Salem Season 3 Episode 5 Exclusive Sneak Peak Bares a Nerve

Salem season 3, episode 5, “The Witch is Back,” debuts Wednesday December 7 at 9:00 p.m. but Den of Geek found one more reason to live than Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery): an exclusive sneak peek out that exposes a traitor and ramps up the suspense, all this under the watchful eye of The Sentinel, who doesn’t miss a trick.

The clip is called “Mary and the devil boy” and it goes to heart of the Essex Witch’s strength: her vulnerability. There is more going on here than meets the eye.

In “The Witch is Back,” written by Adam Simon and directed by Nick Copus (Gotham) “Cotton returns just in time to save Anne from the Boy’s punishment,” according to the official synopsis. “Tituba appears to Mary to make sure she’s okay, and Mary alerts Tituba about a possible traitor in the hive. Mary slowly starts to turn the Sentinel on the Boy by playing with the Sentinel’s emotions. Alden and Billy attempt to make their way back to Salem, but Billy is badly injured. Tituba accuses one of the Essex witches of being a traitor, but who could it be?”

Here is the trailer for the episode: 

Salem “boldly re-imagines the infamous 17th century witch trials in colonial Massachusetts in a world where witches are real, but they are not who or what they seem,” reads the series overview.

“The third season of Salem dawns with the triumph of the witches' plan to remake the New World by bringing the devil to earth and making Salem his capital. But the devil is a liar, and instead of a New World free from murderous Puritan hypocrisy, his own plan will bring nothing but death and slavery with the ultimate aim of leading humanity to destroy itself.  And there's only one person on earth who can beat the devil -- the very witch that birthed him, his mother, Mary Sibley.  The only problem is—she's dead.  Or is she?”

You can watch the season 3 overview trailer here:

Even the most casual viewers of Salemprobably noticed a specific trick the witches all learned for season 3: the power to stifle even the most passionate of conversations with the clench of a fist. This is actually a very real power that can be tapped through sympathetic magic.

Mary Sibley, Anne Hale (Tamzin Merchant) and Mercy Lewis (Elise Eberle) have all mastered the art of control. So, what are the witches doing when we see them closing their hands? Den of Geek asked spiritual expert Marie Bargas, who recently predicted dire things on the new Extra!weekend segment Hollywood Tomorrow. Bargas isn’t Wiccan, but is quite well-versed in most pagan practices.

“As someone who practices yoga I recognize that there are energetic pathways throughout the human body that can be accessed through the hands,” Bargas explained. “These are called Nadis. When I heal using tuning forks I often place the tip of the tuning fork on a specific place on the hands or fingers to cause a desired physical effect. I’ve been known to stop extreme migraines this way. Mudras are hand gestures that stimulate certain Nadis or pathways in the hands in order to create a desired effect.

“Manifesting a physical effect, like choking for example, requires the same sort of psychic or empathic connection that I use in healing,” Bargas continued. “Occultists refer to this as sympathetic magick, while I refer to it as teching. I can psychically connect without someone’s Nadis or energetic pathways using a combination of telepathy and will. When that connection is made I can project or withdraw energy … or literally change the vibe with a snap of my fingers.”

Common wisdom says that a witch needs an object like an article of clothing or hair or blood to do sympathetic magic. Bargas said this is not always the case.

“While an object link is preferable, it is not necessary,” Bargas said. “In some cases all a healer has to do to connect with a patient on a deeper level all is focus and will. I take headaches and anxiety away over the phone or over the internet using this technique.”

Mercy Lewis tells Hathorne (Jeremy Crutchley) that being able to “freeze” him in flagrante delicto can also be very pleasurable and we suspect something sensual.

“I suspect she’s talking about using her will to extend an erection,” Bargas said. “Let’s face it, that would destroy the porn industry. I’ll tell you a secret. I’ve been developing a technique called remote orgasm detonation. I am perfecting bringing a person to orgasm using my mind and my mind alone. I know of some cases of yogis and yoginis throughout history who were reported to be able to do this.”

A witch's promise, as Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull once asked? Don't wait up, they're going to be late.

Salemwas created by writers Brannon Braga and Adam Simon. The series stars Janet Montgomery (Human Target, Made in Jersey), Shane West (Nikita, ER), Seth Gabel (Arrow, Fringe), Ashley Madekwe (Revenge), Tamzin Merchant (Jane Eyre), Elise Eberle (The Astronaut Farmer) and Iddo Goldberg (Mob City).  New to the cast of Salem this season are Grammy-awarded nominated artist Marilyn Manson and Samuel Roukin (TURN: Washington’s Spies).

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Salem season 3 airs every Wednesday, at 9pm ET/PT on WGN.