from TV Fanatic: https://www.tvfanatic.com/2020/01/evil-season-1-episode-13-review-book-27/
What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE
Evil S1 Ep 13: Book 27
by Jessica Lerner
January 31, 2020
It always comes back to possession.
As much as the series flirted with other supernatural occurences, EVIL Season 1 Episode 13 really hammered home that demons and possession are at the heart of this series.
Even knowing this, I still didn't see that cliffhanger coming.
Of all the characters to possibly be possessed Kristen never crossed my mind.
Acosta seemed like a more feasible choice, especially given his struggles with drug use.
Acosta: I’m glad we’re talking again.
Kristen: Were we not?
Acosta: For a minute there.
Kristen: I’m glad too.
It wouldn't have been surprising if he had unknowingly been in communication with a demon while on one of his drug-induced vision quests.
In fact, that storyline could have touched upon the very real dangers associated with drugs and addiction, but it may have been too on the nose for a priest-in-training to be possessed.
Having a skeptic being possessed by a demon is almost better in a way, as it subverts the expected.
While we don't know for sure that Kristen is possessed, there's some pretty damning evidence against her.
The rosary burning her hand and the blood on her stockings could be dismissed, but the revelation that Orson Leroux is dead kicked things up to a whole other level.
This was a serial killer who just had his conviction overturned, and the first thing he did was harass Kristen.
I'm not sure Leroux got the memo that making amends doesn't include showing up to her house, filing a false assault report against her, calling her on the phone, and breaking into her home just to leave a gift basket.
Or should I clarify that the regular 12 Steps doesn't include those things; who knows what they teach you in demonic therapy?
George: It’s George. Did I wake you?
Kristen: No, I was waiting for you.
All of those things would have been enough to make a normal person weary.
As for a demonically possessed person, well, he or she may take an ice ax and bludgeon said serial killer to death. Who knows?
There's also a part of me that wonders if Kristen isn't being possessed but rather being made to think she is.
Townsend could have easily framed her for Leroux's death -- he did make a copy of her keys after all -- and there are plenty of non-supernatural ways to gaslight someone.
Either way, it seems like next season will focus on trying to make sense of the last few minutes.
As for making sense of things, the season finale attempted to connect the dots with most of the past "cases of the week."
There was a lot of information thrown out at once, but it seems as if Acosta's visions were trying to point him to RSM Fertility, a fertility clinic where Kristen and others used to get pregnant via IVF.
Father: Unfortunately, what this woman is asking for is impossible. An unborn child cannot be possessed.
Acosta: But isn’t a child a cognizant creation even in the womb? If not, then why is abortion a sin.
Father: But no demon can possess a person until that person gives an invitation, and un unborn child lacks that ability. I’m sorry.
Ben: I’m sorry, wait, so you can’t perform an exorcism because the fetus can’t choose, right?
Father: The unborn child.
Ben: OK, right. So what if it’s an infestation?
Father: Infestation of what?
Ben: The womb.
Acosta: Ben’s right. You can exorcise the womb even if the fetus isn’t possessed.
At least three other "cases of the week," including this episode's, can be traced back to the fertility clinic, but what interests me more is that Lexis was conceived using IVF.
Of all of Kristen's daughters, she has been the one most "suspectible" to evil.
It was Lexis who Sheryl managed to convince to hit the child bullying her with a rock.
At the time, I thought Sheryl was being unduly influenced by Townsend, but what if Lexis was "poisoned"?
Acosta's theory about psychopaths "tinkering" with fertilized eggs to poison the next generation sounds really out there, from a scientific standpoint.
Sure, it means sense on paper that it would be easier to scientifically create bad people rather than trying to entice them as adults, but at what point does that stop sounding like bad fan fiction?
Besides, the series has shown that demonic therapy can work wonders on turning normal everyday people into psychopathic monsters.
It's also probably a lot cheaper.
Sheryl: Baby, I’m sorry but you don’t get to determine who I date.
Kristen: You lied to me, mother. You kept seeing Leland, and you kept feeding him information.
Sheryl: Kristen, this is not a war. I’m not feeding anybody anything. I’m just talking with my lover.
Kristen: Oh my god. He’s a psychopath.
The only way I can see Acosta's theory being plausible is if demons are somehow able to corrupt the embryos.
This sort of interpretation relies solely on the belief that demons are real and possessions and exorcisms are possible.
To me, that's the only way the writers could get me on board with this theory.
Unless, The Powers That Be explicitly state the Sixty are somehow monkeying with the embryos, I'm going to remain skeptic.
Either way, this "big revelation" fell flat.
It was as if the writers were trying to find a way to connect everything but upon realizing all the puzzle pieces didn't line up, they just chose the ones that would fit.
Yes, the chosen "cases of the week" did coincide well with the fertility clinic angle, but I'm still left wondering about the prophet Grace, the Poveglia Codex, and the Sixty.
There was no movement on any of those fronts, which was disappointing, as I consider those to be more intriguing elements of the overarching mythology.
Ben: So what are we thinking?
Acosta: I think I understand.
Ben: What?
Acosta: Matthew 13: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.’
Ben: David, I don’t get parables. Just tell me.
Acosta: These are the weeds. The eggs. The slaughter of the innocents isn’t killing 2-year-olds; it’s corrupting the eggs.
Ben: It’s like ‘The Boys from Brazil.’
Acosta: What is that?
Ben: My own parable. It’s a movie about these people. They’re trying to clone little Hitlers from his DNA.
In a way, I almost wish EVIL Season 1 Episode 12 was the season finale.
While this episode had its share of strong and shocking moments, I felt the penultimate episode was just better overall.
Some stray thoughts:
Does anyone want to place bets on the demon possessing Kristen? My guess is it's either George or the demonic therapist who I was informed isn't Satan. I do hope it's George though, as those scenes are always fun. Plus, it could explain why George's sometimes in her dreams.
Is it also possible that Sheryl is possessed by a demon too, or just under Townsend's spell? What other reason could there be for her choosing her boyfriend fiancee she's known a matter of weeks over her daughter and grandchildren.
Even if Sheryl wasn't marrying a demonic psychopath, you'd think her daughter's feelings on the matter might hold some weight.
Weren't we supposed to figure out by this episode how all of the numbers in the episode titles connect somehow, or did I just make that up?
January 31, 2020
It always comes back to possession.
As much as the series flirted with other supernatural occurences, EVIL Season 1 Episode 13 really hammered home that demons and possession are at the heart of this series.
Even knowing this, I still didn't see that cliffhanger coming.
Of all the characters to possibly be possessed Kristen never crossed my mind.
Acosta seemed like a more feasible choice, especially given his struggles with drug use.
Acosta: I’m glad we’re talking again.
Kristen: Were we not?
Acosta: For a minute there.
Kristen: I’m glad too.
It wouldn't have been surprising if he had unknowingly been in communication with a demon while on one of his drug-induced vision quests.
In fact, that storyline could have touched upon the very real dangers associated with drugs and addiction, but it may have been too on the nose for a priest-in-training to be possessed.
Having a skeptic being possessed by a demon is almost better in a way, as it subverts the expected.
While we don't know for sure that Kristen is possessed, there's some pretty damning evidence against her.
The rosary burning her hand and the blood on her stockings could be dismissed, but the revelation that Orson Leroux is dead kicked things up to a whole other level.
This was a serial killer who just had his conviction overturned, and the first thing he did was harass Kristen.
I'm not sure Leroux got the memo that making amends doesn't include showing up to her house, filing a false assault report against her, calling her on the phone, and breaking into her home just to leave a gift basket.
Or should I clarify that the regular 12 Steps doesn't include those things; who knows what they teach you in demonic therapy?
George: It’s George. Did I wake you?
Kristen: No, I was waiting for you.
All of those things would have been enough to make a normal person weary.
As for a demonically possessed person, well, he or she may take an ice ax and bludgeon said serial killer to death. Who knows?
There's also a part of me that wonders if Kristen isn't being possessed but rather being made to think she is.
Townsend could have easily framed her for Leroux's death -- he did make a copy of her keys after all -- and there are plenty of non-supernatural ways to gaslight someone.
Either way, it seems like next season will focus on trying to make sense of the last few minutes.
As for making sense of things, the season finale attempted to connect the dots with most of the past "cases of the week."
There was a lot of information thrown out at once, but it seems as if Acosta's visions were trying to point him to RSM Fertility, a fertility clinic where Kristen and others used to get pregnant via IVF.
Father: Unfortunately, what this woman is asking for is impossible. An unborn child cannot be possessed.
Acosta: But isn’t a child a cognizant creation even in the womb? If not, then why is abortion a sin.
Father: But no demon can possess a person until that person gives an invitation, and un unborn child lacks that ability. I’m sorry.
Ben: I’m sorry, wait, so you can’t perform an exorcism because the fetus can’t choose, right?
Father: The unborn child.
Ben: OK, right. So what if it’s an infestation?
Father: Infestation of what?
Ben: The womb.
Acosta: Ben’s right. You can exorcise the womb even if the fetus isn’t possessed.
At least three other "cases of the week," including this episode's, can be traced back to the fertility clinic, but what interests me more is that Lexis was conceived using IVF.
Of all of Kristen's daughters, she has been the one most "suspectible" to evil.
It was Lexis who Sheryl managed to convince to hit the child bullying her with a rock.
At the time, I thought Sheryl was being unduly influenced by Townsend, but what if Lexis was "poisoned"?
Acosta's theory about psychopaths "tinkering" with fertilized eggs to poison the next generation sounds really out there, from a scientific standpoint.
Sure, it means sense on paper that it would be easier to scientifically create bad people rather than trying to entice them as adults, but at what point does that stop sounding like bad fan fiction?
Besides, the series has shown that demonic therapy can work wonders on turning normal everyday people into psychopathic monsters.
It's also probably a lot cheaper.
Sheryl: Baby, I’m sorry but you don’t get to determine who I date.
Kristen: You lied to me, mother. You kept seeing Leland, and you kept feeding him information.
Sheryl: Kristen, this is not a war. I’m not feeding anybody anything. I’m just talking with my lover.
Kristen: Oh my god. He’s a psychopath.
The only way I can see Acosta's theory being plausible is if demons are somehow able to corrupt the embryos.
This sort of interpretation relies solely on the belief that demons are real and possessions and exorcisms are possible.
To me, that's the only way the writers could get me on board with this theory.
Unless, The Powers That Be explicitly state the Sixty are somehow monkeying with the embryos, I'm going to remain skeptic.
Either way, this "big revelation" fell flat.
It was as if the writers were trying to find a way to connect everything but upon realizing all the puzzle pieces didn't line up, they just chose the ones that would fit.
Yes, the chosen "cases of the week" did coincide well with the fertility clinic angle, but I'm still left wondering about the prophet Grace, the Poveglia Codex, and the Sixty.
There was no movement on any of those fronts, which was disappointing, as I consider those to be more intriguing elements of the overarching mythology.
Ben: So what are we thinking?
Acosta: I think I understand.
Ben: What?
Acosta: Matthew 13: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.’
Ben: David, I don’t get parables. Just tell me.
Acosta: These are the weeds. The eggs. The slaughter of the innocents isn’t killing 2-year-olds; it’s corrupting the eggs.
Ben: It’s like ‘The Boys from Brazil.’
Acosta: What is that?
Ben: My own parable. It’s a movie about these people. They’re trying to clone little Hitlers from his DNA.
In a way, I almost wish EVIL Season 1 Episode 12 was the season finale.
While this episode had its share of strong and shocking moments, I felt the penultimate episode was just better overall.
Some stray thoughts:
Does anyone want to place bets on the demon possessing Kristen? My guess is it's either George or the demonic therapist who I was informed isn't Satan. I do hope it's George though, as those scenes are always fun. Plus, it could explain why George's sometimes in her dreams.
Is it also possible that Sheryl is possessed by a demon too, or just under Townsend's spell? What other reason could there be for her choosing her boyfriend fiancee she's known a matter of weeks over her daughter and grandchildren.
Even if Sheryl wasn't marrying a demonic psychopath, you'd think her daughter's feelings on the matter might hold some weight.
Weren't we supposed to figure out by this episode how all of the numbers in the episode titles connect somehow, or did I just make that up?
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