#also will forever cry over ericht's ending

[uvachic1991]

I should be asleep, but I’m still thinking about the latest episode of The Witch from Mercury. I’m not sure how the finale will go (or if it will be a season finale or a series finale). But something I’m deeply curious about is what will happen between Suletta and Prospera. So here are some sleepy thoughts and theories about Suletta, Prospera, Eri and how their story will end: 

There is a slight possibility that Eri is alive in some capacity after the end of episode 23. But I think Eri as we knew her is completely gone (which 😭😭😭). So what will happen to Eri’s mother and younger sister? Will they really be able to move on as a family like Miorine offered? Will Prospera even want Suletta now that Eri is [most likely] gone? 

For most of the show, Prospera has shown a smug confidence that clearly unnerves everyone who interacts with her. Delling was always wary of her. Miorine didn’t trust her or her intentions with Suletta. Belmaria was afraid of her and what she was capable of. The only person oblivious to Propera’s true nature was Suletta for obvious reasons. Prospera had a carefully crafted plan and was confident she would succeed no matter what. She adjusted on the fly when something didn’t work out exactly like she wanted it to.

So for much of the show Prospera was a woman who didn’t let anything get too deep under her skin. If there was a problem, she would handle it and get things back on track.

Yet the only instances where that confidence falters or isn’t present is in the most recent episode.  I’ve only watched the series once, so I may have missed a moment or two). 

First, there’s a notable lack of reaction when Suletta lays out her feelings while fighting Eri/Aerial. I don’t remember the exact wording, but Suletta says she wants to be the one to comfort Prospera when she’s crying and the camera pans to Prospera who, interestingly doesn’t much of a reaction. Her head piece covers her eyes which often reveal so much emotion in humans. I’d like to think Prospera was genuinely touched by Suletta’s words or maybe she felt some deeper connection to her other daughter. Maybe it was a flicker of that love that Prospera says she has for Suletta that’s been nonexistent for much of the show (at least to me). Whatever her emotional reaction was in that moment, Prospera felt something towards her other daughter and hid it as best she could.

(This moment is also interesting because it suggests Suletta has likely witness Prospera crying and has either been rejected when trying to comfort her mother or knew not to interfere. Or it could be a callback to the visions Eri passed Suletta in episode 19 or 20, I can’t recall). 

Then when Eri shields everyone from the super secret, deadly space laser, Prospera cries out for Eri to stop and appears frightened for what would come next. This is the strongest reaction we ever see from Prospera and it feels the most genuine out of everything we see. I don’t even think that was Prospera that we saw in that moment. It was Elnora Samaya who once again had to confront the possibility of losing her daughter. If Eri is truly gone, then what sort of emotional state will Prospera/Elnora be in when the next episode begins? Will she sink into a depression? Apathy? Shut herself off? Her driving force has been to create a world for Eri to live in, no matter the costs. And now, regardless of if Eri is still alive or not, that future is forever closed. 

Now Eri is gone and what does Prospera have left? Suletta? The daughter she loves, but has also abandoned multiple times? The child that she fed to the wolves? Will she really want Suletta when she will always be a remainder of Eri, the child that she lost TWICE? Can she even be a parent to Suletta when so much of their relationship has been exploitative and harmful? 

For Suletta’s sake, I hope Prospera and Suletta can build something together. I think Suletta is strong enough where she can survive without Prospera. (She has Miorine, Earth House and others in her corner. She’s better connected to her school too.). But she loves her mother and sister and I’m sure she’ll always want them to be with her. 

But I also imagine an ending where Prospera rejects Suletta. Miorine calls Prospera out for failing to love her daughters equally and Prospera counters that people won’t understand. I think at this point, Prospera is still so deep in her grief and longing for a better future, that she likely can’t accept what she currently has (i.e. Suletta). What even is a world without Eri? Will Prospera want to live in such a reality? She spent two decades planning to reunite with Eri and now she’ll have to find a new way forward. Will Prospera want that for herself?

[Miorine calling out Prospera is so fascinating because Miorine is operating from a place of once having a mother who clearly cherished and loved her daughter. And Prospera is both similar to and yet so different from Notrette]

I think most likely the Mercurys ending will be a combination of the two potentials: Prospera, once again grieving the loss of Eri, acknowledges she can’t be a mother to Suletta, but Suletta, being the kind-hearted and compassionate person that she is, keeps the door open for communication and a connection later down the road. It’s not a happy ending, but it’s not gut-wrenching either. And it’s probably the most narratively satisfying ending for them. Because the parents in this show are far from perfect. They may love their children, but they’ve also caused significant harm to all their kids and that tainted how their children showed up in the world. Prospera and Suletta have far too much baggage that they can ignore. And again, there is a big question as to if Prospera will even want something with Suletta now that Eri is gone. So the best we can hope for is an ending that’s not overly positive, but not totally negative either.