After having watched the first episode of Salem, I still have many existing questions about why many “historical” dramas play into mythology more than adhering to actual historical events. The premise of the show was definitely interesting, with Mary actually giving her child to the Devil, thus making her a witch and now having a very desired social position in Salem. Cotton Mather, one of the key historical figures of the actual trials, is hunting witches, much like he really was, making his depiction of an adversary one that is both accurate and compelling. The show, being from the perspective of a witch, is certainly interesting. However, after watching the show, by openly showing Mary as a witch, it takes away from the true political drama that was the Salem witch trials, which on their own, was a fascinating event that could absolute hold up a television series for multiple seasons. I enjoyed the episode, but was disappointed in that it almost took the “mystery” out of the trials history. However, I did find in it very interesting in that the character of Cotton Mather in the show was actually correct: his trials are meant to seek out the existence of witches, which in the show, are very much real in that Mary is attempting to rule Salem. In the true historical events, Cotton Mather, at least at one point, genuinely believed his trials were weeding out witches. The show essentially validates Cotton Mather’s actions, which is interesting given his historical reputation as an antagonist in the real-life trials.
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