shunwick
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ORIGINAL: warspite1
SPOILER ALERT FOR FORT SALEM
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ORIGINAL: shunwick
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ORIGINAL: warspite1
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ORIGINAL: shunwick
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ORIGINAL: warspite1
Where you at with this series shunwick ol'boy? Are you sticking with it?
Just watched episode 5, so half way through the series. It's a strange one for me. Plenty of things I like about it. Some things not so keen on. Overall, it has enough to keep me watching and as long as it doesn't screw up, I can see myself finishing the series. The Spree are genuinely menacing.
Best wishes,
Steve
warspite1
I've finished episode 6 and I'm in the same place as you. I don't know if I'd recommend it yet - but I certainly think its likely I will finish the series.
Ok. Just binged the last half of the series. Edited my last post: called the Spree "genuinely frightening" and I have changed that to "genuinely menacing". I believe that is a better description.
Will save my final thoughts until you have finished the series.
Best wishes,
Steve
warspite1
Yes I did the same 
There were a few threads dangling at the end that I'd like to see where they go with:
- So it was Raelle's mum (who joined the Spree) that was trying to get her daughter out (although one could ask why she didn't just contact her and stop her joining up in the first place). So where does she go from here and what happens to Scylla?
- What happens to Tally? Presumably she is now stuck at that age?
- But the biggie for me (and I suspect what will turn me off or keep me viewing) What the hell happened to Abigail and Raelle at the end? I thought we were in for a nice (or not so nice) grown up, Game of Thrones type ending where a main character or two can be cut down, but it seems not??
- The series was certainly watchable but one thing that really grated was the whole hostages thing. There were what? A dozen or so hostages. So take out the truck and kill them or see many, many thousands die... why such a big drama? I could understand if the debate was about whether there was another way to stop the truck but given the Spree's method's that not likely now is it? And who cares if they hadn't finished training? They were the only unit between the Spree and a massacre. They were soldiers so......
- Last couple of things: is there a witch air force and navy?
I know that this is one of those series where you shouldn't think too much, but there are limits to what is acceptable no matter how good the story. There has to be some sort of baseline from which to work.
- The more powerful the witches powers, the more the whole premise is ludicrous. Why, are all these witches content to continue with this? If they can manipulate the President in that way (and what happened to her afterwards? Did she not realise what she was going to say and what she did say?) then why are they content to be used as bullet stoppers just so they can enjoy freedom from persecution.
- The position now is straightforward because they are fighting the Spree - a faction of their own kind gone rogue. But what about the world war for example (what was it 1909-1911?). So that presumably is witch vs witch. Do witches really have such a sense of nationhood?
- How is that band of witches in China/Russia are so week and facing extermination with the powers they have? Powers that apparently will defeat the Spree?
Having put in the time commitment so far, I will definitely start to watch a second series when its shown, but whether it holds my attention for much longer I'm less certain about.
Raelle and the very pretty Scylla (where's Charybdis?)
Menacing indeed....some nice music accompaniment when the Balloons are around
I liked the music for the dance, Ruelle I think, but not available on itunes....
There is much to like about this series. It is deeply flawed, however. Some of the dialogue is cringeworthy. And the characterization is often clumsy and superficial.
Certainly watchable. There was enough to keep watching through 10 episodes and that takes something with me.
World-building is a difficult art. The biggest challenge is consistency. It doesn't matter how weird your world is as long as it is consistent with itself. The screenplay writers of Fort Salem failed to build a consistent world at the most basic level. It is doubtful if they are even aware of their failures. It is on consistency that story will succeed or fail.
We don't yet know the backstory of Raelle's mum. My guess is it will clumsy and superficial. As to what happens to Scylla, I guess we will find out in season 2.
What happens to Tally? It would a crying shame if Tally is stuck with being a biddy. Me likey Tally. Good, clean, and wholesome (as was established when she rejected the threesome trap), as a biddy she will be close to Alder as season 2 begins. Whether she stays as a biddy is another question. I doubt it somehow.
What happened at the end? Well, Abigail further proves her commitment to her sisters and knows that Raelle is going to need strength if she is heal herself. Raelle is connected to the mushroom don't forget and we don't yet understand what the mushroom is or what it wants. That black cloud as Raelle and Abigail walk away. I think that is cloud of mushroom spores.
The hostages kerfuffle was to establish that our three heroes CARE. They also needed a way to keep the three girls away from War College. And then used that to establish Abigail's commitment to her sisters. "but there ais always collateral damage in war" recited Abigail as an answer to Tally's morality crisis. Even the actress playing Abigail thought that was the clumsiest thing ever and had to recite the line without cringing.
A witch air force and navy. Probably. Withes fly and sail the waters on eggshells.
"The more powerful the witch's power, the more the whole premise is ludicrous." Yep. Gandalf had to fall to the Balrog. If he didn't he would have been OP. Tolkien knew how build a consistent world and was a much better writer to boot.
The American president had her speech on teleprinter. She must have known, at least after the fact, the words she spoke were not the words she planned to speak. Don't yet know if this has any consequences. Might be in season 2. Or they might gloss over it. Are the writer's even aware of the problem? Either way, Alder must have known that puppeting the president gives only a brief window of opportunity while confusion reigns.
They have to worry about the Spree and the Camarilla(?) (witch hunters). The Camarilla were responsible for the wedding. The Camarilla are the enemies of both the Army and the Spree. That was why the Spree sent Alder the warning at the American football match. The ancient enemy has returned. It was the Camarilla at the final battle.
So, the band of witches being hunted at the border of China and Russia, have the power to terraform the world. Create rock face to seal and hide a cave. They can move mountains etc. Raelle had just saved one of their sick kids, Tally had told Alder that they were surrounded. So why if the tribe were that powerful couldn't they create a backdoor for the soldiers to escape?
General Alder is well dodgy.
World building. Consistency.
Season 2 prediction. The Army and the Spree join forces against the Camarilla. Anacosta, Raelle and Scylla are links to the spree. Tally begins close to Alder (as a biddy) but I doubt if she stays a biddy for long.
Watchable but deeply flawed would be my assessment. Will I watch season 2? Yes. I will start watching it to see how they handle some of this stuff. Overall, it still has enough good things to offset the dodgy. When the dodgy outweighs the good is when I bail.
Whose side is the mushroom on? Raelle's mum was cooking mushrooms in the final scene wasn't she.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDTvLldOgZs
Best wishes,
Steve
< Message edited by shunwick -- 8/1/2020 2:46:18 PM >
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