We are halfway through Salem’s first season and it just keeps getting better (and grosser). The first season had a noticeable dip in quality in its middle section, but the second season does not seem to be following suit. “The Beckoning Fair One” is Salem’s third strong episode in a row, so here’s hoping that streak isn’t broken anytime soon!
The biggest development of the episode is the return of Increase Mather. Typically, I’m not a fan of resurrections as it feels like it cheapens a character’s death (see: American Horror Story: Coven resurrecting characters ad nauseum), but Increase’s return works because he isn’t actually resurrected. He is brought back as a ghost zombie thing to do Mary’s bidding (how gross was her kissing his maggot-ridden severed head?). Seeing as they have a mutual enemy in Countess Marburg, he does some investigating to find the object that gives her eternal life.
Increases big moment comes not from anything Marburg related, though. Rather, the episode’s cliffhanger features Increase visiting Cotton. Salem hasn’t made the rules of Mary’s spell on Increase very clear, so I’m not sure what exactly he can do to him, but it’s an interesting way to end the episode, especially since Cotton has been one of the weaker parts of the season thus far. Increase’s involvement with his storyline might inject some excitement into it.
Cotton does get to interact with every major character this week, in a dinner scene that is becoming my new favorite TV trope. The reasoning for this is that it brings all major characters together to interact with each other. In one scene we have Cotton, Anne, Dr. Wainwright, Mary, Hathorne, Sebastian and Marburg at one table, trading barbs and having pleasant(ish) conversation. Also, they’re eating George. It’s a real Fried Green Tomatoes cannibalism moment. After Cotton proposes to Anne, Marburg and Mary have a neat little telepathic conversation. There is some pretty heavy foreshadowing that Wainwright and possibly Cotton will die before season’s end.
Proposals and pleasantries aren’t all that happened in the dinner scene. Baby John runs in the room and immediately attracts Marburg’s attention. I confess, I keep forgetting Baby John exists, so the fact that he will factor into Marburg’s plan somehow. Apparently, their Dark Lord is in John, which isn’t terribly surprising. I’m nervous that Baby John will become more annoying than interesting, but it’s too early to tell at this point.
One character who has yet to be really involved in the bigger picture this season (besides John Alden who….meh) is Mercy. For the first time since Salem began, Elise Eberle got to appear on camera with a full head of hair. At first I didn’t even recognize her, but I’m sure Eberle is happy. While Mercy doesn’t get to do much in this episode, she is quickly becoming a blood addict, as she kidnaps a little girl for Marburg but uses all the blood for herself. Looks like she’ll be crossing paths with Mary sooner rather than later, and the character will (hopefully) be served better because of it
Finally, I would like to say that I called it (sort of): Anne has a new nipple! Granted, it’s not on her thigh, but she discovers a nipple on her stomach. Dubbed a “witch mark” by Marburg, she is informed that it is the price she must pay (as all witches must) for having a familiar. It’s a weird, but creative trait for a witch to have, and I applaud Salem for not backing down from its weirdness.
“The Beckoning Fair One” was another fantastic addition to Salem’s already strong second season. We have been led into the latter half of Season Two with three incredibly strong episodes, so let’s hope Salem keeps it up throughout the rest of the season.
Random Notes
- Our very own Bree Ogden suggested this as a Salem hashtag, and I’m intent on making it happen: #WhatWillMarySibleyPutInHerMouthThisWeek? Make a guess for next week!
- Mary using the circle of salt to protect herself from Increase reminds me of Hocus Pocus.
- “You. Are. Dead. Snatched from the burning shit-pits of hell to serve me.” -Way to kick a man when he’s down Mary.
- “Oh I’ve already offered up my soul to Hell. You on the other hand must have been terribly surprised to find yourself consigned there.” -Mary’s back-and-forth with Increase was so cathartic. I loved it!
- Increase’s Hell is sitting in his own torture chair, being tormented by demons wearing his own face. He must bear the torments of his own acts. Yeesh.
- “A bone from Mary Sibley? Satan’s favorite whore?” -At least Increase doesn’t back down in the face of adversity.
- Wainright performs a vivisection on a living pox patient. Their insides liquefy. It’s sufficiently disturbing.
- Tituba doesn’t do much in this episode, but she still has John tied up. I like the combination of those two though. It could provide some interesting scenes in the future.
- “Mary Sibley, what a pot of piss, pox and poison.” -Mercy’s one-liners have a ways to go to match the quality of Mary’s and Marburg’s.
- “I think we can all agree what a terrible thing it is that people are dying of plague while we feast on this….fine china.” – Mary is right. That china is pretty.
- Common dinner table talk among the residents of Salem: treatment of Indians.
