Here we are at episode 10, and the phrase "I arrest you on the account of being a witch" still holds a powerful impact. As with the other episode reviews that I have done for this series, there are much to talk about in terms of character development and overall story arcs. In today's episode entitled "House of Pain", we finally get the character spotlight I've been eager to see. A Tituba-heavy episode alongside a quite interesting character moment involving Anne. We also get to learn a little bit more about Increase in terms of his philosophy and rationality. I'll keep this review more focused on Tituba as we get a deep inside look at her background and history as a slave turned witch, but I will mention the Anne moment as it is very key.
In the opening of the episode, we see the powerful edge and religious bond that Increase holds with him as he straps a quite painful belt around his torso squeezing it until he bleeds. As he does this, he speaks to God about his unworthiness in his eyes and the weakness that surrounds him (although ironically I see Increase as the most powerful character on the show). Not only is it great to see more of this character, but one of the things that I like about Increase is the fact that he always seems to be on top of his enemy in terms of presence and courage. This is a very important scene in my opinion showcasing what possibly gives him that edge. Think along the lines of a swordsman cutting himself with a dagger telling himself that he is too weak and must become stronger. The second he fights someone with a dagger he can look at him thinking "I already know how painful that weapon is, so I have no reason to fear it". Atleast that's one of the things I got out of that scene.
We also see Anne waiting for her parents to leave so she can hold her father's mysterious mask herself out of her curiosity. When she finally holds it to her face, she becomes instantly transported deep into the woods away from Salem. This is not only surprising to her, but to me as well. From the second I saw hints of trees through the eye holds of the mask, I was yelling in my mind "Don't you dare put that on!". Perhaps this is how Hale transports himself through witchcraft to a location of his desire. Hale becomes more and more interesting as the series continue through moments involving other characters. As Anne wanders fearful in the woods claiming that she must be dreaming, she encounters an indian. I completely forgot the the fact that indians were around and known as savages in the woods so although the scene cuts to something else, I can image how frightening that must've been for her. Eventually Hale begs John to help him find his daughter in the woods which John uses his tracking skills. Eventually they encounter Cotton as he sits on a tree branch claiming to be part of nature. This of course makes him seem like he's drunk out of his mind which John and Hale disregards for the moment to find Anne (a quite hilarious moment actually).
As their journey continues, John stops tracking as a group of Indians comes out of the woods surrounding them. John speaks their native language in which they respond and walk away. This surprises Hale as he tells John that he is mysterious for being able to track through the woods like a predator and speak the "savages' language" as he was one of them. This is a key moment for me as it adds more to the indian warrior story arc of John that we have only seen a glimpse of during Mary's dream invasion in a past episode. John and Increase remains to be my favorite characters of the thus far in terms of character background as you only get glimpses of what impactful and amazing stories they hold in their past. He tells Hale that the Indians considered Anne to be crazy which is why they left her alone. They believed that "crazy" people are walkers between worlds. John looks to Hale asking "does that sound familiar to you?" John continues to show his distrust to Hale considering him to be involved in witchcraft, but the only thing that keeps any form of partnership between is when Anne is involved. A duo dilemma that I quite enjoy actually. Now, we get that key "Anne moment" I mentioned earlier.
As Anne continues to wander through the dark woods, she leans next to the tree crying to herself helplessly. As she tilts her head up, it begins to randomly rain out of the blue. This of course puts a smile on Anne's face as she jokes at the situation of rain popularly making everything worst, but as randomly sudden as the rain started it stops. Thus beginning another horrific witch encounter, Anne begins to be scared off by a witch telling her "Outcast, you have found your way home". As Anne sees the face of the witch, she begins running frantically until she bumps in to John. Another terrifying moment for this series that so happen to involve Anne (this girl cannot catch a break to save her life it seems). Now I can get to the real meat of the episode with Increase and Tituba.
Increase throughout this episode shows how relentlessly bold he is towards what the average man would consider a fearful task, "interrogating a witch". As for the witch in this case, we have Tituba who was called out by Mercy in public as being one (a very surprising ending to last week's episode). As Increase holds her down on a table showcasing his torture devices and the use of each instrument, Tituba slowly mutters out several statements about herself and what drives her. What made this one of the best moments in the series for me is how proud and into his work Increase was explaining each cruel weapon in his arsenal to Tituba. He was the perfect interrogator in that right as someone who is not afraid to do what is "necessary" to get the answers he seek. Another reason why I like this character so much. As I said in a past review, we finally have someone who can go toe to toe with these powerful beings. Throughout the questioning and torturing, Tituba states that her past life involved slavery as a child and watching her family being sold off by slavers. She tells Increase of the moment she "turned", describing her village being burned and her mother and sister being taken away from her as she helplessly watch in chains. She describes two red eyes looking at her from the trees telling her "Tituba, you are mine". Although it's not shown in a flashback, one can only image how terrifying such a moment would look like. We do however get a flashback in her past showing a surprisingly familiar face as Magistrate Hale is shown taking her to the various people (slave auctioneers I assume).
Although Tituba never mentions him to Increase, I would like to see if it's ever mentioned to anyone in future episodes (that does add more to the mysterious background of Hale). There is a very creepy moment in her flashback (what episode doesn't have a creepy moment in this series) where a child Tituba goes into the woods at night to meet this grotesque horrifying looking character called "The Kanima" (the same looking creature seen by Anne in the woods). She claims that he is something of a savior to her and others who are like her (tortured souls). What I like about this description of him and the entire situation is how much Tituba's path to witchcraft was more of a direct path in comparison to Mary who was just following her best friend's suggestion. Tituba actually being lured in by the evil itself makes for more of an interesting story to me as we never get to see what is it exactly that leads these witches. The entity choosing Tituba as a child is also interesting being that children are more open to suggestion and the fact that she had a tortured childhood demands any sign of an escape. So in her eyes, the "Kanima" is a heroic savior figure no matter what the overall image obviously shows about it.
In a sense, there is no redemption for Tituba as one can argue for Mary possibly changing to be with John because in her eyes, she's on the path of justice thanks to her childhood savior. This makes Tituba the most interesting witch in the show as well as the most threatening enemy for the likes of the other characters. During the moment where she tells Increase that the "Kanima" keeps it's promise to protect her, we get the greatest line from Increase in the series as he responds "Girl, I too keep my promises. And I promise you now I will put your eyes out this instant." What better way to threaten a witch than to disregard her master's power (did I mention how much of a badass Increase can be?). Increase tells her that her master is nothing but a liar in which Tituba continues to protect his image as being a savior. This becomes a moment of two sides justifying their reasonings in which Increase states that it doesn't matter in the end. The point is the fact that it will end with witches dying a hopeless death. He shows Tituba his highly scarred and damaged hands (no wonder he's been wearing gloves every time we see him) stating that he has had 40 years battling evil. This moment shows the damage of being a witch hunter veteran and what that can do to one's body. Increase reminds me of those images or footage of Vietnam war survivors and how not only physically damaged they were, but mentally as well. The only thing these people knew was war and survival and Increase shows that same fortitude and mindset.
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