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I was a lost bird, myself, once upon a time, and there was no nest to hide me, so I built one. And now there will always be a place for lost doves like you in my house.
— Mercy Lewis

Bird's Nest is a brothel located in Knocker's Hole, run by Mercy Lewis in the third season of Salem.

Description[]

A house of pleasure located in Knocker's Hole, one of the poorest neighborhoods of Salem, Massachusetts. In spite of this, the building interiors are lavish and sumptuous, richly elaborated in various shades of red. Gilded cages large enough to accommodate a person inside are positioned at strategic points, while lounges and boudoirs are on the ground floor, and are separated by curtains or screens to ensure privacy to customers. The second floor, reached by a wooden staircase, houses the private rooms.

Throughout the Salem series[]

Season Three[]

The brothel was taken over by Mercy Lewis after the mysterious death of the previous owner. The witch, in search of a new home after the unfortunate events of the Salem Witch Trials, built her safe haven within the walls of the brothel, making it a protective nest for unfortunate girls in exchange for some of their blood to bloom constantly. Among them was Alice Land, fleeing from an abusive uncle prone to alcoholism. Mercy generously welcomed Alice into her nest, killing her uncle from afar with witchcraft. (After the Fall)

The mysterious death of Nick Land obsessed Isaac Walton, newly appointed sheriff of Knocker's Hole, enough to drive him to ask the Magistrate Hathorne to investigate. The magistrate decided to take the opportunity to get part of the proceeds of the brothel, but the sorcery of Mercy Lewis caused a rapid deterioration of his health, cursed with Canker blossom. (The Heart Is A Devil)

Pleading for a cure, Magistrate Hathorne decided to yield to the will of Mercy Lewis, entering a perverse alliance with the witch. (The Reckoning)

The alliance between Mercy and Hathorne soon became a dangerous liaison for the benefit of both, dreaming of becoming the undisputed masters of the Salem political sphere. (Wednesday's Child)

The reputation of Mercy Lewis as a generous madame reached Anne Hale, who asked for help from a fellow witch to get rid of unwanted Gloriana Embry, deprived of the child from her womb and her own memory by the ginger witch by means of a disturbing obscure form of magic. Meanwhile, the Bird's Nest was a place of the wedding celebrations between Mercy and Hathorne, officiated by a drunk Cotton Mather. (Friday's Knights)

The marriage would be useful to consolidate their union as a political couple. Their social climbing would have been possible only getting rid of Isaac Walton's bothersome investigations. Reason why Mercy kidnapped Dorcas, holding her hostage in a large gilded cage in her boudoir. (Saturday Mourning)

The child was released within a short time in exchange for the sheriff's life, but the crowd of Knocker's Hole raided the brothel with torches and pitchforks. However, the crowd did not have time to drag out the owners of the brothel since Anne Hale projected herself in the boudoir, killing them both to avoid any competition in her ascent to supreme power. (Black Sunday)

Memorable Quotes[]

Mercy Lewis: "I was a lost bird, myself, once upon a time, and there was no nest to hide me, so I built one. And now there will always be a place for lost doves like you in my house."
Alice Land: "As long as you allow me my fair share. You can have the money. I just want to be safe and fed and warm."
After the Fall
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Mercy Lewis: "Welcome to my Bird's Nest. Do you see any birds you'd like to share a nest with?"
Magistrate Hathorne: That won't be necessary. Strictly business, Madame. The kind that's best discussed privately, unless, of course, you'd like to find my militia here in the morning."
Magistrate Hathorne: "Uh, for a poor mistress, you've obviously done well for yourself here, and in such a short time."
Mercy Lewis: "There is gold in men's lust. And there has been, shall we say, considerable pent-up demand in Salem."
The Heart Is A Devil
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Gallery[]

Videos[]

WGN_America's_Salem_Season_3_The_Birds_Nest

WGN America's Salem Season 3 The Birds Nest

Trivia[]

  • "One of the more unusual sets is housed in a building called Bird's Nest" Zachary explains. "Elise Eberle plays the character Mercy Lewis in the show. When I was talking to the showrunner Brannon Braga about this season, the first thing he mentioned was that she was going to become the madame of the brothel at Knocker's Hole, and her familiar was a bird. So we decided we would call the brothel the Bird's Nest, and it became the theme we were going to use. The Bird's Nest has Mercy's Boudoir, an interior created on the stage in Shreveport, and the building on location in Grand Cane has the exterior of the brothel and a lobby set inside. We decided we wanted it to have this rich look of red on red on red so in her boudoir everything is red: the walls are red, the shades are red, and her wardrobe is red. Then we have all these bird cages hanging. It's really a unique look. We never planned to put an interior in that building. We just had to modify it so everything would fit inside". [1]
  • "Bird's Nest" is one of the common names of Daucus Carota, also known as wild carrot or Queen Anne's lace. This herb was collected along with other ingredients on Mercy Lewis's table, while she was carrying out her witchcraft on Isaac Walton in "Book of Shadows."

References[]

  1. Designer John Zachary about Bird's Nest from Louisiana Film & Video #16 magazine

See Also[]

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