It was a game changing episode written by Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders last night, that saw the end of the Dark Lord's reign, but with Black Sunday still upon us, does it even matter that he is gone? And is he even gone at all?
The biggest moment to happen in Salem was the apparent end of season three's biggest villain, and in theory, the biggest villain of all-time. How can you get bigger than Lucifer himself, the actual Devil? Having said that, if this is his actual end, I'm rather deflated. I wouldn't say it was an easy task to get to this point, but we have two more episodes and then we have the last episode ever! At least the villains of previous seasons - Increase and the Countess - lasted until their respective finales. The Devil? The darkest of all evil - he's dead with three episodes to spare? I don't buy it. I think we haven't seen the last of him, especially with that mysterious figure (Tituba?) at the end collecting his body parts.
Speaking of his body parts, it was a really awesome scene and spell. The build up itself was pretty good, and we do get that sense of urgency throughout whenever Mary is on screen. I really thought for a second that Sebastian might have betrayed Mary there, but then I should have known better - he loves her way too much to do that. I did get suspicious at how calm everyone was when he came to crash their party in the woods. Things escalated quickly when the Essex witches started to stab themselves, which was gruesome yet wonderful. I enjoyed seeing the boy get the vines to restrain him, then watched as every limb got torn from his body. Very Salem. But like I said, as much as I loved to see him get defeated, I kind of hope this isn't the last of him, despite Black Sunday still coming. As a villain, I was hoping for something with more fight for the final ever season.
But I can't talk about that death without mentioning everything else in the episode. Mary and Sebastian have a very weird relationship now, especially since he made John watch them have sex, basically. It's not something you'd necessarily want to see, so as we see as the episode progresses, it plays a psychological game with John, even after Mary's heartfelt letter. I like conflict, so seeing Mary and Sebastian fight the way they do yet have this irresistible urge also is good to watch for the drama, though it's going to make it hard for Mary to reconcile with John and move forward. All I can say is, I hope Mary and John are endgame. 3 episodes left and all this relationship drama needs to be swept under the rug.
I like how, in order to forge a knife, John needs to be shirtless. Yes please. That was a pretty nifty scene amongst the more serious ones, and it's always a welcome treat to see more of Shane West. He takes Tituba's advice to form the dagger that will kill the Sentinel, which is also based on the Devil's orders. Since he doesn't have anything to do with the Indians now, he now crosses paths with Issac, who is now the mayor of Knocker's Hole. He's pitting them against the Puritans, so I'm interested to see if this will spark a revolution between the poor and the Puritans. Issac has so much potential now and it's all in his grasp, but whether or not he acts on it is another matter.
One of the highlights of the episode was seeing the majestic masculine threesome - John, Issac and Cotton, together again. My boys rarely get time together these days, so this was an absolute treat. While Issac doesn't stick around, it was nice to see Cotton and John reconcile over their shared dilemmas of falling in love with complicated witches. With the end looming, we see each character own their place in the grand scheme of things, and both have a mission to do. They see that, and they see that it's connected to the women they've fallen in love with. Both women have done terrible things, but I'm hoping this redemptive arc for both Mary and Anne will pay off.
And Anne continues to do her dirty deeds, though she tries to justify them more in this episode. Is she wrong to think she'd be saving the child from a life of poverty? Maybe. Would the child be better with her and Cotton? Who could say. But this deed will not go unpunished, as that strange creature seems to have latched on to her for the act she has performed. Guilt personified? Will she come clean? Her loose ends seemed to be tied up now with her removing Gloriana's memory (in the most sickest of ways), and handing her off to Mercy to look after. Poor Gloriana, I do feel really, really bad for her. It does make me look at Anne in a whole new light.
What seems to be growing on me, surprisingly, is the relationship between Mercy and Hathorne. I don't know why he's suddenly turned into this romantic sop, but that story he told her to make her feel better was actually about her, and how far she's come, and it got me right in the feels. Mercy gets a lot of stick, and I get it, she's not relevant to the bigger picture anymore, but it's nice to see what she's up to because I do like her storyline. It was also so great to see her interact with the other main characters too, especially Anne! Mercy delivers some killer lines and I loved her scenes with Anne. Anne acts like such a prude but Mercy sees right through her, especially when she collects Gloriana. I hope she can look after her, Gloriana has been to Hell and back!
EPISODE VERDICT
With 3 episodes to go, this one was a very big episode in terms of that gruesome death - but was that the end of the Dark Lord's reign in Salem? I doubt it. I can imagine this being some kind of curveball before Black Sunday, and I am still excited for it to happen. All in all, a very great episode for our characters in terms of development; it gave them more room to move.
EPISODE AWARDS
Best Witch: Mary, for killing the boy (for now).
Best Gentleman: Issac.
Best Spell: To kill the Devil.
Best Line: Cotton: 'You and I have been cursed with complicated women.' John: 'Complicated witches.' Cotton: 'Witches who have captured our hearts.'
Funniest Line: Mercy: 'Those who don't know I'm a witch know I'm a whore.'
Creepiest Line(s): Increase: 'When you are asked, say yes.'
Most Bewitching Chemistry: Cotton, John and Isaac (love these three together).
Best Moment: The Devil is torn apart.
Best Romantic Moment: Cotton and Anne talking about being parents.
Most Sickening Moment: Anne sticks her finger in Gloriana's eye.
Funniest Moment: Most Mercy scenes to be honest.
What did you guys think of the seventh episode of 'Salem'? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to watch the next new episode, airing on Wednesday, January 11th on WGN America at 9/8c.
