In Episode 8 the Bellweather unit is facing their toughest challenge yet

We  left the Bellweather unit literally jumping into the unknown in the last episode and the landing was not very good at least for Tally(Jessica Sutton) who broke her leg. Luckily for her Raelle (Taylor Hickson)was there to heal her but in the process the big secret that has been tormenting Tally for several episodes finally came to light. The revelation was devastating for the morale of the unit as they begin to turn on each other. But morale is the only thing that takes a beating in this episode. Anacostia(Demetria McKinney) called the citydrop their crucible and it lives up to it’s name as the girls are forced to go through brutal trials where they face enemies, traps and all other kinds of pressure. The girls come down with a case of “mild plague”and quite a lot of bruises

Still despite the beating they take the Bellweather unit excels yet again. Raelle and Tally find common ground and triumph together and surprisingly Abigail( Ashley Nicole Williams) bonds with her arch nemesis Libby(Sarah Yarkin) to also successfully fulfill their city drop goals once again showing that the core of the show is about found family and that this bond triumphs over everything. But as always it has a price as Raelle is finally forced to admit the fact that Scylla(Amalia Holm) was part of the Spree

We also got a neat glimpse into the alternative history of the world of Motherland Fort Salem  showing  the loving details the creators of this show have inserted. Details that turn Motherland into atrue alternative world and not just our own with some witches sprinkled in. We can only dream that Freeform give us an entire history book of the world of Fort Salem

On the political side we see that General Alder’s(Lyne Renee)  handling of the Spree causes quite a bit of dissent in her ranks. It has been heavily hinted through the season that Alder is losing her influence. We saw members of the Hague , Petra Bellweather and even  the Nomads challenging her authority but until today her closest advisors  has always stood with her. However her decision to expose the cadets to live combat  before  eventhey finished basic training  might very well be the thing that finally brings her down. Even Anacostia a woman who has been practically raised by Alder if the hints about her past are any indication seems to have lost faith in her. Considering the next episode is called  “Coup” could Alder’s long reign finally come to an end?

Speaking of live combat the cadets confrontation with the Spree has devastating consequences for all of them. Raelle is forced to confront a Spree member disguised as her own girlfriend where we see that her rage is as powerful as her love and we can’t wait to see how the girls will find their way to each other again after all these secrets and all this pain and anger

Tally faces her own moral dilemma when her Scrying abilities reveal that there are hostages on the trucks they must take out. Reminding us once again that Tally is a true believer in doing the right thing  she stands her ground and refuses the orders to kill civilians even as a a ten ton bomb is barrelling towards her.  Her calm acceptance and willingness to die rather then break her principles is fascinating and interesting parallel to Scylla’s own loud defiance but it is essentially two sides of the same coin.

Two girls willing to die for a cause they believe in. We always assumed that Scylla’s path to redemption would come through her love for Raelle but what if Fort Salem goes into a different direction? Where Tally is the one who helps Scylla find a better way one true believer to another? Love is powerful yes but dedication can be just as strong and both Tally and Scylla have that in spades. It would certainly be a fascinating story line for Tally who is shaping up to be a true leader

Abigail also doesn’t escape unscathed either. She is facing the reality of war when her arch enemy Libby loses her life in the fight. Coupled with the Tally’s revelation about the civilian on the trucks and it seems like she might become the first Bellweather to lose faith in the military

The next episode airs on 13 May, on Freeform and Hulu and it seems like fans can’t get enough as they started a #renewMFS campaign on twitter which has been trending since yesterday.  We for one hope that Freeform listens as Motherland Fort Salem continues to prove every week that it’s one of the best shows of 2020