I can definitely feel the pace quickening in these final few episodes, and the bodies are really starting to hit the floor. Having said that though, this episode was important to flip that on its head - the Devil child that was killed in the last episode may be coming back to life, as well as the Countess through the body of Mary Sibley. Potentially, anyway, who knows?
After a more pivotal role in the past few episodes, Mercy decided to get some payback on Isaac by kidnapping Dorkus (poor thing) at the very start of the episode. It was a creepy sequence with the camera flying low into the barn in the middle of the night. We all knew it wasn't Dorkus' mother that appeared there, and I was screaming at her to go wake Isaac up (though he may have been unconscious by supernatural means after the way he wakes up later, maybe). That hand coming into view was still a scary image, and it started this intense episode in the best possible way. Cue that awesome intro music.
We come to Mercy again with a pretty uncomfortable scene with her and Hathorne, though to them it must have been extremely romantic. It was the spanking scene. It just seemed brutal, way harder than necessary, and Mercy was loving it. It's extremely freaky, and then poor Dorkus had to watch/hear it all too. I am rooting for Isaac to save the poor girl. Then things took an even crazier turn - they got married! It was sooo bizarre and hilarious for all the wrong reasons, but how could it have went any differently in a brothel? The loud moaning of the Sentinel in the background as Cotton tried to give the ceremony was just fantastic. Cotton's speech about love and everything in that scene was actually perfect - the right blend of serious and comical.
This was the Sentinel's big episode, and despite him being a bad guy, I felt rather sorry for him by the end. All he wanted was for his brothers to be free so they could live happily ever after! I mean, sure, they would destroy Salem in the process and God knows what else, but I can understand where he was coming from. I also loved that Cotton sort of gave him his last day on Earth by letting him indulge in pleasures of the flesh - booze and boobs. Oh, and oranges. I have to admit, I shed a little tear when he said "I would have liked one more orange." Oh God. Writing it down again is making me tear up a little bit too. I never would have thought I'd feel for him in the end, but I do, I really do. But I'm also glad that's one obstacle over since it appears the deaths of other villains seem to be unravelling.
The fight scene between the Sentinel and John was pretty epic. I thought, for a heart-clenching moment, that Tituba gave him dud instructions to make the dagger, and that it wouldn't work. He had to stab the Sentinel a lot to kill him. I loved the effects with some of it, as he'd plunge the knife in and lightning would flash. It's a brutal, animal fight between the two (echoing Cotton's and the Sentinel's words in the pub about the metaphor of man), and it definitely gave John the meat he needed all season. He has floated a bit, dabbling with the Indians storyline that hasn't produced anything since they disappeared, and then as the third wheel in Mary's and Sebastian's weird love-making. I kinda choked with laughter when Sebastian brought his usefulness up in the barn. Burn.
I thought maybe Mercy and Anne would be part of it, but it seems like we are keeping the Salem Squad to just five - Mary, John, Sebastian, Cotton and Isaac. It seemed odd to have Isaac there for that discussion, but I absolutely loved his reunion with Mary. Seeing their friendship since the very first episode, to now, is an emotional, bumpy road. There's so much love for each other, something I wish we could have had more of this season. The barn scene was good at bringing the characters on a similar level with their common goals, though it was very sneaky of Sebastian to disguise as John and get the truth from Mary of how she felt about him. But surely he already knew that her heart belongs to John, not him. So deluded. He needed to hear the truth eventually.
It will be safe to say that Sebastian is definitely 'foe' now, with the Sentinel out of the way, and the Devil child for now, his only goal now, really, is to get payback on Mary. It's unfair though since he basically forced himself on Mary and gave her no choice but to play his sexual games, and then he throws a hissy fit when she doesn't give him the love he wants. The story with the Countess is the best thing about him at the minute, and it will be so interesting to see if drinking all of Mary's blood will allow the spirit of the Countess to possess Mary. Mary as the new Countess? I'm game, though I really, really do miss Lucy Lawless.
Tituba is a sneaky little witch, isn't she? We knew she was playing the Devil's game, but when he asked her to kill the Sentinel, it could have been a good double-double-cross, since getting rid of the Sentinel was a common goal for our heroes too. But now she has the boy's body and is stitching him back up? If she brings him back from Hell, there will probably be no redemption for her. Maybe she wants to be his bride and live past Black Sunday. Mary is starting to see through her; the questions she asked Tituba about sending John to kill the Sentinel and not the Devil himself made that clear. Now John knows one of the Devil's "agents" gave him the recipe to send a Fallen Angel back to hell. Isn't Tituba supposed to be a Seer? Why is she being so sloppy? She could have handled Mary's questions a little better, perhaps she should have foresaw her coming and not been so late at hiding the body.
Finally, Anne may just end up being the crux to Salem's undoing anyway if Tituba doesn't make it in time. She seems to be easily persuaded by the boy's voice. It was very chilling when she would look in the Sibley house model and then see the boy standing behind her. I am now very worried with her being so close to that Door to Hell. But I'm also so interested in seeing what would happen when it's open. And if it could be opened so easily, why didn't the Sentinel open it to free his brothers from the start? A side note though, I loved the scene with Cotton and Anne and her cravings. It was very adorable, and for a moment, I forgot all the terrible things Anne has done. Then I remembered and I felt sad, because I miss and long for the Anne and Cotton 1-2 seasons ago.
EPISODE VERDICT
I'm getting more and more worried for my characters as we move closer to the finale. There are so many allies being formed and betrayed that it's hard to know who will end up where in the next 2 episodes. Who will live long enough to see the finale? I do like the little touches that show the ticking time bomb that's about to explode on Salem, and the worry expressed by the characters really worries me too. I enjoyed this episode, as I do every episode, and with the uncertainty of what's to come, I couldn't be more excited for these next 2 episodes.
EPISODE AWARDS
Best Witch: Mary Sibley.
Best Gentleman: The Sentinel - just 'cause he was pretty funny this episode.
Best Spell: None.
Best Line: Sentinel: "I would have liked one more orange."
Funniest Line: Sentinel: "It burns. I like it." So dry, so great.
Creepiest Line(s): Countess: "Now it begins..."
Most Bewitching Chemistry: Cotton and Anne.
Best Moment: John's fight with the Sentinel.
Best Romantic Moment: Cotton getting Anne all the food she craves.
Most Sickening Moment: The boy's head being in the water Mary drinks from.
Funniest Moment: Basically most of the Sentinel's parts, especially the marriage between Mercy and Hathorne while we hear the Sentinel having loud sex.
Creepiest Moment: Mercy kidnaps Dorkus pretending to be her mother.
What did you guys think of the eighth episode of 'Salem'? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to watch the next new episode, the penultimate, airing on Wednesday, January 18th on WGN America at 9/8c.
