We begin with… a propaganda video. No, really. Smiling women join the army, finding their voice, as Alder’s voiceover asks the audience if they will answer the call over images of helicopters and wild America. It’s a ridiculously accurate parody on the show’s part, and played completely straight in-universe.
The weather at Fort Salem is still dark and unsettled after Abigail’s actions at the end of the previous episode. Gregorio picks up on the tension between Abigail and Adil after their fight and makes a quick exit stage left, leaving Adil to tell a croaky-sounding Abigail that he’s heading to India to meet with his sister; Khalida thinks she’s found a new home for the Tarim and he’s going to help them get settled. He tells Abigail goodbye, and it sounds pretty final.
Tally is still a little mad at Abigail for abandoning her at the reception, but the unit still catch each other up on recent events. Tally is also frustrated because all of the books on the martyrdom claim that Alder wasn’t there, but Tally saw her in the memories, and wants to know what is being covered up and why.
It’s revealed that Petra was the one who ordered Anacostia to tail Scylla, which Alder is livid about even as she’s given the intel about the test the Camarilla are using in schools. Anacostia calls Alder out on her puppeting of the President. The two clash over power dynamics and Anacostia is told to stay on the Camarilla she and Scylla have been tracking. Willa, meanwhile, is clashing with another Spree cell over an apparent suicide mission. Scylla informs her that Orsatti is on the move with the test results and is told to stay on him. Scylla is also told, as she’s leaving, that she can keep the photo of Raelle that she swiped when she thought Willa’s back was turned.
Alder is doing press at the launch of the first testing center, and it all seems to be going fairly well, at least until they step outside and see the crowd. They hold up insulting signs to Alder and chant, “Not our daughters!” over and over, and Alder is pissed. She’s seen witch hunts like this before. Meanwhile, a box is passed through security by a police officer and delivered to some people in jumpsuits, revealing ominous looking charges that are placed into tubes around the venue.
Tally asks Petra about the Matyrdom of the Rebels, trying to get as much information as she can. But Petra tells her that it was before her time; all she knows is from the books. Esterbrook and her witches refused conscription and chose to martyr themselves rather than surrender when the army found them, and Alder wasn’t present. She advises Tally to find a source closer to the story as even Intelligence sometimes has a hard time keeping up with Alder’s comings and goings.
Raelle comforts a despondent Abigail who’s upset at constantly failing; the Witchbomb, Adil… Raelle points out that Tally failed with Gerit, she herself failed with Scylla, but that they’re stronger for it, and Abigail will be, too. Besides, Raelle gets the feeling that Abigail and Adil aren’t done. The two of them, along with Tally and Gregorio, are called by M, who tells them that due to the unrest at the testing center, they’re being sent in to help. Raelle is assigned to Alder’s personal security, and Tally is assigned to Penelope, who is arguing with her reluctant father that she’s still the same person she’s always been, just with a better understanding of herself now.
Scylla, staring at the photo of Raelle, asks Anacostia how she’s doing on base, but Anacostia reminds her to keep her mind on the mission. They’re at the testing center opening, having followed Orsatti there, and he’s on the move. The two of them meet up with Shane and Bonnie, who are busy helping rile up the crowd; they give Anacostia and Scylla bandanas to cover the lower half of their faces and avoid recognition. The dynamic duo deduce that the crowd is made up of Camarilla-influenced provocateurs mixed in with regular witch-fearing citizens.
Just then, Alder takes the stage accompanied by Sekhmet coven, as well as Penelope, who sings and makes water tendrils lift from a large bowl in front of her. It doesn’t really do anything to impress or placate the crowd. Scylla catches sight of Raelle up on stage and panics a little, telling Anacostia they need to leave, but Anacostia holds firm and they stay. A couple of protesters throw a Molotov cocktail at the stage; Raelle grabs Alder and gets them both out of the way. Alder watches the flag burn behind her, rising to her full height with the flames reflected in her eyes.
Scylla and Anacostia spot Orsatti getting friendly with police officers. Inside the center, Abigail confides in Raelle about what she said to Adil; about their argument and what she said being the real reason he didn’t stay. Anacostia contacts Alder and tells her that the Camarilla are onsite with at least one operative as well as law enforcement and people from the Movement. Alder and Petra discuss the Camarilla’s evolving tactics and decide to lie about them being back; blame the Spree. Silver begs Penelope to let him protect her while he still can and takes her to safety, despite her not wanting to run.
Farspeech glitches out and Sekhmet are hit with a sound that hurts their ears. Whatever this is screws with Tally’s Sight, too. And then they hear Charvel’s voice begging Abigail for help. They know it can’t possibly be her, but Abigail is still drawn in, running off on her own to find her only to come face to face with a Camarilla operative who has somehow used tech to harness Charvel’s voice. More Camarilla arrive with their Work-cancelling tech, and Abigail is surrounded. Sekhmet figure out the Camarilla are there when they find the charges and attempt to disperse the angry crowd to no avail. Raelle echoes Scylla’s advice about letting the army make her strong, saying that she was right, which Scylla overhears. Before they can get a handle on the crowd, the charges go off, imitating a Windstrike that knocks everyone to the ground and causes mayhem. The protest has officially become a riot.
Tally and M arrive to save Abigail who, despite putting up an incredible fight, is outnumbered and about to be killed. Tally holds a sobbing Abigail while M goes to town on the Camarilla. The man who had been about to slice Abigail’s throat gets away. Anacostia tells Scylla that it’s time to scatter, but Scylla can’t help but pick out Raelle in the crowd. Raelle, jostled and dripping blood from a rock thrown at her head, meets her eyes for the first time since she walked out of the dungeon. Almost like she can’t believe what she’s seeing, Raelle walks towards her, only to be bumped into by a fleeing protester. This gives Scylla long enough to vanish, leaving behind the photo she swiped earlier in the episode for Raelle to find.
Tally asks Raelle if she’s sure it was Scylla, who’s meant to be in prison for life far, far away. Raelle’s positive it was her; she’d know those eyes anywhere. Scylla’s escaped custody, and it’s clear Raelle isn’t sure how she feels about that, although it’s also obvious that she definitely isn’t over her. Abigail wakes in the infirmary and reflects tearfully on the trap she fell into. She still feels guilt over failing to save Charvel, despite Raelle’s orders not to put that on herself. Tally, with growing anger over how Alder’s lies have led to people like Abigail suffering, storms out and barges into Alder’s office. She demands to know who Nicte Batan is.
Tropes Used:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Raelle, a lesbian who has no interest in handfasting with any man whatsoever, snorts as she flips through the trading cards of eligible men she’s been given.Raelle: You know, I gotta give it to the Imperatrix for at least throwing in a couple of shortish brunettes to try and trip me up.
- Bigot with a Badge: Some of the police help sneak the charges, which later cause chaos, into the test center opening.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Penelope’s conversation with her dad about her being a witch uses some similar language to a child who’s disagreeing with their parent over coming out as LGBTQ.
- Dramatic Thunder: Somewhat justified in that Abigail’s Work is causing dark and stormy weather, but when Tally marches across base to confront Alder at the end of the episode, it’s in the middle of a dramatic thunderstorm.
- Fooled by the Sound: Abigail hears the voice of her deceased cousin calling for help. She runs off on her own, only to find a Camarillanote agent using tech that duplicates Charvel's voice to trick her. More agents arrive and they overpower her. Fortunately, two members of her coven show up and save her before the agents kill her.
- Gas Leak Cover Up: Alder blames the riot on the Spree in order to stop panic spreading at the return of the Camarilla.
- Just in Time: Tally and M show up to save Abigail just as she’s about to get her throat slit by the Camarilla.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Alder is furious that Petra and Anacostia kept her in the dark about Scylla’s release from custody.
- Longing Look: Scylla gives a lot of these both to the picture of Raelle that she takes and the real Raelle when the two of them spot each other at the riot. According to
Word of God, Scylla’s jaw dropped behind the mask when Raelle made eye contact with her. - Meaningful Echo: Raelle tries to get the crowd to listen to her by repeating Scylla’s advice all the way back from the first episode. This is, of course, overheard by Scylla.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: The bottom half of Scylla’s face being covered doesn’t prevent Raelle from recognizing her immediately.Tally: Do you really think it was Scylla?Raelle: I do. Tally, I’d know those eyes anywhere.
- Patriotic Fervor: The in-universe propaganda video at the beginning of the episode is swimming in this.
- Powder Keg Crowd: The Camarilla use this to their advantage, stirring up anger at the center opening as much as they can.Anacostia: This is ugly.Scylla: This is America.
- Rule of Symbolism: Alder quite literally looks like she has fire in her eyes as she watches the flag burn from the Molotov thrown at her.
- Schmuck Bait: Abigail lampshades this when beating herself up for falling for an obvious trap because she was so desperate for it to be Charvel.
- So Much for Stealth: Scylla continues her trend of not being a very good spy; firstly she’s caught stealing a picture of Raelle from the fridge, although Willa lets her keep it, and then she gets spotted by Raelle at the riot despite the fact that she’s supposed to be in a Caribbean prison (although Raelle seeing her may have been slightly intentional on Scylla’s part).
- Spit Take: A variant; Raelle chokes on her food when Abigail refers to Gregorio as a “safety school with a penis” in front of her mother.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Raelle, albeit rather gently, calls Abigail out on what she said to Adil in the previous episode.
