Previously on Freeform’s Motherland: Fort Salem, we were destroyed by Raelle and Scylla’s painful and brief reunion. This episode hits us with all sorts of emotions as the units conduct their first City Drop, everyone is tested in some way. ‘Citydrop’ was written by Eli Edelson and Joy Kecken, and directed by David Grossman. Here’s what happened!
Dropping In | The episode begins right where the last one left off, with salva induced flight. The cadets and are off, only Tally (Jessica Sutton) didn’t land too gracefully and broke her ankle. Raelle (Taylor Hickson) being the brilliant fixer she is goes to help her friend, but when they link to heal Raelle sees the secret Tally has been keeping from her about Scylla and she is FURIOUS. Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams) doesn’t know what’s going on with her unit, but she knows they need to focus if they want to pass and get into War College.
Anacostia (Demetria McKinney) gathers the units and tells them what they are to expect over the next two days. Then they are given their first assignment, clear their assigned street of mines and meet at a rendezvous point, they have one hour. Abigail and Libba (Sarah Yarkin) sass each other before heading off with their respective units.
When they get to their street, Abigail goes off leaving Tally and Raelle together, arguing over what happened with Scylla. Raelle refuses to believe Scylla was sent there to target her, no matter what she saw when she linked with Tally. Raelle ends up pushing Tally into a car, setting off a spell that gives them a form of plague. Then they meet with the rest of the units where they’ll rest for the night, in an empty pool.
Abigail finally confronts her unit to find out what’s going on and Tally tells her what happened. Abigail is furious that Raelle brought a Spree to her cousins wedding, but Raelle continues to defend Scylla. When everyone goes to bed, Raelle leaves. Tally and Abigail know they have to follow her.
Only they can’t find Raelle and instead come across a group of officers posing as Spree that they have to fight off. They do a good job until Abigail gets hit with some PTSD and goes a little too hard on one officers face. They are found and brought back to the rest of the group.
Raelle comes across Helen Graves (Camille Hollett-French), the Lieutenant Scylla impersonated several episodes back doing guard duty with Raelle. The real Lt. Graves has never met Raelle and is very confused that Raelle thinks they’ve met. Graves sends her back to the group.
The Bellweather unit gets scolded in front of the whole group for Abigail going overboard, it’s obvious Abi’s on the verge of tears hearing this.
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Their Next Mission | The units are given their next mission, search a nearby high school for “Spree” and disabling mines. Before heading into the school Libba gives Abigail some half-decent advice. Once inside, the Bellweather unit continues to argue about Scylla and her true reasons for being at the wedding. Abigail goes into a classroom on her own and approaches a closed door that’s rattling.
As soon as Abigail touches the door, the “Spree” inside comes out and it’s time to fight, but she doesn’t have backup. Suddenly Libba and her unit is in the classroom helping her out. I can’t believe Abigail and Libba are actually getting along! Though it does make me a bit nervous. When Raelle sees Tally being attacked in a classroom she rushes to her aid even though she’s mad at her.
Raelle finally concedes to the truth about Scylla when Anacostia and Graves tell her about the Spree face-stealing trick, and she is completely devastated.
The Armory | Back at Fort Salem, Alder (Lyne Renee) and other generals are scrying their people at the building from Scylla’s memory. Once it’s confirmed that the sixth floor is a secret armory, Alder gives the order to attack it. But when the Army gets close the whole building explodes, killing witches and civilians. Alder and her team track down the trucks that left the armory before it exploded and realize they’re headed towards the airport. What’s even worse, the only people close enough to stop it are our cadets participating in citydrop, who have yet to complete their basic training. Alder is confident in their abilities and contacts Anacostia and tells her what’s up.
Go Time | Anacostia gathers the cadets and tells them what’s happening, that it’s time for them to use what they’re learned to fight the Spree. In the helicopter on the way there Abigail and Libba share another nice moment, the Bellweather unit are good again, and Anacostia tells Raelle she was targeted by the Spree because she’s strong. Then they salva up and drop down on the road in front of the Spree trucks.
They take out the first truck no problem, but the driver flees so Raelle goes after her. The driver uses Scylla’s face to try to convince Raelle it’s really Scylla, but Raelle fights anyway. Once the driver is unconscious the illusion ends and Raelle sees it wasn’t really Scylla.
Tally can use her seer ability to see inside the other truck, and the Spree inside are arming the bombs. But Tally can also see that there are civilian hostages inside. Anacostia relays this info to Alder, but Alder tells her there are no hostages and to destroy it. Anacostia follows orders and makes the units destroy the armed truck, but Tally doesn’t participate. The explosion is huge and too strong for them to hold back, they’re hit.
Fallen Soldier | Abigail wakes up on a chopper with Anacostia beside her. She learns that her unit is safe, but that Libba has died. Abi doesn’t want to believe it, Anacostia has to pull her off of Libba’s body to stop her from trying to wake her up. As if she hasn’t dealt with enough already, now Abigail has to deal with the loss of her frenemy.
Back in their barracks, Tally tells her unit about the civilian hostages and her exchange with Anacostia. Raelle believes her, but Abigail is skeptical that Alder would have them kill civilians. Later when she’s alone, Adil (Tony Giroux) comes to visit and comfort Abigail. She’s starting to understand his worldview now.
The Statement | General Alder makes a televised statement about the days event. But she tells the public that the Spree did indeed have hostages, but that they killed the hostages, not the cadets. Now the Bellweather unit and Anacostia know Alder is lying.
Catch Motherland: Fort Salem Wednesday nights at 9pm on Freeform!