2.05 - "THE WINE DARK SEA"
Directed by Peter Weller
Written by Turi Meyer and Al Septien
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington
THE CHARACTERS
SEASON GUIDE
Click on a title to be taken to the review for that episode. Need a catch-up of season one before starting season two? Be sure to read the
ultimate catch-up review of season one.
2.01 - "
Cry Havoc" (April 5, 2015)
2.02 - "
Blood Kiss" (April 12, 2015)
2.03 - "
From Within" (April 19, 2015)
2.04 - "
Book of Shadows" (April 26, 2015)
2.05 - "
The Wine Dark Sea" (May 3, 2015)
2.06 - "
Ill Met By Midnight" (May 10, 2015)
2.07 - "
The Beckoning Fair One" (May 17, 2015)
2.08 - "
Dead Birds" (May 24, 2015)
2.09 - "
Wages of Sin" (May 31, 2015)
2.10 - "
Til Death Do Us Part" (June 7, 2015)
2.11 - "
On Earth As In Hell" (June 14, 2015)
2.12 - "
Midnight Never Come" (June 21, 2015)
2.13 - "
The Witching Hour" (June 28, 2015) -
Advance Preview
'THE WINE DARK SEA' REVIEW
"Tell the captain to lift anchor. And once he has made his way out of Boston harbour
I will send swift wind to speed our way to Salem."
 |
| "I fart in your general direction." |
THIS was the episode I've been waiting for since the premiere. The arrival of the Countess in Salem. Man, I shivered in antici...... pation at the mere thought of it. The opening of the episode showed a little more insight in her relationship with her son, Sebastian, who longs for a taste of Mary Sibley. The thing that took me by surprise was the rotted ugliness of the Countess that was revealed - fortunately Lucy Lawless still looks amazing with bits of flesh missing, but damn she is much scarier than she has been in the past. One of my favourite moments of the show is now the booming thunder announcing her looming arrival to Salem. The suspense has literally been killing me and as the episode built up to it so much I was spasming randomly just waiting patiently. I was expecting her to appear to Mary herself but it's Mary who seeks her. Just shows how great my Mary is. The entire meeting between Mary and the Countess, the entire conversation, was so fantastic. There was no disappointment whatsoever as the two exchanged insults ("you arrogant bitch") as well as ideas of working together - which I would love to see. The Countess is a force to be reckoned with as we see in the mirror and the token of appreciation she leaves Mary at the end. I would love to see these two working together but I think we all know both have huge ambitions and want to be the absolute best. In the end, one of them will stand in the other's way and we can only assume we have a "neither can live while the other survives" situation. It's total witch war and I'm excited.
"Be prepared to do what is necessary... or burn."
 |
"Before the sun sets on the third day, you've
got to get Cotton to fall in love with you!" |
Anne is under threat from being accused as a witch and risks being burned at the stake, so Hathorne proposes she marry him to save her from her funeral pyre. Since Mary is her sort of Gandalf the Grey, Anne turns to her where Mary gives her a suggestion that will only further her descent into darkness. I was taken back by her suggestion of marrying Cotton Mather but it was also something I'd totally be down to see. I like Anne and Cotton as a pairing but at the same time - and Anne knows this - this isn't the right way to do it. I love that she really tried to do it her own way first by nudging Cotton in the right direction but because he was a little pushed for time, he didn't take the bait. Poor Anne. The devastation on her face when she realises what she has to do was heartbreaking for me. Not just that, but when she had to cast the spell and kill her familiar - the poor, poor mouse - she further committed herself to the dark path she doesn't want to travel on. I think by squashing the little mouse she saw as herself, she squashed that little beacon of light inside of her. As the situations get more desperate for Anne, we see her doing things she doesn't want to do and there's going to be a point where Anne submits herself to that growing darkness. I think that would be amazing to see but at the same time, I need her to be a good witch for my own sanity. This show is filled to the brim with bad witches that Anne is our little beacon of hope. If she does go the totally dark route, which I do want to see I must admit, I hope she will pull through it and see the light on the other side. Having said that, it's going to be interesting to see what happens next with Anne and Cotton.
"I am on the hunt you're on. Let us join forces."
 |
| "Why can't I just blend in?!" |
Speaking of Cotton, after John has been having his crazy episodes and knocked Cotton out cold in the close of episode four, I was actually fearing for Cotton's safety. Did I think John would kill Cotton? Hmm, doubtful, but the rate John has been acting erratically and is far too committed to his cause gave me reason to worry for Cotton's wellbeing. I love that Cotton told John about Mary's suffering in thinking that John is dead as I got to see something in John's eyes that have been missing all season - emotion. I feel like we lost the John Alden we all fell in love with in season one as the season two John is totally different as he is on his rampage, but knowing Mary still loves him and that she cried over him was what he needed to hear, I think. Whether it did anything to help, I don't know since he was watching Anne from a distance with that look of fury again as pictured above. For a second there, I thought maybe Anne accidentally got John's hair instead of Cotton's and that's why he was watching her, because of the "mad love" in the spell, but I'm sure it was Cotton's hair she had in her hands. But what if it was John?
"You're not hungry?"
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| "So much for my daily soak." |
Mercy's plan includes using Isaac to be the assassin Mary never saw coming by using his ghost. Dollie's humanity is really showing and Mercy shouting her name reminds me of the stepmother in
Cinderella. Mercy has really gone off the deep end and it's not just because of the new look. Mary has enraged her to the point where Mercy starts ill-treating her last remaining friend. So ungrateful. However, it adds to the frightening allure of Mercy who actually chills me to the bone now. I wonder if she will ever get her original look back or if she will stay as this extra-crispy witch forever. Who knows (other than the writers)? I do love Mercy like this but I think she's too obsessed with revenge she is acting irrationally. I loved that Dollie saved Isaac - she's literally the one character who has done something to benefit him and not themselves. Instead, Dollie has put herself in mortal danger now. I'm excited about how Dollie is going to proceed next as this adds an intense layer to her character who we previously saw as a puppet in Mercy's game - as was Isaac in Mary's - so we see the similarities between the two. I really hope Mercy doesn't kill Dollie as I really like her, yet at the same time, it would be so exciting. If Dollie has to die, please let her go out in style.
The ending was yet another fantastic one. That was the Countess's token of appreciation? I can't believe that George is dead. Really, is he dead? He definitely looked dead and how could he survive that, but Mary was just starting to make progress with him. He wasn't even resisting the toad. I'd ask the Countess to take her gift back and get a refund because if anything, that present is going to cost Mary some money to repair those hardwood floors.
- The writers of this episode - Turi Meyer and Al Septien - are two of my absolute favourite writers of TV ever. I mean, they wrote one of my favourite episodes of
Witches of East End, "Smells Like King Spirit"!
- Am I the only person who thinks Little John gets creepier with each passing episode? Watching his mother sleep is a truly unsettling thing to do, but got to admit, he's pretty great at being creepy. His interaction with Anne was bizarre to say the least but I love Anne's reactions to him.
- I love the throwbacks to the characters we lost in season one - Bridget Bishop, Gloriana, etc. I'm still hoping for Gloriana to come back.
- I
love George's speech in the church, and I love how happy it makes Mary.
- Was it Cotton's hair in Anne's hands, or John's?
- The Mary / Countess meeting has to be, hands down, one of the best scenes of the show, as was the thunder announcing her imminent arrival.
EPISODE VERDICT
I've said it before and I'm saying it again - this was the episode I've been waiting for. Okay, so the Countess hasn't technically stepped foot in Salem yet but this episode has her so close she could literally walk in Mary's house and kill people. The main thing I needed though has happened and that was the eventual Mary and Countess meeting. And boy, that was one hell of a meeting. I've wrote all my thoughts in the review above so be sure to check that out, but that one conversation was so amazingly written, so beautifully acted that my love for this show just elevated. Out of every single moment this television season, the Countess and Mary meeting has been the thing I have been looking forward to the most. This was
the moment of the television season.
More and more interesting developments have spawned from this episode that makes it so unbelievably hard to keep patient for the next episode. Every single episode has been like that so far and I have a love/hate relationship with the show's reliance on bloody great cliffhangers. Of course I love them because they're amazing and never fail to be anything less than that, but at the same time I have to wait 7 whole days before seeing the next episode. How is this fair on me, or any of you viewers? We demand the next episode immediately after (I'm kind of joking, the 7-day wait intensifies the suspense).
One thing
Salem doesn't fail to do either is give appropriate awesome storylines for each of the characters. I'm actually very invested in them all and I'm dying to see what happens next with them. The writers give them fantastic material to work with that allows us to want to know what they do next. Is Mercy going to kill Dollie now? Is Isaac going to escape his never-ending torture? Are Mary and Tituba going to save George? Is Cotton going to fall in love with Anne? Is John a little more human after hearing Mary still loves him? So much for each of the characters and so much has happened in season two so far already that they all have some meat to work with and there are no signs of slowing down. In fact, there are still bigger and better things on the horizon.
Overall, yet another fantastic instalment for
Salem. If you want a show that moves at a quick pace without sacrificing story or character development, you have come to the right place. "The Wine Dark Sea" is a contender for one of the best
Salem episodes and I look forward to seeing the bar get raised again in the next episode.
What did you think of 'The Wine Dark Sea'? Let me know your thoughts on the episode in the comments and be sure to watch the next new episode on May 10 on WGN America at 10PM!
About the Author - Gavin Hetherington
Award-winning author of 'Abyssal Sanctuary: Remnants of the Damned'. Gavin joined SpoilerTV on August 9, 2014 and will be reviewing 2 Broke Girls, Mistresses, Orange is the New Black, Pretty Little Liars, Salem and Sleepy Hollow in the 2014-15 season. Gavin's favourite shows include Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Desperate Housewives, The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal and much more. You can contact him at gavin@spoilertv.com.
Who wasn't excited for the eventual meeting of the Countess and Mary? I couldn't stop shaking when the moment happened. LOVED IT! What did you guys think of the episode?
ReplyDeleteseems like were do a flashback for. John's reasoning here or go back abd watch the finake, I just don't remember his reaction to Marubbeing this bad.
ReplyDeleteI remember the finale of Salem and John was ultimately fine with Mary being a witch as they were going to run away together - but Mary had business to tend to and John was attacked while she was away. Maybe he thought she ditched him and sent the men to attack him or this is all a mask for John to hide behind, I don't know. But I think there's some progress between Mary and John now he knows she still loves him.
ReplyDeleteThis show has to stop murdering cute, small animals. That's my one thing I can't stand. The rest of the ep was very good.
ReplyDeleteMy current theory with John is based on what he said about how he tried to fight fire with fire and he got burned. I think he is now stuck having to kill witches or he will die and that's why the dark veins keep creeping up on him.
It will be interesting to see how far Anne ends up going. And will she really marry Cotton.
Is George dead? I don't know. The preview for next week shows Mary trying to revive him, but we still don't know if he's dead for good yet.
I think both the Countess and Mercy are very, very scary. I wouldn't want to encounter either of them. And I thought Mary was very brave in how she handled the Countess.
I can't wait for the next ep to see how it all goes.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!!! This episode was just...yes!!! I've been anticipating the arrival of the Countess in Salem for so long, and as you've mentioned in the review, yes she's technically not in Salem but she's literally right at it's gates. The interaction between her and Mary was so intense and amazing, I just loved how you couldn't tell what either woman was thinking, are they being sincere in the whole "we could work together" thing or are they just sizing each other up to see if there's a potential of gaining one another's trust to then turn on them once they have it? Cannot wait for this.
ReplyDeleteSo I've said it before but I guess they've just been waiting for later on, why is the Countess' son a regular when he's had 2 scenes over 5 episodes? I enjoyed what little we saw of him again in this episode and I guess the writers are just holding off before having him do something so twisted that we think "that's what we've been waiting for!"...well I hope.
Mercy is getting very cray cray now, I'm scared for Dollie and I don't see her making it much longer, I'm sure the writers want Mercy to have such a weapon as Isaac's ghost at her disposal so she's gonna have to succeed in the task I'm guessing, or perhaps she'll use someone else? But I don't see Mercy staying so powerless (if she even is) all season, something will happen to turn the tables in her favour, even if it's only briefly.
John seems to be losing it but I guess thats what happens when you give yourself over to do such a big task as he did, he's very different from what we saw in Season 1 and I think things can only go darker for him but it was nice to see a glimmer of emotion from him, I also think he was conflicted at the end while watching Anne. I think he knows she's a witch now and was hesitant to kill someone who has shown him nothing but kindness in the past.
Anne's story is picking up some serious steam and I look forward to her scenes the most every week. I felt awful for her having to kill little jenkins but it's going to take her down a path that I secretly love. I'm far too excited for where she's gonna go as the season progresses, which side is she gonna end up on? Will telling Mary the Countess' name mean anything for her going forward? I'm worried that the Countess might come after her now in a vengeful sense and not the way I had originally thought they'd interact (I thought the Countess would end up trying to get Anne on her side by helping her when Mary potentially wouldn't) once she'd come to Salem.
Again, this show just keeps knocking it out of the park! Brilliant ending as well and
Haha thanks for sharing your thoughts Adam! Always a pleasure reading them. You're spot on about the Countess, and yes about her son! Need to see why he's a regular when Lucy has had way more scenes and has made a bigger impact than him and she's only a special guest star. I think you're right about Mercy too, something is going to change and she might get the upper hand again. I hope so anyway because that would be interesting to watch and to see how Mary will overcome it.
ReplyDeletePoor John, it's going to be hard for him to come back from what he's been through but I hope he manages it. I forgot to mention but yeah, I'm worried the Countess will do something to Anne now.
Did you accidentally click reply before finishing there as you leave it with "and" haha. But yes, Salem has been regularly knocking it out the park this season.
I watched it live, that's why I got to see the promo. They have been slow to put up new promos and clips this season.
ReplyDeleteI did haha but I edited the rest on the end.
ReplyDeleteLoved the review. I wonder if maybe the Countess could teach Mercy some witch makeup tricks to look whole again? I'm happy Dollie got Isaac out of there, though I doubt she's long for this world and Isaac's reprieve will be short, before someone else starts tormenting him. I need Mercy to actually do something instead of mostly talking and scenery chewing.
ReplyDeleteJohn hasn't killed anyone in a while, maybe he should find some random guest witch character and kill them off. This was not the John-Cotton reunion I was hoping for, but at least John didn't hurt Cotton and he had a brief moment of humanity when Cotton talked about Mary. Of course John could have clued Cotton to what's going on and what Mary is, but I guess he figured he wouldn't believe him. Did it look like the veins stopped progressing when John saw the "child of a witch is a witch" chapter in the book? Someone here raised the possibility that the ritual forces John to kill witches or he'll die, this might support that theory. Now he has his sights on Anne...
Creepy child continues to be creepy, I can't wait for him to actually do something terrible. The face off between Mary and the Countess was great and when Mary and Tituba heard the water I figured the Countess killed George. I'm actually hoping he's dead, because it would shake the foundations of the show- Mary would have no power within Salem. Would she try and marry Cotton herself? Would she try and reclaim power through Anne, if Anne marries Cotton? It'd be more exciting than George surviving and things carrying on as usual.
I feel for Anne and I know she tried to approach Cotton first, but we're talking about taking away a person's free will, which is all kinds of wrong. I could stomach drowning innocent animals (was the mouse her familiar? Can you kill your own familiar?) even if I really don't like it and hope it doesn't happen again, but the free will thing is a big one for me, so we'll see how I feel about it, moving forward.
Haha well in the promo it appears Mary tries to revive him. Haven't seen the promo online yet but can't wait for it as I need to see it.
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous of you getting to watch the show live. So, so jealous haha. They have been really slow putting the promos up for this season and I hope that changes soon. Did the promo look good though?
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for reading :)
ReplyDeleteNow you mention it, yeah the Countess probably could since she's a master of disguising the ugly underneath. Great shout. Do you not think Isaac looked better in this episode with less boils and looking less like death? Maybe what Mercy was doing to him was also curing him of the plague?
Yes, great point about John and that the veins appear to be killing him if he doesn't comply to killing witches. I really hope he doesn't hurt Anne but he really does need to kill a witch soon if that's the case. I can see it in my head though, it gets down to John and Mary in a room and the veins are killing John and he refuses to kill Mary and lets himself die to save her. That would be so romantic, wouldn't it? Not that I want him to die, but if he died this way, it would return him to the self-sacrificial good guy he was in the first season.
Little John is definitely building up to that moment where he does something truly evil - what I love about this show is that it builds the suspense perfectly and doesn't show us too much at once, you know? Like it took 5 episodes for the Countess and Mary to meet and it turned out perfect. I never really thought about the repercussions if George actually died - Mary losing her power would be so awesome to watch and how she will go about reclaiming it. I love that now. Maybe Mary will try to hide the fact that he's dead for a little while so nobody in Salem will know, but who knows how long that will last before the secret would come out. Exciting stuff.
Yeah stripping someone of their free will is such a huge deal and I think Anne is going to have a hard time living with that too - can she reverse it once she feels too guilty to bare it? Now I'm not too sure the mouse was her familiar as they're a gift from the Devil and so they probably can't be killed - unless witches get new familiars whenever they lose them? The witch mythology in this show is so rich, so many questions and possibilities.
I did actually think Isaac looked better this episode, maybe in order to eat him properly, Mercy had to somewhat heal him or the meat would be bad?
ReplyDeleteYou say romantic, but honestly, I'm not much of a romantic and considering all that Mary did, if John did die to save her life and in the process also helped doom the world, then he's an idiot and allowed evil to win. If he dies to save a reformed Mary or a semi-innocent child/child that can still be saved, that's a different story. There's self sacrificing, but that should be for the greater good, not so that a witch can continue to exist and bring about hell on earth and lots of death.
I think the show is progressing this season at a great pace, where it's not rushing things, but also not stalling. They're definitely taking their time with Little John and with the Countess showing up.
That's exactly why I want George dead- it changes the status quo and could shake everything up for Mary, which would be exciting to watch. And yeah, even if she can hide his death for a bit, it wouldn't last long. If they save George I'll be a bit disappointed at the missed opportunity.
The witch mythology on the show is a tad too confusing and not spelled out for us, so I have no idea what the rule is about familiars. I know Anne will have a hard time dealing with what she's doing to Cotton, so I hope it's reversible because we're approaching non-con territory and taking away a person's autonomy. I wonder how fans will react, I feel like if it were happening to a female character, we'd be getting more outrage, which is the usual double standards when it comes to men/women with the subject of consent.
They showed this whole scene of Mary and Tituba trying to revive George and Mary was crying and screaming at George not to leave her. And there was some stuff with the Countess and Mercy. I think she was going to let Mercy bath in blood to heal her.
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't have tv for a long time. I gave it up, watched everything online. But I recently moved and they gave me a good deal on it, so I have it back.
A+ episode. I loved it. The first encounter between Mary and Marburg was simply brilliant. Janet Montgomery and Lucy Lawless really shone in their scene. And what an amazing scene - started out with Mary confidently entering the Countess's chambers and then as their meeting progressed, you could clearly see Mary get more and more rattled. And to cap it all the Countess killed George. Wow!! Intense final few minutes.
ReplyDeleteAs always, Janet Montgomery continues to shine as Mary. That's why she's my favorite.
Anne was put in a risky situation and had to do witchcraft as the first steps to save herself from Hawthorne. She intends to be good witch but what she doesn't realize is that she will be faced with situations so dire that she will have to make hard decisions. No way is she going to stay sweet and innocent. She should learn from Mary. But first, I am most eager to see what happens to her, now that John is after her.
Dollie saved Issac. I was so happy when that happened that I let out a whoop. Mercy continues to spiral even more into crazy town. I have a feeling that she will be the one to align with Marburg against Mary and the others.
This episode was very good. Even the avclub guys gave it an A-.
Could be right about Isaac and Mercy. Ahh see, you have such a brilliant mind you think everything through. John would be dying then to help evil which is, of course, bad. I just see Mary as a character I like and I don't want her to die at John's hand but he's going to have to die, right? I mean, his infliction/curse is going to force him to keep killing witches and he's going to meet his match sooner or later otherwise we won't have a show about witches anymore. He really would be an idiot unless Mary was reformed and their son was actually half-decent. I think there's a chance Mary can reform since she was willing to ditch Salem for John in the season 1 finale, but the kid... he's just too many kinds of crazy evil.
ReplyDeleteThe show has tackled the whole gender equality quite intensely this season as well as ignorance towards women. Even Mary makes a comment about how men are superior and women need them for protection. You make an excellent point about whether there'd be more backlash if the roles were reversed. I just want to see how this plays out because it might not be as bad as we think - but then again, it's dark magic. It's going to be bad.
Great points and great discussion with @Gavin Hetherington. Thank you guys. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, thanks for telling me! I was just discussing it with someone else that maybe the Countess will help Mercy with her infliction. That's so cool. The Countess really could be the key to Mary's undoing as 2 heads are better than one!
ReplyDeleteYou must be relieved to have the TV back and with a good deal too.
I love discussing Salem with you all! So much to talk about after each intense episode!
ReplyDeleteI think there's some huge story line with that kid. And I can see parallels between him and Marburg's son. Too creepy. *shudder*
ReplyDeletePeople I'm fine with, but not the cute animals :(
ReplyDeleteFans always surprise me. :P ;) :)
I for one, am never fazed by the killing of animals on screen.
Most creepy scene of this episode is the opening scene between Marburg and her son. And what a chilling way to end that scene with that poor woman being drained of her blood. Scenes like these is why I like Salem very much. Full on dark, disturbing and unabashed.
ReplyDeleteHaha I know it's all fake and stuff but animals are so defenceless, especially the ones in Salem that have been killed. Still can't get over the kitten!
ReplyDeleteYay so glad you enjoyed the episode! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more about Janet and Lucy in that scene. Both acted their corsets off and delivered a perfect scene - one that will go down in Salem history! So glad we can both agree Mary is our favourite and I don't think any other actress other than Janet could play her so well. I love her complexity and dimension. Fascinating character.
I'm quite scared that John is after Anne but I doubt he'll kill her. If he does, I will be so, so shocked. You're right though, Anne is only going to have to make harder decisions in the future that will require her to do dark things so she's going to have to keep relying on Mary to guide her. The light is dimming fast!
Mercy is totally going to align with Marburg, and the Countess is no doubt going to share her little trick of concealing her damaged skin underneath. I have a feeling we are going to see Mercy back to normal in the next episode or two. I'm gonna have to check out the AVClub, I was considering rating episodes but then I thought that would be hard to do when I want to give every episode the best rating haha.
Definitely creepy! Salem just keeps delivering creepy openings! The woman on the ceiling reminded me of Harry Potter when the muggle studies teacher is floating above the table in Deathly Hallows. But yeah, those are the reasons I love Salem too :D
ReplyDeleteI'd love for something to be revealed about the kid soon as he is one big mystery, but I do see the parallels between him and Sebastian. Uber-creepy!
ReplyDeleteI love cats. Very much. But I do understand that the killing of the kitten it is all part of the story. And the lore that any type of dark witchcraft is impossible without the shedding of innocent blood (animal/human) - that's how I rationalize the actions of Mary et al.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think, is the sacrifice required for the consecration? Some innocent human? Someone close to Mary? Her son? Marburg is so powerful that there has to be a solid reason that she failed to complete the Grand Rite - was it because she had to sacrifice her son and couldn't bring herself to do it because she loved him in her own perverse way?
ReplyDeleteYeah I do understand that with dark magic, they have to do some god awful things. Still doesn't make it any less painful for me to watch, those poor souls :( but needs must I suppose
ReplyDeleteThe sacrifice didn't have to be made for the Grand Rite as all that was needed was innocent blood to be spilled that Mary accomplished by having the townsfolk of Salem achieve for her. I'm guessing the reason the Countess failed the Rite was due to Increase Mather stopping her and he might be the reason she's left with hideous scars that requires blood magic to hide. Can't wait to find out why she failed though as that's just my theory. The Countess did say they both left scars on the other or something similar.
ReplyDeleteThere was definitely footage of the Countess telling Mercy that the blood would heal her. So I don't know if it does, but that's what was said in the promo. And the Countess told Mercy she was there to help her.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't get every channel, but I do have CW back, which is good. They gave me this newer box that let's me rewatch eps on Demand for free with my sub. So I can rewatch the latest eps as much as I want. Not really much different than what we do online, but a different way of doing it. It's not a full DVR.
LOL, not brilliant, I just tend to think about the plot more than the epic romance. I mean yeah, John could die saving Mary because at the last minute he realizes he can't kill the woman he loves and dies in her arms, it could happen and wouldn't be OOC for him. But plot wise he'd be an idiot and would once again fail at what he set out to do, which would annoy me, just like I was a bit annoyed last season when he didn't even question Mary's involvement in the witch trials, when she came out as a witch and was going to run away with her, Salem be damned.
ReplyDeleteObviously Mary is our lead character and I don't want her dead, nor do I see the show killing her off. So I'm waiting to see where the show takes John, what exactly the ritual did to him and whether he can actually stop killing witches or not. We know he'll die in Salem, does that mean if he sets foot outside of Salem he'd die? There are so many questions about him this season, that until I get some answers, it's all wild speculation.
And I kinda want Mary to succeed and for the devil to come, because I think that's be cool and interesting, but I don't want it to happen because the few remaining on the good side were stupid or just gave up.
The show has tackled gender really well this season. I was talking more in general- how many times have we seen in science fiction/fantasy stuff like love potions/spells/pheromones/shape-shifting into someone's significant other and viewers/writers don't treat it like the rape it is. Especially if it's done to a man, but also when it happens to women. If anything happens between Cotton/Anne while he's under the influence of a love spell, then I'm sorry, but that's rape and it'll make me extremely uncomfortable to watch. Again, I totally get Anne's reasoning and her position and why she thinks it's her only option, I'm obviously talking as a 21st century viewer. Obviously it's dark magic and the witches so far have done terrible things, but we all have the issues that bother them the most and consent in media is I guess one of mine.
Thanks, there's some really good discussion in these posts, I enjoy reading it as well.
ReplyDeleteThe part I love about writing reviews are the discussions that come from them as they really are great and also helps me to understand the episode a little better by seeing others' points of view. Always insightful.
ReplyDeleteYou open my eyes every time. Of course you're right about John, and in terms of his character, what he's doing now is exactly what he should be doing - going after witches like he said he would do from the beginning, or at least going after the bad guys. I remember Anne looking up to him fondly because he'd always defend innocent people and fight back against those that deserve it, so this whole storyline is very fitting for his character. I love that there are so many questions though and I'm sure we'll see more of what he's done in the episodes to come and learn more about this reincarnation of John.
ReplyDeleteI am especially interested in seeing if they succeed in rising the devil, and I think they will as it would be an awesome turn of the story heading into season 3 (if it's renewed) like the completion of the Grand Rite has reveberated through season 2. I also agree with you about the Anne/Cotton situation, so either Anne stops the charade and reverses the spell or she succumbs to the dark magic that has been pushing her. I think we all want her to do the right thing though because, as you put it, it would be rape and she would not feel right doing that. But who knows how she will handle it. She might get swept up in the moment as she really does have feelings for Cotton and she might forget that he's basically her puppet, but I have a feeling she will know she's doing wrong and will feel guilty enough to stop it.
What I do love about watching period dramas is that we are 21st century viewers so we see things totally different to the characters. I hope the season continues to be wonderfully written enough to keep the theme of gender inequality going and open our eyes to more of the mannerisms of the 17th century.
Finally got to watch the promo as it's on the website now and ahhh, it looks intense. Cannot wait! And the CW is an important channel to have, definitely!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree, reading other people's opinions and reviews either puts things in a new perspective for me or helps me formalize my own opinion.
ReplyDeleteYeah, him going after witches is in character for him and I assume after Mary's betrayal and the Grand Rite being complete, he's even more gung ho about it than before, which is why he's more ruthless (that, or whatever the ritual did to him). Obviously for the show to last, we hope John doesn't succeed and people who root for the bad guys are also hoping he fails, but from a moral point of view, other than the dock worker, everyone else John went after had magic or was a witch, which in Salem, unless you're Anne, means you're bad and trying to bring about deaths of many innocent people. I hope we get a bit more about his perspective at some point, because right now he's mostly skulking and staring angrily at people, he isn't even really killing that many witches.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, I'm hoping they complete their mission and bring the Dark Lord to Earth, or whatever it is they're doing, because it opens things up completely for S3. But what does it mean for our few non-witches? And while I'm hoping Anne manages to toe the line between good and evil and doesn't succumb to her bad side, I'm not sure the show and her magic will allow her. We might be watching her tragic descent to the dark side.
I like how the show manages to address gender inequality without sounding preachy or having too many OTT nasty people like Hawthorne- it makes it more realistic, it's not necessarily evil people, it's a mindset and part of society. And through magic, a lot of these witches found liberation, a way to have some power over their lives and a way to change things for themselves for the better.