac and Hale, I’m keen to learn more about Tituba. She’s all sly and susspect and I want to know why.
Basically I’m never letting my future child eat dirt ever, else they end up controlled by some power-hungry she-witch. No. Just no.
Are we still loving the series?! Yay or nay?
Salem Episode 1×04 “Survivors” airs Sunday 11 MAY at 10/9c on WGN America
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