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"Salem" airs Sundays at 10 PM ET on WGN America. I've said it many times before but WHY OH WHY do all the shows I like have to be on at the same time? Dear Television Programmers, there are some other days in the week ya know (six others to be exact). I must confess that before this show I never even knew that WGN America existed. It is apparently a local Chicago channel. Kudos to them for going out on a limb with original programming.
Witches are indeed the new zombies (who were the new vampires). So everyone is trying to cash in on the witch craze before it's whisked away on a broomstick."Salem" retells the story of the Salem Witch Trials beginning in 1692. Note: it is not a historical recreation (which is why its not on the History channel). If you're expecting that, you're going to be VERY disappointed.
John Alden returns to his home town of Salem after being away for seven years fighting the Indian Wars. His one time girlfriend (Mary Sibley) believed he was dead and married a much older man. Mary and her friend Tituba are up to something but we're not sure exactly what. There is also a possessed girl in town. She ends up on the ceiling a few times. The town reverend (Cotton Mather) parades her around town on a leash in a crazy "Silence of the Lambs" type getup. Instead of pointing to Mary, she accuses a guy who threatened to spill Mary's secrets about what happened to her baby in the woods. It was turned over to some demon--- I think. As a punishment for witchcraft the puritans "press" him (which means he's squeezed to death under some heavy rocks).
Oh and did I mention that when Cotton is not busy digging up witches he's visiting the Salem equivalent of the Mustang Ranch? A fine reverend indeed. On a related note, the show has a surprising amount of violence, nudity and sex. That would keep me tuning back in if for nothing else. Like Cotton, I'm a perv.
So what do you think after one episode? I've read a few reviews and they were mostly negative. I must say I'm enjoying "Salem" so far. The cinematography, costumes and acting are great. The actors are very easy on the eyes. The plot is kinda all over the place but who cares. "American Horror Story" didnt make sense most of he time and that never stopped me from watching it.
Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). I dont care what the critics say. So far I'm really liking "Salem". We'll see if my opinion changes over time.
TV: Heavy On Sci Fi, Horror & Adventure; Light On Reality
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