That was quite the bloodbath on the Season 2 Finale of Salem! I’m not even talking about the literal bloodbaths that the Countess Marburg has taken so many times this season. Salem cleaned house by (supposedly) killing off three(!) of its major characters. Granted, one of them (Marburg) was expected, since Lucy Lawless was always billed as a “special guest star,” but to lose Tituba and Mary as well? That hurt. Of course, I highly doubt Mary will be permanently gone, and there is a chance that Tituba will come back as the new seer, but we won’t know until next April (if we get a third season), so for now we are just going to declare them dead.
What was brilliant about this finale is that it didn’t resolve the whole “possessed Baby John” issue at all. The entire episode was devoted to character moments and confrontations we have been waiting for all season, and while it was a bit untraditional , the episode was all the better for it. The season as a whole has subverted our expectations by seemingly building up to the baptism by Hellfire of Baby John, only to take care of that in the penultimate episode. Then, rather than further explore his possession, we spend time cleaning house of Salem’s characters.
Baby John (heretofore referred to as The Dark Lord) meets with each character individually, with poor Tituba and Mercy getting the worst of it. I have harped on Mercy’s uselessness (and annoyances) in the past, but I have to admit I honestly felt sorry for her as she broke down in the alley after chasing off Isaac. It was a great acting moment for Elise Eberle when her voice cracked as she was declaring herself a true queen. Then she ruined it by having that little girl in the final montage (which, oh my God that montage). Tituba though, that one hurt. While you definitely knew it was coming, you couldn’t help but feel bad for her as the birds pecked out her eyes. I hope my comment (which I can’t claim as my own, as Bree Ogden gave me the idea) about her being a seer next season comes to fruition.
Anne and Cotton had perhaps the most tragic storyline of the episode, and neither one of them died! It’s a clever twist, having Anne pull a Mary and feed her familiar (poor Brown Jenkins) to Cotton, but her decision to do so did feel a little bit out of character, but that is probably a side effect of over-stuffing the finale, which I am not complaining about at all, I just wish we could have had a 90-minute finale to give some of the resolutions a little more breathing room.
As expected, the majority of the episode focused on the final brawl between Mary and the Countess. Once again, Salem subverted expectations by having the Dark Lord want absolutely nothing to do with the Countess. That confrontation in the church was everything you could ever want and more in a face-off between Mary and the Countess. It was messy and suspenseful and cathartic. For the second time this season, we finally saw the Countess without the upper hand, but this time Mary had absolutely nothing left to lose. It was a wonder to behold.
Now, I truly doubt that Mary is actually dead (unless Salem doesn’t get renewed), but the second season has done a marvelous job at redeeming the character. The Countess, on the other hand, has done a complete 180 in terms of being an evil villain. While it was a bit of a stretch to believe that she actually thought that she could kill Mary without the Dark Lord finding out, her desperation for his love made it slightly more believable. Her “death” was completely earned (and sufficiently ridiculous).
“The Witching Hour” was an exceptional episode of Salem, and it blew the first season finale out of the water. While it would have benefited from a slightly longer running time, it was satisfying on almost every level, which makes it’s minor flaws forgivable. Now, let’s get a Season 3 renewal WGN!
Random Notes
- I loved the bit with the Dark Lord recounting the night he watched Mary give birth. The fact that it was actually actor Oliver Bell saying it made it all the more disturbing.
- “Now that was an awful mistake.” -Quite the understatement, Countess.
- “If I see your ungrateful face again, I will peel it like an apple!” -I’m really going to miss Lawless’ incredible zingers.
- “Today my mother, and tomorrow my bride.” -Baby John, being creepy as always.
- I’m quite upset that Tituba died, but that was a cool death. Maybe she’ll come back as a blind witch next season?
- “You were his father’s whore and now you will be his.” -Marburg and Mary. Unable to play nice to the bitter end.
- “Go on, mighty water witch. Bring the rain!” -I love seeing this side of Mary. She has nothing to lose, which is a very interesting side of the character we haven’t seen before.
- “Let me die!” -This line of Mary’s killed me. Janet Montgomery has been a powerhouse all season. Bravo, madame.
- Now you all know that I have very little affinity toward Mercy, but I did feel bad for her as she was yelling to Isaac that she was a true queen. As her speech quivered and broke off, I felt a little bit of sympathy for her.
- I don’t know who covered “Hush Little Baby” in that final montage, but it was creepy as Hell. I loved it.
- That’s it for Season 2 of Salem! I hope you’ve all enjoyed this amazing sophomore effort as much as I have! See you next year for Season 3 (assuming there is one)!