Delusional is the eighth episode in Season 2 of the Freeform series, Motherland: Fort Salem. It aired on August 10, 2021.
Synopsis[]
Tally leads the unit on a mind-bending mission to find Nicte Batan – but is the unit strong enough to withstand Nicte's defenses?
Plot[]
Tally pays a report to General Alder, having been summoned. Alder tells her that she's on the mission to hunt down Nicte Batan, that the traitor gave up her location. She tell her she's shipping out within the hour. Tally tells her that she wants her unit with her. Alder tells her that they're being picked up and that she wants her, that her talents make her valuable. Tally counters that the witchbomb is somebody she might want along on a mission like this, but Alder says they're reluctant to risk her again so soon. Tally tells her that the others would be useful in capturing Nicte, but Alder tells her that the mission is to eliminate the target and dismisses her. Following this meeting, however, Tally is pulled aside by Petra Bellweather. She notes Tally's mission and that she senses that she has misgivings. Tally agrees that it's wrong, that Alder gets to announce the death of the Spree's leader as a big victory and nobody will ever know the truth. Petra agrees that you don't have to be the head of intelligence to see there's a bigger story behind Nicte and tells Tally that there's now a new objective. "You bring Batan back alive."
Abigail chats with Scylla. She asks Scylla really thinks Raelle is going to forget her history just because she's a big hero now. They bicker, but then Raelle asks to see Scylla alone, saying that they have stuff to deal with. The two of them discuss Raelle's mother, Willa. Raelle is upset that she never reached out to her, but Scylla tells her that she sacrificed herself for her. Raelle wonders what it says about her that the two women who have loved her most are terrorists who did terrible things. Scylla asks her if it helps that they were doing what they believed to be right. Raelle questions the past tense and Scylla admits that her priorities have shifted, saying that Raelle's mother showed her the way. She tells Raelle that the Camarilla are the real enemy who matter now. Meanwhile, Abigail and Adil discuss his situation. He says that he keeps trying to tell himself that what he and his sister Khalida did was right, but he's having trouble sleeping. Abigail tells him to hang on to the fact that he and Khalida saved innocent children, but he finds it cold comfort. A helicopter arrives. Raelle tells Scylla that she should probably make herself scarce, but Scylla replies that she's not running again.
Abigail asks Tally if her mother really asked her to ignore Alder's direct order. Tally agrees that she did, saying that Petra is becoming quite a revolutionary. Scylla then tries to insert herself into the conversation, hoping to help out with the mission against Nicte. Abigail is wary, but Raelle points out that Scylla is familiar with Spree work and they aren't. Abigail finally gives in, but tells her she's ending her at the first false move. The mission begins and things quickly get wild. Nicte sends bats against the group and then Raelle experiences a vision of her mother, a falsehood sent by Nicte. Though a part of her knows that it isn't real, the vision is so detailed that Raelle is quickly drawn in. From a radio, she hears Scylla's voice telling her that this is a raid and what she's seeing isn't real. As "Willa" takes a knife to Raelle's throat, Scylla shakes her out of it. "How did you get out of it?" wonders Raelle, then realizes that Scylla has used the working before on a larger scale.
Tally then experiences a vision of her own. In it, Alder is taking her to task for her behavior. She says that she's made some pretty strong accusations against her. She tells her, however, that her willingness to speak up is a measure of her strength. She says that she's had many Biddies over the years, but their connection is different. She tells her that to sever it was a mistake. "Now you will rejoin my Biddies," she tells her, saying that her sacrifice will never be forgotten. The Biddies then all appear and grab her, clacking their teeth and hissing. They pull her down, then chain her to a table. "You want to be me, Tally," Alder tells her, but just then, Raelle's voice comes, telling her to use her Sight. She pleads with her to look through the vision, that it isn't real. "Nicte," realizes Tally, awakening in the real world. "Where's Abigail?" wonders Raelle.
As with the others, Abigail finds herself trapped in a delusion. In it, she is casting a powerful storm Working, her mother cheering her on. Her mother tells her that Jem would be proud. In the real world, however, Abigail's spell is actually taking place. The others realize that it will kill them all if they can't get through to her. They plead with her to look at them and wake up as the storm gains in intensity. In the vision, the spell has killed everyone Abigail loves and she is horrified. Raelle pleads with her that whatever she's seeing isn't real. She sinks to her knees and Raelle slaps her in the face, telling her "Snap out of it, shitbird!" "What is your name, soldier?!" Tally asks her, grabbing her face. "I'm Abigail Bellweather!" she tells her, finally breaking free of the vision and ending the storm.
The four of them realize that they need to regroup, to find the strike team and take down Nicte before she can throw something even worse at them. "What can she throw at us that's worse than that?" wonders Tally. Scylla tells her she doesn't want to know. They continue on, only to find the members of the strike team on the ground, dead. Scylla tells them that Nicte can't be too far away, as the kind of Work being used is highly localized. They discover a cabin, but all seems to be clear. They then discover a dead body and Tally says that this is where it all happened, where Nicte tried to kill Alder. They all end up getting into a vicious argument, trading barbs and then going at each other. Tally, however, unaffected, exits the cabin and heads back into the woods. "She's using the bats," she realizes. "Yes, she is," Nicte tells her. Tally tells her that she's taking her back to Fort Salem, with the help of her Unit. Nicte asks how she's going to do that when her Unit is at each other's throats. Tally tells her to let them go and she'll be treated fairly, that the world will know the truth about her and Alder. Nicte is dismissive of this, but Tally tells her that if she was going to kill her, she would have already. "You're using too much power," she realizes. "You can't kill me unless you release my Unit."
Back in the cabin, the spell is broken. Abigail and Raelle, at each other's throats, suddenly stop fighting. They wonder what just happened. "Nicte happened, again," says Scylla, and then they hear Tally's shout for help. They race into the forest and find Tally, Nicte on the ground. "You just took down the leader of the Spree," Raelle tells her. They restrain, Nicte, placing a muzzle upon her. She groans and screams, but with the muzzle can do no Work. Raelle and Tally, walk, discussing what happened back at the cabin. Scylla tells Raelle about how there's a new witch, Tiffany, and how she thought she could find her a family. Raelle suggests that she take Tiffany to the Chippewa Cession. The group, sans Scylla, boards a helicopter for Fort Salem, but before they leave, Raelle dashes back to Scylla and the two share a passionate kiss.
On the helicopter, Abigail tries to apologize to Raelle for what she said to her in the cabin, but Raelle tells her that it's okay. They may have thought those things before, but in the end, they're sisters. They're together and that's what matters. Nicte continues thrashing and groaning. They return to Fort Salem, where General Alder, General Bellweather and Anacostia Quartermain are all waiting. They bring forward Nicte and the Biddies all hiss.
"What is this?" wonders Alder and Petra tells her to be careful, that she has an audience. "I knew nothing," Anacostia tells her. Alder steps forward, declaring a momentous occasion that they have captured Nicte Batan, the founder of the Spree. Everyone stomps their feet, but she holds up a hand for silence. She declares that the victory will go down in history and that Nicte is to pay for her crimes. Nicte groans. Abigail and Raelle stomp, but Tally does not. Alder tells Petra to not forget that this is still her Army. Abigail and Raelle stare at Tally. "The only one who's gonna pay is you," she declares. She charges forward, but Abigail pulls out a whip and strikes her. The Biddies hiss. She breaks the whip, but Abigail and Raelle wrestle her to the ground. A lighter is taken to her face, revealing her true form. She's Nicte Batan. Alder stares in shock and Abigail and Raelle run over to Tally, who now is back in her true form, and remove the muzzle. They hug. Alder walks over to Nicte. "Hello, Sarah," she says, grinning. "You're looking surprisingly well."
Cast[]
Main[]
- Taylor Hickson as Raelle Collar
- Amalia Holm as Scylla Ramshorn
- Demetria McKinney as Anacostia Quartermain
- Jessica Sutton as Tally Craven and Nicte Batan posing as Tally Craven
- Ashley Nicole Williams as Abigail Bellweather
- Lyne Renee as General Sarah Alder
Recurring[]
- Catherine Lough Haggquist as Petra Bellweather
- Diana Pavlovska as Willa Collar
- Tony Giroux as Adil
- Hrothgar Mathews as Edwin Collar
- Arlen Aguayo as Nicte Batan
Guest[]
- Liza Huget as Minerva Bellweather
- Daniel Bacon as Anton
- Kwesi Ameyaw as Claude
Co-starring:
- Dianne Adams, Dale Hunter, Gwenda Lorenzetti, Lanein Harrison, Soheila Vatandoost, Lynn Whyte, Lillian Lim, Althea Kaye as Biddies
- Albert Nicholas as Jonas
- Kandake I Kheyla as Edith Bellweather
- Anthony Santiago as Fermin
- Mao Chay as Spree Volunteer
- Anastasia Bandey as Strike Team Leader
- Rumbie Muzofa as Strike Team Member #1
- August Byers as Strike Team Member #2
Quotes[]
"Hello, Sarah. You're looking surprisingly well."
- Nicte Batan to Sarah Alder
Gallery[]
Photos[]
Videos[]
