Last week left a lot up in the air for the townspeople of Salem, but let this be the episode we always remember as the one where the girls played “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.” It had to happen at some point, right?
Now that Increase Mather has been able to retrieve George Sibly from the woods, George could wake at any moment and tell everyone the tale of how his witch wife put a toad in his belly and cast a spell of silence over him. No one is having a more stressful day than Mary-and it’s only about to get worse. But there’s no one working harder right now than Increase, who comes to the realization that Mab is dead, though he’ll hang her in front of everyone anyway and make them believe otherwise. If it weren’t for George, or the end of the brothel, or townsgirl Emily’s drunk father getting out of jail, the witches might be able to concentrate their efforts on killing Increase, but there are clearly smaller fish to fry first.
There’s also the matter of Increase making nice with Isaac, if only to get what he wants. He tries giving him a big old speech, much like the ones he keeps giving Cotton-gross patriarchal heroic tales of what their futures could look like, if only they listen to dear Increase. He also asks that Isaac watch over George and let him know when he wakes. Oh, Isaac-don’t become another one of Increase’s puppets. I get it though-what else is Isaac supposed to do in Salem right now? Cotton is getting drunk at the bar, per usual, and John Alden is shirtless and showing a “young man” how to chop wood in half. Boring. Things aren’t looking so boring when Anne Hale offers John Alden a sip of apple water – we all know she has the hots for him. A very shocked and confused looking Mary happens to be walking by as this happens, though this is pretty much her only facial expression these days.
Tituba shows Mercy her “familiar,” a huge ass tarantula that feeds on the back of her neck. And that’s her first mistake. Mercy asks when she’ll get her “familiar” and Tituba tells her it will find her. But then they get into a major scuffle because Mercy says she can help Mary, and Tituba is offended that Mercy can so much as lift a broomstick. Hmm, broomsticks…
Mary isn’t home right now to be doting over Mercy’s every last Witch 101 question; she’s out in the woods visiting with two of the old crones, who basically tell her she should be killed for all the chaos she’s manifested. Mary tries giving them the Mallum, but they tell her take it back, because they have no use for her “trinkets.” They can still control her-duh! Look at their witches’ cauldron. It’s bubbling with control!
It’s kind of a sad day around Salem. Cotton pays a visit to the now defunct brothel where Mab’s office is forever empty and the girls quietly tidy Gloriana’s old bedroom. It’s one of those hard-to-imagine moments, because today we have Facebook, but back then, when someone was banned from their town, they simply disappeared and you couldn’t like their check-in at Chipotle.
I never thought I’d say this, but I actually like Cotton now, much like I decided to soften for Anne. The unlikable characters have become redeemable, which makes me really nervous about the likable one-like Mercy. She has it out for Anne. She’s clearly aching to mess with those ginger locks.
In the final scene, Isaac pours George a “physic” pain elixir that he retrieved from Mary. Increase storms in and starts attacking Isaac and accusing him of poisoning George, that is, until we realize why those girls in the woods are playing “Light as Feather” to begin with. Mercy, at the helm of the game, is casting a spell to release Tituba’s familiar into George. Holy. Shit. The spider spins down on its web from the rafters and does just that. When Isaac escapes, Increase notices George waking up, but inside his mouth is a golden web, and surprise-he still can’t speak!
Outside of the Sibly house, Increase summons Mary to come outside (with Tituba and Mercy at her side) and the entire town watching on. Just as Increase is about to search the Sibly house, despite Mary gulping down the remainder of the physic, Mercy tells Increase that she saw Tituba letting a spider feed on her-that must be the connection to George’s web-shut mouth. Tituba is arrested for withcraft and Mary looks as horrified as ever. Hashtag, Mary’s face, should be a thing. This begs some questions about the townsgirls being under Mercy’s influence and how they viciously killed Emily’s father. Murder is all the rage in Salem, and one by one, each death fulfills more of the Grand Rite.
See: Hashtag, Mary’s face.
So, what will happen to Tituba? How will Mary save her? Will she kill Mercy for what she’s done? Or is Mercy too powerful now, especially with the help of her little friends? Do you think Anne Hale is going to make a bolder move on John Alden? Is Mercy after her, too, because she knows Mary has feelings for John Alden still? It would seem Mercy is doing all of Mary’s bidding, but why? Can she really trust Mary, especially now? What happened to John Hale? When will Cotton, Isaac and John Alden stand up to Increase and put an end to his tyranny? And someone please tell me when the next full moon is, because after this last one, I need to properly prepare myself for the debauchery that surely lies ahead.
Tune in next Sunday night for more Salem on WGN. And chat with me on Twitter @the_hoff, because maybe between all us witches, we can get Marilyn Manson in on these questions, and figure out what Mercy’s familiar will be.
