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Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg

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Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg
Salem character
A pale woman with long brown hair wear an ornate purple outfit accented by golden stitching and a purple fur stole.
Lucy Lawless as Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg
First appearance"Cry Havoc" (2.01)
Last appearance"Black Sunday" (3.10)
Created by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Alias
SpeciesWitch
GenderFemale
Occupation
ChildrenSebastian Von Marburg
Anne Hale
Notable powers

Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is a fictional character on the American supernatural horror television series Salem, which aired on WGN America from 2014 to 2017. Created by the show's producers Brannon Braga and Adam Simon, Ingrid was primarily played by Lucy Lawless in a recurring role during the second season and third season. The last and oldest of a line of Germanic witches, Ingrid is presented as a rival and foil to the witch Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery). Her plans to resurrect the Devil and have sex with his human host to become his queen were stopped by her daughter Anne Hale (Tamzin Merchant).

Lawless was attracted to the show due to her appreciation for its writing and after hearing the description of her role. Prominently featured in promotional materials for Salem's second season, media commentators noted that the decision to include Lawless was partially inspired by stunt casting. Lawless based her performance on historical accounts on witches and her childhood love of the horror genre. She avoided portraying Ingrid as a villain to focus on making her a more complex character.

Critical response to Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg was largely positive, with the character's story arc with Mary and Lawless' performance praised as highlights. Following the character's apparent death in the season two finale, critics and fans requested for Lawless to return for future episodes. Lawless was nominated for the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best TV Supporting Actress, losing to Gillian Anderson for performance in the television series Hannibal (2013-2015).

Story arc

The last and oldest of a line of Germanic witches,[1][2] Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is first shown looking for the identifies of those behind the Grand Rite, a ritual involving the use of mass murder to elicit the rise of the Devil to the Earth.[3] Ingrid had previously attempted to complete the Grand Rite, but was thwarted by the witch hunter Increase Mather.[3] While visiting Increase's son Cotton, she meets fellow witch Anne Hale and enters her soul through a kiss. During the exchange, she discovers that the witch Mary Sibley had instigated the ritual and exacerbated hysteria among the Puritans as part of the Salem witch trials. Ingrid also reveals that she lived for several centuries under various aliases, including Hecate, Medea, and Elizabeth Báthory.[4] She is shown as retaining her youthful appearance by bathing in the blood of virgins.[5]

While working with her son and lover Baron Sebastian von Marburg, she begins to plan a way to infiltrate Salem, Massachusetts and learn more about its local witch coven (known as the Essex Hive).[4] Through bewitching Mary's bathwater, Ingrid dispatches a specter to drown Mary. Even though the attempt was unsuccessful, Ingrid kisses Mary to steal information from her unconscious mind.[6] Upon arriving to Salem via boat, Ingrid and Mary meet for the first time and threaten one another. To destabilize Mary's control in the town, Ingrid murders her husband George Sibley by transferring water inside his body and drowning him from the inside.[5]

Ingrid's arrival to Salem is positively received by the townspeople, as she delivers aid to those affected by a plague started by the completion of the Grand Rite.[7] During her time in the city, she begins to act as a fairy godmother to the witch Mercy Lewis by teaching her how to cleanse her body and magic through bathing in the blood of virgins. She also convinces Anne to steal magistrate John Hale's Book of Shadows, telepathically telling the young witch that she plans to sacrifice the entire town to resurrect the Devil.[8] Ingrid senses the truth behind Mary's son John Sibley, who was born to serve as the vessel for the Devil, and schemes to gain control over him. She orders Mercy to kidnap John, but Mary temporarily stops these plans by threatening to destroy the source of Ingrid's power. Mary cloaks the location of her son to shield him from Ingrid's influence.[9][10]

Ingrid uses her connections with magistrate Wendell Hathorne[11] and seduces Mary's her love John Alden and leads him into an alternate dimension to find uncover John Sibley's hiding place.[12] To convince Anne to kidnap John Sibley, Ingrid reveals to the young witch that she is her real mother and will pass down all of her powers following her death.[12] Even though the witches of the Essex Hive resist Ingrid's plans, she destroys John Sibley's body and soul by drowning him in a magical, tar-like substance known as hell blood. Following the Devil's resurrection, Ingrid shuns Mercy and reverses all of the magic done to enhance her appearance, which leaves her heavily scarred with burns. Despite her schemes, Ingrid is upset to discover that the Devil plans to make Mary his queen instead of her. Ingrid and Mary fight in the Salem Church, with Mary sacrificing herself to protect John Alden. Angry at Mary's death, the Devil kills Ingrid by repeatedly stabbing her.[13]

Following Ingrid's apparent death, her soul transfers back to her original body (a mummified corpse) that is protected in a magical sarcophagus hidden in an alternate dimension. It is revealed that Ingrid possesses a form of immortality, as she can return her soul to her original body and recover her strength.[13] While locked in her decaying body, she instructs Sebastian to regularly feed her with blood stolen from Mary as a form of nourishment.[14] When Sebastian seeks advice from Ingrid on how to form a romantic relationship with the newly resurrected Mary, she tells him to use witchcraft; Sebastian refuses to use magic to force Mary to love him.[15] By drinking Mary's blood, Ingrid gains enough power to temporarily possess Mary and starts to have sex with the Devil. However, she is interrupted by Anne, who kills the Devil's human host and sends him back to hell. Anne announces that she plans to carry the Devil's child and serve as his queen instead of Ingrid. Despite her attempts to reconnect with her daughter, Ingrid is killed by Anne. Restoring Mary's soul back to her body, Anne permanently destroys Ingrid's body and spirit.[16][17]

Development

Creation and casting

Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is portrayed by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless.[18] Lawless does not make a physical appearance during the third season, only providing voice-overs for the character;[14][15][16][17] Janet Montgomery, who plays Mary Sibley, fills in for the role after Ingrid possesses Mary's body.[16][17] Upon being asked to join Salem and hearing the description for her role, Lawless said that she had thought “that sounds like a great deal of fun” and connected it to her childhood listening to horror stories and watching horror films.[2] She agreed to be a part of the series partially due to her appreciation of its writing.[19] The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger felt that the decision to hire Lawless was based on her status as "one of television’s most cult-inspiring actresses" and the plan to expand on the series' over-the-top horror elements.[18]

On January 14, 2015, WGN America announced that Lawless would appear Salem in a recurring role.[20][21] The character was prominently featured in the trailer for Salem's second season,[22][23] and a preview video of the series premiere.[24] Trace Thurman of Bloody Disgusting called the decision to include Lawless in Salem as an example of stunt casting.[25] Christina Radish of Collider identified Ingrid as one of the "very strong and strong-willed characters" that Lawless has played in her career; Lawless said that she felt drawn to the roles as she "want[ed] high stakes things". Calling Ingrid "the combination of all those great roles" of her past, she felt that the character embodied the horror genre, and had more complex character interactions than her previous performances.[26]

Characterization and morality

A woman with dark hair is smiling towards the camera.
Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg was written as a rival and foil to fellow witch Mary Sibley, who was portrayed by Janet Montgomery (pictured).

While discussing her approach to Ingrid, Lawless said that she was inspired by stories of witches throughout history, and explained: "[w]hether they were rumor or not, we've got lots of great information about how they've lived and what made them so terrifying."[1] She clarified that she did not based her performance on other characters from horror stories.[27] Surprised by the amount of history incorporated into Salem,[26] she commented that show creators Adam Simon and Brannon Braga relied on "anecdotal evidence of people at the time" when writing storylines for her character and the rest of the cast.[1] Lawless characterized Ingrid as a "serious piece of work" and the "soul of violence" even though she also possesses "her charms and her wits and her elegance and her generosity".[1]

When asked about the magical aspects of Salem, she said that the series was based on "all natural magic", and identified her character as a "psychological murderer as well as a practical murderer". Defining the show as using "[m]urder in the parlor" and "[w]omen fighting to the death in [a] very elevated way", Lawless emphasized that it treated magic differently than the Harry Potter franchise, commenting that there is "[n]othing cute going on".[2] She said that Ingrid's story arc was partially based on the character's obsession and rivalry with Mary and inevitable vendetta to destroy her.[28][29] Bustle's Kelsea Stahler identified Ingrid as a foil to Mary, emphasizing the ability to Lawless' character to charm and appeal to the city of Salem and its inhabitants.[30]

When asked if she viewed Ingrid as evil, Lawless said that she did not play the character as a villain and instead interpreted her as a "someone who must get what she wants" even if it harms others.[26] Despite this separation, she did acknowledge that Marbug is one of the series' antagonists.[31] She referenced Ingrid as a "female Dracula",[32] and Simon said that the character was similar to a "dark goddess figure".[30] During the development of the character as "the biggest, baddest bitch in the world", Lawless requested that Ingrid was also a "very constructive force" with a "great goodness" and a "great weakness" for evil.[2] While Lawless felt that her character was incapable of love, she believed that Ingrid feels emotional conflict while performing evil deeds and bases her decisions on appealing to the greater good.[33]

Despite this characterization, she also said that the character was immoral and unethical by both contemporary standards and those from the eighteenth century.[27] Media commentators frequently identified Ingrid as an antagonist;[2][26][32] Entertainment Weekly's Samantha Highfall calling her "the new big bad witch in town",[2] and Brian Truitt of USA Today described her as the "ultimate villain".[32] Lawless commented that she felt uncomfortable shooting scenes in which Ingrid commits acts of violence against women and children; she explained that she had to disconnect from her personal opinions to make "a new high-end horror".[26] She described the costuming for Ingrid as allowing her to get into character, saying that she feels "like she consumes me".[2] Forty-seven years old at the time of the second season's filming, Lawless said that she was surprised at the glamorous aspects of her wardrobe given her age.[18]

Critical reception

The critical response to Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg was largely positive. Bustle's Nick Romano included Lawless' appearance as one of the seven moments from the season two trailer to get "so amped" about the upcoming episodes.[34] Trace Thurman praised the story arc between Ingrid and Mary, calling their final confrontation in the episode "The Wine Dark Sea" as the best scene from their series.[25] The battle between Ingrid and Mary was described as [o]ne of the most impressive sequences of the [season two] finale" by The Hollywood Reporter's Marisa Roffman.[35] While reviewing the series finale, Screener's Aaron Pruner wrote that Ingrid's scheme to have sex with Mary's son John, while he is possessed by the Devil, and steal his magic to take over the world as one of the biggest WTF moments.[36]

Lawless' performance has been widely praised by television critics. Blastr's Nathalie Caron wrote that the actress had a "glorious guest-starring role as the deliciously evil [character]".[37] Fangoria's Ken W. Hanley called Lawless "frightfully fiendish", praising her for bringing more "gravitas" to the show since she was "[u]nafraid to get bloody or sadistic".[38] Echoing Hanley's statement, D.C. Fenoff of Moviepilot felt that her inclusion gave the series more "energy and conflict".[39] In 2016, Lawless was nominated for the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best TV Supporting Actress, but lost to Gillian Anderson for her performance in the television series Hannibal (2013-2015).[40]

Following Ingrid's apparent death in the season two finale, several media commentators wrote that the character and actress should return for Salem's third season. Praising Lawless' performance as "superb", Nemisha Sharma of International Business Times wrote that she wanted to see the character come back for the third season.[41] She described Ingrid as a "fan-favorite character" by Sharma, noting how fans commented on the show's official Facebook page to ask for Lawless to return for the third season.[42] Calling Ingrid a "near-perfect villain" and a "commanding presence", Thurman considered Oliver Bell's appearances as the Dark Lord a disappointment by comparison.[43][44] During his review of the series finale, Thurman wrote that he was disappointed that Lawless did not appear in the third season outside of providing voice overs.[45]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Feeney, Nolan (April 3, 2015). "Lucy Lawless Explains the Gruesome History Behind Salem's 'New Kind of Horror'". Time. Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Highfill, Samantha (April 1, 2015). "Lucy Lawless says the magic of 'Salem' is nothing like 'Harry Potter'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Writer: Brannon Braga & Adam Simon. Director: Nick Copus (April 5, 2015). "Cry Havoc". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  4. ^ a b Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson. Director: Alex Zakrzewski (April 12, 2015). "From Within". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  5. ^ a b Writer: Turi Meyer & Al Septien. Director: Peter Weller (May 3, 2015). "The Wine Dark Sea". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  6. ^ Writer: Brannon Braga & Adam Simon. Director: Allan Arkush (April 12, 2015). "Blood Kiss". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  7. ^ Writer: Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders. Director: Nick Copus (May 10, 2015). "Ill Met by Moonlight". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  8. ^ Writer: Donna Thorland & Adam Simon. Director: Joe Dante (May 17, 2015). "The Beckoning Fair One". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  9. ^ Writer: Al Septien & Turi Meyer. Director: David Grossman (May 31, 2015). "Wages of Sin". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  10. ^ Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson. Director: Tim Andrew (June 7, 2015). "Til Death Do Us Part". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  11. ^ Writer: Joe Menosky & Adam Simon. Director: Nick Copus (June 14, 2015). "On Earth as in Hell". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  12. ^ a b Writer: Donna Thorland & Adam Simon. Director: Alex Zakrzewski (June 21, 2015). "Midnight Never Come". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  13. ^ a b Writer: Adam Simon. Director: Brannon Braga (June 28, 2015). "The Witching Hour". Salem. Season 2. WGN America.
  14. ^ a b Writer: Brannon Braga & Adam Simon. Director: Nick Copus (November 2, 2016). "After the Fall". Salem. Season 3. WGN America.
  15. ^ a b Writer: Adam Simon. Director: Nick Copus (December 7, 2016). "The Witch Is Back". Salem. Season 3. WGN America.
  16. ^ a b c Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson. Director: Jennifer Lynch (January 18, 2017). "Saturday Mourning". Salem. Season 3. WGN America.
  17. ^ a b c Writer: Adam Simon. Director: Brannon Braga (January 25, 2017). "Black Sunday". Salem. Season 3. WGN America.
  18. ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (April 1, 2015). "Lucy Lawless Brings a Defiant Edge to 'Salem'". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  19. ^ "Lucy Lawless plays powerful witch in 'Salem'". Today. NBC. April 15, 2015. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  20. ^ Chapman, Matthew (January 19, 2015). "Salem: Lucy Lawless & Stuart Townsend Join The Cast". Moviepilot. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  21. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 14, 2015). "'Salem': Lucy Lawless & Stuart Townsend Cast In Season 2 — Watch New Teaser". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Harnick, Chris (March 2, 2015). "Lucy Lawless Goes Dark in Salem's Creepy New Season 2 Trailer—Watch Now!". E! Online. E!. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  23. ^ Capistrano, Daniela (April 1, 2015). "Lucy Lawless Is a Bewitching Nemesis in New Season of 'Salem'". Entertainment Tonight. CBS Television Distribution. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  24. ^ Ng, Philiana (May 29, 2015). "Exclusive: Lucy Lawless Breaks Terrifying News on 'Salem'!". Entertainment Tonight. CBS Television Distribution. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Thurman, Trace (May 5, 2015). "[TV Review] "Salem" Episode 2.05: 'The Wine Dark Sea'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015.
  26. ^ a b c d e Radish, Christina (June 6, 2015). "Salem: Lucy Lawless Talks Season 2, Ash vs. Evil Dead, and More". Collider. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  27. ^ a b Cohn, Paulette (April 30, 2015). "Lucy Lawless is bad down 'to the marrow' on WGN's 'Salem'". Fox News. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  28. ^ "Lucy Lawless discusses her new character in Salem". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. April 18, 2015. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  29. ^ "'Salem's' Lucy Lawless: 'All I want is everything'". WJW. April 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  30. ^ a b Stahler, Kelsea (May 17, 2015). "Lucy Lawless' 'Salem' Season 2 Character Is Complicated, Says The Actress & Co-Creator Adam Simon". Bustle. Bryan Goldberg. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "Lucy Lawless comes to Salem". Yahoo7. May 4, 2015. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016.
  32. ^ a b c Truitt, Brian (April 1, 2015). "Q&A: Lucy Lawless gets witchy on 'Salem'". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  33. ^ Sagers, Aaron (April 3, 2015). "Inside Salem, Season 2 with Lucy Lawless, Shane West, Janet Montgomery, Ashley Madekwe". Blastr. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  34. ^ Romano, Nick (May 19, 2015). "7 'Salem' Season 2 Trailer Moments That Will Get You So Amped For The April Premiere". Bustle. Bryan Goldberg. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  35. ^ Roffman, Marisa (June 28, 2015). "Did 'Salem' Just Kill Off Its Main Star?". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015.
  36. ^ Pruner, Aaron (January 26, 2017). "The biggest WTF moments from the 'Salem' series finale". Screener. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  37. ^ Caron, Nathalie (January 21, 2016). "Marilyn Manson joins the cast of WGN America's Salem for Season 3". Blastr. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016.
  38. ^ Hanley, Ken. W. (February 10, 2016). "For Your Consideration: The 2016 Chainsaw Award Nominees for Best TV Supporting Actress!". Fangoria. The Brooklyn Company, Inc. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017.
  39. ^ Fenoff, D. C. (September 25, 2015). "Spotlight Series: How Lucy Lawless Went From 'Xena: Warrior Princess' to 'Ash vs The Evil Dead'". Moviepilot. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016.
  40. ^ Gingold, Michael (June 1, 2015). "The 2016 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Winners and Full Results!". Fangoria. The Brooklyn Company, Inc. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  41. ^ Sharma, Nemisha (October 28, 2016). "'Salem' Season 3 Spoilers: 5 Questions We Want Answered In The Nov. 2 Season Premiere". International Business Times. IBT Media. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  42. ^ Sharma, Nemisha (October 24, 2016). "'Salem' TV Show Spoilers: Is Lucy Lawless' Countess Von Marburg Returning In Season 3?". International Business Times. IBT Media. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  43. ^ Thurman, Trace (November 30, 2016). "[TV Review] "Salem" Episode 3.04: 'Night's Black Agents'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016.
  44. ^ Thurman, Trace (November 2, 2016). "[TV Review] "Salem" Episode 3.01: 'After the Fall'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016.
  45. ^ Thurman, Trace (January 25, 2017). "[TV Review] "Salem" Series Finale: 'Black Sunday'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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