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This article contains plot details.

Life itself might be but a dream, why not enjoy it?

"Our Own Private America" is the seventh episode of Season One of Salem, and the seventh episode of the series over all. It premiered on June 1st, 2014 on WGN America.

Synopsis

HAUNTED DREAMS — Mary rediscovers her passion for John, and her new apprentice Mercy could help accelerate the Grand Rite. Magistrate Hale tries to delay an possible threat to the hive. His daughter, Anne, becomes more suspicious of those around her.

Episode Overview

SPOILERS AHEAD
Our Own Private America 018

Increase Mather.

The episode begins as Increase Mather searches the stranded ship he is aboard and looks among the passengers searching for a witch followed by the captain, who tells him everyone has been searched for signs of being the supposed witch but he is insisting that a witch is among them and that he will find them before they kill everyone on the ship. While back in Salem, Magistrate Hale is met with a gruesome sight upon visiting Mary Sibley- the head of Rose Browning. Mary warns him this is what becomes of those that betray her and that it could have easily been him and should he betray her it will be his wife or daughter that will suffer the consequences. She holds out the knife used to kill Rose and he falls to his feet and kisses the object acknowledging her claim to the Grand Rite.

Our Own Private America 045

Anne confronts her mother.

The same night following Rose's death. Anne is perturbed to be told by her mother that her father is a spy after witnessing his disappearing act but is dubious of her revelation, leading to an angry confrontation between mother and daughter, who angrily slaps her. While her father pays a visit to The Divining Rod where he receives a message from the German witches about Increase Mather and Mab questions whether Mary Sibley should be informed of the impending danger to their cause but Magistrate Hale insist on keep her in the dark for the time being.

Mary invades John dreams 32

Mary invades John's dreams.

At the House of the Seven Gables following Mercy Lewis's ordeal she pretends to be sleeping while Mary and Tituba watch over her, Tituba questions if Mary has made the right decision in turning Mercy into a witch and Mary asks her if she has ever questioned her own decision but she tells her never and is furthermore alarmed when Mary tells her, her plans to discover the location of the Malum (which John Alden has hidden from the witches) by the means of dream-walking but despite Tituba's warnings of what could happen to either of them Mary still demands that she sends her into John's dreams while Mercy secretly watches them as a disquieted Tituba begins the spell despite her own judgement. Once inside Mary finds herself in a passionate embrace as the pair are making love in the graveyard but they wake abruptly before she is able to divulge what she came for and reassures Tituba she will find the Malum while John wakes and is shocked to find scratches on his chest made by Mary.

Our Own Private America 114

Cotton & John.

The following day while Increase Mather comes closer to discovering who is the witch onboard the ship. Dollie, Emily, and their friends visit Mercy at Mary's home, who convinces them to play a game to discover who they will marry. She cracks an egg yolk into a glass of water and encourages Dollie to look inside the glass to see the face of her future husband but unknown to her has put a potion inside (under Mary's command) and it makes her see a deadly skull. A terrified Dollie throws it in the fire before she flees home to prepare for her bundling with Joe Barker. And John visits Cotton who is questioning everything he knows about the witches after what Rose had told them. John enquirers of what he knows about dreams, who tells him men have two choices they either forget them or live them.

Our Own Private America 132

Mary & John.

That night Dollie is at the home of the Barker's where she is participating in her bundling with their son Joe, while they are being watched by his parents. She begins to hallucinate she is being attacked by an unknown assailant and rips open the bundling bag before she flees angering Mrs. Barker. While back at the house of the seven gables, Mary again invades John's dream and once inside his head finds herself in the Alden house where she coerces him into showing her where the Malum is, the dream changes and they find themselves back at the graveyard where Mary continues to seduce him and realises that the Malum is buried in the grave of Giles Corey she wakes abruptly and informs Tituba of what she has discovered, who warns her to stay out of the captains head. Elsewhere Increase finally discovers he has been deceived by the captain, realising he is the witch, he uses his daggers and stabs the mans hands to the table and slits his throat after he finds the witches knot that has bound the wind delaying his travel to Salem, informing the sailors he is now in charge.

Our Own Private America 156

John and the prostitutes.

The next morning John is woken from his sleep from a commotion outside as a confrontation between Mrs. Trask and Mrs. Barker escalates into the streets.Dollie Trask's mother accuses their son of trying to assault her daughter during their bundling and Mrs. Barker warns her to stop bad mouthing her family or she will stop her talking, causing her to slap her daughter while she is being watched by Mercy and Mary. While John finds himself weaker by the day despite his nights rest, he goes for a walk and begins to hallucinate the women of Salem are in a state of undress and bumps into Anne Hale, she enquires where the captain is going in such urgency and is shocked when he forcefully pins her to a wall and kisses her passionately. The captain is shocked by his actions and quickly apologizes before fleeing to The Divining Rod where he participates in an orgy with the prostitutes.

Our Own Private America 165

Mercy's apparition.

Elsewhere Mary has returned home with Mercy and instructs her in how to project herself without actually leaving her body. She informs her she must terrify Mrs. Trask and have her accuse Mrs. Barker of being a witch and she appears in the Trask family home while a clueless Mrs. Trask does her stitching. She deliberately knocks over a jug and Mrs. Trask angrily shouts out to her daughter and threatens to skin her cat believing the animal had knocked over the jug. Mercy is angered by her threats possesses her body and slits open her throat with a pair of scissors. While despite having discovered the location of the Malum, Mary continues to invade John's dreams and finds herself in the Alden house. John tries to convince himself it is only a dream while Mary begins to unbutton his shirt but they are interrupted by the presence of Anne who proceeds to kiss him before Mary finds herself in the woods as militia solider's flee from an unknown hunter. A terrified Mary runs away but is shocked to discover John dressed and painted like the Indians that had captured him, revealing he became one of them but her body back at the House of the Seven Gables begins fitting and a terrified Tituba desperately tries bringing her back. Mary quickly awakens and is comforted by her loyal servant revealing she only wanted to be with John but lost control. Tituba leaves so she can once again regain her control taking the young Mercy with her to retrieve the Malum.

Mary and John Kiss 50

John and Mary give into their passion.

While back at the Alden house, John paces his home following his last dream, and he storms over to Mary's home and barges into her bedroom. Overcome with their reawakened passion for one another they kiss passionately before John carries her to her bed and the residents of Salem finally find the gruesome discovery of Mrs. Trask's body leading to an angry mob dragging the Barker's from there home believing them to be witches. The mob are calmed down by Cotton who insists that the Barker's be placed under arrest until they can be proven innocent or guilty causing Gloriana Embry compliment him for his bravery while Tituba finally retrieves the Malum but she overhears the commotion and scolds the girl for her actions but she is unrepentant for what she has done telling her, her and her girls are sick of the abuse that they face and they will have it no more. While Increase finally reaches the shores of Salem during the chaos.

Our Own Private America 253

Barker's burned at the stake.

Following the Barker's arrest, John is clueless about what is happening as he still preoccupied with Mary. The couple is in a passionate embrace but Mary asks him to stop, pulling away from him. John tries to question what has happened to her but she asks him to leave, leaving him confused. While a horrified Cotton is informed by Isaac that the Barker's are being burned at the stake and is furthermore shocked that it was under his fathers command, who decides to visit his old friend George Sibley but is told he his resting and informs a horrified Mary he will be staying till he kills every last witch in Salem.

Cast

Starring

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Deaths

  • Mrs. Trask
  • Mrs. Barker
  • Mr. Barker
  • Joe Barker

Locations

Quotes

German Captain: "We've searched every passenger for your supposed witches. So where is the witch?"
Increase Mather: "Right here."
Mary Sibley: "Make no mistake. Could just as well be your head."
Magistrate Hale: "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
Mrs. Hale: "Stay out of your father's affairs!"
Mary Sibley: "I must find the Malum."
Tituba: "How would you find it?"
Mary: "Search his mind."
Tituba: "Dream Walking?"
John Alden: "Wha do you know about dreams?"
Cotton Mather: "Forgive them. Or live them."
Cotton Mather: "The whole town is gone mad!"
Isaac Walton: "Witch burning. They're burning the Barkers as witches!"
Cotton Mather:"By whose authority?!"
Increase Mather: "Mine."
Mary Sibley: "What if the living are dreams, they become nightmares."

Gallery

Videos

Behind the Scenes=

Trivia

  • This is the first episode that features Increase Mather, although he was mentioned in past episodes.
  • Bundling was a tradition of wrapping one person in a bed accompanied by another, usually, as a part of courting behaviour, the aim was to allow intimacy without sexual intercourse.
  • This is the first episode to feature the concepts of Dream Walking and Witch's Knot. Both will be further explored in the next seasons.

International Titles

  • French: Nouveaux Territoires (New Territories)
  • German: Traumwanderung (Dream Walk)
  • Italian: La Nostra America (Our America)

See Also

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