Salem – “Children Be Afraid” Retrospective. A Tangled Web.

Mary, Mercy, and Tituba ponder their fate.

Season 1, Episode 9

Airdate: Sunday, June 15, 2014, 10/9c on WGN America

Rating: ★★★★★

“Love me less, and you will love me better.” – Mary Sibley

Salem’s “Children Be Afraid” is a mixed bag of action and intrigue as Increase Mather’s (Stephen Lang) witch hunt continues, wreaking havoc and stirring up more tension among the Salem townspeople. Meanwhile, Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery), Tituba (Ashley Madekwe), and Mercy Lewis (Elise Eberle) rush to find a solution in dealing with George Sibley (Michael Mulheren), who will be the coven’s demise should he awaken from his coma-like state. With so many critical moments this week, it’s a pleasant surprise to find some lighter scenes in between the darker ones.

Writers Elizabeth Sarnoff and Tricia Small are spot on with the dialogue and character development, but as far as storylines go, it was only a matter of time before Mercy did something stupid that would backfire on the coven. Apart from Mary’s dilemma with silencing her husband George, and the impending ritual of the grand rite, I didn’t sense the same urgency I did with “Departures” where Increase’s actions undermine the coven’s plans to take over Salem. As an extension of Salem’s previous episode, “Children Be Afraid” should have been as suspenseful, if not more so, considering the risk of exposure the coven faces with Increase delving deeper into his witch hunt and when he’s guarding George from supernatural attacks. Instead, some of the scenes feel predictable, and anti-climatic. Only in the last half of the show does the core storylines converge to bring some shocking moments.

The children of Salem dabble with the dark arts.

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Mary and Mercy are an interesting contrast on Salem. Although Mary is the leader of the coven, she remains connected to her humanity through her love for Captain John Alden (Shane West). I like this vulnerability, and Montgomery does one hell of a job in conveying a large range of emotions — from fear to outrage — in her scenes. Mercy, however, is a different story. The fledgling witch is working double duty, rounding up the local girls and turning them into her own minions of sorts, and learning more of her craft from Mary. On one hand, it’s understandable why Mercy yearns for power; she’s a woman living during very oppressive times, and wants to rise above her station in life. Who wouldn’t? But what makes her stand apart from the other female characters is her menacing bloodlust, which only grows more disturbing with her burgeoning powers. On the other hand, Mary’s power is driven by anger due to the wrongs she experienced after John left town. Observing both women’s approach to witchcraft, Mercy’s strength is fueled by greed and disgust for how women are treated by society whereas Mary’s power arises from heartbreak. Eberle’s interpretation of Mercy is spot on and the real cause for the love and hate you feel for her character. Montgomery also delivers a memorable performance demonstrating Mary’s internal struggles and frustrations.

To a certain degree, the buildup for both characters suggests a major falling out in their future. Mercy does a brilliant job of showing remorse to Mary when her plans misfire, but it’s unknown whether those sentiments are genuine. Ever since Mercy’s initiation into the coven, she has caused more harm than good using magic. At this point, I can’t tell whether she will be the one to destroy the coven or take it over.

A shell of his former self, a drunk Cotton remains brokenhearted by Gloriana’s departure.

A Sort of Happy Father’s Day

Increase: “The wine is from God, and the drunkard is from the Devil.”

Whether or not deliberate, “Children Be Afraid” addresses the father/son conflict between Increase and Reverend Cotton Mathers (Seth Gabel). In the wake of losing the woman he loves, Cotton falls into a drunken stupor and neglects his duties. What remains a total surprise is the townspeople’s acceptance of Cotton’s behavior, considering he is a religious man. The only person to really address this issue is Increase. This is one of the odd, softer moments in “Children Be Afraid,” where we learn how Increase’s inability to love was completely changed by Cotton’s birth. For one sliver of a moment, you see his love for his son. As crazy and destructive as Increase is with his methods, the bottom line is he loves his son, although he sure does have a strange way of showing it.

Then, there’s John, who, despite being childless, shares some scenes with an orphan boy named Stephen (Braden Fitzgeraldan). While not directly addressed, witnessing how easily John bonds with children makes you wonder what kind of father he might have been had Mary decided to keep their child. That could have been possible seeing how blasé the people in town are about Cotton’s relationship with Gloriana (Azure Parsons).

One of the nagging points about Salem is how out of character it seems with the times. I’m not one to argue against any shirtless John scenes in “Children Be Afraid,” but the momentary lusty stare he exchanges with Mary in public is a bit obvious. This scene, among others in the past, is a far cry from Issac (Iddo Goldberg) being branded “the fornicator” in Salem’s series premiere, “The Vow.”

In Salem, what’s scarier than the Devil himself? Teenagers.

Highlights

There are a lot of highlights in “Children Be Afraid.” For instance, Mary’s narrow escape from Increase’s persecution when he learns of her possible role in bewitching George makes you hold your breath. And, just when you think John might have to save the day, Mercy steps in to throw Tituba in harm’s way. The rivalry and threats between the two women in recent weeks take a nasty turn. It’s a strong plot point, and shows the audacity Mercy has in trying to eliminate Tituba, making you wonder who will survive by season’s end.

Another compelling storyline, and favorite development, is how Mercy manipulates the other girls to be her disciples in the dark arts. There’s a point in the episode, when they join together to enforce their own brand of justice, that provides some grotesque scenes where body parts literally fly across the room. Is Salem delivering a cautionary tale about teenage girls?

Overall

I appreciate how effectively director David Grossman shot the dream and forest sequences. The pacing remains steady, with the exception of small subplots, which is understandable given the limited time in an episode. I didn’t love or dislike “Children Be Afraid” as much as feeling some disappointment. Issac continues to be victimized; we get no real clarification of the power of the “malem;” and a blundering, drunken Cotton is a real put off. It’s a good thing John is there for him.

What did you think of “Children Be Afraid?” Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @conallen.

Tune in to Salem on Sundays at 10/9c, only on WGN America.

Follow the series on its official site at http://www.wgnamerica.com/shows/salem, where you can also watch videos and clips of the episodes.

Follow Salem on its official Tumblr: http://witchesarereal.tumblr.com/, and on Twitter: @SalemWGNA.

You can also follow the cast on Twitter: Shane West (Captain John Alden) @shanewest_1 , Seth Gabel (Cotton Mather) @sethgabel, Xander Berkeley (Magistrate Hale) @xanderberkeley, Ashley Madekwe (Tituba) @smashleybell, Tamzin Merchant (Anne Hale) @tamzinmerchant, Elise Eberle (Mercy) @eliseeberle, and Iddo Goldberg (Issac) @IddoG .