Can't Keep A Dead Witch Down.Retrospective: Witches of East End "-Unburied"

Season 1, Episode 7

Airdate: Sunday, November 17, 2013, 10/9c on Lifetime.

Rating: ★★★★★

“And the worst part is I don’t even think of Killian when I’m awake, but Sleep Freya hasn’t gotten the memo.” – Freya

If Witches of East End could provide any particular life lesson, it would be this: do not mess with witches. “Unburied,” written by Josh Reims, does little more than air out everyone’s dirty laundry. It offers the return of some familiar faces, and some big defining moments.

Flashbacks & Wet Dreams

Most of the time, Witches of East End starts off with a bang but this week, it feels more like a kick to the gut. The opening scene consists of poor Aunt Wendy (Mädchen Amick) strapped to a chair, looking like she’s been tortured for hours. As the camera pulls back, we see she is being held captive by none other than Ingrid (Rachel Boston). It appears Ingrid still has hard feelings about their past life together, and now she’s delivering some payback.

Wendy: “Ingrid. I’m still your aunt. You’re still my niece. This isn’t who you are.”

Ingrid: “Actually, I think this is exactly who I am.”

Wendy: “No.”

Ingrid: “Acidum adere!”

Ingrid’s incantation allows her to drive her hand into Wendy’s chest, straight to the heart. Ew. As tears fall down Wendy’s face, my heart breaks a little. I’m sure this is far from what she expected from Ingrid but before we see what happens next, the scene cuts to credits and events 24 hours prior to Wendy’s capture. It’s a great way to engage the audience with what is the driving force of “Unburied,” as well adding a lot of suspense. It also gives us a chance take a breather and step back from the drama of the other significant story lines, like Freya’s (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) attraction to both Dash (Eric Winter) and Killian (Daniel Di Tomasso) Gardiner.

One of the great things about Witches of East End is the use of dream sequences—which almost always catch you by surprise because they start off so mundane. This time, Freya is in the back room with Killian at the Bend Elbow, where their conversation begins in a game of words before they end up lip locked. Unlike the boat scenes, most of Freya’s dreams seem almost like a fantasy—dark hallways and moonlit piers, but the back room of the bar? Not really romantic. After Dash wakes Freya up for talking in her sleep, she decides to use magic to get Killian out of her dreams. But the prevailing question is whether this is a good idea.

Freya: “You know how I have that whole sleep-talking thing?”

Ingrid: “Yeah.”

Freya: “Well, I woke Dash last night and I was in the middle of a dream about Killian.”

Ingrid: “And he heard you say Killian’s name?”

Freya: “No, thank God, but it’s only a matter of time.”

It’s been a while since Ingrid and Freya had a bit more of a heart-to-heart, so it’s surprising to remember Ingrid has no idea Freya kissed Killian. I love this scene because it reveals how much Ingrid has changed over the course of the series. Ingrid admits to Freya she would have been judgmental before but in light of recent events, she has no right to judge anyone. It’s nice for these two to make inroads because for a while, Ingrid and Freya seemed to live very separate lives.

Witches, Shape-Shifters, and Zombies, Oh My!

[Spoiler Alert]

It seems the rest of Ingrid’s journey this season involves exploring the depths of her darkness. Even though she’s not as corrupt as her previous incarnation, it makes her question whether she is as capable of dark deeds. That being said, I can’t help but notice how much of Ingrid’s storyline parallels her love life; so when Mike (Enver Gjokaj)—a researcher on assignment in East End—enters the scene, it stands out. Mike’s rude behavior causes friction with Ingrid when they first meet, but the two bond quickly when he defends her from a creeper during a party. Maybe he can be Ingrid’s Mr. Darcy …Lord knows she needs a bit of happy time after all the heartache.

Speaking of heartache, Freya faces the consequences of her indiscretion with Killian when Dash overhears about the kiss. It’s a turning point that leads Dash to ditch his fiancée for some alone time in London. But perhaps it’s for the best. Now that the secret is out, and Dash knows what happened between Killian and Freya, it will allow all parties involved to move on and start fresh.

There are a lot of big moments in “Unburied,” and after weeks of suspense about the identity of the shape-shifter, we finally learn it is none other than ‘HBIC’ Penelope Gardiner (Virginia Madsen)—who is, in actuality, Archibald Browning’s (Matthew Del Negro) daughter, Athena.

But that’s not the only doozy we’re hit with in the first half of “Unburied.” Penelope has a few more tricks up her sleeves, mainly raising Ingrid—the one from the 1900s—back from the dead.

Ingrid: “Why am I here?”

Penelope: “Your Aunt Wendy stole something from my father Archibald, the man you loved, and the man you died trying to protect. And I need it back.”

Ingrid: “What is it?”

Penelope: “It’s called Serpens Clavem. It’s a golden snake. Its tail looks like a key. I need you to get it back for me.”

Penelope gives Zombie-Ingrid an added incentive by allowing her to kill Wendy after retrieving the “Serpens Clavem.” It’s a twisted exchange but it shows how different Zombie-Ingrid is from the current one.

Meanwhile, an oblivious Wendy reunites with Leo (Freddie Prinze, Jr.). He calls her out on ditching him, which makes him all the more endearing. But Wendy, being the charmer she is, wins his affections back. I swear, these two need more time together. Typically, Prinze, Jr. plays alpha male type roles, so to see him as a bit of a nerd is sweet. His character is a great balance to Wendy’s naughty side. Him being in great shape doesn’t hurt either.

The Not-So Nine Lives of Aunt Wendy

When Wendy falls for Penelope’s plans and becomes Zombie-Ingrid’s captive, we find ourselves back to the opening torture scene. There’s something unnerving seeing bookish Ingrid act so evil but it’s a testament to Boston’s skills as an actor and David Solomon’s direction of “Unburied.”

Just when we think Wendy is done for good, Joanna (Julia Ormond) comes to save the day. In one of the most memorable scenes of “Unburied,” Joanna schools her daughter in magic but then stops her. Zombie-Ingrid is shocked by her mother’s actions against her.

Zombie-Ingrid: “You don’t kill people.”

Joanna: “You’re already dead.”

Boom! Joanna turns her daughter to ashes, and while we know it’s the right thing to do, there’s a flicker of pain in Joanna’s eyes reminding us it is never easy for her to lose her children—alive or undead.

As Wendy recovers at the Beauchamp household, the hardest hitting point of “Unburied” is one of its most shocking. Apparently, Wendy’s necklace isn’t just some sentimental accessory. After Joanna and Wendy share a drink commiserating over the pressures of finding the shape-shifter, Joanna notices Wendy’s necklace is no longer green but red. With a deadpan expression, Joanna reveals Wendy is living her last life.

Overall

I love the pace and tone of “Unburied” as it allows us to connect all the dots about the shape-shifter storyline while bringing back some fan favorites—Leo, aka Mr. Butterfly Catcher—to the series. Aunt Wendy is easily one of the best supporting characters on Witches of East End, and although one can imagine the significance of losing such a presence, it’s just crushing. This is definitely a bittersweet episode that is setting up one powerful season finale.