Raelle and Abigail are being put through the days of sonics, Weatherwork, and physical and environmental stressors in an attempt to recreate the blast, to no avail. Alder, disappointed by the lack of results, suspends the tests. Izadora shows her the head of a Camarilla man who has been well and truly mushroomed by the blast and says she intends to investigate what exactly happened to him and how they can use it.
Abigail wants the testing to keep going, but Raelle isn’t keen to be a lab rat. On their first day of War College, Abigail prepares them to meet the rest of their coven – the Sekhmet coven. There are rumours about them as a unit and individuals; M, the coven leader, wants to make sure Raelle and Scylla’s whole deal is in the past. Raelle assures them she’s all done with keeping secrets, and as she says this, the severed mushroom head’s eyes snap open and it speaks in tandem with her. Izadora later discovers that the Mycelium has somehow colonized the man’s brain through Raelle, who is still connected to it.
Scylla has been looking into the rallies that the Camarilla have been quietly holding to stir up distrust of witches and has made friends with a couple who seem well-connected within the movement. Scylla thinks Bonnie, the wife, may need a friend, but Willa warns her against getting too close, given what happened last time. Scylla asks why Willa never reached out to Raelle. Willa says that, having watched Raelle growing up without her, the anger at the army grew within her and she lost sight of anything except the Spree. She has no idea what she would even say to Raelle.
Also in their coven is Gregorio, Abigail’s cavalier from back in the day; he explains that he and Libba were dating at the time, and that’s why she danced with him. He banters with the unit, Tally in particular, before they’re called to meet with Alder. She impresses upon the importance of destroying the Camarilla, and that they must embrace War College, constantly seeking the truth no matter where it leads.
Scylla attends a gathering at the same mall where she carried out her attack in the first episode, which is now covered in flowers and memorials to the civilians who lost their lives. She’s confronted head on with the lasting effects of what she did, and it appears to stir up no small amount of remorse within her. She meets up with Bonnie, slipping into her Justine persona, but looks up as a familiar speaker takes the stage. It’s Anacostia, who makes direct eye contact with Scylla as she questions whether the witch who carried out the attack feels regret; if there’s anything human left in her.
Scylla figures out that it was Anacostia who was following her and asks whether this is part of her quest to attempt to redeem her. Scylla tells her that the Camarilla are involved in this movement. Anacostia wants in, confiding in Scylla about her reservations about Alder. Bonnie and her husband Shane meet up with them, and Anacostia suggests a round of drinks. At the bar, Anacostia and Scylla pick up on Shane’s misogyny, Bonnie’s unhappiness, and the deal that Shane appears to be making with a strange man who walks in.
Adil joins the coven for their Mothertongue class, given his fluency, and the teacher demonstrates a phrase which translates most closely as Rite of Proxy. He tells them there’s certain Work that can only be performed in Mothertongue, which piques their interest. Tally asks Alder’s permission to tutor Penelope, the VP’s daughter. Alder is called to a meeting with Khalida and members of the Hague, where she learns that Khalida will be touring potential new homes for the Tarim, and is less than enthused at the prospect of losing her chance at losing their songs. The Hague explain more about the black webbing, naming it Witchplague as it doesn’t harm civilians, and that it was likely created by the Camarilla. Adil is torn over whether to go with Khalida on the tour or stay at Fort Salem.
Tally has another dream where she’s back in the jungle with Alder and the mystery woman. The next day the coven are tasked with learning how to recognize and resist off-canon Work, the domain of the Spree, through a task called the dollhouse. Tally is somehow able to see the sound waves that are causing the delusions the off-canon Work is creating, becoming the only person to complete it at the first attempt, but not before Raelle and Abigail are taken by people dressed up as creepy-looking dolls.
As it turns out, Izadora is the one who kidnapped Raelle and Abigail. She separates them into different chambers and puts Raelle in actual danger, telling her that she needs to pay for touching the Mycelium. The fear triggers the power, which is Raelle’s and Raelle’s alone, and it cocoons her in a protective bubble. Izadora notes that Abigail seems disappointed not to be a part of the power. Raelle, who has just become one of the army’s greatest assets, will continue to be tested. Raelle, for her part, is furious about Izadora’s test. She says that the power is beyond words but that it’s something that feels completely out of her control.
Scylla informs Willa that Anacostia did a catch and release with her, and is told to stay the course but to be wary, as the army can’t be trusted. Khalida tells Abigail that, just as she will always choose her people, so will Adil. Meanwhile, Tally is giving Penelope a tour, when she spots that some Working has been used on a photo of Alder with her biddies. Tally, unlike Penelope, can see the mystery woman from her dreams. She’s real, and someone is trying to hide her existence.
Tropes Used:
- Arc Words: Alder telling the unit to follow the truth, no matter where it leads, kicks off Tally’s season-long quest.
- Blatant Lies: Abigail brushes off her jealousy and disappointment over the blast being only down to Raelle by saying she’s just tired. Raelle and Tally don’t appear to buy it.
- Continuity Nod: Libba stealing Gregorio the cavalier is referenced and expanded upon.
- Cooperation Gambit: Anacostia and Scylla find themselves reluctantly teaming up against the Camarilla.
- Cursed with Awesome: While Raelle is incapable of describing what channeling the Mycelium’s power is like, she shows some discomfort at wielding it. It doesn’t help that being the one with the power means that Izadora will continue to run tests on her.
- Deadpan Snarker: M definitely has shades of this, especially when they make fun of Raelle’s “super cool hair.”
- Forced to Watch: Part of the fear Izadora instils in Raelle is having to watch Abigail suffer and fall unconscious.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Scylla definitely seems to be experiencing some of this as she returns to the site of the Spree attack she carried out and sees the grieving families of those who were killed.
- For Science!: Izadora makes Raelle think she’s genuinely about to die in order to trigger her powers.
- Only the Chosen May Wield: For whatever reason, the Mycelium chose Raelle to form a connection with, as she’s stated to be the only person to touch it without negative consequences.
- Rousing Speech: Alder delivers one to the Bellweather unit that doubles as a lecture.
