Evil Season 3 Episode 6

Evil is adept at finding the barely perceptible threads to bind their web of suspense. By the time the page flips on The Pop-Up Book of Contemporary Demons and the opening credits roll, a fully satisfying arc has already laid out enough tantalizing terror for whole episodes on some shows. But Evil pulls back the covers at the end. The demon terrorizing the teenager in the case has completely ambiguous motives, but real scars that need stitches.

Kristen’s introductory pre-exorcism psychological evaluation finds clues of mental dysfunction and supernatural gaps. The setting is delightfully devilish, mixing more Stephen King than The Exorcist into the binding of the foul-mouthed, possibly demon-possessed teenager to the safety of a rickety bed. Ben, of course, finds far more insidious evidence by reading the room, something which winds up biting him in the ass when he confronts the malicious energy online.

The jump scares come as personal temptations. “Did you see the one with bloody tears?” Kristen asks as she compares notes on a meme trend to hell. If there are thousands of apps showing thousands of possessions, it does appear to be more of a mental health epidemic than a satanic one, but then Evil reboots. The magician, The Great Heller, who is tracked to be the source of what Ben calls “idiocy,” is worse than satanic panic for the same reason Ben calls him out. In a world where good and evil are always at the tipping point, the true danger is the idiot. Ben’s conclusion sums up what should have closed the case: Don’t be an asshole.

Of all the characters to break character and issue a non-anonymous public service announcement against stupidity, it’s best the audience gets it from Ben, who is so unexpected in the role even his teammates give him second glances. But Mandvi’s impassioned callout on magical fakes and scams has been a long time coming, and couldn’t be coming from a better place. He’s sick of false leads in his day job, and is disappointed at the whole human race for cloud-chasing them while he’s trying to sleep.

Regardless of the social media aspects versus the spiritual consequences, Monsignor Matthew Korecki (Boris McGiver) is really disturbed. His anguish is real when he realizes, satanic or viral, the stitches are real. You could almost feel sorry for him if he didn’t both break the news of the church’s finding of no impropriety in Leland’s (Michael Emerson) talking with Kristen’s kids, or the ultimate good reference the Monsignor gives an unmasked danger to children. Without giving too much away, between the Archdiocese finding no evidence, thereby allowing Leland to do whatever he wants, and aiding his maladjustment forward, is devastating commentary from Evil. It moves the plotline into ever more dangerous territory, which is positively delectable, enough to whet the appetites of Kristen’s kids.

Just the idea of the young Bouchard brood brewing plans to kill Leland, going so far as determining the pros and cons of poisons, is a subversive flirt with taboo. It almost justifies the all-too-many moments of vocal haranguing the children inflict on family, audience, and innocent passersby. It is very disconcerting that Kristen’s kids continue to go behind their mother’s back, but it appears to be a family trait, and there is a very subtle foreshadowing in the secret meetings in Bumble Bee Valley. Leland’s avatar tells the kids to crush up the pills they give their mom so there’s less chance of getting caught doing silly pranks. When we see their father, Kristen’s husband Andy’s (Patrick Brammall) predicament, we realize everything has been laid out comfortably.

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