New York City. President Silver and his advisor Kara Brandt meet with five world leaders. In Northern California, the witch registration project is going well, as well as making collars mandatory. The other two leaders anticipate implementing similar measures. Alban Hearst interrupts the meeting to announce that the Witchbomb a.k.a. Raelle is dead, but Sarah Alder is back and stronger, to boot. As he starts telling the story of how he almost had our fugitives until Council member Thelma Bearkiller interfered, Kara interrupts. The Cession's failure to extradite is a violation of their treaty with the US, so the US has no other choice but to invade. The Cession witches and their allies will be forced to fight the military witches and kill each other. Kara finished by ordering Hearst to finish destroying the Mycelium. "And this time, make sure the bitch stays dead."
The Cession: The remaining members of the group (Tally, Abigail, Adil, Scylla) and Alder) split up: Tally is going to her mother's at North California, Scylla is going to take Edwin Collar to a safe place, and the rest are heading to Fort Salem, as Alder is too weak to access the Mycelium at any other point. They wonder who tipped off the Camarilla as to their location. Abigail asks Tally if she is still obsessing about her vision of Raelle ending the world. She thinks it's just Nicte messing with Tally's Sight with Spree "garbage work".
Fort Salem. Sterling and Anacostia are recovering at the infirmary when Petra shows up asking about the army they saw. Petra is expecting to receive orders to invade the Cession. Since she is bound by Salem Accords, she must obey or else be replaced or worse. Her plan is to obey on the surface but avoid a bloodbath until Wade comes back. Petra orders Anacostia to stay out of sight.
Northern California. Tally is smuggled into the area. She and the driver watch a family be harassed: they are witches and the parents are wearing the removable mandatory Work-disabling collars but the kids are not.
The Cherokee Cession. Scylla and Edwin take a break to eat. He outlines the road he will take to get to Quinn's house. He jokes about his steel-trap memory while he pretends to have trouble remembering Scylla's name.
Back to Tally. She sneaks into her mom's house, where agents are parked. May Craven, wearing the collar, is forced to let the government agents in, but upon seeing her daughter, drops the bag of groceries to create a distraction. Tally tells her mom she came home because she was worried about May being safe, and to pack a bag because they are going to the Cession. May scoffs; the Cession might not be all that safe, and she is not leaving home, not with her Book Club meeting that same night.
Fort Salem: Adil, Abigail, and Alder, whose hair has new grey streaks, look at cadets practicing how to use their scourges under the watchful eye of Col. Jarrett. Their Work is getting recorded so it can be used against witches. Abigail wonders how can her mom allow this nonsense, but Alder says that she is bound by the Salem Accords, which is not just a document, but something with real power. As Abigail laments, "This is no longer a witches' place."
Petra holds a meeting with Col. Jarrett present. Since the trio of fugitives was last seen around the chemical plant in the Cession, the Army suspects they are either in Siouan, Algonquian, or Iroquoian territories. She wants troops ready to enter the borders as soon as President Silver gives the order.
Col. Jarrett: (interrupting) Swift and exact, but with an iron fist. All Cession witches are to be collared, detained, and then interrogated by one of my men. Isn't that right, General?
Petra: (through gritted teeth) If those are the President's orders. Please continue.
Col. Jarrett: Our primary objective is to bring in the fugitives. The Bellweather Unit is...(continues)
Petra: (using Farspeech) Disregard what the civilian is babbling about. Your only orders are to contain the situation and do anything you can to prevent bloodshed, witch or civilian, on both sides. And if the Bellweather Unit is found, they are to be brought in alive.
Col. Jarrett: (continuing) ...abide these orders, you need to speak up now. During the operation, you will be accompanied by a force of special ops civilian troops. They will take lead.
Back at the Cession. Edwin is stopped by a sheriff and apologizes for knowing only a bit of Cherokee. The sheriff points out that he is driving a Council car through Iroquois territory. Edwin makes up a story about Thelma Bearkiller doing him a favor by hiring him as a driver. Just as the sheriff is about to question Edwin further, Scylla uses a Jedi Mind Trick to make the sheriff be happy with Edwin's answers and let him go. When he does, Edwin is furious with her being reckless at a time of anti-witch sentiment. Right now, Scylla is the only one left in his life. She tells him she is going to try something.
Nor Cal. At the Cravens' home, a bunch of May's friends come over for the book club meeting and one offers brownies to the agents surveilling the house.
Fort Salem. Abigail and the rest barge into Izadora's office where she is sharing a meal with Penelope to beg for help. Izadora is shocked at seeing Alder and Abigail is shocked to see the living Penelope. At the sight of Abigail, Penelope screams in fury ( candles melt in the process) and throws herself at Abigail for trying to kill her earlier on. Izadora has to explain to the group that Penelope is not fully human yet and so cannot appear in public to clear the names of the Bellwether unit. Alder's skin turns an ugly gray tint and they rush her to the Mycelium.
Quinn's home. Scylla uses a dead opossum and her Necro skills to contact Raelle. Raelle gets to hear Scylla and her dad and tells them she wants to come home, but all of a sudden Willa turns up and screams at them to leave, ending communication.
Back at Fort Salem, Alder re-enters the Mycelium after promising to do what she can to help Raelle.
The Craven home. We hear voices discussing the book, but it is just an auditory illusion. May and her friends are poring over blueprints of the location of the genealogical initiative. Tally, realizing that her mother plans to raid a government building, at first tries to dissuade her, but then decides to help her.
Quinn's home. Since Edwin recognized Willa's voice, Scylla tells him the truth about Willa faking her death to join the Spree and protect Raelle. She also has to tell him about Willa dying for real while saving Raelle. The three of them figure that they need to talk to Willa. Fortunately, Quinn did Farspeech with Willa enough time that she expects she will be able to communicate with her.
Fort Salem. Anacostia turns up at Petra's office despite her orders to rest up. She's brought Abigail, who apologizes to Petra for not staying at the Cession due to Alder needing the Mycelium. Petra ignores the apology and embraces her daughter and Adil.
The Mycelium. Quinn opens up a conversation with her old friend. Willa materializes and refuses to let Raelle go. She intends to keep her daughter safe from those who would harm her.
At the location of the genealogical initiative, May assigns Tally to use her Sight to keep watch for the guard. She Sees important records in the basement and she and May go over there while the others go to the van.
At Fort Salem, Petra is brought up to the date about Alder, Wade being safe, and Thelma Bearkiller thinking there is a traitor in the Council. While Petra follows her orders, Abigail and Adil are going to go back to the Cession and bring back Wade.
May and Tally find crates with Work-neutralizing collars. Unlike the ones in circulation, they are NOT removable. May uses Work to set them on fire. Back in the van with the others, she feels depressed because the only thing accomplished was to slow down the government. Tally reminds her that wars are won one battle at a time, and that they should celebrate their small victory. The building explodes. Back at the Craven home, the agent sends the members of the "book club" home.
Scylla bids goodbye to Edwin. She promises to find out how to bring back Raelle and to never again keep secrets from Edwin.
President Silver announces that the U.S. military along with an elite civilian force are preparing to invade and occupy the Cession in order to locate and capture the fugitives responsible for the assassination of President Wade.
Back at the Cession, Anacostia (who sent Adil and Abigail to bed after the long drive) meets up with Bearkiller, who has a militia ready to go in preparation for the upcoming invasion. Bearkiller tells Anacostia that they are welcome to stay or go, but make q choice.
At Fort Salem, Alder materializes right in the middle of campus. To the cheering cadets and others surrounding her, she tells them to "have faith and fear not. This will always be a witches' place." Col. Jarrett, who cannot process how Alder could possibly be alive, stomps over just in time to see Alder disappear under the earth.
Tropes in this episode
- Bookends: Edwin brags about having a mind like a steel trap and then pretends he can't remember Scylla's name. She does the same when she is saying goodbye to him.Edwin: Nothing slips through this noggin, Sally. Stacy. Sydney. Stella! Stella.
(Later)
Scylla: You have a mind like a steel trap, Edgar. Evan? Um, Eli? - Call-Back:
- Last episode, when Mothertongue class was canceled, the building was padlocked. When Abigail, Adil, and Alder get to Fort Salem, the cadets are practicing outside, as it appears they no longer have access to their training facilities.
- The Camarilla abducting Raelle and killing her multiple times, finally infecting her with the Witchplague and Willa using her Fixer skills to heal her, at the cost of her own life.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: May Craven, Tally's mom, appears to submit without complaint to measures like being forced to wear a collar and abide with a curfew. But under the guise of hosting a Book Club meeting, she and her friends gather to destroy archives vital to registration project.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The witches in North California having to wear a visible symbol of their status and getting harassed is uncomfortably similar to Jews having to wear a yellow star back in Nazi-occupied territories during World War II.
- Freudian Slip: While talking about the reappearance of Alder, Hearst mentions says that her power "seems to come from the Mother... (Beat)... the Mycelium." Judging by her face, Brandt noticed the slip.
- Jedi Mind Trick: Scylla uses her magic to manipulate a Cession Sheriff who is asking a whole lot of questions from Edwin as he is about to enter Iroquois territory.
- Reduced to Dust: Willa embraces her husband and apologizes for faking her death. Still in his arms, she turns into dust and disappears. She gets better.
- Skewed Priorities: Tally's eyes bug out when she hears her mother refuse to leave her home for the sake of her Book Club meeting. Subverted in that "Book Club" is just a cover for her and her friends' resistance activities.
- This Cannot Be!: The sudden reappearance of Alder at Fort Salem throws Col. Jarrett for a loop.
- Title Drop: Tally's mom refuses to leave her home despite her daughter's urging. When asked what could be more important, she just responds with "Book Club". The incredulous Tally can only echo back her answer: "Book Club!?"
- What the Hell, Hero?: Edwin yells at Scylla for using Work to manipulate the sheriff who gives Edwin trouble just as they are about to cross into Iroquois territory. Like he says, there could have been somebody else in this sheriff's cruiser or they could have been recorded.
