Motherland: Fort Salem Review: Homo Cantus (Season 3 Episode 1)

Things look grim for our favorite witch fugitives on Motherland: Fort Salem Season 3 Episode 1, “Homo Cantus.”

Season 3 of Motherland: Fort Salem is finally here, and the series isn’t holding back any punches!

Eliot Laurence and the writers are doing their best to give us as much backstory, lore, and unexplored territories of the series as they can from the start.

In the intro, we are transported back in time 136,455 years, where we witness the first witches and the power they held as they created a storm unseen before.

As the episode progresses, we learn from Khalida that the ceremony performed is how the witch ancestors created the gift of speech for man. And while we don’t get another chance to revisit them, I have faith it won’t be the last we see of them this season.

As well as diving deeper into the lore, after two seasons of focusing on the central trio and their time at war college, we’re finally being given the opportunity to explore a much-anticipated avenue of the series: the dodgers and the cession.

Even with Raelle’s background in the cession, we’ve had limited time spent in the region and on dodgers. But all that changes as we witness our witch fugitives immerse themselves in the daily life of dodgers, thanks to a bit of help from Scylla’s friend Mac.

Being on the run is not fun, easy, or a life one longs for themselves. Dodgers don’t have the luxury of always being with their blood families, having hot meals, or having a comfortable place to sleep — a future that our favorite witches will undoubtedly experience first-hand, thanks to Nicte and Tally. But we’ll touch on that a bit later.

Arguably, the best part about Motherland: Fort Salem‘s Season 3 premiere is Raelle and Scylla finally getting to be with one another. Raylla was deliberately kept apart in Season 2, making it unbearable for fans of the two as they shared minimal interaction.

However, those days are over! Even though they’re fugitives, Raelle and Scylla being together full-time brings a sense of warmth and is a monumental highlight all around.

Another highlight is Tally’s newfound ability to see the future. We get a glimpse of the power Tally wields when she sees into the past in Season 2, but this is a definite upgrade as she continues to train her sight.

Nicte and Tally’s dynamic will be important this season as they spend significant time together training. With no significant others, unlike the others, Tally and Nicte are the only ones focused on preparation.

Tally’s training may be why the dodgers are forced to move locations again, but she has the right mindset. It’s unfortunate that Tally’s slip-up causes such a commotion, but with the Camarilla growing more powerful by the day, they must practice.

Without mastering their abilities and learning new work, our favorite witches will struggle to stay alive and win the war.

“Homo Cantus” also takes its time to focus on every aspect of the series, rather than just the main characters. We also get valuable insight into Petra, Anacostia, and M’s current affairs and how they’re currently holding up.

Petra is clinging to work to keep her distracted, Anacostia is hard at work tracking down who infiltrated base alongside Sterling, and M is distraught at their coven’s eradication. It’s a bad time all-around, and the storm clouds don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

However, Petra garners some relief thanks to her short chat with Abigail, and Anacostia does what she does best and enlists M in a mission to gather knowledge on Vice President Silver’s agenda.

Plus, we aren’t going to ignore the fact that Anacostia and Sterling are totally dating at this point. It’s nice to see her have someone to connect with outside of the people she works with daily.

We also can’t forget the return of Penelope! The witch plague’s lasting effects on the base have been minimal, until they create a vaccine. After Petra is given the first immunization, everything seems to be on the up. But the next candidate does not have the same success.

Penelope’s recognizable singing begins to envelop the surrounding area, with the witch plague raining down as Izadora continues the vaccinations. And suddenly, Penelope’s haunting voice begins to ring out, causing Izadora to drop and break the tool in her hand.

Penelope: I suppose it’s a little late for me.

It’ll be interesting to see how Penelope is brought back into the fold after a month with no sign of her.

A theory – now that she’s made up entirely of the witch plague, she can form and dissolve her body at will, but she hasn’t mastered it yet. No matter the reasoning or outcome, it’s an intriguing storyline to continue exploring.

“Homo Cantus” is a phenomenal Season 3 opener that works to answer the burning questions left from Season 2’s finale and keeps its momentum throughout the hour. There isn’t a single moment in the premiere that isn’t of importance or foreshadowing of what’s to come.

Stray Thoughts:

• Scylla acting as a mother figure for Tiffany will never not make me smile. She and Raelle would be such great parents.
• Scylla and Abigail are bonding! It might be a brief moment, but we’re celebrating any positive interaction between the two, no matter how small.
• Tally and Nicte’s dynamic is one of the best things, but Tally changing her face is inevitable, and that day will be tough. There’s no way Raelle and Abigail will be sympathetic to her decision, which will undoubtedly cause tension.
• We need Season 3 Episode 2 to focus on Alder and her rebirth because too many questions need to be answered!

What did you think of this episode of Motherland: Fort Salem? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Motherland: Fort Salem airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on Freeform.

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