Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg
Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg | |
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Countess | |
Children | Sebastian Von Marburg Anne Hale |
Notable powers |
Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is a fictional character on the American
Lawless was attracted to the show due to its writing and the description of her role. She was prominently featured in promotional materials for Salem's second season. Lawless based her performance on historical accounts of 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, 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 her performance in the television series Hannibal (2013-2015).
Arc
The last and oldest in a line of Germanic witches,[1][2] Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is first shown looking for the identities of those behind the Grand Rite, a ritual involving the use of mass murder to elicit the rise of the Devil to Earth.[3] Ingrid had attempted to complete the Grand Rite previously, 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 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] By bewitching Mary's bathwater, Ingrid dispatches a specter to drown her. Even though the attempt is unsuccessful, Ingrid kisses Mary to steal information from her unconscious mind.[6] Upon arriving at Salem by boat, Ingrid and Mary meet for the first time and threaten one another. To destabilize Mary's control of the town, Ingrid murders her husband George Sibley by transferring water inside his body and drowning him from the inside.[5]
Ingrid's arrival at Salem is received positively by the townspeople, as she delivers aid to those affected by a plague started by the completion of the Grand Rite.
Ingrid uses her connections with magistrate Wendell Hathorne
After 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; she can return her soul to her original body and recover her strength.[13] While locked in her decaying body, she instructs Sebastian to feed her regularly 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 possess Mary temporarily 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 destroys Ingrid's body and spirit permanently.[16][17]
Development
Casting and promotion
Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is portrayed by New Zealand actress
Characterization and morality
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] Surprised by the amount of history incorporated into Salem,[19] 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" while also possessing "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 "murder in the parlor" and "women 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 "nothing cute going on".[2] She said that Ingrid's story arc was partially based on the character's obsession and rivalry with Mary and the inevitable vendetta to destroy her.[25][26] Bustle's Kelsea Stahler identified Ingrid as Mary's foil, emphasizing the ability of Lawless' character to charm and appeal to the city of Salem and its inhabitants.[27]
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 meant harming others.[19] While the character was developed as "the biggest, baddest bitch in the world", Lawless requested that Ingrid would also be represented as 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 played her decisions as appealing to a greater good.[28] Despite this separation, she did acknowledge that Ingrid is one of the series' antagonists.[29] She referenced Ingrid as a "female Dracula",[30] and Simon said that the character was similar to a "dark goddess figure".[27] Lawless clarified that the character was immoral and unethical by both contemporary standards and those of the eighteenth century.[31] She 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".[19]
Lawless that Ingrid's costumes allowed her to get into character, saying that she feels "like she consumes me".
Critical reception
Lawless' performance has been widely praised by critics.
Following Ingrid's apparent death in the season two finale, Nemisha Sharma of the International Business Times wrote that the she wanted to see the character return to the third season.[40] Sharma described Ingrid as a "fan-favorite character", noting how fans had commented on the show's official Facebook page asking for Lawless to return for future episodes.[41]
References
- ^ a b c d Feeney, Nolan (April 3, 2015). "Lucy Lawless Explains the Gruesome History Behind Salem's 'New Kind of Horror'". Time. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Highfill, Samantha (April 1, 2015). "Lucy Lawless says the magic of 'Salem' is nothing like 'Harry Potter'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ 2. WGN America.
- ^ 2. WGN America.
- ^ 2. WGN America.
- 2. WGN America.
- 2. WGN America.
- 2. WGN America.
- 2. WGN America.
- 2. WGN America.
- 2. WGN America.
- ^ 2. WGN America.
- ^ 2. WGN America.
- ^ 3. WGN America.
- ^ 3. WGN America.
- ^ 3. WGN America.
- ^ 3. WGN America.
- ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (April 1, 2015). "Lucy Lawless Brings a Defiant Edge to 'Salem'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- Today. NBC. April 15, 2015. Archived from the originalon May 11, 2017.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 14, 2015). "'Salem': Lucy Lawless & Stuart Townsend Cast In Season 2 — Watch New Teaser". Variety. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017.
- ^ Ng, Philiana (May 29, 2015). "Exclusive: Lucy Lawless Breaks Terrifying News on 'Salem'!". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- E! Online. Archived from the originalon May 11, 2017.
- ^ Capistrano, Daniela (April 1, 2015). "Lucy Lawless Is a Bewitching Nemesis in New Season of 'Salem'". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ "Lucy Lawless discusses her new character in Salem". The National. April 18, 2015. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ "'Salem's' Lucy Lawless: 'All I want is everything'". WJW. April 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Stahler, Kelsea (May 17, 2015). "Lucy Lawless' 'Salem' Season 2 Character Is Complicated, Says The Actress & Co-Creator Adam Simon". Bustle. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017.
- Blastr. Archived from the originalon May 11, 2017.
- Yahoo7. May 4, 2015. Archived from the originalon January 5, 2016.
- ^ Truitt, Brian (April 1, 2015). "Q&A: Lucy Lawless gets witchy on 'Salem'". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Stuff.co.nz. Archivedfrom the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ Romano, Nick (May 19, 2015). "7 'Salem' Season 2 Trailer Moments That Will Get You So Amped For The April Premiere". Bustle. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ Roffman, Marisa (June 28, 2015). "Did 'Salem' Just Kill Off Its Main Star?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015.
- Screener. Archived from the originalon May 11, 2017.
- Blastr. Archived from the originalon January 23, 2016.
- ^ Hanley, Ken. W. (February 10, 2016). "For Your Consideration: The 2016 Chainsaw Award Nominees for Best TV Supporting Actress!". Fangoria. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Gingold, Michael (June 1, 2015). "The 2016 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Winners and Full Results!". Fangoria. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017.
- ^ Sharma, Nemisha (October 28, 2016). "'Salem' Season 3 Spoilers: 5 Questions We Want Answered In The Nov. 2 Season Premiere". International Business Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ Sharma, Nemisha (October 24, 2016). "'Salem' TV Show Spoilers: Is Lucy Lawless' Countess Von Marburg Returning In Season 3?". International Business Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
External links
- Countess Marburg at Internet Movie Database