Evil (2019) s02e06 – C Is for Cop

Is Mike Colter okay? As in, not injured? Six episodes into the season, and Colter’s still got nothing to do—and even less than usual as he’s not bickering with Michael Emerson (who doesn’t show up this episode). Then in the scene where he’s supporting Aasif Mandvi’s subplot, Colter looks pretty uncomfortable in his chair. Though it’s an awkwardly shot scene, with Mandvi trying to talk to Colter about his newfound potential spiritualism without, like, acknowledging he’s starting to believe in the supernatural. Because of his night terrors. Ron Underwood (Tremors, Pluto Nash) is the director, and I was paying attention to his horror chops, but this one particular conversation flops.

And ends up being Colter’s most significant contribution to the episode outside being perturbed boss Peter Scolari wants him to cosign on a white cop killing a Black lady. The A plot is Katja Herbers dealing with the ghost of serial killer Darren Pettie and telling daughter Maddy Crocco to lie for her. Crocco’s the only daughter who appears in this episode and, just like with the last one, seems entirely new to the show despite having been on since the start. “Evil” has done a lousy job defining the daughters solo. Outside a lengthy walk and talk with “Extreme Law & Order” producer Fredric Lehne about mystery tattoos, there’s not much to the killer cop arc. It’s engaging, sure, but because it’s about shitty white people defending killer cops and Herbers trying to be an ally to men of color Mandvi and Colter, but… I mean, she’s still a white lady.

With a cop friend, Kristen Connolly.

Connolly might give the episode’s best acting as it turns in the screws on how her kind of corrupt cop works.

Mandvi’s subplot involves trying to go Dream Warriors on his night terror (voiced by Ciara Renée, suited by Ashley Edner). Renée’s latest tactic is bringing up Mandvi’s previously unknown backstory, which includes genetic engineering gone wrong. Genetic engineering was one of the first season plotlines, and they’ve ignored it so far this season, so maybe they’re bringing it back. Though Mandvi seems somewhat resolved with it after he consults with Colter.

Christine Lahti also seems to have one heck of a character arc brewing—she terrifies Crocco because she’s practicing hipster voodoo—which ought to be fun.

Herbers is outstanding in her arc—Underwood does direct the hell out of it (as much as one can do a done-in-one TV gig)—but it’s just character building. Character building is fine, obviously; it’s just a cop-out of a significant subplot.

It’s a good episode, but it’s one of those “good episodes for ‘Evil’” situations. And, wow, is Scolari good as the piece of shit priest boss. Though I can never tell if he’s in on the joke.

Evil (2019) s01e01 – Genesis 1

I’ll just say it now. “Evil”’s religious politics are either going to get it in a lot of trouble or they’re going to do some “Heaven is for Real” shit. It’s going to be one or the other. And the pilot really makes it seem like it’s going to be the former, but not in any daring way; “Evil” is very safe.

Katja Herbers is a forensic psychiatrist who consults with the district attorney’s office. She’s a professional witness and has to be because she’s got an absentee rock-climbing, thrill-seeker husband off in the Himalayas, four daughters at home (you’d love to see the show bible on how Herbers managed to have all those kids, go to college, be a celebrity rock-climber, go to graduate school, become professionally successful, and not yet be forty; but whatever). It’s all going fine until she gets the case of serial killer Darren Pettie. See, Pettie says he just blacks out during his murders. But Pettie’s attorney says Pettie’s possessed. Herbers ends up quitting because the D.A. wants her to lie about something with the possession angle.

Couple days later, Mike Colter shows up to offer Herbers a job. He’s with the defense… sort of. He’s actually with the Catholic Church; he and partner Aasif Mandvi triage possession and miracle reports for the Church. Herbers needs paycheck and she’s also hot for Colter’s bod, so she signs up.

The rest of it is them finding a religiously informed clue, then a rational, scientific explanation. Non-believer Herbers talking to believer Colter about his faith and blah blah blah.

It’s all fairly predictable. Though maybe not when Michael Emerson shows up as an evil forensic psychiatrist out to make the world a worse place by encouraging people to do bad things. Hence the show title.

Also seems like show creators Robert King and Michelle King really liked that similar and dumb subplot from Halloween H40.

Herbers is likable and pretty good. Colter is likable and pretty good—he’s much more suited for this part than the Hero of Harlem. Mandvi’s fun.

There’s some poorly executed nightmare stuff and the script fails villain Pettie; both those fails seem foreboding for the future and the show’s potential. It’s uneven but has a lot of good pieces.