Previously on "Salem"…
Fornicator!
He searches.
So where is the witch?
Right here.
Aaaah!
If he cannot be stopped,
well, then it's an entirely new game, isn't it?
Everything your father does, he does for you.
I no longer want to be your customer.
True love cannot be bought or sold.
Let's just live.
You still love John Alden.
The grand rite ferments best in a loveless heart.
He serves at my behest.
He won't come out for you.
Father.
My dear increase.
How long may we enjoy your presence in town?
Until every last devil's whore of a witch
in Salem is dead.
Depravity.
Can there be a more apt word
to describe the current state of your fair city?
Drink, perversity,
abominations of each and every variety
offered and received.
And even as we cater to our inner demons,
we have allowed actual demons to flourish!
Witches!
He was not supposed to be here.
Living vessels of godlessness.
So why is he?
The serpent from Eden…
He came to see what his son had accomplished.
You have listened and…
And why is he staying?
He saw what his son had accomplished.
There are witches hidden amongst us,
and you people of Salem,
seduced by drink and by flesh,
are happily blinded to it.
Standing before you,
with the certainty of the rising sun,
I assure you this will change.
Mrs. Sibley.
Reverend, your words are inspiration.
England's loss is our gain.
I trust your husband's condition is improving.
Sadly, no.
Well, please tell George
I shall visit him again at once.
Perhaps my presence may be of some comfort to him.
Oh, how could it not?
I have no words.
Like a man who's seen the face of God.
Only an awed silence is the appropriate response.
Your father.
And like that, the mood is ruined.
No, your… your father.
He's… he's in the common.
With a crowd, no doubt, hanging on his every word.
With a crowd, yes, but he's not speaking.
Well, then you must have him confused with someone else.
He's walking this way.
And by "this way," you mean…
He cannot find me here.
And where better to begin our cleansing of Salem
than in its most vile den?
The back stairs.
No, no, no, no, y-you'll cross the landing.
Gloriana, my father does not understand me.
He never has.
If he discovers me… Under the bed now.
- What? - Under the bed now!
Where's my Bible?
I-I-I don't see it!
Oh.
Reverend Mather.
You know me?
Is there anyone in the province who doesn't?
You are alone?
No.
I'm here with my Lord.
His words, anyway.
They offer great comfort in these perilous times
even for a woman like me.
Do you not sense it?
The commingling of sin and sorcery?
Take a breath.
You can almost taste it…
Satan's toxic nectar,
designed to divert and disarm.
Ah.
The proprietress of this charming establishment.
What'll it be today, Reverend?
Thin and pliant,
or thick and playful?
Mind your betters, madam.
I run an honest house. You'll find nothing here.
I have made my name finding things
where there is nothing to be found.
Orris root?
Strangers tramp in and out of here every day.
I do not know what substances they carry.
Casting stones.
Selectmen of Salem
we've uncovered a witch.
One of ours.
Exactly what we feared the minute he stepped off that ship.
Now, well, you know what this means.
Just because I don't share your panic
doesn't mean I don't grasp the stakes.
He will press her for names,
and whose will be she tempted to provide?
She was careless,
leaving objects of her craft so close at hand.
And for that carelessness, we may all burn,
to say nothing of what will become of our Grand Rite.
Your hysteria offers no solutions.
Mab simply needs to be reminded what is expected of her.
Her silence.
You're right.
I shall pay her a visit at once.
You're worried.
He is formidable, the senior Mather,
part bully, part bloodhound.
Mab has been loyal to the hive throughout.
It is not Mab that worries me.
Increase promises to pay another visit.
How long before he realizes
that George is not sick, but spelled?
And at whose hands? Mine.
Then prevent this.
Yes.
Increase may visit at his pleasure,
for what loving wife would leave her ailing husband at home
when his condition demands attention at once?
You're drinking early today.
If you knew my father,
you'd commend me for waiting this long.
You know, the way you speak of him, you make him sound…
Inhuman?
- Yes. - Good.
Then I have painted an accurate picture.
Don't believe me? See for yourself.
Cotton,
I've been in search of you all morning.
I supposed I should have realized
you would be somewhere where whiskey is served.
Father, this is John…
John Alden.
Your father and I were classmates at university.
Yes, I know.
An honor, Captain.
Truly, I can have no greater respect
than for a man who has risked his life in battle.
Sadly, not all young men possess the same mettle.
What brings you, father?
Well, I am shocked to discover
the extent of the depravity and immorality in Salem.
The people need a reminder of the wages of their sin.
And so they will get one.
- Mm-hmm. - In Sunday's sermon.
No. No.
They need to hear your voice now.
A public recitation on the commons,
illustrated by the face of sin.
The face of sin?
And who is that?
And, cotton?
Your Bible.
The hospital in Boston awaits him.
It is my only hope to find a cure
for his worsening condition.
And, Isaac, your feelings towards my husband
for what he once did…
They're understandable,
but to help him in his hour of need
shows me the true measure of you,
for which I am forever grateful.
We will be in Boston by daybreak.
A moment with the accused?
Yes, magistrate.
You've come here to kill me.
It would be within my right to do so.
The code of the hive is clear.
But, no, we have agreed to spare you.
I would allow nothing else.
Still… to the issue at hand.
He will interrogate you.
And I will give him nothing.
I will swallow the blackened pill before I betray the cause.
That will be your intent, yes,
until he tortures you
and then, hearing your cries of pain,
tortures you some more,
at which point you will beg for him
to allow you to offer a name,
even if only to release yourself from the agony.
When that happens…
And it will happen.
I have just the distraction for you to provide.
Where do you go at night, father?
Anne. Awake at this hour?
Mother says I shouldn't ask such questions,
that I should simply be grateful
for the sacrifices you make on our behalf.
Nonsense. Ask whatever you like.
Tonight I was preoccupied with business of the town.
And do you believe she is a witch?
Who?
The woman you sought out at the jail.
You followed me?
I simply wanted to know what those sacrifices were
and why they seem to be so often made in secret.
First you snoop about in my room,
unearthing my belongings, and now…
No.
No? What?
No, I do not believe she is a witch.
She is but a sad, lonely woman.
I am glad to hear
there is some common sense left in Salem.
Good night, father.
Good night, dear.
Please! I am innocent!
You have pled guilty to the practice of witchcraft.
But such a plea is not sufficient to spare your life.
I want names of others.
I know of no others.
Again.
No! I swear I'm innocent!
He's insane.
On a good day.
Aah!
Only the name of a fellow witch
will spare your life.
I know of no others.
I will ask again, but first a caution.
The next time, the saltwater that filled your mouth only
will travel down your throat into your lungs.
And then the taste you struggle to discern
will not be of water, nor of air, but of death.
A name.
Wait!
And I wait only for the name of a fellow witch.
And I will give it to you.
Her! Gloriana!
No.
No. No. No!
This is a mistake. No, father, this is a mistake.
Miss Embry is no witch.
You are here to observe, not to interfere.
Listen to me, father.
This is what I have tried to tell you,
and now I see it to be true… That we have been wrong.
- Cotton. - That in our zeal
to rid Satan from our midst,
we are instead killing innocents.
Do not presume to instruct me.
We are doing the devil's work for him!
And my life's work is a mistake?
Respectfully… yes.
Stand aside.
Please, father, I beg you… spare her.
Get out of my way.
Listen to me!
I have.
And I will no longer let you act the fool.
You are sure it is I who acts the fool?
Cotton.
Take her to the cage.
Cotton. Cotton!
No.
Cotton! Cotton!
Oh, lord. What is it, Mr. Sibley?
Try to breathe, Mr. Sibley. That's it.
Slow breath, Mr. Sibley.
That's right.
That's it, nice and easy.
No!
Father!
Father, you have no evidence.
Nonsense. I have the word of an admitted witch.
A woman who practices the devil's craft?
You trust her to finger others?
Tell me:
Do all accusations stir such passions in you?
Or is there something unique about the whore's case?
I know these people. I have lived among them.
Miss Embry is no tool of Satan.
And if she were to be examined for the devil's marks?
An examination?
I'm confident…
No, I am certain… That you would find nothing.
In fact, yes, I would encourage you to settle the issue
and conduct the exam at once.
Me? No.
No, I will leave that to you.
You will examine the accused.
Captain.
No.
John!
That wasn't the reaction I was expecting.
Nor the greeting I was.
The other night
what we said… what we did.
What, do you regret it?
No.
My only regret is that it can never happen again.
I'm a married woman, John.
With a very sick husband.
Mr. Sibley would never do me the favor of dying.
We both know that.
He was taken to hospital.
From where he will surely return
as alive and married as ever.
Is that the reason?
Sibley?
Nothing else?
Not a fear?
Or a secret that you think I couldn't accept?
Because there is no one in Salem
unburdened by their past
not even me.
I'm sorry, John.
I hope you can understand.
Father, please.
Proceed.
No marks.
Turn her.
Nothing.
Raise her smock.
Still nothing.
The upper torso.
Father…
The upper torso.
Wait.
So, you see, as I assured you,
she bears no signs of a devil's agent,
no blemishes, no witches' teats.
All of which I will be sure to mention at her trial.
Her trial?
But I have proven to you she is without marks.
Have you forgotten? We are not judges.
We are simply seekers of the truth.
The power of verdict rests with the Selectmen.
This is Salem. You know how they will vote.
Well, then you save
your rage and your impudence for them.
Another woman was accused today… as you saw.
It's madness, this witch panic.
Yes, it is regrettable.
Regrettable?
What would you have me do?
You could speak out, rail against it.
You have any number of options beyond nothing.
I am one man. Perhaps you expect too much of me.
Perhaps you are content with too little.
Hold your tongue, child.
I just don't understand
why he's so content to see people hang
almost as if he secretly likes it.
I don't appreciate the insinuation.
What insinuation is that?
That I was somehow in league
with the murdering Puritans.
Oh, no, that was not my insinuation at all.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
And what might that be?
You know, I'm… I'm suddenly very tired.
What are you accusing me of?
I think I should lie down.
Anne, do not walk away until you have explained yourself.
Anne!
May I ask you a question?
Why does he hate you?
Two reasons only…
For what I am,
and what I am not.
And you've appealed to him on the girl's behalf?
Repeatedly. He does not regard me.
Truth told, he does not regard anyone except,
for you, John.
Cotton, no.
You are everything he ever wished me to be.
You are a hero in war.
You are a man without weakness or frailty.
Cotton, I'm sorry.
Begging another Puritan asshole to do the right thing?
Since when has it worked?
- And why would it work now? - You're right.
No man should be forced to humble himself before my father.
I have been in Salem for months.
I have made allies and enemies in scores.
But the closest thing that I have come to a friend
is you.
So I ask you…
I beg you…
To appeal to my father,
if there is some small part of you
that can call me a friend, too.
Mr. Sibley?
Mr. Sibley.
Help me, Isaac.
You can speak.
The Lord's miraculous workings.
You're leaking blood.
Which is why I need your help.
Go to Salem.
Return with supplies and one to administer them.
Help you?
Yes.
Do you remember the day you marked me?
The day you seared my flesh with the sign of the fornicator?
You remember that?
And I would imagine that not a moment has since passed
that you didn't wish me dead.
And now your chance, without even raising a hand.
Walk away, and I will surely die here.
Why shouldn't I?
Because while you desired revenge
I bore regret for what I did.
Words.
Then help me, and I will shower you
not with words, but gold,
more than you've ever hoped to possess.
Gold?
To return with… with medicines and Mrs. Sibley?
No.
Not her.
Increase.
Increase?
Tell my wife nothing.
Bring me Increase Mather at once.
Go now, boy!
Run!
Yes?
Reverend.
The answer is no.
I didn't ask a question.
You're here to beg for the whore's life, are you not?
Dispatched by my besotted son, no doubt.
Yes.
Well, let me save you the trouble, Captain Alden.
The decision has been made to take her to trial.
But rest assured I will be sure to tell Cotton
that your pleas were most heartfelt.
Sir… Gloriana is no witch.
No.
But I think you will agree she has bewitched my son.
You know, my father held you in high regard, Reverend.
Alden Sr. Was a good man.
He viewed the world with uncommon reason.
Yeah, well, except when it came to his own son.
He wanted me to study scripture,
and I chose to explore the woods.
He wanted me to attend university,
and I volunteered for war.
He went to his grave thinking my life's choices mistakes.
And yet he allowed you to make them.
Well, that's because he knew the difference.
Between?
Between loving his son's choices
and loving his son.
Captain Alden.
Isaac, what is it?
Not here.
George Sibley can speak?
As clearly as you or I.
And wounded, he doesn't request his wife,
- but asks for… - Increase Mather.
I trust him no more than a thief.
But to disobey a man of his standing?
Then do nothing.
Captain?
You sought my advice, so I offer it.
Do nothing.
But to leave him any longer
than I have in the woods, bleeding…
He will die.
Yes.
Does he deserve anything less?
The man who marked your flesh
drove me to war,
and has ruled over Salem like a power-mad king?
And now, what, he begs for compassion?
Cooperation?
What?
I know you love her, Captain.
But to leave him to die is murder.
Do… nothing.
No. Where are you taking me?
Tell me! Where are you taking me?
Good people of Salem,
it has come to my attention
that the accusation leveled today
was a trick of the witches
an infernal ploy to delude and distract from the truly guilty.
This woman is no sorceress.
And therefore she will not go to trial.
But what her advocates fail to grasp
is that absence of guilt does not mean innocence,
for this whore is no innocent… Far from it.
She is guilty of sin, sins of the flesh,
sins against God, sins both mortal and eternal,
and as such, she warrants no place in Salem.
No.
And so, by my decree,
she is hereby banished from our midst,
her expulsion immediate and beyond dispute.
And should she… look at me…
Ever return at any time,
for any reason,
you will find yourself once again beside me on the common,
your lifeless body dangling
from the wrong end of the hangman's noose.
- Take her. - Cotton!
- Gloriana! - Cotton! Cotton!
Cotton! Cotton!
- Gloriana! - Stand back. Stay back.
No! Gloriana!
I'm sorry.
Take her as far as your steeds will travel.
And let it be known
neither sin nor sinner
have any place in Salem.
George.
I don't know how or by whom,
but the familiar has been excised from him.
He could be anywhere right now, talking to anyone.
All that we've worked for,
all that I've sacrificed, incinerated in an instant.
Calm yourself and help me.
Mutare, et notum sumbotis.
Forma enim esse ostendit.
Corpus, anima, mens.
Lead me to the one I seek.
The creature will lead me to him.
With luck, I will find him quickly.
And without it, we shall all burn.
You take issue with my methods.
I understand.
What you need to understand is that everything I have done
has been to make you worthy of the Mather name.
I loved her.
Do not say that.
My silence does not make it untrue.
One day,
when you are governor of this great land,
a man of power and a model of virtue,
respected and feared in equal measure,
you will trace it back to this day
the day I removed temptation from your path.
- You there. - Yes?
Bring me some black tea, very strong, if you please.
Mm-hmm.
Are you not the young man
who transported Mr. Sibley to Boston yesterday?
Isaac, sir.
- Isaac. - Mmm.
Boston and back?
Record time.
You must be quite the horseman, Isaac.
No, I-I wouldn't say that.
Well, tell me.
Did the physician offer any insight
into the patient's condition?
Physician?
A diagnosis? Or a prognosis?
Um.
No, I can't…
Well, you did take Mr. Sibley to the hospital, did you not?
What is it you are not saying?
Isaac… look at me.
Tell me the truth about your journey.
The injured is due south, inland,
on the wooded path to Boston.
Hyah!
Clear the way.
Who's there? Show yourself.
Who are you?
The name is Petrus.
Not an hour ago, I spied you sleeping,
and, seeing your grave wound, I have returned with medicinals.
Stop. Not one step closer.
But, sir, an infection has already taken root.
Do not worry yourself. Aid is on the way.
But you are in pain, are you not?
I have concocted a simple physic to ease your suffering.
No creature, man or animal, should suffer as you do, sir.
Please.
What have you given me?
I am truly sorry, sir.
She made me.
We will take him to your shack
until the threat has passed.
Did you really think it would be so easy
to escape us, Mr. Sibley?
There, up ahead!
George? George?
You're the servant?
Yes, sir, sent by Mrs. Sibley
to retrieve her ailing husband.
This is worse than I had feared.
Which is why he needs to be taken to hospital at once.
No.
It is not the injury that troubles me,
but how he came by it.
He sought to free himself from the witches' grip.
I do not understand.
The man is not ill.
He has been spelled.
Might you know something about that?
Miss Hale.
Do you remember that afternoon in the graveyard,
when you implied my father is not who he seems?
Yes.
Invite me inside, and I'll tell you why I agree.
Tell me… where is Mr. Sibley?
We have a problem.
That was not my question.
Either you know where he is, or you don't.
I do know where he is,
and that is the problem.
The Reverend has deemed him a victim of witchcraft
and has decided that George is to rest under his care.
Quickly now. Make haste.
My god.
Petrus' physic will last but a day.
There. There.
And then Mr. Sibley will awake, lucid and eager.
To tell Increase everything.
D d.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH