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Shane West on his ‘Salem’ future: Alden may one day get to bathe
There may not be a character on TV that has gone through so many supernatural trials and tribulations — and in such a short, shocking time! — than”Salem’s” own John Alden (Shane West).
Sure, “Supernatural’s” Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) may have found their fair share of trouble — in hell, in purgatory, in their own Men of Letters bunker — but it seems that for all intents and purposes, Mr. Alden’s been buried in multiple layers of bad luck from the get-go.
Season 2 of “Salem” not only ended with him dying, and then not dying, but also burying the love of his life. And with Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery) still dead at the beginning of Season 3, in Wednesday’s (Nov. 2) episode, titled “After the Fall,” it looks like even more responsibility — and trauma — has found its way onto John Alden’s shoulders.
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First, he barely has time to grieve before he is taken into custody. After all that has transpired, it seems there is still a bounty to be collected on poor John. Labeled a “traitor” and “Indian lover,” it’s not long before he’s tied up and set to hang in the town’s square. So, from burying Mary to a noose around his neck… sounds like another typical day in Salem, if you ask us!
Thanks to the covert protest of Isaac Walton (Iddo Goldberg) — who hid in the crowd of onlookers — John Alden’s luck suddenly shifts for the better. Faced with their own refugee crisis, brought on by the French and Indians, it’s not long (minutes, really) before the noose is removed from the witch hunter’s neck and a deal is proposed: Lead the militia… or else.
After what he’s been through, the offer to take up weaponry and lead the battle against one or two of Salem’s threats probably comes as a nice change of pace. Not only is he finally in a position to call the shots, he will hopefully gain further trust of the town’s citizens. And since there are only three people in Salem who know of the witches and their sinister secrets — Isaac, Cotton (Seth Gabel) and himself — he needs as many people on his side that he can get.
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“For once, he gets to take a bath,” Shane West tells Screener. If you ask us, being able to brush that dirt off and get a change of clothes will probably work wonders for John’s morale.
“He does clean up a little bit,” West continues, “and this is the first year in three seasons that he’s actually part of the town again. He doesn’t have much to live for, but he has the town to live for. And if he can get it together, he might actually be a respectable member of society again.”
One step at a time, John. One step at a time.
“Salem” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on WGN America.