The episode begins with a surprise, as Abigail and Raelle are getting along for once! It’s short-lived, however, as Raelle gets annoyed that Scylla isn’t invited to Abigail's cousin's wedding later that day and promptly storms off. She suggests to Scylla that they run away together, and Scylla tells her about a beach she went to as a child which was the last place she felt free. Raelle gives Scylla a corsage made from a bird skull, which Scylla loves. In return, she shows her an original piece of Work that allows her to contact Raelle by tracing an ‘S’ on her palm which then appears on Raelle’s palm.
When she gets back to her room, Scylla’s balloon boss berates her for not getting a wedding invite and orders her to bring Raelle to them later that day. Failure to do so means a bleak future for her. Scylla crashes the wedding by disguising herself as a server. Raelle is thrilled to see her. Abigail… not so much.
Abigail introduces the unit to her family as her mother chastises her for barely being on time. Abigail promises that she’s prepared for their meeting with the Dean. The wedding ceremony takes place, and we learn that weddings work a little differently for witches. The couple enter into a five-year union with the intention of bearing daughters to continue the line. And with that, Charvel and her betrothed, Ciro, are married!
At the reception, Raelle asks about the beach near the venue – the same beach Scylla visited – but Abigail clarifies that it’s a private beach. She’s still seething over Scylla crashing the wedding and things get worse as her mother brushes her off once again to talk to another member of military brass about Alder’s lack of action when it comes to the Spree.
Scylla is checking her watch while dancing with Raelle, conscious of the 6pm deadline she’s under, when Raelle spots Anacostia glaring in their general direction. Scylla tries to distract her, but Raelle isn’t having it, and marches up to Anacostia to defend her girlfriend. Tally drags Raelle off for an impromptu unit meeting, but not before Raelle plants a kiss on Scylla right in front of Anacostia. Scylla sasses Anacostia, who tells her to break things off with Raelle, or she’ll make life very difficult for Scylla.
Tally has spotted Gerit and wants to know if she should go and say hello. Raelle tells her to go for it, but Abigail’s negative is shot down before she can reveal that Gerit is engaged, as he’s wearing a sash with his uniform as per High Atlantic custom. Tally is none the wiser, making out with Gerit in a quiet corner. He tells her that he wants to be with her, and that he loves her, and asks her to believe him no matter what happens.
Charvel finds Abigail on the dance floor, telling her that her name alone will be enough to secure a place at War College, which perturbs Abigail; she wants to prove that she’s more than her name. Abigail grabs a hot guy she used to know for a “pre-interview boost” and exits stage left.
Shortly after, the unit are reunited, and Abigail and Raelle wordlessly hold onto Tally as it’s announced that Gerit is engaged to Hilary, a woman with whom he went on a trial run with last season. As if things couldn’t get any worse, it’s time for the Bellweather unit’s meeting with the Dean. Tally runs off on the verge of tears with Raelle in pursuit. When Abigail apologizes, the Dean tells her that even sleepwalking, her place at War College is secured because she’s Petra Bellweather’s daughter, confirming Abigail's fear.
Raelle finds herself with Petra, and can’t help but confront her about the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. Petra speaks very highly of Willa, telling Raelle that she saved countless lives. She embraces a tearful Raelle, telling her that her mother would be proud of her for following in her footsteps, and Raelle can’t bring herself to say any more on the matter.
Abigail is helping Charvel get into her wedding dress – she got married in uniform – and they have a conversation about carrying on the Bellweather name. Abigail tells her she was right about the Dean, but that she wants to make a name for herself rather than resting on the laurels of her mother. Charvel promises to reintroduce her to the Dean later.
Tally is honoring the old tradition of crying alone in the bathroom when she hears the door open. She shuts herself in the stall, somehow staying out of sight as Scylla checks the room before talking to her balloon boss. She wants to know if Raelle will be safe, but is told to stop asking questions and simply deliver her. Tally catches a glimpse of the balloon in the mirror. All the while, the clock ticks closer to 6pm.
Scylla finds Raelle with five minutes to spare, wanting to go for a walk on the beach with her, but Raelle asks her if they can dance instead. After a moment of internal conflict, Scylla says yes. As Abigail argues with her mother, and a shocked Tally tells Anacostia that she thinks Scylla is Spree, Scylla is still slow-dancing with Raelle as the clock strikes six. Scylla glares at the clock in defiance; she’s made her decision, whatever the consequences may be, and she’s choosing Raelle over the Spree. She tells Raelle that, no matter what happens, she loves her.
And that’s when everything goes to shit. Abigail, not receiving an answer from Charvel, breaks down the door only to find her cousin dead, her throat slit and her vocal chords removed. Before she can really get her bearings, she’s attacked by two people who possess a sort of tech that nullifies vocal Work. Outside, a swarm of balloons descend on the party. The witches quickly shift into defense mode, ushering the civilians in attendance inside and singing up a storm to blow the balloons away before they can burst and release the sound that drives people to suicide.
Petra can’t find her daughter in the chaos so she runs inside to find her. She follows the ringing sound of the tech and bursts in on Abigail about to get her throat slit. But Petra Bellweather is no slouch with a scourge. She and Abigail engage in hand to hand combat with Charvel’s murderers, disabling their tech and blasting them through the window as the two killers proclaim themselves as Spree while lighting themselves on fire. Also missing in the chaos is Scylla.
Tally locks eyes with Gerit, who is being comforted by his betrothed. A wounded and numb Abigail reunites with Tally and Raelle and tells them of Charvel’s death. Raelle finds the corsage she gave Scylla amongst the mess on the floor, and says that she’s gone, too. Our unit stand huddled together in the aftermath, each of them a hell of a lot sadder than how the episode – and their day – began.
Tropes Used:
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Abigail and Petra during their fight against Charvel’s murderers.
- Berserk Button: Petra goes full Mama Bear upon seeing Abigail’s life threatened.
- Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress: More like blood-soaked. Poor, poor Charvel…
- Bridal Carry: Not at the wedding itself, but Scylla playfully picks Raelle up like this and spins her.
- Darker and Edgier: From here on out, shit gets real.
- Deadpan Snarker: Scylla responds to Anacostia’s instruction to break up with Raelle or life will become very difficult for her with a sarcastic, “Yes, ma’am.”
- Death Glare: Anacostia’s go-to way of looking at Scylla is out in full force this episode.
- Destination Defenestration: Abigail and Petra Windstrike Charvel’s on-fire killers out the window.
- Downer Ending: Charvel is dead, Abigail was almost murdered in the same way, Scylla is missing, and Tally is heartbroken over Gerit.
- Elopement: Raelle and Scylla half-joke about running away together.
- Fashion-Based Relationship Cue: As per High Atlantic custom, all the betrothed men wear sashes at the wedding. This is how Abigail figures out that Gerit is engaged before it’s announced.
- Flashback Cut: While dancing with Raelle, Scylla flashes back to some of their moments together, realizing that she’s fallen in love with her.
- Foreshadowing: Scylla’s ‘S’ mark Work as a way to contact Raelle is introduced in this episode, and has its payoff in the next episode.
- Gut Punch: The entire final act of the episode.
- Heel–Face Turn: Scylla’s refusal to hand over Raelle to the Spree marks the beginning of hers.
- Heroic BSoD: Abigail is in a state of numbness at the end of the episode.
- In Love with the Mark: Scylla has genuinely fallen in love with Raelle, and chooses to protect her rather than give her to the Spree as instructed, while knowing that she will face severe consequences from them.
- Improvised Weapon: At one point, Abigail blocks a knife attack with a cushion.
- Internal Reveal: Tally and Anacostia learn that Scylla is Spree.
- Just in Time: Petra bursts in on Abigail's throat about to be slit.
- Love Confession: Scylla tells Raelle she loves her.
- Mood Whiplash: We cut straight from Scylla’s Love Confession to Abigail finding Charvel’s body.
- No Peripheral Vision: Scylla Failed a Spot Check when she didn’t see Tally just around the corner in the bathroom, leading Tally to find out that Scylla is working for the Spree.
- The Oner: The camera follows a server at the wedding for quite some time, hinting that she’s important even before she’s revealed to be Scylla in disguise.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: While the point of the union is to strengthen and continue the bloodlines, Charvel and Ciro very obviously care for one another.
- Slashed Throat: How Charvel is murdered.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Abigail definitely seems like she could be feeling like this with Tally, Raelle and Scylla at the wedding.
- "Take That!" Kiss: A slightly unusual example wherein Raelle kisses Scylla as a “take that” to the watching Anacostia, who disapproves of Scylla.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: A traumatised Abigail at the end of the episode.
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Throw It In!: Amalia Holm improvised Scylla picking up Raelle and spinning her at the beginning of the episode. - Wedding Episode: It ends in chaos, yes, but almost the entirety of the episode takes place at Charvel and Ciro’s wedding.
- Widowed at the Wedding: Ciro had a wife for all of maybe two or three hours.
