Will is working at the house when a woman, Rowan comes up. Swamp Thing watches from the brushes. Meanwhile, Rowan remembers a previous life where she and Will are married and later, she is burned at the stake. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing senses that Rowan both does and doesn't belong in the swamp. Rowan approaches Will and she explains that she walked through the brush. He figures that she's there for something, and Rowan says that they were together a long time ago in Massachusetts. They were together in a past life in Salem in 1692.
They sit and Rowan explains that she knew Will was in Houma. Will invites her into town for a drink, and they go to bar. Meanwhile, the owner, Jake, chats with his banker Clifford Kingsley, the man he owes money to for the bar. Will and Rowan observe the exchange, and Rowan tells Will that they had a romance and it didn't work. He assumes that rowan is flirting with him, and she says that there's something else, something terrifying.
A local farmer, Luther, comes in and confronts Clifford. He complains that the sheriff foreclosed on his property. Clifford tells him that his time has run out and Luther attacks him. The two men fight and Will holds Luther back. Jake gets him to the bar to get a drink and cool off, and Clifford's son and assistant Carl tells Will that Luther doesn't know anything about business and Luther had a fair chance. Disgusted, Will points out that the bank swept in on his house when his grandmother died. As Carl leaves with his father, he tells Luther that he'll do what he can with his father. Rowan drops her necklace, and Jake recognizes the witch's star on it. He tells her to take it and get out, and she goes with Will.
Outside, Rowan snaps at Will to leave her alone. She says that some people consider superstitions serious, and Will didn't take it seriously in 1692. Rowan has a vision of her burning as the ancient incarnations of Clifford and Jake look on, and quickly leaves.
Later, Rowen is at her apartment praying to the Green Lady. She gets more visions of her and Will together, and then the locals burning her. Someone scratches a pentacle on her window and Rowan sees them as they go. She goes to the Kipp house and tells Will that it's starting to happen all over again. She realizes that she's lost her necklace and says that she needs it to protect herself. Will says that he'll protect her and figures that Jake scratched the pentacle. Rowan tells him that in their past lives, Will was her husband.
Outside, Swamp Thing finds the necklace on the floor and experience Rowan's visions through it.
Will pours Rowan tea and she says that in their past lives she was a witch and they were in love. She explains that witchcraft is about nature and healing, and figures that nothing can protect her. Swamp Thing telepathically summons Will, and Rowan faintly hears him. Will says that he'll investigate and goes outside. Swamp Thing shows him the necklace and says that the swamp once looked on witches with honor. As he says that a man has been murdered, an officer pulls up.
The officer takes Will and Rowan to the crime scene. Clifford's body is there, and he was stabbed with Rowan's knife. Later, Swamp Thing meets Will there alone and Will figures that Rowan is guilty. He wonders if Rowan used him as an alibi, and Swamp Thing tells him to look into her thoughts. Will isn't interested, and Swamp Thing says that Will is wasting his time and Rowan needs his help because she's a friend of the swamp. He tells Will to trust his instincts and leaves.
Will goes to the jail where they're holding Rowan and gives her the necklace back. She insists that she's innocent, and Will says that he believes her. Rowan is scared that what happened to her in Salem is happening again. Carl comes in and says that he told the sheriff that Will was with Rowan and saw the argument earlier. He figures that if Luther had killed Clifford then he would have used a shotgun, not a witch's knife. Carl insists that Rowan killed his father and a lot of people in Houma agree. Once he leaves, Will tells Rowan that they'll figure something out and leaves. Once he goes, Rowan puts on the necklace and has the visions again. This time she also sees Will yelling to burn her
At the bar, Carl meets with the others and tells Luther that Clifford never wanted to shut him down. Jake tells the townspeople about the necklace, while Swamp Thing watches from outside. Luther says that evil things have been going on since Rowan arrived, and tells them that the history books say how to deal with witches. Swamp Thing goes to the jail and commands vines to break open the wall. Rowan runs out and Will is waiting to help her escape. She says that Will was the one who had her executed, and he tells her to stop living in the past.
Carl and the others arrive at the jail and see the broken wall, and figure that Rowan did it.
Rowan agrees to go to the swamp with Will, who takes her Swamp Thing. He tells her to live in the present rather than the past, and to embrace her power. Swamp Thing then tells Will that she has to do it on her own, and Rowan tells Will that for the first time in her life she's not afraid. Will and Swamp Thing leave, and Carl and the others arrive. Rowan takes off the necklace and drops it on the ground, and then immobilizes everyone except Carl. Carl discovers that his hands are covered in blood, and Rowan says that he killed Clifford. Clifford admits that he had a gambling debt and they were going to kill him. He embezzled the money but Clifford caught him. Carl drew the pentagram and fed his anger to her. The townspeople snap out of the spell and hear Carl confessing to his father's murder.
Later outside the Kipp house, Rowan tells Will and Swamp Thing that she found herself and has all the answers to her questions. Swamp Thing says that he knew who she was but she didn't believe, and Rowan tells Will that she's not afraid of who she is anymore. Once she saw past the symbol of the necklace, she saw herself more clearly. Rowan tells Will that someone that looked like him betrayed her three hundred years ago, but now he showed her who she was. She gives him the necklace and kisses him on the cheek, and leaves. Will tells Swamp Thing that it was him three hundred years ago, and that's why Rowan came to Houma. Swamp Thing says that he'll tell Will if they control their own lives in three hundred years.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 10, 2017