History Recap / MotherlandFortSalemS3E9ButIDontEvenHaveADress

* RedHerring: After President Wade reappears, everything proceeds to go so well for the heroes that the audience is strongly teased with the possibility that this is AllJustADream, an impression already encouraged by the [[TrailersAlwaysLie trailer]] (where the double wedding is intercut with Scylla closing her eyes in the cell) and synopsis (which says, "The unit dreams of a brighter future.") Turns out it was all very real.

* TheyDo: Both Raelle and Scylla and Abigail and Adil get married in this episode.

* ItsBeenAnHonor: Tally is sorry about Gregorio being interrogated for being associated with the Bellweather unit. He is proud of the fact, though.

Of course, Zandt brings up that they have no proof of their accusations or that Wade is alive. Just when the judge is about to call an end for the day, Petra shows up. And with her, Anacostia, Col.Jarrett, and most importantly, Kelly Wade! Silver has a VillainousBreakdown, yelling for the cameras to be cut and ordering Col. Jarrett to arrest them. "Jarrett", or rather Sterling using his face, simply says "This is for Penelope." Silver freaks out and claims that Wade is an impostor. Wade responds by slapping him and ordering a check on her fingerprints.

* TitleDrop: The title quote is Abigail's justification for not turning Scylla and Raelle's wedding into a double wedding to include her and Adil after Khalida surfaces alive and well. Petra soon fixes that by sending Abigail to Minerva.

At the Bellweather mansion grounds, there is a bonfire, with the two couples and friends (including Anacostia and Sterling). Tally has a surprise for Raelle. She asked Edwin to bring Raelle's guitar. Raelle points out that somebody should sing to her, but after hearing Scylla singing, she grabs that guitar and starts with Music/TheVelvetUnderground's "I'll Be Your Mirror". And it's beautiful and everyone is happy.

* TitleDrop: Abigail's justification for not turning Scylla and Raelle's wedding into a double wedding to include her and Adil.

* RapidAging: According to M it struck [[Really700YearsOld the Cession Marshal]] while he was driving due to the death of one of the area marshals in the previous episode, making him lose control of the car and get into an accident. However, he is in attendance at the wedding and looks like he always does, presumably because he found a replacement.

* RapidAging: According to M it struck [[Really700YearsOld the Cession Marshal]] while he is driving due to the death of one of the area marshals in the previous episode, making him lose control of the car and get into an accident. However, he is in attendance at the wedding and looks like he always does, presumably because he found a replacement.

* RapidAging: It strikes [[Really700YearsOld the Marshal]] while he is driving, making him lose control of the car and get into an accident. However, he is in attendance at the wedding and looks like he always does.

* RedHerring: After President Wade reappears, everything proceeds to go so well for the heroes that the audience is strongly teased with the possibility that this is AllJustADream, an impression already encouraged by the trailer and synopsis. Turns out it was all very real.

* KilledOffForReal: Izadora has her throat slit by Camarilla soldiers.

* UnconventionalWeddingDress: Played straight with Raelle (short skirt/dress and tailored jacket) and Scylla (black dress), befitting their personalities. Averted with Abigail, who wears her grandmother Minerva's gown.

Double wedding. Edwin and Petra escort their daughters to the altar where Scylla and Adil wait. With president Wade officiating, the two couples are married. There is dancing. While Nicte is helping herself to food and drink, Wade and the Marshal come over. Wade sees through Nicte's "Chef Louise" glamour. Wade is grateful for Nicte's help in rescuing her, but Nicte is still going to answer for all the lives lost to the Spree. Nicte is surprisingly receptive. She is aware of all the Camarilla attacks around the world, and the world is burning. And she owns the fact that she poured fuel on the fire. She does ask that her knowledge and experience be used to fight the Camarilla. Wade agrees but makes it crystal clear that there is no pardon on the table.

Edwin and Raelle have a quiet moment thinking about Willa and how she would have loved being there. They struggle with whether they can be mad at Willa for going to extremes to protect their daughter and how to go about forgiving her.

Petra and Minerva find Abigail staring at a portrait of Jem Bellweather. Abigail used to talk to the painting when she was little and now she wonders if Jem is answering back or talking through her. Petra sends off her mother so she can talk to Abigail. Abigail has felt something inside her since she first tried Jem's Working. She felt it again at the airfield in the Cession and again on the road. They talk about Abigail's Razor Hail, which nobody in their family has done before. Abigail points out what her grandmother said; much of their history has been stolen. Maybe they were capable, and that's why the Camarilla targeted the Bellweathers.

In his prison cell, Blanton Silver takes a nap. He wakes up when he hears a ruckus and his guards screaming. It's Alban Hearst and mooks, who have come to release him.

At the Bellweather mansion grounds, there is a bonfire, with the two couples and friends (including Anacostia and Sterling). Tally has a surprise for Raelle. It's her guitar. Raelle points out that somebody should sing to her, but after hearing Scylla singing, she grabs that guitar and starts with Music/TheVelvetUnderground's "I'll Be Your Mirror". And it's beautiful and everyone is happy.

Fort Salem. Two guards at the gates are keeping watch and making small talk when all of a sudden, the ward in front breaks down. The guards call for reports from South Gate and don't get any. At Izadora's lab, someone pounds in front of door. She tells Penelope to hide. It’s Alban and his mooks. He sees Penelope and instead of capturing her or killing her, he just says "Oh my." He orders his troops to deal with Izadora, who fights back quite well with her scourge and some lab equipment. Unfortunately, she is outnumbered and one of them cuts her throat. As Izadora drowns in her own blood, Alban laments that he is not going to get a chance to chat with her about her work, saying she was extraordinary. From the other room, he hears an echo of the song Raelle was singing coming out of the Mycelium. He stares at it, grinning. "Hello, Mother".

Back at the bonfire, the happy mood is gone. Anacostia is getting a series of reports telling her that Fort Salem has fallen. It's all so garbled that she struggles to listen. They take a look at Raelle. Her eyes glow bright and her mouth is dripping blood.

* JustHereForTheSnacks: After stopping by to congratulate Scylla and Raelle on their nuptials, Nicte is ready to hurry off. Scylla tries to persuade her to stay, and Nicte claims she is staying for the food and drink.

* UnconventionalWeddingDress: Played straight with Raelle (short skirt/dress and tailored jacket) and Scylla (black dress), befitting their personalities. Averted with Abigail, who wears her grandmother Minerva's gown.

%%% Full recap in progress.

Somewhere in the Cession, the scene of a car accident featuring a set of bloody footprints leading to an isolated cabin. Inside, an injured Wade wakes up moaning in pain. M, sporting some cuts and bruises themselves, tells Wade about the accident. Without any warning, the Marshal aged very quickly (like Alder would have when one of her Biddies died) and lost control of their car. According to M (who did not go out to seek help because they did not want to leave Wade's side), they are snowed in and there is no food. The only bright spot is that they have one day of firewood left.

At a detention facility, Tally, wearing an anti-Work collar and unsteady on her feet, is led to the cell where the others (also collared) are. She tells them that she was questioned about Petra's plan, Alder's return, where Raelle went, and about the First Song. She assumes it’s important to the Camarilla to destroy the First Song and adds that with Alder dead, they won’t have to. Abigail notes that they didn't leave any visible mark on Tally, meaning they will be trotted out in public for a trial, or as Raelle notes, executed in public. Raelle shares plans to marry Scylla and how they had wanted to ask Abigail and Adil to join them in a double wedding. Abigail and Adil had wanted to wait until Khalida's return. They resolve to not lose hope. A guard passes by and tosses them bundles with their cadet officer uniforms.

Silver and Kara Brandt are in a meeting about the Bellweather unit trial). Even the judge is attending the meeting, to let the audience know that nobody is getting a fair trial. As Silver announces, "Every second of this trial will be televised. it is very important that we control the narrative." Kara notes that they are to make the public understand the dangers presented by witches by having the witches give out the details of their own crimes. Smiling creepily, she adds, "We'll give them enough rope to hang themselves... and then we'll hang them for real." Of course, they need to make sure they don't make martyrs out of them, but rather, scaring the public. The guilty verdict is guaranteed.

Back at Fort Salem Izadora informs Petra that Penelope is neither worsening nor getting better. The poor girl is rocking back and forth inside her cell. She is in no condition to be paraded around in public.

Court. Prosecutor Zandt asks Tally about invoking the Rite of Proxy on Alder during Nicte's scheduled and lawful execution. Talking over Tally's answers, she makes it seem like she Tally did it on purpose so that Nicte could escape.

Back in the ice cave from last episode. Alder finds herself talking to the frozen Ice Witch. Alder offers to sing at the risk of making the mountain come down. And she Sings.

Abigail is questioned the same way Tally was, and finally has it, calling the proceedings for the b.s. that it is. She shouts out that Silver is Camarilla, was the one responsible for poisoning Penelope and trying to kill Wade. Despite a motion to strike, the judge decides to allow one of them to make a statement before the hearing is finished for the day. A reluctant Raelle is chosen despite her protests, as she has lived among civilians and witches. She starts by saying that it doesn't matter that Wade is alive, they still will be found guilty and the joke of a trial is about persecuting all witches. And witches, really, are no different from civilians.

Of course, Zandt brings up that they have no proof of their accusations or that Wade is alive. Just when the judge is about to call an end for the day, Petra shows up. And with her, Kelly Wade! Silver has a VillainousBreakdown, yelling for the cameras to be cut and ordering Col. Jarrett (escorting Wade) to arrest them. "Jarrett", or rather Sterling using his face, simply says "This is for Penelope." Silver freaks out and claims that Wade is an impostor. Wade responds by slapping him and ordering a check on her fingerprints.

The reinstated President addresses the nation. She has exonerated the Bellweather Unit. The Camarilla is still out there, striking around the world and staging {{False Flag Operation}}s to make witches look like a threat. As she speaks about rooting out the rot and corruption and becoming stronger allies with the Cession, we get a montage of Silver in a prisoner jumpsuit being shoved in a cell and the judge and Oversight Officers being led away in handcuffs. Alban Hearst and Kara Brandt are nowhere to be found.

And so we are having a wedding. Abigail will be doing all the arrangements so that there is no Necro weirdness. In the meantime, Raelle and Scylla are going to go off for a couple of days to the lighthouse.

Tally is singing to the earth, lamenting the futility of trading her Sight to be steward of a Song that will never be used. Gregorio, last seen in the last episode of Season 2 (Revolution, Part I) pops up. He seems happy to see Tally. He had been imprisoned for insubordination towards Oversight Commanders and "interrogated" for being an associate of the Bellweather Unit. Tally is sorry about it but he considers it an honor.

The lighthouse. Scylla and Raelle in bed. Raelle says it all, "Like you said… it's perfect."

The wedding locale. Nicte has stopped to congratulate the happy couple. Scylla convinces her to stick around. Not wanting to seem sentimental, Nicte claims to stay for the champagne and the food. Edwin and Quinn show up as well.

Anacostia and Sterling are off by themselves. The former is distracted, thinking about the Camarilla. Sterling reminds her that "today we celebrate our friends." There is a BigDamnKiss. And Khalida and Alder show up. Apparently, Khalida heard Alder singing and moved a mountain to get to Alder. Big hug

Abigail is arguing with assistants about the seating chart when the rest of the unit come up. Scylla and Raelle are serious about making it a double wedding. With all the violence, it's time to grab on to something real. "But I don’t even have a dress," Abigail says. They send her off to her grandmother Minerva, who is tweaking her own wedding gown so that it fits Abigail. The two women talk about all the history that has been stolen from their family, but at least a piece like the gown has survived.

Double wedding. Edwin and Petra escorts their daughters to the altar where Scylla and Adil wait. With president Wade officiating, the two couples are married. There is dancing. While Nicte is helping herself to food and drink, Wade and the Marshal come over. Wade sees through Nicte's "Chef Louise" glamour. Wade is grateful for Nicte's help in rescuing her, but Nicte is still going to answer for all the lives lost to the Spree. Nicte is surprisingly receptive. She is aware of all the Camarilla attacks around the world, and the world is burning. And she owns the fact that she poured fuel on the fire. She does ask that her knowledge and experience is used to fight the Camarilla. Wade agrees but makes it crystal clear that there is no pardon on the table.

* UnconventionalWeddingDress: Played straight with Raelle (short skirt/dress and tailored jacket) and Scylla (dark dress), befitting their personalities. Averted with Abigail, who wears her grandmother Minerva's gown.

The reinstated President addresses the nation. She has exonerated the Bellweather Unit. The Camarilla is still out there, striking around the world and staging FalseFlag operations to make witches look like a threat. As she speaks about rooting out the rot and corruption and becoming stronger allies with the Cession, we get a montage of Silver in a prisoner jumpsuit being shoved in a cell and the judge and Oversight Officers being led away in handcuffs. Alban Hearst and Kara Brandt are nowhere to be found.

* {{Exposition}}: Due to cuts and limited time left in the series, several plot holes are filled with expository dialogue, e.g. how President Wade's party escaped the safehouse (Nicte's bats located M when they went out to chop firewood) and how Alder got rescued from the ice cave (Khalida heard Alder's song and moved a mountain in the ''literal'' sense to get to her).

The Bellweather unit goes to trial. On their way to a safehouse, the Marshal, Wade, and M get into an accident. They find themselves in a cabin that is snowed in, with no food, and one day's worth of firewood left.

* RapidAging: It strikes [[Really700YearsOld the Marshal]] while he is driving, making him lose control of the car and get into an accident.

* {{Trumplica}}: PlayedWith. The judge at the Bellewather Unit's trial could easily pass off as a Mike Pence impersonator.

* {{Trumplica}}: PlayedWith. The judge at the Bellewather Unit's trial could easily pass off as a Mike Pence impersonator.

The Bellweather goes on trial.

* {{Exposition}}: Due to cuts and limited time left in the series, several plot holes are filled with expository dialogue, e.g. how President Wade's party escaped the safehouse and how Alder got rescued from the ice cave.
* KangarooCourt: The trial against the Bellewather Unit doesn't even pretend to be fair.

* {{Exposition}}: Due to cuts, several plot holes are filled with expository dialogue, e.g. how President Wade's party escaped the safehouse and how Alder got rescued from the ice cave.

* RapidAging: It strikes [[Really700YearsOld the Marshal]] while he is driving, making him lose control of the car and get into an accident.