Season Two

The Second Season of Salem was announced on May 5, 2014. The season ran from April 5 to June 28, 2015 on WGN America.

Summary[]

The Grand Rite has been completed, and Mary, Mercy, Tituba, are exacting revenge for tensions raised and mounted toward the end of the previous season. As the Witch Pox from the Grand Rite begins to claim the lives of Salem's citizens, War is now on the horizon in Salem, as a new enemy arrives from the ancient line of German witches to go head to head with Mary. Who will win the WAR?

Credits[]

Starring[]

Janet Montgomery as Mary Sibley (13/13)
Shane West as John Alden (12/13)
Seth Gabel as Cotton Mather (13/13)
Ashley Madekwe as Tituba (11/13)
Tamzin Merchant as Anne Hale (11/13)
Elise Eberle as Mercy Lewis (11/13)
Iddo Goldberg as Isaac Walton (9/13)
Oliver Bell as John (13/13)
Joe Doyle as Sebastian Von Marburg (10/13)

Guest Starring[]

Stuart Townsend as Samuel Wainwright (8/13)
Lucy Lawless as Countess Von Marburg (11/13)
Jeremy Crutchley as Wendell Hathorne (9/13)
Sammi Hanratty as Dollie Trask (7/13)
Cara Santana as Sooleawa (5/13)
Michael Mulheren as George Sibley
Christopher Berry as The Seer (2/13)
Thomas Francis Murphy as Rev. Lewis (3/13)
Raoul Trujilo as Shaman (2/13)
Stephen Lang as Increase Mather (3/13)
Hank Harris as Corwin (2/13)

Co-Starring[]

Katie Gunderson as Annie
Celeste Malmay as Charlotte
Ian Sinclair as Nathaniel
Miles Doleac as Captain Braun
Clint James as Towering Bird Dick Man
Henri Lubatti as Mr. Elliot (1/13)
Allyn Carrell as Old One #1 (1/13)
Thomas Herod Jr as Old One #2 (1/13)
Jennifer Griffin as Elder Witch #1 (1/13)
Juli Erickson as Elder Witch #2 (1/13)
Kalisa Wade as Elder Witch #3 (1/13)
Mallory Thompson as Hag (3/13)
Nathaniel Holt as Essex Witch
Michael Robert Brandon as The Devil

Episodes[]

No.	Title	Writer	Director	Airdate
1	"Cry Havoc"	Brannon Braga & Adam Simon	Nick Copus	April 5, 2015
1	The plague caused by the Grand Rite has already taken hold of Salem, and Mary has been reunited with her son. However, she must now maintain control against her former allies, as well as new adversaries alerted by her recent success.
2	"Blood Kiss"	Brannon Braga & Adam Simon	Allan Arkush	April 12, 2015
2	Mary takes care of a former ally, and continues to work on her next dark task. Dr. Wainwright goes to look for clues that could assist him against the plague. John Alden begins his witch hunt, and Anne finds herself faced with a new foe.
3	"From Within"	Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson	Alex Zakrzewski	April 19, 2015
3	In order to combat against Mr. Hathorne's power play, Mary must make an unexpected alliance with her husband. Cotton and Anne make their way back to Salem. A crippled Mercy plots her revenge against the other witches.
4	"Book of Shadows"	Joe Menosky & Adam Simon	Allan Kroeker	April 26, 2015
4	Anne finally gives in to learning the ways of witchcraft from Mary, who intends to use her to find her hidden assailant. A plagued Issac finds himself in the hands of Mercy. The relationship between Mary and Dr. Wainwright furthers.
5	"The Wine Dark Sea"	Turi Meyer & Al Septien	Peter Weller	May 3, 2015
5	Countess Marburg makes her way to Salem, eager to meet its young ruler. Hathorne continues to threaten Marys control, and once again she must use her husband to resolve the situation. Anne makes a choice to keep her secret safe.
6	"Ill Met by Moonlight"	Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders	Nick Copus	May 10, 2015
6	With the Countess and her son having taken hold of Salem, Mary must consider all options available to her. Anne awaits the results of her love potion for Cotton. John continues to struggle with his love for Mary, and Mercy receives support.
7	"The Beckoning Fair One"	Donna Thorland & Adam Simon	Joe Dante	May 17, 2015
7	In order to eliminate the Countess, Mary seeks help from an old adversary. Dr. Wainwright gets closer to uncovering the truth of the plague. A dinner party is held at the Sibley household, Cotton proposes to Anne, and Tituba has plans for John.
8	"Dead Birds"	Joe Menosky & Adam Simon	Alex Kalymnios	May 24, 2015
8	Marburg's achilles heel is revealed. Tituba begins to manipulate John Alden to try and tempt him to the dark side. Mercy Lewis takes the next step in her revenge against Mary, and Anne finds answers within her father's Book of Shadows.
9	"Wages of Sin"	Al Septien & Turi Meyer	David Grossman	May 31, 2015
9	As the comet approaches Earth, Marburg makes a long awaited acquaintance with one who plays a pivotal role in her and the others’ cause. Mary and Wainwright grow closer, but their relationship may now be short lived.
10	"Til Death Do Us Part"	Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson	Tim Andrews	June 7, 2015
10	Marburg prepares for the arrival of the “Starry Messenger” and her lover, the Dark Lord. Mary stages a last-ditch effort to thwart the Countess' plans. Anne finds she is faced with making a decision that could have far-reaching consequences.
11	"On Earth as in Hell"	Joe Menosky & Adam Simon	Nick Copus	June 14, 2015
11	Mary suffers Puritan oppression stemming from an alliance between the Marburgs and Hathorne. A mournful Isaac pays a surprise visit to a town gathering, and John and Cotton proceed with their monumental and unfamiliar task.
12	"Midnight Never Come"	Donna Thorland & Adam Simon	Alex Zakrzewski	June 21, 2015
12	Anne learns another unfathomable secret about her past, and is faced with a decision that could greatly impact Marburg's plans. Mary, palpably affected by recent events, attempts a risky gambit. Isaac finds himself in a new situation.
13	"The Witching Hour"	Adam Simon	Brannon Braga	June 28, 2015
13	Countess Marburg revels in her apparent success, while Mary stages one more effort against her. Anne faces the consequences of her actions, Sebastian must make a difficult decision, and Mercy is left alone with an uncertain future.

Production[]

Filming on the season began in the fall, and the surviving cast from the previous season have reprised their roles.^[1] The writing team for the show had a major overhaul after the first season. Among the first season staff, only Adam Simon, Brannon Braga, and Joe Menosky remained on the show. In an interview with Gavin Hetherington of SpoilerTV, Simon said "there were some very talented writers that worked on season one but they also came from very different backgrounds. They had very strong opinions where they wanted things to go, which was great, except they were telling 13 different stories and I was trying to tell one story in 13 episodes." There were inconsistencies in the writing of episodes due to the sometimes clashing writing style, and Simon further commented that "sometimes it seemed to me that characters I created suddenly sounded very different [in the episodes Adam didn't write], they weren't even speaking quite the same language from episode to episode which was tough on the actors and on the audience."

As a result of this, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Tricia Small, and Jon Harmon Feldman did not return for season two. A new writing staff were brought in, and the three remaining writers from season one were joined by Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson, Turi Meyer, Al Septien - who all had previously worked on Smallville together - and Donna Thorland.^[2]