Motherland: Fort Salem
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Motherland: Fort Salem is a supernatural drama following three witches — Raelle Collar, Abigail Bellweather, and Tally Craven — who are conscripted into the U.S. Army where they learn to use magic as a form of combat. The series takes place in an alternative universe to contemporary Earth, where the persecution of witches ended during the Salem witch trials in exchange for witches accepting compulsory conscription into the U.S. military.
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Motherland: Fort Salem |
| Abbreviation(s): | MFS |
| Creator: | Eliot Laurence |
| Date(s): | March 18, 2020 – August 23, 2022 |
| Medium: | Live Action Television |
| Country of Origin: | United States |
| External Links: | Wikipedia IMDb |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Canon
Forming what would be referred to in-canon and fandom as the Bellweather Unit, Raelle, Abigail, and Tally are three very different people, which causes them to clash regularly in the early episodes as they learn to work together.
Main Characters
Major Characters
Series End
While there was hope from the fandom that there may be four or five seasons of Motherland: Fort Salem given the quantity of world-building and lore unexplored; just before season two's finale, Freeform informed the team behind the show that they would be getting a renewal for a third and final season. This forewarning allowed the writers and producers to craft an ending arc for the series.[1] In May 2023, the show was removed from streaming by Hulu, in a move widely suspected to be an effort to avoid paying ongoing residuals and save money[2].
Fandom
Discussions
Shipping
The shipping in fandom for Motherland: Fort Salem leans predominantly towards sapphic pairings, though there are a few, smaller duaric pairings with one in the top 10 pairings for the fandom on AO3. Achillean pairings are very rare within the fandom.
Sapphic (F/F)
- Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn - The most popular pairing in the fandom on AO3.
- Sarah Alder/Tally Craven
- Abigail Bellweather/Raelle Collar
- Nicte Batan/Tally Craven
- Sarah Alder/Nicte Batan
Duaric (F/M)
Controversies
Some people argue that Motherland: Fort Salem fails to examine or challenge the American military industrial complex from which so many of its story-lines are rooted in[3]. Some people argued that the show itself was a form of propaganda and were critical of anyone who enjoyed watching it.
love going through the tags of a show I don’t watch and seeing brainless shits enthusing about gay representation in a blatant fascist military propaganda show
Y’all just eat up diversity for the sake of diversity... Motherland: Fort Salem is literally pro military propaganda and yall don’t care because it has a black girl and a gay girl... Pathetic.
On the other hand, many people who watched the show argued that these judgments were being made based solely on season one and that the show had clearly laid groundwork for more obvious criticisms later on. Others took the stance that while Motherland: Fort Salem's critique was sometimes clumsy or not as well presented as might be wanted, it was clearly present in the canon[6].
to those who watch Motherland: Fort Salem and see military propaganda, what show are you watching? # motherland: fort salem # it's clear from the start that it's condemning conscription? everything sits in a morally gray area # the 'good guys' have a faulty ideology that influences everyone # while 'the bad guys' have the right ideas but the wrong methods # not that hard to spot from the first 15 minutes of the show
Common Tropes, Fanon or Headcanons
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfic
Fan Art
Fan Vids
Other Fanworks
Meta
- She Squared Podcast, Episode 9, "Oh Motherland"[1] - A discussion of all things Motherland: Fort Salem by N. Lance after watching the first three episodes of season 3.
- Big Gay Energy, Episodes covering all three seasons with discussions as well as interviews with cast and crew.
Conventions and Fan Events
Fannish Archives and Communities
- Motherland: Fort Salem fandom on AO3
- Motherland: Fort Salem tag on Tumblr
- Motherland: Form Salem subreddit on Reddit
References
- ^ ‘Motherland: Fort Salem’ Renewed For Third & Final Season By Freeform - Deadline. August 23, 2021.
- ^ Disney Removes Dozens Of Series From Disney+ & Hulu, Including ‘Big Shot’, ‘Willow’, ‘Y’ & ‘Dollface’ - Deadline. May 18, 2023.
- ^ Motherland: Fort Salem Fails To Examine The Military Industrial Complex It’s Built Upon - Women Write about Comics. September 3, 2020.
- ^ vargamornight. Tumblr post. Dec. 26, 2020. Accessed Oct. 5, 2023.
- ^ thatshowthefuckyousound. Tumblr post. Mar. 22, 2020. Accessed Oct. 5, 2023.
- ^ Freeform's 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Actually Critiques the Military Industrial Complex - Pajiba. Sept. 9, 2020.
- ^ thatshowthefuckyousound. Tumblr post. Apr. 16, 2020. Accessed Oct. 5, 2023.