Evil (2019) s02e13 – C Is for Cannibal

I desperately want to read the market research on “Evil.” While the show cops out on the Catholic Church being an international rape cabal, its relationship with Catholicism is complicated. Intentionally complicated, like there’s one team in the writers’ room who goes anti-Catholic and then the other team who goes pro. I wonder if they’re the same teams who do the Bible’s true and Bible’s not. This episode seemingly acknowledges a whole bunch of supernatural only for it may be to not. But the most significant swings aren’t even about the demons. They’re all very human concerns.

Hence the subject, as revealed in the title: C Is for Cannibalism. The episode answers many outstanding questions, including a brilliant twist reminiscent of the “Shield” finale. It raises more issues for next season, including the old “children in danger” trope, which “Evil” has been avoiding lately. It actually wasn’t; it turns out they just weren’t telling us about all the danger children were in offscreen.

As a season finale, it sets “Evil” up, once again, for a big season with a lot of twists and fallout. Some shocking reveals and shocking turns. But all of them could’ve been introduced and established earlier in the season and hurried some of the arcs, whereas the season actually lost its arc the further it went. Maybe Rona? Certainly not in “Evil” itself; their Earth escaped the pandemic. But maybe it affected availability and so on. Next season “Evil” will finally really get going. How can it not….

Which is a familiar sentiment about the show–it’s got to get going now, right?

It’s an extremely well-directed episode—by Alethea Jones—about med student Taylor Trensch, who gives a hard-to-resist craving to eat human flesh. Hence the title. It takes place on campus during Hell Week, so there are all sorts of scary red herrings. Jones directs the hell out of it, no pun. Hope she’s back next season.

The episode also resolves Mike Colter’s ordination subplot, with some surprises and an awkward cast party where shitty Church boss Boris McGiver hangs out with Christine Lahti, Aasif Mandvi gets to be adorable, and Kurt Fuller and Andrea Martin have a fantastic scene.

The cliffhanger changes the show a lot, but nothing the cast can’t handle. I’m looking forward to Season Three more than I looked forward to Season Two (not sure I looked forward to it at all), but I still don’t think they’re going to pull it off. Not unless they tighten up their plotting next season.

Evil (2019) s02e12 – D Is for Doll

I’m getting more and more curious about what happened to “Evil: Season Two.” Something clearly happened. Because Mike Colter all of a sudden gets his becoming-a-priest arc back, complete with Leon Addison Brown returning (from eight or so episodes ago) as the Black reverend who’s trying to convince Colter to give up on the Catholics. It’s also a big return to “Evil” minimizing the Catholic Church literally being an international child rape cabal while emphasizing the number of assholes who work for the Church. It’s a bizarre take.

The supernatural mystery this episode is a haunting at guest star Ato Essandoh’s house. Essandoh (Alfredo from “Elementary”!) is barely in the episode. He’s only in it a little more than Elijah M. Cooper as his son, who’s the actual target of the ghosts. Essandoh and Cooper are only there to introduce an evil doll into the episode. An evil doll and some weird water damage. The former links up to Katja Herbers’s home plot, while the latter leads to Colter questioning his priestly decisions again.

Lots of priestly questioning. And even though there’s some resolution to it—with both sweet and ominous scenes for Colter. While he’s got friends’ support of the priest thing, nun Andrea Martin is trying to get him into the robe as soon as possible because they need to fight some capital E “Evil” next season. Michael Emerson’s fake redemption scheme is starting to come to light.

The Herbers home plot has daughter Brooklyn Shuck babysitting a kid (Zachary Golinger) with his own scary doll, and she ends up stealing it. Or does she?

Some significant developments in the plot for Kurt Fuller, who tags along with the team on their investigation this episode because he wants to write a book on the paranormal Church investigators. Fuller’s real good. He’s got some very dramatic scenes. He’s also got some intentionally unsurprising ones, as he finds a way to annoy the team members one-by-one while they try to work.

The biggest plot–and potentially most momentous for the show’s future-—is Christine Lahti hanging out with weird, evil rich guy efficiency expert Tim Matheson. Matheson’s got plans for Lahti; some of them make her uncomfortable, which is a little odd given her arc over the last few episodes. It’s like she escalated, then they forgot and took her down a few notches. Presumably next episode—the season finale—will have major cliffhangers for her. It’s kind of Lahti’s show at this point. No one else’s plotline is anywhere near as consistently compelling.

Also, Herbers isn’t doing great with her character’s newly zen demeanor. It doesn’t come off insincere; it comes off shallow.

But it’s a good episode, especially for one with so much rampant Catholic whataboutisms. They intentionally and forcibly pshaw child rape at least twice.

Evil (2019) s02e11 – I Is for IRS

There are a few enormous, series-changing swings in this episode. It starts right at the beginning, a montage set to Andrew Bird’s song, Fake Palindromes (I Shazamed it to see if it was an original song since the action fits so closely); the montage ends with one of the regular cast apparently murdering someone. Doesn’t matter the rest of the episode; it’s just all in a typical day at “Evil.” The other big swings come at the end of the episode, which turns out to be—seemingly—a conclusion to the arc Katja Herbers has been on all season.

She, Mike Colter, and Aasif Mandvi are investigating a new church of Satan for the IRS (the Catholic Church does favors for the IRS, which leads to a handful of muted wry remarks about the Church being a pedophile land-grab operation but a lot less pointed than usual; maybe Paramount+ finally got their Standards and Practices division in order). The church is a thinly veiled riff on the actual Satanic Temple, but instead of fighting for women’s rights, the “Evil” version just uses Satanic mumbo jumbo to score chicks and sell t-shirts. Gus Halper plays the frontman disbeliever—his character’s name is Graham Lucian, which is close enough Lucian Greaves ought to make a t-shirt mocking the show—and John Sanders is the creepy believer Satanic preacher who threatens people.

Except when Colter clearly shows the church brochure to “in league with Satan” Michael Emerson, Emerson freaks out. So hopefully, if Sanders comes back as threatened, it’ll be to Emerson exacting whatever. I really hope they don’t team them up.

The investigation is mostly an excuse for Herbers’s arc to wrap up with the assistance of good-looking sexual predator Halper and for “Evil” to have a few half-naked women in the episode. And for Herbers, Colter, and Mandvi to talk a lot about financial technicalities. Catholic boss man Peter Scolari (it’s hard to imagine what the show would be if Scolari weren’t such a twerp) doesn’t want them giving the IRS a thumbs down on the Satanists for religious reasons; instead he wants them to get the thumbs down for secular ones. It’s ever unclear if “Evil” realizes the commentary it’s making on the Catholic Church, especially when Herbers and Mandvi are so clipped in their pushback.

The second big swing is going to involve a great scene between Herbers and Colter, maybe one of Colter’s best in ages—remember when he was going to have a subplot this season about the Catholic Church not caring about Black people, and then they dropped it—even though the new normal it helps set up is on unstable footing. “Evil” manages to make having a familiar character be a vicious murderer less shocking than Herbers actually wanting to spend time with her husband, Patrick Brammall. Brammall, despite having gone from a Mount Everest climbing guide to a Colorado truck company owner, still manages to be a hipster cultural appropriator; it’s sort of impressive.

There are some good scenes with Kurt Fuller (though he’s now playing Brammall and Herbers’s marriage counselor even though they said he wouldn’t be because of conflicts of interest) and Christine Lahti. Emerson has a bunch to do, but it’s unclear how much is acting and how much is editing.

It’s a strange episode, and there are only a couple more this season, so they may not have time to do anything but shake more things up. If so, it’ll be a disservice to otherwise rather solid second season. Fingers crossed.

Evil (2019) s02e10 – O Is for Ovaphobia

All right, seriously, is Mike Colter okay? He’s literally only the episode as a sidekick. He’s in an interview montage, he and Aasif Mandvi follow someone, he goes into the fertility clinic for a non-scene with Mandvi and Herbers, and he’s there for the initial team meeting. Otherwise, he’s not in the episode. Wait, he runs into Christine Lahti in an awkward situation. That scene lasts maybe ninety seconds. Maybe. When everyone said they didn’t really want him to become a priest, it didn’t mean they didn’t want him on the show….

But there’s also no Church case in this episode. The procedural isn’t a procedural. Herbers is trying to figure out how she’s still got eggs on ice at the demonic fertility clinic when she hasn’t been paying any of the bills, which puts her on to suspicious, religious gynecologist Francesca Faridany. It’s more Herbers’s B-plot, with her daughter Maddy Crocco’s self-image issues. Initially, it seems like it’s about her vampire teeth—side effects of the demonic fertility clinic—than about her weight, but then it turns out to be about something else entirely.

Something fantastic.

Meanwhile, Mandvi’s got a fantastic adventure with girlfriend Nicole Shalhoub, who wants to get exorcized of her twin ghost sister and drags Mandvi along. It gets more and more concerning throughout, cliffhanging with the extraordinary. So both Mandvi and Herbers (or Crocco) have actually supernatural arcs going on, with “Evil” ratcheting up the possibility of confirming it sooner than later.

The other big arc is Lahti—against her better judgment—getting involved with Michael Emerson, who introduces her to silver fox creep, Tim Matheson. Giving Emerson an actual human friend or two makes his storyline seemingly less supernatural. So the show’s grounding him while letting Mandvi and Crocco take proverbial flight. Herbers is entirely unaware—everyone else goes to Mandvi for help, but he doesn’t share his love life intrigues with anyone—ditto Colter, though for different reasons. Crocco’s calmly not telling Mom everything but Colter’s just not around enough. We don’t even get meditating montages.

Good acting from Herbers, Mandvi, and Lahti. Matheson and Emerson seem like edge lord frat boy rapists gone grey, which is probably the idea. Crocco’s fine, but her arc is only about working towards the reveal. Shalhoub’s in a similar situation where the episode’s tricking the audience with her scenes, so she doesn’t work up any momentum.

It seems to be a bridging episode, which is fine. The plotting just plays a little off. Especially if the show eventually rationalizes all the fantastical stuff.

Evil (2019) s02e09 – U Is for U.F.O.

Remember last season when the “Evil” team discovered a fertility clinic in Manhattan infusing babies with concentrated evil—no doubt imported from the Prince of Darkness church—including one of star Katja Herbers’s daughters? It was a big deal plot then. This season it’s been barely acknowledged, then this whole episode is about getting the show back towards that big deal. See, Mike Colter’s only got four more weeks until he becomes a Catholic priest and will have to obey the Church no matter what—sure, like covering up babies infused with Satan’s DNA is the worst thing the Catholic Church will order him to do—and, if they’re not going to take on this hipster Rosemary’s Baby clinic, he, Herbers, and Aasif Mandvi will just have to do it themselves.

Of course, the episode isn’t about that decision at all. The episode’s about Air Force pilot April Matthis seeing a UFO and no one believing her except the Catholic Church. They’re just clamoring to get some aliens to convert. The episode makes a dig at the Church’s treatment of indigenous people, but I’m guessing they weren’t explicitly referring to the indigenous children the Church murdered and dumped. Actually, Herbers backs down from that argument with new hottie guest star priest Anthony DeSando, who’s a lot more charming than the other priests in addition to being a hottie.

The episode—ninth of thirteen—seems like it could be picking up right at the beginning of the season. Except it’s better than last season ended. It hits some familiar strong points, like scenes with Colter and Herbers talking about spirituality and being mutedly hot for one another. Then the team being entertaining together when getting plastered. Not to mention the subplot with Michael Emerson’s meetings with his demonic supervisor and his attempts at bringing Christine Lahti back into his life. A bloody return.

But not in a bad way.

It’s positively creepy; as in, it’s creepy in a positive way. “Evil”’s bringing back some of its old plots and tropes, only it’s got a far firmer footing now.

Initially, Herbers and Mandvi get more to do. Herbers has martial counseling with wet noodle of a husband, Patrick Brammall—they now own a trucking company in Colorado, not a mountain-climbing expedition company in the Himalayas, or maybe I was just zoning while Brammall was talking—and Mandvi’s interviewing another UFO witness (Malika Samuel). It seems like they’ll be doing the heavy plot lifting while Colter meditates until Colter has a vision of sexy time with an evil Herbers and then Jesus imagery. And maggots. It’s intense. Then he and Mandvi have a nice minor tech subplot.

It’s a busy but not too busy episode. It’s full. Even if the UFO story turns into this confounding conspiracy nonsense with the sole purpose of getting them interested in the fertility clinic again.

Strong direction from Clark Johnson and a thorough script, credited to Nialla LeBouef.

Who knows if they’ll pull it off, but “Evil”’s sophomore season turnaround is going strong.

Evil (2019) s02e08 – B Is for Brain

“Evil” has definitely hit the part of the production run when they knew they were streaming only. The F-bombs come in dialogue and not in voiceover or inserts. And Katja Herbers’s journey to wherever gets to be a lot more intense. Well, maybe. I don’t know; would CBS have let them do cross-shaped burns on her belly she likes rubbed to pain during gagged, animal mask sex? When the season was still in its obviously made-for-broadcast television episodes, Herbers was plotting to step out on absentee husband, Patrick Brammall (who’s a much better part of the show when we’re not supposed to like him because he’s a buzzkill). Does standards and practices prefer marital Szechuan strawberry or extramarital vanilla?

Anyway.

This episode is about Herbers, Mike Colter, and Aasif Mandvi investigating Cornell University scientist Michael Esper’s new project. He’s made a “Heaven helmet” by accident, and the Vatican wants to know if they should investigate. Now, Cornell’s a private university, and it’s unclear why Esper is willing to do whatever the Vatican wants but… whatever. The point of the experiment is actually brain-mapping, but it turns out it makes subjects have lucid heaven dreams. Colter thinks the Vatican wants it because it’ll help believers. Herbers and Mandvi think they want it so they can brainwash people with science-y stuff.

All that stuff is first act and finale fluff. The meat is Herbers, Colter, and Mandvi imagining the afterlife or whatever.

Except none of them have that vision. Instead, Mandvi has one about his mom and Islam, which works but gets dropped once the episode gets on to spicer possibilities for Colter and Herbers. See, Herbers is still hung-up on Colter whether she admits it or not–or so therapist Kurt Fuller, making a welcome return, observes–and having Brammall back isn’t making it any better.

Meanwhile, Colter’s trying to figure things out with the help of badass nun Andrea Martin, who also has a great standoff with Michael Emerson.

Plus, there’s some great Christine Lahti facing off against constant disappointment of a son-in-law Brammall.

While “Evil” hasn’t shed all of its network procedural, and maybe it’s moving towards its streaming future, it’s definitely finding its footing in the evolution. The show’s tied a bunch of knots it’s going to have to unravel; it still looks very much like a network procedural—James Whitmore Jr.’s direction is acceptable—but its momentum isn’t slowing.

Terrific acting from Herbers and Mandvi this episode. And Martin, of course.

Evil (2019) s02e05 – Z Is for Zombies

I’m surprised to see Nelson McCormick is this episode’s director. I don’t remember his previous directorial efforts on “Evil” being… well, being any good. And this episode’s pretty well-directed. It’s all over the place, and McCormick keeps up the pace.

The episode opens on series regular Skylar Gray and her friend Gloria Manning watching scary movies and seeing scary things out their windows. Gray’s always been a regular on the show, but I still had no idea it was her, no idea I was supposed to recognize her. Because without the three sisters, she’s not bulk annoying and instead gets to have some personality. She and Manning are going to have the actual A plot.

The B plot is for Katja Herbers, Mike Colter (even though he brings the case to the group, he still basically gets squat), and Aasif Mandvi is regularly practicing exorcist Brian Stokes Mitchell needs help. He’s possessed–possibly by Michael Emerson–and his gambling problem is back. So the team tries to help him but discovers more to it than just some online poker. With the dueling C plots of Mandvi still recovering from his ordeal last episode and Emerson’s ongoing exorcism sessions.

They’re going to involve new sort of regular Andrea Martin, who’s a nun in Colter and Mitchell’s church, and she knows lots of things and has good ideas, but no one listens to her because she’s a woman in the Catholic Church. There’s a subtle character development thing for Colter, who doesn’t realize he’s been oblivious to the women around him in the church because literal patriarchy. Martin’s excellent and brings some real fun to the show, which it needs. Even when “Evil” is wry, there’s something contaminated about it.

For example, Gray and Manning’s YA adventure—which has them going into the city to get actual zombie cures from awesome guest star Patrice Johnson. The episode doesn’t shy away from its slavery history lesson; instead, it showcases it and does so reasonably well; it’s still a little weird to have them throwing around the term “slave driver,” but it’s much better than expected.

See, it turns out Manning’s dad, Francois Battiste, works at an Amazon competitor, and they treat their workers even worse. It’s topical, empathetic, and profoundly cynical, especially for a world where there’s no such thing as Covid.

Still, a good episode, especially for Gray, Manning, Herbers (who’s spectacular when she gets to be a shrink), and Mitchell. Season two is working out.

Evil (2019) s02e04 – E Is for Elevator

This episode has plot holes you can drive a truck through, but it also fully embraces Michael Emerson’s villain as comic relief. He’s no longer dangerous, no longer trying to get the heroes killed or kill little kids; he’s just a troll who inserts himself in the heroes’ lives and pesters them. It’s kind of delightful. Especially since the pestering has real teeth to it. For instance, this episode has him meeting with Mike Colter for spiritual consultation (as part of Emerson’s exorcism, which is just to pester Colter) and bringing up the Catholic Church having a big racism problem.

“Evil” has been unfailingly dismissive of the Catholic Church being an organization for the kidnapping, raping, and murdering of children until this point—though they started deviating with digs Katja Herbers has been making (and her subplot about returning to Catholicism has vanished so far this season)—so I was very surprised to see them do a race episode. Especially since Black man Colter’s priest trainer is Dylan Baker, who it turns out isn’t just a villain because he’s a Catholic priest, he’s also a racist one (I really hope Baker gets at least one sustained against-type—i.e. good guy—role before the end of his career; he’s really good at everything not just this bit). The script credit goes to series creators Robert King and Michelle King, who rarely ever get a script credit. I can’t remember the last time. The pilot?

Anyway.

They don’t end up doing great with it. As in Colter’s new bestie, fellow Black priest in training Hampton Fluker (who’s quite good), talking about how some guy at a party says Black Lives Matter is a poser group or something. It’s a very not serious moment about serious issues. Kind of terrifies me for “Good Fight.” And then it ends up to just be for Colter’s arc into alternate religion. So it gives him stuff to do, but it’s all treading water and leveraging guest stars Baker and Fluker. “Evil” season two continues to give Colter the shaft.

Speaking of shafts, the main story is about the Elevator Game, which is a Japanese Internet sensation about the way to take elevators to Hell. Herbers watches the video with her daughters (Japanese website but English language video because auto-translate or something) and then they tag along for the case. Kind of comic relief but also narrative efficiency. It’s just Herbers and Aasif Mandvi investigating because Colter’s busy dealing with working for, you know, the Catholic Church.

There’s an effective resolution to the case (though it involves a lot of the plot holes). Mandvi gets a big scene and subplot (including ex Nicole Shalhoub, who’s been missed); it’s a lot better than Herbers, who has a horror movie subplot and then Christine Lahti manipulating her. Far less entertaining and far less ambitious than anyone else’s plot; including Colter’s. But good performance from Herbers.

Fine direction from Alethea Jones.

It’s not the best episode of the season—this episode Ciara Renée gets the probably added f-bomb—but this season continues to be far more engaging than the first.

Evil (2019) s02e02 – A Is for Angel

I don’t have this feeling often with “Evil.” Maybe ever. I can’t remember what kind of potential the show had at the start; but what if it’s good. Like what if “Evil” can get actually good. What if it can not waste its lead actors. Because after a somewhat rocky beginning where Mike Colter is in mock confession—his professor being Dylan Baker, who is either got to be very good as an evil priest or they’re doing a casting against type thing but it’s Dylan Baker so why wouldn’t you type-cast him since it’s a recurring guest spot—and the first of the episode’s Catholicism is super-sexist digs. The script’s credited to Davita Scarlett and it will blow up a lot, introduce a lot, and constantly remind the Catholic Church is garbage.

Watching Katja Herbers dispassionately smack bishop Peter Scolari with facts, which maybe last episode introduced but this episode it becomes a thing Colter comments on… it’s awesome. And it’s not even where “Evil” hints at potential achievement this episode. There’s very awkward team bonding for Colter, Herbers, and Aasif Mandvi—they’re all keeping secrets from each other, some more important than others–but they all still want to work together. But then there’s also Michael Emerson’s character taking it up a notch, particularly with fiancée Christine Lahti, and all sorts of reveals and promises for future action.

Engaging, interesting future action.

Maybe the move to Paramount+ and the freedom to CGI in the word “fuck” is what the show needed. Though—and it just occurred to me—they’re going to be able to get away with a lot more truthful presentation of the Catholic Church on streaming than they would on network.

But, no, can’t get too excited. There are still big problems—though John Dahl’s direction won me over by the end of the episode; I was very critical for the first act, but he finds a real rhythm with the actors. It hasn’t felt so much like Colter’s show since… probably ever.

It’ll take a lot to get the ship righted and unless there’s a big committed shift it’s not going to happen, but it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed “Evil” this much. And if the character developments stick—particularly with Lahti and Emerson—the show’s going to get a lot more entertaining.

Real good supporting performances this episode too; Jessie Mueller as the new cop (the one from last season isn’t coming back apparently) who gives Herbers grief, then Joniece Abbott-Pratt and Hampton Fluker as the case for the episode—he thinks he’s possessed by an angel, she’s the concerned then endangered wife.

Also—Andrea Martin. She’s apparently joining the cast as an acerbic nun who counsels Colter and she’s a delight.

I mean, maybe it’s got a chance. Maybe’s very good for “Evil.”

Evil (2019) s02e01 – N is for Night Terrors

“Evil” is back and it hasn’t been gone anywhere near as long as I thought. The last episode of the first season aired in February 2020, pre-Rona lockdown, pre-Catholics killing babies and dumping them in mass graves (well, pre-discovery of it, but “Evil” won’t care). But it’s only felt like a while. The episode picks up right where we left off, with lead Katja Herbers being very suspicious after serial killer nemesis Darren Pettie ends up dead. We get some very quick resolution on whether she did it or not, with Herbers more concerned about getting a rash from a rosary when talking to her sometimes boss and also therapist Kurt Fuller. I forgot how much I like Fuller on this show. He just has a good time. Effortlessly.

When Michael Emerson is having a good time camping it up, it’s not effortless. They try really hard to make Emerson a notable villain; the A plot this episode has Catholic boss Peter Scolari wanting Herbers, Mike Colter (who’s got zip to do this episode), and Aasif Mandvi (who gets more but not really) to evaluate Emerson for an exorcism. Seems Emerson has been donating big time to the Catholic Church—again, “Evil” has a problem with itself. Not to mention having now moved to Paramount+—sorry, CBS having decided to move it to Paramount+—it’s now a show for people who wish Rona doesn’t exist, the Catholic Church is the good guys, and who pay for Paramount+. Fragile white Democrats?

There’s even an f-bomb from Herbers at one point and I swear it was looped in because they can do it now (all of the season, presumably, filmed thinking they’d go on TV not streaming—the commercial fade outs are annoying now and are just going to get worse as it goes along).

So the team decides they’re going to play with Emerson to see what he’s going to lie about because they’ll still learn stuff about him. Or he’ll just get into their heads and infect Mandvi with a dream sex demon dominatrix (possibly played by “Legends of Tomorrow”’s Hawkgirl, Ciara Renée), which is kind of amusing until they do a “is Mandvi dreaming or not” with the subplot for the cliffhanger.

Herbers should have a tough episode and doesn’t because the show doesn’t want to really get too tough. Mandvi’s good. Colter’s present. Scolari’s a really shitty dude (not sure if it’s intentional, but the character’s definitely a shitty dude and Scolari’s definitely good at being a shitty dude). And Emerson’s… much better than his worst on the show.

It’s a somewhat easy start to the season—one of Herbers’s likable but interchangeable kids grows vampire molars and gives some decent Martin vibes—but it’s, you know, fine. Especially for “Evil.”

With all the standard “Evil” asterisks, of course.