Evil: How to Train a Dog
June 3, 2024 9:46 AM - Season 4, Episode 2 - Subscribe
A priest, a skeptic, and a psychiatrist (who is also a skeptic) walk into an utterly bonkers TV show. And this TV show asks: can robot dogs be trained to attack Catholics?
Highlights:
* When our intrepid trio show up to the cemetery to wait for the appearance of a werewolf (but really a robot dog), it's daytime and they start drinking. By the time, the robot dog appears, you have to ask: how drunk are you three???? (Kristen brings out a wine bottle sleeve FILLED with tiny margarita cans!)
* Turns out Father Ignatius is like, whatever with the cases he assigns them
*Ben Shakir continues to Go Through It. The Djinn he is seeing in his peripheral vision BECAUSE HE GOT A PARTICLE COLLIDER LASER SHOT THROUGH HIS EYE is taunting him.
*Sheryl learns that even a Satanic organization is not exactly feminism forward
* As much as the Bouchard children annoy me, they save their poor father by singing a They Might Be Giants to reassure him that he is safe and loved
*Also, that one Bouchard kid super wants to be a nun but hides it like you would hide sneaking out to get hickeys from your boyfriend
*The Entity (*cough* Vatican secret society *cough* puts David through the wringer to find out if he has special remote viewing abilities! (He does)
*The Entity also gives him a new handler who you might know from many other genre shows, actor Chukwudi Iwuji, and I am pleased with this
*Do I want a robot dog now? Maybe? But not one that attacks people of colour or Catholics.
*
Highlights:
* When our intrepid trio show up to the cemetery to wait for the appearance of a werewolf (but really a robot dog), it's daytime and they start drinking. By the time, the robot dog appears, you have to ask: how drunk are you three???? (Kristen brings out a wine bottle sleeve FILLED with tiny margarita cans!)
* Turns out Father Ignatius is like, whatever with the cases he assigns them
*Ben Shakir continues to Go Through It. The Djinn he is seeing in his peripheral vision BECAUSE HE GOT A PARTICLE COLLIDER LASER SHOT THROUGH HIS EYE is taunting him.
*Sheryl learns that even a Satanic organization is not exactly feminism forward
* As much as the Bouchard children annoy me, they save their poor father by singing a They Might Be Giants to reassure him that he is safe and loved
*Also, that one Bouchard kid super wants to be a nun but hides it like you would hide sneaking out to get hickeys from your boyfriend
*The Entity (*cough* Vatican secret society *cough* puts David through the wringer to find out if he has special remote viewing abilities! (He does)
*The Entity also gives him a new handler who you might know from many other genre shows, actor Chukwudi Iwuji, and I am pleased with this
*Do I want a robot dog now? Maybe? But not one that attacks people of colour or Catholics.
*
Shepherd confirmed the TMBG song so I can't take credit for that. Again, this show didn't really find its weird-ass footing until S2 and it has been a cascade of WTFery ever since.
posted by Kitteh at 10:18 AM on June 3
posted by Kitteh at 10:18 AM on June 3
FanFare is listing this as "Season 1, Episode 2" and that feels incorrect to me.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:32 AM on June 3
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:32 AM on June 3
Parasite Unseen, you are absolutely right! Will ask the mods to fix.
posted by Kitteh at 11:36 AM on June 3
posted by Kitteh at 11:36 AM on June 3
Mod note: A few deleted. Episode and Season numbers have been corrected.
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 5:23 PM on June 3
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 5:23 PM on June 3
It was indeed TMBG, and the title song from the kids' album No!. Which is very on-brand for Kirsten and Andy to teach the kids, come to think of it. "John Lee Supertaster" also slaps, if you're looking for a great tune.
I agree that they really have hit their groove in seasons 3-4. I'm a bit worried that they've left a lot of stuff to resolve before the end of the season, but then again, I've never seen a show less afraid to just... forget plot threads and leave them hanging forever, so.
I suspect Christine Lahti is delivering a master class in acting here, because I hate her character so much. I'm perpetually astounded at how I keep wanting to throw things at the TV every time she's on-screen now.
posted by Shepherd at 5:50 PM on June 3 [2 favorites]
I agree that they really have hit their groove in seasons 3-4. I'm a bit worried that they've left a lot of stuff to resolve before the end of the season, but then again, I've never seen a show less afraid to just... forget plot threads and leave them hanging forever, so.
I suspect Christine Lahti is delivering a master class in acting here, because I hate her character so much. I'm perpetually astounded at how I keep wanting to throw things at the TV every time she's on-screen now.
posted by Shepherd at 5:50 PM on June 3 [2 favorites]
I'm still enthusiastic about this show's maximalist "throw everything at the wall and see what's interesting" approach to plot development, but giving David psychic powers feels like maybe a loose thread too far to me, like are you really going to introduce that and tie it up in the one remaining season? (Although, FWIW this season will have 14 episodes, so maybe they've got time to do it.) I just feel like there's already a lot of stuff going on with David that's interesting and ties into the plot in various ways, though I'm personally more interested in his crisis of faith stuff than his undercover Vatican super-spy stuff.
posted by whir at 9:14 AM on June 6 [3 favorites]
posted by whir at 9:14 AM on June 6 [3 favorites]
The Entity itself makes me laugh. LAUGH, I TELLS YA.
But I agree, giving David psychic powers--hey, buddy maybe you didn't need those magic mushrooms from S1 after all--is classic Evil finding something new to throw at us.
posted by Kitteh at 9:32 AM on June 6 [1 favorite]
But I agree, giving David psychic powers--hey, buddy maybe you didn't need those magic mushrooms from S1 after all--is classic Evil finding something new to throw at us.
posted by Kitteh at 9:32 AM on June 6 [1 favorite]
Also, Evil fans, let me tease you with first four words of tonight's episode from the official site: Potentially evil pork products
POTENTIALLY EVIL PORK PRODUCTS
posted by Kitteh at 9:58 AM on June 6 [2 favorites]
POTENTIALLY EVIL PORK PRODUCTS
posted by Kitteh at 9:58 AM on June 6 [2 favorites]
This show is scratching the itch that the O.A. left behind. I'm happy that it is the final season, because it is better to go out on a high note than just dissolve into generic nothing. (I'm looking at YOU, Archer.) I do wonder if the fact that Kristin is a canned margarita-chugging alcoholic will ever be addressed? Or if that is just commentary on the sort of person who would take a job like this in the first place.
Re: David's newfound psychic powers, he's been having visions since like episode 2, this doesn't feel too out of line.
posted by grumpybear69 at 2:37 PM on June 7
Re: David's newfound psychic powers, he's been having visions since like episode 2, this doesn't feel too out of line.
posted by grumpybear69 at 2:37 PM on June 7
I mean if having your egg stolen by your mom's bf/boss to father the antichrist isn't a valid excuse to enjoy some canned margaritas, I really don't know what is.
posted by miss-lapin at 5:34 PM on June 7 [3 favorites]
posted by miss-lapin at 5:34 PM on June 7 [3 favorites]
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It's a shame that this is the last season, they have really found their groove of kinda sorta vaguely religion adjacent supernatural fucked up weirdness.
And thanks for confirming that that was a TMBG song, it was kind of familiar but I couldn't place it with a 10 second search.
posted by Kyol at 10:14 AM on June 3 [3 favorites]