History Recap / MotherlandFortSalemS3E8PetrasFavoritePen

* AngryItemTapping: Weaponized by Petra after Jarrett mocks her for being powerless to do much about her soldiers being sent to their deaths, since she [[MagicallyBindingOath is bound by her Oath of Service]] to protect the U.S. She starts tapping her pen in apparent frustration, while musing [[ExactWords that her oath is to protect the U.S. "from all enemies, foreign and domestic]]". As his actions qualify him as the latter, [[LoopholeAbuse her oath mandates she take action]]. She syncs his heartbeat to the rhythm of her pen tapping, and taps faster and faster, accelerating his heart rate until he drops dead.

Back at Gen. Petra Bellweather's office. Petra learns her soldiers are being killed and is dismayed. Col. Jarrett proceeds to gloat at her, saying she has always followed the rules, and calls her nonthreatening. When she says that her hands have been tied since Silver was sworn in, he trash-talks her some more, saying she is just they type to wait around for somebody else to untie her hands. She starts tapping her pen on her desk, faster and faster, and recalls her Oath of Service, "to defend this great country against all enemies, foreign and domestic". Syncing his heartbeat to the speed of her pen-tapping, she taps faster and faster, while proclaiming him to be in the second category. She taps him into a heart attack and he drops dead.

* ToThePain: Raelle threatens the torturer with the witch bomb, explicitly describing how it kills people in a slow, extremely painful manner, enough so he gets intimidated into releasing Scylla.

* WhatTheHellHero: The words of the revived Ice Witch to Alder: "Where were you centuries ago when [[WitchHunter these bastards hunted me down]] for that Song?"

* AngryItemTapping: Weaponized by Petra after Jarrett mocks her for being powerless to do much about her soldiers being sent to their deaths, since she is bound by {{magical oath}} to protect the U.S. She starts tapping her pen in apparent frustration, while musing [[ExactWords that her oath is to protect the U.S. "from all enemies, foreign and domestic]]". As his actions qualify him as the latter, [[LoopholeAbuse her oath mandates she take action]]. She syncs his heartbeat to the rhythm of her pen tapping, and taps faster and faster, accelerating his heart rate until he drops dead.

* CallBack: The episode title is reminiscent of "Brianna's Favorite Pencil", a Season 2 episode.

* DeathByMocking: Col. Jarrett insults Gen. Bellwether one time too many, first mocking her "unrefined palate", then mocking about her being powerless to do much but wait for someone to help her. She syncs her pen tapping to his heart rate and taps so fast that he foes into cardiac arrest.

The civilian officers attack more of their own officers. Somebody knocks down a power line, which electrocutes two of the civilian officers. Abigail deals with the remaining two by creating a hail storm of razor-sharp hail. She runs off to the mortally wounded Cortez, who says that her mother said that dying in battle was an honor, but it doesn't feel like that. "It was all for nothing. [. . .] Look around. Where are the heroes?"

Back in Gen. Bellweather's office. She is packing her bag and Pres. Silver walks in, unannounced and unwelcome again, asking where does she think she is going and where the heck is Col. Jarret, as the man has not communicated with Silver in a while. Col. Jarrett strolls in, acting surprised by the President's presence. Silver whispers to Jarrett to keep Bellweather in line and make sure the Occupation continues. Jarrett agrees. Right after Silver goes away, Jarrett takes a lighter to his chin, revealing himself to be Sterling Woodlot in Spree-work disguise.

The enter an ice cave and find the Ice Witch and her hunters. All of them are {{human popsicles}}s. They realize the song is inside the Ice Witch and they need to wake her up.

Scylla is tied to what appears to be the set of a school play. She is about to be stoned by a civilian officer who claims to be happy she did not spill her guts to the soldiers, "because spilling guts is my thing." He manages to throw one stone at her when Raelle shows up demanding that the officer release Scylla, or else she will Witchbomb him. He dismisses her, as all the anti-magic devices are at work. Raelle asks him if he thinks he can block the Witchbomb. She proceeds to describe in excruciating detail what the Witchbomb does to a person. Essentially, the person is eaten alive from the inside out. Scylla plays along. The officer is convinced, and tries to play it off like he is a PunchClockVillain, but Scylla knocks him out and Raelle kicks him. Then we have a BigDamnKiss!

U.S. Army forces are chasing Raelle, Abigail, Scylla and Adil, as the commanding civilian officers call for them to apprehend the fugitives. Just then, Thelma Bearkiller's militia shows up. As the gang crosses their line, Bearkiller announces that she harbors no hate for the witch soldiers, but she will not allow an "occupying force" to cross the line. Cadet Officer Lupe Cortez sees they are outnumbered and calls for the troops to fall back, but the Oversight Officers leading order them to attack, with retreat constituting treason. Cortez points out again that they are outnumbered. In response, the civilian officers use MagiTek to replicate windstrikes that kill several soldiers.

The ice cave. Alder tries to facilitate a transfer of the Ice Witch's song by using the box with her family's song. Just then, the frozen Ice Witch opens her eyes, pops her arm out of the ice, and grabs Tally by the head. Speaking through Tally, the Ice Witch says she can finally see again and ask Alder what is going on. Alder identifies herself as a Steward of the First Song, and says that all of them must do their part. The Ice Witch wonders where the hell was Alder when she was being hunted down. She is sick of having things taken, so now she will take Tally. Ice starts forming over Tally's face as Alder goes LittleNo.

* ReunionKiss: Raelle and Scylla get a big one after Raelle saves Scylla from the Camarilla.

%%% Full recap is in progress. In the meantime, please feel free to finish it, correct any details, or add any tropes.

At the Harz mountains, Tally, dressed in winter gear, complains about having to walk to the cave. Turns out the Mycellium can take them place but cannot cross glaciers.

At the Cession, Thelma tells the gang (Adil, Raelle, and Abigail) that they located an Army deserter. It is one of the soldiers who captured Scylla in the previous episode, and she is lying in a stretcher on the floor. Raelle takes a look at the soldier's arm, which has very bad burns and wonders why the Fixers didn't treat it. The soldier answers that there were no Fixers available; Civilian Oversight detained them in Fort Salem. The Army was sent out into battle without any medics. Raelle Fixes her burns and the soldier reveals that she saw Raelle in the memories of the soldier who was caught in Sioux territory.

General Petra Bellweather's office. Petra finds President Silver has dropped by unannounced (and unwelcome) and has made himself at ease at her desk. And he helps himself to the liquor she keeps in her drawer. He wonders out loud how "some half-assed, taped together Cession militia" can hold back against the U.S. Army and orders her to "quit slow-playing the Occupation" and use all necessary force. If she does that, he just ''might'' be lenient with Abigail and her unit WHEN they are caught.

U.S. Army forces confront Thelma Bearkiller's militia. Tally and Alder locate the Ice Witch, still in her ice casing, who refuses to help them and almost kills Tally. Tally recognizes her trauma and trades her Sight powers to the Ice Witch in exchange for her song. The ice cave starts collapsing and Alder goes out of her way to help Tally, now one of the Stewards, escape with her life.


%% Tally wakes up and is told that she was found days ago in the garden, incoherent and with frostbite, and without Alder. Abigail announces that she's had enough of all the bloodshed on both sides, and that they should surrender. The Cession has done a lot for them by welcoming them, and it is time to pay them back.
%% Abigail's orders for Adil: no rescues, no jail breaks, and find Khalida.
%% Holding hands and with heads held high, the quartet of Abigail, Scylla, Raelle and Tally, turn themselves in to Petra Bellweather. In front of the media, Petra announces that with the fugitives apprehended, the U.S. Army will stand down, and the Occupation is over.

Tally has a vision of a witch (for future reference, known as the Ice Witch) being hunted down and freezing herself as well as her attackers. She and Alder, still in search of a piece of the first Song, go off to find her. Adil, Raelle, and Abigail go off to rescue Scylla, who was captured in the previous episode and is now at a place nicknamed "The Slaughterhouse". President Blanton Silver drops by General Petra Bellweather's office and orders her to "Quit slow-playing the Occupation." U.S. Army forces confront Thelma Bearkiller's militia. Tally and Alder locate the Ice Witch, still in her ice casing, who refuses to help them and almost kills Tally. Tally recognizes her trauma and trades her Sight powers to the Ice Witch in exchange for her song. The ice cave starts collapsing and Alder goes out of her way to help Tally, now one of the Stewards, escape with her life.

* CallBack
** The episode title is reminiscent of "Brianna's Favorite Pencil", a Season 2 episode.

Tally has a vision of a witch (for future reference, known as the Ice Witch) being hunted down and freezing herself as well as her attackers. She and Alder, still in search of a piece of the first Song, go off to find her. Adil, Raelle, and Abigail go off to rescue Scylla, who was captured in the previous episode and is now at a place nicknamed "The Slaughterhouse". President Blanton Silver drops by General Petra Bellweather's office and orders her to "Quit slow-playing the Occupation."

* WeNeedADistraction: Adil and Abigail create a distraction at the school where Scylla is kept captive by going to the playground and acting like a playful couple who partied too hard. This makes the guards come over.

The unit sees what Civilian Oversight is capable of, as they rush to rescue Scylla.

* JustFollowingOrders: The torturer claims that he "Just works here" when Raelle shows up to save Scylla, despite gleefully talking about how much he was looking forward to torturing her moments ago. Naturally it doesn't placate either girl.

** The episode title is reminiscent of "Brianna's Favorite Pencil", a Season 2 episode.