'Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale' Sneak Peek: "Treat the Cause," Not The Symptom

Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale is at the halfway point of the season, and already there have been major revelations about the ugliness of the town hiding beneath the surface. While the facts coming to light are enough to make one's hair stand on end, perhaps the worst one is just how toxic a force Abigail has been since the beginning, even before Daniel's murder. Her treatment of Sarah (and her other so-called friends) as people who are beneath her to use is a constant reminder that an outcome like this was always just one tragedy away. In the new exclusive clip from Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale Episode 5, being a witch in this town may just have become too much to bear.

Warning: Spoilers for Sanctuary A Witch's Tale through Episode 4 follow.

At the end of Episode 3, Harper dropped the bomb by going public with the claim she was sexually assaulted by Daniel — who also was her ex-boyfriend — on the night of the party, pushing Abigail around the bend to punish Sarah and Harper for besmirching the memory of her son. When witches need help in this world, that's when the MOOT steps in: a group of Witch Lawyers who represent magic wielders. There's only one catch: the MOOT only represents witches who have stayed on the right side of the law and never used their magic in any illegal ways. This, of course, means it's time to learn all the ways Sarah's been skirting those laws for her friends all these years. 

Some of these revelations are more concerning than they first appear, like bewitching Julia's husband so he wouldn't leave her for Abigail, who'd seduced him behind her back years ago, for example. That might sound harmless, but it's a violation of his free will. But then there's the big one everyone's been dancing around ever since Abigail first demanded Sarah resurrect Daniel in Episode 2, and Sarah refused. Abigail's demand for Sarah to perform a resurrection was because she'd already done it before when Daniel died at six years old. 

Meanwhile, the teen crowd metes out their own justice, dunking Harper to test to make sure she really isn't a witch. Check out this exclusive clip from Episode 5 as the aftermath of the dunking unfolds.

Here is the official synopsis for Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale Season 1, Episode 5:

Following the dunking, Sarah decides to cast a spell over the whole of Sanctuary. A revelation pushes Abi into action.

In our exclusive interview with the cast of Sanctuary, Doupe explained to Telly Visions that Harper's emotional journey was a far path fro the rest of her per group in the small town:

She has been exposed to things that people her age wouldn’t, far beyond her years and she’s dealt with them the only way she could: keeping herself insular. I think that’s where her rage comes from. I wanted to portray it in that way. I don’t think she is easily affected; things tend to roll off her back. But very particular things have happened to her that will always leave a mark on somebody until they show it to the world or the people they love.

You can check out the rest of our roundtable interview with the cast here. Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale stars Elaine Cassidy, Hazel Doupe, and Amy de Bhrun, along with Stephanie Levi-John, Valerie O’Connor, Kelly Campbell, and Stephen Lord. The series is executive produced by Monumental Television and is directed by Lisa Mulcahy and Justin Molotnikov.

The fifth episode of Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale premieres Thursday, January 25, 2024, streaming exclusively on AMC+ and Sundance Now.