Recap / Motherland: Fort Salem S3 E8 Petra's Favorite Pen

At the Cession, Tally has a vision of a witch (for future reference, known as the Ice Witch) in the Harz mountains, Germany, being hunted down by a bunch of medieval soldiers. She runs into a cave and is cornered by the soldiers. Just as they are about to catch her, the Ice Witch starts her song. Her captors are encased in ice, and so is she. Vision over, Tally shares it with the group (Alder, Raelle, Abigail). Alder decides that she and Tally will go off in search of this Ice Witch, as she was one of the Stewards of the first Song.

Anacostia leaves the diner, followed by Nicte and her followers. Just when it seems like Anacostia is going to get ambushed, she gets the drop on Nicte

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. Tally makes Alder promise that if something goes wrong, she will get the Song and save herself.

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 with a nasty days-old burn on her arm. Raelle takes a look at the soldier and wonders why no Fixers looked at her. 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.

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

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 even 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.

The nameless soldier, looking a lot better, talks about the woman they caught in the last episode (Scylla). None of the soldiers knew her name, but they did know she was important. The Oversight Commanders forced them to Link with Scylla to find any intel on the Bearkiller militia, but Scylla blocked her mind. She is being held over at the Slaughterhouse, the nickname for a school that has been commandeered. Thelma Bearkiller orders to have the soldier cleaned up and to find any information about the base. The gang decides to go to New Tanasi to rescue Scylla, but Bearkiller demurs because it is in Army territory and she does not have the troops to spare. Abigail offers to go alone, because she now considers Scylla to be part of the unit.

Nicte and Anacostia do some verbal sparring. Nicte wants to know what the heck is Anacostia doing in the Cession. Anacostia calls Nicte's army pathetic. Nicte then shows off her real army: a bunch of birds she can direct. Anacostia gets to the point. She needs Nicte's help to track down the Marshal, and Wade. They argue as to whether Wade is on their side and is able to stop what is going on. Anacostia says yes, Nicte says no. Even if (big if) Wade is alive and is found, then what? Things will go back to the status quo and witches will remain bound by the Salem Accords.

At the school, the gang tries to figure out what to do, since the bad guys have scanners, anti-work armor, and Raelle had promised Tally not to use her Witchbomb. Adil proposes that they create a distraction WITHOUT magic. He and Abigail go off and pretend to goof around on the school's playground, getting the attention of the guards. Adil and Abigail knock them out

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 Rapid-Fire "No!".

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 Punch-Clock Villain, but Scylla knocks him out and Raelle kicks him. Then we have a Big Damn Kiss.

Back at the cave, more and more ice forms on Tally's face, until Alder grabs one of the witchhunters' swords and cuts off the Ice Witch's arm, freeing Tally. The ice around them starts to crack but Tally refuses to leave without the Song.

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 in command 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.

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 the 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.

The civilian officers attack more of their own officers. Cortez knocks down a power line, which electrocutes two of the civilian officers. In return, the other two Wind Strike her several feet into the air, leaving her crumpled on the ground. 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?"

At the cave, Tally reveals that she was able to See the Ice Witch's memories. There was nothing but pain and loneliness. No wonder she went mad. She proposes to trade her Sight powers to the Ice Witch in exchange for her Song. If it saves all their lives, it is a worthy sacrifice. And with the Sight, the Witch will be able to see beyond her confines. The transfer works. The ice cave starts collapsing and Alder goes out of her way to help Tally, now one of the Stewards, escape with her life. But potentially at the cost of her own.

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.

Back at the Cession, Anacostia is driving when she sees a blue balloon at the edge of the road. Anacostia pulls over and Nicte comes out of hiding. She announces that the Marshal found her when she did not want to be found, and she wants to see how he likes it. She pops the balloon, and a bunch of birds fly off. She is determined to locate the Marshal AND Wade so a pardon for her can be discussed.

Tally wakes up in bed. She is told by the others 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.

The Cession border. News vans from media are there. Abigail thanks Thelma Bearkiller, who wishes her well. Abigail's orders for Adil: no rescues, no jail breaks, and find Khalida. Raelle proposes to Scylla that when this is over, that they marry. Scylla agrees and Raelle gives her heirloom ring.

Holding hands and with heads held high, 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.

Tropes present in this episode

• All for Nothing: The mortally wounded Lupe Cortez quotes this trope, telling Abigail to look around as there are no heroes around.
• All in the Manual: The witch being persecuted in the opening scene does not get a name, but the IMDB identifies her as the Ice Witch. It goes well with her Kill It with Ice powers.
• Angry Item Tapping: 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 her Oath of Service to protect the U.S. She starts tapping her pen in apparent frustration, while musing that her oath is to protect the U.S. "from all enemies, foreign and domestic". As his actions qualify him as the latter, 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.
• Badass Boast: When Thelma Bearkiller tells Abigail that going off by herself to rescue Scylla is a suicide mission:
  Abigail: Begging your pardon, Councilwoman, but those are the missions we do best.
• Cross-Referenced Titles: The episode title is reminiscent of "Brianna's Favorite Pencil", a Season 2 episode. Both the named implements get used by a witch to kill someone during the episodes in question.
• Death by Mocking: Col. Jarrett first insults Gen. Bellwether by remarking he read something about witches' having an "unrefined palate". He later goes by her office and mocks her for being powerless to do much but wait for someone else to help her. In response, she syncs his heartbeat to the rhythm of her pen tapping, and taps faster and faster, accelerating his heart rate until he drops dead, presumably from a heart attack ever.
• Exact Words:
  • After Col. Jarrett taunts Petra Bellweather for being the type of person who sits around waiting to be rescued instead of saving herself, she responds by saying he reminds her of the oath she took:
    Petra: You've got me thinking about my own Oath of Office (tapping her pen on her desk). To protect this great nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic (continuing to tap faster and faster, as his heart is heard beating louder). Safe to say you wind up solidly in the latter category. Yes? (taps and taps, accelerating his heartbeat into a heart attack)
    (Col. Jarrett, face blue, eyes bloodshot, collapses and Dies Wide Open)
  • When the ice cave starts to collapse, Tally tells Alder to save herself like she promised. Alder responds by telling her that she promised to save the Stewards of the Song—and Tally is now one of those Stewards after trading her Sight power for the piece of the Song.
• Go Mad from the Isolation: This is what happened to the Ice Witch. She froze her hunters and herself. She has been trapped all by herself for centuries in the ice cave at the Harz mountains. By the time Alder and Tally find her, she sees their request for help as just another instance of people taking from her and tries to kill them.
• Heirloom Engagement Ring: When Scylla accepts Raelle's proposal, Raelle gives her the ring Willa gave her.
• High-Voltage Death: The Oversight officers wear Work-proof armor. Instead of attacking directly, Cortez knocks down a power line that shocks two of these to death.
• Human Pincushion: Since the civilian officers that led the Army forces are wearing Work-repelling armor, Abigail instead calls up a storm of hail. The officers at first dismiss it as just hail, but the hailstones are as sharp as knives and end up killing the officers.
• Implied Death Threat: President Silver orders General Bellweather to use full force as necessary, and if she does, he just MIGHT be lenient when Abigail and company are brought in. It is implied that otherwise, they might just be summarily executed.
• Ironic Echo: Jarrett and Petra Bellweather use the line "Safe to say you wind up solidly in the latter category, yes?" on each other. Per Jarrett, people who have their hands tied react in one of two ways: doing whatever it takes to free themselves, chewing off their thumbs if necessary; or they just sit around waiting for somebody else to release them. He claims that Petra is the latter. In turn, Petra reminds him that she swore to defend the country against all enemies, "foreign and domestic", and as far as she is concerned, he qualifies as the latter. Then she kills him.
• Just Following Orders: The torturer claims that he "just works here" when Raelle shows up to save Scylla, despite earlier on talking gleefully about how much he was looking forward to torturing her moments ago. Naturally it doesn't placate either girl.
• Kill It with Ice: How the Ice Witch deals with the soldiers hunting her: she encases them in ice. In the process, she encases herself as well. She comes close to killing Tally like this until Alder intervenes.
• Kill the Cutie: Lupe Cortez is killed by the Camarilla for refusing to attack the Cession forces which outnumber them.
• Love Theme: Scylla and Raelle's plays over Raelle's proposal.
• Perilous Marriage Proposal: Raelle proposes to Scylla right before they turn themselves over to the US Military, and Scylla naturally accepts.
• Red Shirt Army: The U.S. Army forces are turned into this by the civilian officers who lead them. At a confrontation with Thelma Bearkiller's militia, Cadet officer Cortez (herself a Mauve Shirt) recognizes they are outnumbered and calls for the troops to fall back but the officers tell them that a retreat will be be considered treason and to attack. Cortez calls out that they are in the line of fire. The civilian officers use their Magi Tech to replicate Wind Strikes, killing the U.S. Army soldiers.
• Refuge in Audacity: Raelle bluffs the guard by pretending she can essentially torture him to death with the Witchbomb, with Scylla playing along. It works.
• Reunion Kiss: Raelle and Scylla get a big one after Raelle saves Scylla from the Camarilla.
• To the Pain: Raelle threatens the torturer with the Witchbomb, explicitly describing how it kills people in a slow, extremely painful manner, enough so he gets intimidated into releasing Scylla.
• Uriah Gambit: The U.S. soldiers are sent off to attack the Bearkiller militia. When Cadet Cortez realizes that they are outnumbered and calls for a fallback, the civilian officers insist that the soldiers attack. The civilian officers know full well that if they do, there will be heavy casualties on both sides.
• We Need a Distraction: 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.
• Wham Line:
  • "There are no Fixers."
• What Have I Done: Petra Bellweather's exact words after learning the U.S. Army soldiers are getting killed by their own civilian commanders.
• What the Hell, Hero?: The words of the revived Ice Witch to Alder: "Where were you centuries ago when these bastards hunted me down for that Song?"