Women supporting women, love to see it. And on Motherland: Fort Salem there’s no shortage of it. Besides the sisterhood of our beloved Bellweather unit and of course the hopefully-endgame Raylla ship, there’s plenty of mentor and mentee relationships to admire as well. Some were inevitable and some were more surprising, but all have been great.
Here’s some of their best moments, so far.
Alder & Everyone
As General of the Army for literal centuries and “mother of all,” there’a a lot of great Alder interactions. Most notably with pseudo-daughter Anacostia and of course with Tally in season two. But perhaps the best scene that summarizes her impact on our beloved characters is her farewell in the season two finale.
Anacostia & The Bellweather Unit
As the person in charge of keeping the cadets alive through basic training, Anacostia was bound to impart some wisdom on the Bellweather unit. But she did much more than that, she became one of their greatest supporters. Even though they’ve caused her to become prematurely gray. The exchange, “What did we do now?” / “What haven’t you done?” is one of my favorites. It’s both laced with sarcasm, which is appropriate given their penchant for rule-bending and also with a deeper meaning for how much they’ve accomplished in their short time at Fort Salem. (And that was said even before they captured Nicte, the leader of the Spree!)
Anacostia & Scylla
Who didn’t cheer in relief when Anacostia decided that Scylla deserved a second chance at the end of season one? And who didn’t cheer even louder during the season two finale when they hugged and Scylla responded to Anacostia’s orders with an un-ironic “yes ma’am”? From adversaries to undercover besties, this was one of the most fun duos to grace our screens in season two. But above all else it was beautiful to see these two women find some common ground and learn to trust and respect each other. Plus, they share outfits now!
Willa & Scylla
Let’s give it up for the “mother-in-law” of the year! While you can’t blame Scylla for her initial anger at being burned for a personal mission, I’m glad they were able to move past that and find a new common enemy. Their team-up provided Scylla with another person in her corner, another person to provide encouragement and support. It was Willa who helped her to see that her life still had value and meaning. That there were things in life worth living for. Plus, she ultimately helped her unite with Raelle.
Bridey & Abigail
Abigail entered Fort Salem exuding confidence and even a bit of a superiority complex, but when her abilities and safety were shaken to the core after the attack at her cousin’s wedding, it was Bridey’s no-nonsense approach that helped get her head on straight. Abigail, never one to talk about feelings, was well matched with the stoic Bridey who recognized that what Abigail needed was some support, a dose of humility, and a way to physically work through her trauma.
Tally & Penelope
Unquestionably Tally is the best, so it makes complete sense that she’d take Penelope under her wing. From teaching her their history and helping her control her vocal work to offering advice on dealing with parents who just don’t understand she really wanted the best for her. And Penelope looked up to her, trusted her. I loved how excited she was so to introduce her newly assigned unit to her. Which makes her death, and Tally’s involvement in it that much more heartbreaking. RIP sweet, sweet, Penelope, your Dad sucks.
Bonus: M & The Sekhmet Coven
And while this is not strictly women supporting women, given that the coven is mixed company, I’d be remiss to not mention M’s leadership and loyalty to our favorite trio and the coven at large. Plus, we have to agree with M, Raelle’s got really cool hair. But in all seriousness, handling the Bellweather unit is no easy task but M has been nothing but poised under every circumstance possible. (I like to think that they share a knowing look with Anacostia every time they pass each other in the halls of Fort Salem.)
