Witchbomb part 3

Witchbomb part 3

The next Motherland panel on Saturday was Taylor, Amalia and Demetria.

It started innocently enough.  But this is Motherland, so you know that anything could happen…. and usually does.  Especially when we had Demetria in her dress blues uniform jacket and Amalia in Justine’s jacket.  Just like in ep 2.05, that jacket had a purpose – it had pockets….

Question When the zombie apocalypse starts, who dies first and why?  Who makes it out alive and why?

Taylor.  Me.  With Jess a close second.

Demetria.  She right.  She’d try to fix them.  Or it would be the cue for a song.  Or she’d be going ‘poor zombie’.

Taylor.  Or try to pet them.

Ess would make it out alive.  They’re resourceful, a contortionist.

Taylor.  Amalia has a great amount of tenacity.

Demetria.  Strategist

Amalia.  Ess would do all that in 2 seconds.

Wait for it…..

Question.  What is your go to song to hype yourself up?

Music plays.  My heart will go on from Titanic.  Celine Dion.  Amalia’s hand goes into her pocket and produces a nose flute.  She puts the flute to her nostrils and starts to play it.  Meanwhile Taylor puts her hand into Amalia’s jacket pocket and produces a kazoo and starts playing it.  They are both playing the My heart will go on tune. 

Demetria is initially stunned, so were the rest of the audience.  Then she just commits to it and starts to sing the song.  She has a really fine voice. 

Demetria.  This is what true friendship looks like.  (to Amalia) Did you know this was coming?

Amalia.  Yes. 

Another stunning musical surprise from the ladies of Motherland.  Taylor and Amalia knew, but Demetria was taken by surprise, just like the audience.  Then we had to try and get back to some sort of normality. 

Question.  If you were sick, who would you not want to play your character?

Demetria.  I’m not going first.

Amalia.  I’m not going first either.

Taylor.  Glory.  Annie.  Too sweet.

Amalia.  Who would play it better than me?  Demetria.

Demetria (to Amalia).  What are you on today?

Amalia.  Do you remember when we couldn’t hug for 2 years? And we had to spend New Year’s Eve alone.  We found a way.

Demetria.  Not play me.  Cat.  She like my big sister.  Sibling rivalry.  Blocking.  It is colour coded.  I’ve always had orange.  Cat decided she wanted it.  2 people could play Anacostia better – Amalia or Lyne.  Working with me, I could grow Anacostia.

Taylor said she originally auditioned for Scylla. 

Amalia.  We could have had opposite roles.

Question.  Would you prefer a Motherland prequel or sequel?

Amalia.  Prequel.  You could have a dodger prequel.

Taylor.  Agreed

Amalia to Demetria.  You want to be in it.  So it would have to be a sequel.

Demetria.  We got some bits of the history.  Loved the way the dynamic between Scylla and Anacostia grew.  Would be nice to see what happens next.  Like to see an Alder prequel.

Taylor.  Would be super interesting to see the history, wiccan practice, Spree history.

Amalia.  Could do a whole prequel of the Bellweather family.

Demetria.  What made Alder gravitate to Anacostia?  Wanted to see more of that.  Tap into some of the magic.

Question.  Would you rather sing everytime you talk or dance everywhere you walk?

Taylor.  Dance.

Amalia.  Dance and sing.

Demetria.  Sing.  I do it everyday.

Taylor.  Very cathartic.

Question.  What was your favourite together moment on set?

Demetria.  Last episode.  I say ‘watch out for her’.  Double entendre.  Mamacostia welcoming her into the fold – see how they love each other out loud. How proud of them.  Intentionally concise.  That moment was her way to tell them she loved them.

Amalia.  The shoot in the mall with Justine and Amalia.  There were jokes we didn’t notice because we were concentrating too hard.

Demeria.  In the car.  We couldn’t pull it together.

Amalia.  We got dressed up, like it was a different show. 

Demetria.  She thought she was my handler.  She is Swedish.  Good English but occasional problems.  Can’t eat DIARY.

Taylor.  I met best friends.  Covered in fungus.  ‘I am mouldy’.  Favourite moment with Demetria.  She held space with me when personal stuff was bleeding into work.  I was heartbroken at the end of a relationship – I walked into the scene.  Raelle is sitting by the tree and Demetria gave me the space to hold me and comfort me emotionally from the break up (from Scylla).

Question.  Anacostia spent a lot of season 1 disciplining these two.  Was there one thing that made it easier or harder?

Demetria.  I am a military brat.  Mom was air force.  Got a son, 26.  I could use that.  It was like having 4 different children.  Kudos to the writers and Eliot for finding the foundation for that.  The hardest scenes were with Tally.  She never meant to hurt anyone.  Like the scene where she has to pick up the stick and attack Anacostia.  She was nervous.  Not expecting that.  Trying not to cry.

Question.  Are there any real world parallels with the show?

Amalia.  The Spree and anti colonialism.  Complicated.  Talked with Eliot about the philosophy, imperialism and Norh America.

Taylor.  It is too relevant at the time.  We were caught up as women to honour them.  We still don’t hold up to men in society.  We had the premiere and then everything shut down.  There were a lot of parallels to the real world at the time with COVID / Juneteenth / BLM.  So many parallels.  We saw some of the dots connect.  It is rooted in science fiction, dystopian America.  History repeats itself.  Healing.  There is hope.

Question.  What is your go to karaoke song?

Amalia.  Toto, Africa.  I did it, but didn’t know the words exactly.

Taylor.  You sexy thing. Hot Chocolate. (To Demetria) got to be Whitney Houston

Demetria.  I’m Every Woman

Question.  In Bellweather Season, how did Scylla get extracted?

Amalia.  If it was the Spree, Scylla had to get out of there.  Then Anacostia tailed her and took her.  Or Raelle looked away and Anacostia got her.

Question.  How was it for Scylla and Anacostia to work together after being in her head?

Amalia.  It was about the nitty gritty.  It is easier to focus on working in a duo than working in a group. ‘hold harder so I can push against you’.

Demetria.  They helped each other discover more about each other.  It has a higher intensity.  Magical.

Taylor.  There was so much play / ping-pong with you and Amalia.  Sometimes the written scenes were short.  So it was how do we amplify this?  Sometimes the scenes were short and underdeveloped.

Demetria.  Filling in the blanks that were not there.

Question.  The world in bleak.  How do you deal with it without falling into nihilism?

Taylor (to Amalia).  Can I tell the story?

Amalia agreed.  Taylor was having a hard time and needed to cry.  The hotel spa was closed.  So we sat in the bath in our bathing suits and improvised a meditation for 10 minutes.  Making her feel safe and feel seen.  Show up with love and openness.  ‘This too shall pass’, quoting Gandalf in the meditation.  We have to hold each other.  Don’t let AI reduce human connection.  Make peaceful, loving choices. 

Amalia.  Community is loving choices.  That is the way.  Human connection.  Don’t blame yourself or isolate yourself.

Demetria.  Three things.  (1) recognise all.  Invite very little in, be the change you want to be.  (2) Family.  That does not always mean blood. (3) Ask.  For help.  How you can get help.