Evil: Fear of the End
August 23, 2024 5:01 PM - Season 4, Episode 14 - 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: did we all just watch the most confusing final episode of all time?
Y'all. Y'ALL. I don't even know how start!
* As per last episode, David had four days before he was being shipped off to the Vatican and yet Kristen's gotten contractors in to reno that garage into an office and she's seeing patients; Ben is donning corporate wear and working from a cubicle, and David is still packing? Sexy Schoolgirl Demon Kristen is distraught.
*So...Kristen's practice is hella successful right out of the gate? Is Dr. Boggs dead? Whither thou, Kurt?
*The Entity--sorry, I mean, "Friends of the Vatican" prepare to take on the 60, who seem to be planning an old school Black Mass (cue Stefon: "it's got EVERYTHING: witches cauldrons, chalked pentagrams, an aspiring actress...") but are they?
*Sister Andrea BOOPED the Stick demon on the nose. She BOOPED him. I love you, Sister Andrea.
*I love that The Entity--sorry, "Friends of the Vatican" are so fucking clearly obvious whilst the church is being set up. The black vans? The shades? I swear, guys. This is like a panel van that says Floral Bouquets, Inc on the side.
*"Tall people are convincing even if they're dumb." Again, I LOVE YOU, Sister Andrea
*I really think the VR goggle was a weird thing to throw in. Like, even though countdown was a Nothingburger with a side of Trauma Fries for the users seeing their worst fears come true, I felt it was unnecessary.
* Do we think that Leland was really protecting Kristen all this time? Or was the Stick demon just making a meaningless comment?
*I was super pissed when Ben's "future" showed a dying Karima. I would have thrown hands at the Kings if it had been real.
* Anyway, The Entity---I mean, "Friends of the Vatican" are reduced quite a bit when they fall for the 60's ruse and a rendition of "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" and are gassed
*David sets up a premise for possible continuing Evil adventures by asking Father Denis O'Hare to restart the assessor program in Rome
*SHIT. The Taser scene was *chef's kiss." Kristen just blissfully Tasering Leland prolly every three minutes or less was beautiful.
*I have to admit I am super disappointed with the "resolution" of the Leland and Kristen plotline (don't even get me started on Ben's plotline). Okay, so Friendship is Magic prevents her from fully strangling Leland to death before he could kill her. And then they take him to the Demon Cabinet at the silent monastery??? (Hi, Cute Drinky Nun!) Ah, okay. Huh.
*So Kristen and her girls go to Rome, the baby is still a demon, David is wearing cool as shit shades, and Ben no longer has a djinn???
Evil: you died as you lived. Absolutely batshit and unafraid to drop storylines like they're hot.
This is one of the weirdest final episodes I have ever seen. I'm still not sure what the fuck went on. But I love Evil anyway.
and finally:
*Ben Shakir does Go Through It one last time. Farewell, my jean jacket clad smol bean.
Y'all. Y'ALL. I don't even know how start!
* As per last episode, David had four days before he was being shipped off to the Vatican and yet Kristen's gotten contractors in to reno that garage into an office and she's seeing patients; Ben is donning corporate wear and working from a cubicle, and David is still packing? Sexy Schoolgirl Demon Kristen is distraught.
*So...Kristen's practice is hella successful right out of the gate? Is Dr. Boggs dead? Whither thou, Kurt?
*The Entity--sorry, I mean, "Friends of the Vatican" prepare to take on the 60, who seem to be planning an old school Black Mass (cue Stefon: "it's got EVERYTHING: witches cauldrons, chalked pentagrams, an aspiring actress...") but are they?
*Sister Andrea BOOPED the Stick demon on the nose. She BOOPED him. I love you, Sister Andrea.
*I love that The Entity--sorry, "Friends of the Vatican" are so fucking clearly obvious whilst the church is being set up. The black vans? The shades? I swear, guys. This is like a panel van that says Floral Bouquets, Inc on the side.
*"Tall people are convincing even if they're dumb." Again, I LOVE YOU, Sister Andrea
*I really think the VR goggle was a weird thing to throw in. Like, even though countdown was a Nothingburger with a side of Trauma Fries for the users seeing their worst fears come true, I felt it was unnecessary.
* Do we think that Leland was really protecting Kristen all this time? Or was the Stick demon just making a meaningless comment?
*I was super pissed when Ben's "future" showed a dying Karima. I would have thrown hands at the Kings if it had been real.
* Anyway, The Entity---I mean, "Friends of the Vatican" are reduced quite a bit when they fall for the 60's ruse and a rendition of "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" and are gassed
*David sets up a premise for possible continuing Evil adventures by asking Father Denis O'Hare to restart the assessor program in Rome
*SHIT. The Taser scene was *chef's kiss." Kristen just blissfully Tasering Leland prolly every three minutes or less was beautiful.
*I have to admit I am super disappointed with the "resolution" of the Leland and Kristen plotline (don't even get me started on Ben's plotline). Okay, so Friendship is Magic prevents her from fully strangling Leland to death before he could kill her. And then they take him to the Demon Cabinet at the silent monastery??? (Hi, Cute Drinky Nun!) Ah, okay. Huh.
*So Kristen and her girls go to Rome, the baby is still a demon, David is wearing cool as shit shades, and Ben no longer has a djinn???
Evil: you died as you lived. Absolutely batshit and unafraid to drop storylines like they're hot.
This is one of the weirdest final episodes I have ever seen. I'm still not sure what the fuck went on. But I love Evil anyway.
and finally:
*Ben Shakir does Go Through It one last time. Farewell, my jean jacket clad smol bean.
O snap, I forgot about Norm! Sorry, Norm.
"Uh Norm, you're on mute."
posted by Kitteh at 5:11 PM on August 23 [3 favorites]
"Uh Norm, you're on mute."
posted by Kitteh at 5:11 PM on August 23 [3 favorites]
The Sister Andrea booping is EPIC and I need it in my life. As a short woman "Tall people are convincing even if they're dumb." is true.
Do I believe Leland was protecting Kristen?I do in as much as his concept of protecting is "keeping her alive in the hopes he can coerce her." Basically it seems if all the demons had their druthers she would have been killed long ago and whatever importance she has is with Leland's obsession. There's no other importance to her than that. I do think that doesn't explain how they don't kill her and retake the antichrist. But I think the last season suggests that Evil (tm) isn't good with childcare. And as long as he's alive there's hope.
I'm disappointed, I knew not everything could be explained, but with 14 episodes that's what they came up with? If I may quote a former student "You better talk to the left hand because you know you ain't right."
posted by miss-lapin at 5:23 PM on August 23 [2 favorites]
Do I believe Leland was protecting Kristen?I do in as much as his concept of protecting is "keeping her alive in the hopes he can coerce her." Basically it seems if all the demons had their druthers she would have been killed long ago and whatever importance she has is with Leland's obsession. There's no other importance to her than that. I do think that doesn't explain how they don't kill her and retake the antichrist. But I think the last season suggests that Evil (tm) isn't good with childcare. And as long as he's alive there's hope.
I'm disappointed, I knew not everything could be explained, but with 14 episodes that's what they came up with? If I may quote a former student "You better talk to the left hand because you know you ain't right."
posted by miss-lapin at 5:23 PM on August 23 [2 favorites]
Also what happened to the sleep demon?
posted by miss-lapin at 5:25 PM on August 23 [2 favorites]
posted by miss-lapin at 5:25 PM on August 23 [2 favorites]
George! Aw, I hope George is out there just living his best sleep paralysis demon life.
posted by Kitteh at 5:49 PM on August 23 [4 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 5:49 PM on August 23 [4 favorites]
Well, I didn't really like this as the climax of the series, but I did really enjoy the show. The whole brain overlay bit seemed a little last minute, like really, this medieval document lines up perfectly with a hand-wavy 2024 neurological map of areas of the human brain corresponding to various functions? The three dimensional human brain? But I guess I'm glad they made some attempt to explain that bit.
I also felt like the Kristen / Leland confrontation was super rushed and just not very good. We just watched him take down 18 members of the Entity, er, the Friends of the Vatican, and then his big plan for Kristen was just to roll up solo with a knife and stab her?
I didn't need to get everything resolved in the end, but I think the main thing I wish they had addressed was how Kristen killed a dude and got away with it, which to my mind was always one of the most interesting aspects of the show. Maybe the merciful treatment of Leland at the end was their attempt at that, but I didn't find it very satisfying, personally.
One thing about the 14 episodes this season, I read somewhere that they'd already filmed the 10 episodes they thought they'd get for season 4, then found out it was cancelled and were given four more to wrap it up. (Which they then proceeded not to do, as far as I can tell, but that's Evil for you.) So it's really just the last four episodes this season that were meant to be the closing act.
posted by whir at 9:30 PM on August 23 [1 favorite]
I also felt like the Kristen / Leland confrontation was super rushed and just not very good. We just watched him take down 18 members of the Entity, er, the Friends of the Vatican, and then his big plan for Kristen was just to roll up solo with a knife and stab her?
I didn't need to get everything resolved in the end, but I think the main thing I wish they had addressed was how Kristen killed a dude and got away with it, which to my mind was always one of the most interesting aspects of the show. Maybe the merciful treatment of Leland at the end was their attempt at that, but I didn't find it very satisfying, personally.
One thing about the 14 episodes this season, I read somewhere that they'd already filmed the 10 episodes they thought they'd get for season 4, then found out it was cancelled and were given four more to wrap it up. (Which they then proceeded not to do, as far as I can tell, but that's Evil for you.) So it's really just the last four episodes this season that were meant to be the closing act.
posted by whir at 9:30 PM on August 23 [1 favorite]
I quite liked The New Yorker's article about the run of the show and what it gave the audience.
posted by Kitteh at 5:43 AM on August 24 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 5:43 AM on August 24 [1 favorite]
I think Leland's solo plan is because of his fixation on her, which clearly the rest of the demons don't share. The answer to the question "Why Kristen?" is nothing religious. It's simply because Leland wanted her and deprived of the chance to have her, he's going to make sure no one else does. So for him killing her is intimate, not something he would want to share. In addition, he doesn't and really never has thought clearly when it comes to her. So I can see him wanting to murder her solo and utterly fucking it up especially at this point.
What I don't believe is the rest of Evil Inc would be like "Sure fly off to Vatican, enjoy!" after the failed murder attempt. If there was a scene where the 60 discussed this and decided they had already wasted enough resources on her or that allowing her to raise the child and then intervene at a later date because right now they want to focus on their mind takeover plan and honestly who wants to be nanny to the antichrist? Then I'd buy it. And it really could have been a 2 minute scene max. But as is?Not so much.
In terms of the last 4 episodes being their closing act, I'm curious what they had intended for s5 given the chance.
posted by miss-lapin at 10:00 AM on August 24 [1 favorite]
What I don't believe is the rest of Evil Inc would be like "Sure fly off to Vatican, enjoy!" after the failed murder attempt. If there was a scene where the 60 discussed this and decided they had already wasted enough resources on her or that allowing her to raise the child and then intervene at a later date because right now they want to focus on their mind takeover plan and honestly who wants to be nanny to the antichrist? Then I'd buy it. And it really could have been a 2 minute scene max. But as is?Not so much.
In terms of the last 4 episodes being their closing act, I'm curious what they had intended for s5 given the chance.
posted by miss-lapin at 10:00 AM on August 24 [1 favorite]
I took it that the demon hand that touched various people on the arm while they were on the VR goggles was George. It looked like his hands.
posted by jkosmicki at 11:56 AM on August 24 [2 favorites]
posted by jkosmicki at 11:56 AM on August 24 [2 favorites]
well, i for one, was satisfied with the finale - except for Kristin's sunglasses. i wanted her to go full-on 60s Fellini!
i suppose one could speculate that, as they were half-dark, half-light, it was a clue to her soul at that point. yes, she had murdered someone - but it was in self-defense, and to protect her family. yes, she was an adulteress, but only after her husband had abandoned her. yes, she was borderline negligent as a parent, but she allowed her children the freedom to be themselves. and truly loved the little hellions!
i've been playing catch-up, reading reviews; some of which bring up the possibility Kristin was actually half-demon and that is why Leland pursued her so ardently. Sheryl did say she'd dated many demons before him. at the time i thought it was simply great social commentary but maybe dad was actually a demon and Kristin is the product of the unholy union of human and demon seed. hmm. one of her daughters seems to have a tail...
oh wow - anyone remember the 70s horror flick of the same name? AI-driven smart home tries to inseminate a psychologist with it's offspring? it just came to mind as i typed "demon seed" - interesting!
then again, that all just might be overthinking things.
i do think that binging the entire series in a 2-week period allowed me to simply roll with the momentum, submerge myself in the myth and not have much time to fret over dropped plotlines, absurdities or rabbit-holes. demon holes? hah -
i will agree, though, one of the frustrating aspects to this show is how remarkably astute and topical it can be, working on so many levels with so much sophistication, while also leaving so much unresolved. my hopes are that they left things settled enough for an end, but open enough for a return, if a miracle occurs. for now, i am grateful i got to see Sister Andrea boop the most exquisitely awesome and horrible demon on it's sunken hole of a nose, above that greasy pencil-thin mustache.
and the scene of hallucinatory-schoolgirl-Kristin-demon clinging to David, frantically pleading with him not to go? that may have been one of the greatest performances i've ever seen (how does Katja Erbers not have an Emmy for this show? just, how???) --
but it does bring to mind a disturbing question of: why a schoolgirl? though not a choirboy, and presented as a full-grown adult, there is a subtle nod to pedophilia there. i suppose that is David's personal demon, alongside Doubt as his sin. the duality of the characters in this show is so remarkably well written and performed, even amidst all the dropped plotlines. i am glad i've made the journey.
one thing in the final ep really does confuse me: i don't understand why the 60 wanted to kill both Kristin and baby Timothy. after all, he is their hopeful antichrist. but eh, i'm just gonna go with it and accept Leland creeping in alone at night to commit the deed was spurred by the order to get it done THAT NIGHT. he didn't have a plan in place. also he was really off his game due to having a little bit of David's soul inside him from the remote viewing, what with moping about watching cute animal videos with sentimental tear-filled eyes. i quess Mr. Gray was Satan himself? beware of gray areas!
the "banality of evil" certainly was a major aspect of the show, particularly in the last episode: the hell of a multiscreen Zoom call. Ben opting for a beige cubicle corporate hell in exchange for some filthy lucre. Leland, locked in a cabinet for eternity (i do not think this was a merciful fate). even the painting of armegeddon was basically no more than a crappy AI/NFT collage. i wanna look closer at that thing, it would be hilarious if there was an Ape in there, somewhere.
i liked that the VR goggles were brought back, if only for that amazing scene of all those people milling about Kristin's yard, agog with despair as they stared into their own private little hells. and i think you are right that it is George's hand, jkosmicki. being in the VR goggle world was much like sleep paralysis: people had to force themselves out of it, remove the mask, to escape.
i loved the map of the brain matching up to the sigils! i took it as Evil (the concept) keeping up with the times, overriding rational thought and co-opting technology. while Good - aka, codified religion, was falling behind while also, falling into Evil of its own making. i appreciated that the church got called out plenty, for their own culpabilty.
BONKERS is the perfect descriptor for this show, Kitteh! it is what led me to watch it, and i thank you. it's been a heck of a ride!
posted by lapolla at 3:46 AM on August 25 [3 favorites]
i suppose one could speculate that, as they were half-dark, half-light, it was a clue to her soul at that point. yes, she had murdered someone - but it was in self-defense, and to protect her family. yes, she was an adulteress, but only after her husband had abandoned her. yes, she was borderline negligent as a parent, but she allowed her children the freedom to be themselves. and truly loved the little hellions!
i've been playing catch-up, reading reviews; some of which bring up the possibility Kristin was actually half-demon and that is why Leland pursued her so ardently. Sheryl did say she'd dated many demons before him. at the time i thought it was simply great social commentary but maybe dad was actually a demon and Kristin is the product of the unholy union of human and demon seed. hmm. one of her daughters seems to have a tail...
oh wow - anyone remember the 70s horror flick of the same name? AI-driven smart home tries to inseminate a psychologist with it's offspring? it just came to mind as i typed "demon seed" - interesting!
then again, that all just might be overthinking things.
i do think that binging the entire series in a 2-week period allowed me to simply roll with the momentum, submerge myself in the myth and not have much time to fret over dropped plotlines, absurdities or rabbit-holes. demon holes? hah -
i will agree, though, one of the frustrating aspects to this show is how remarkably astute and topical it can be, working on so many levels with so much sophistication, while also leaving so much unresolved. my hopes are that they left things settled enough for an end, but open enough for a return, if a miracle occurs. for now, i am grateful i got to see Sister Andrea boop the most exquisitely awesome and horrible demon on it's sunken hole of a nose, above that greasy pencil-thin mustache.
and the scene of hallucinatory-schoolgirl-Kristin-demon clinging to David, frantically pleading with him not to go? that may have been one of the greatest performances i've ever seen (how does Katja Erbers not have an Emmy for this show? just, how???) --
but it does bring to mind a disturbing question of: why a schoolgirl? though not a choirboy, and presented as a full-grown adult, there is a subtle nod to pedophilia there. i suppose that is David's personal demon, alongside Doubt as his sin. the duality of the characters in this show is so remarkably well written and performed, even amidst all the dropped plotlines. i am glad i've made the journey.
one thing in the final ep really does confuse me: i don't understand why the 60 wanted to kill both Kristin and baby Timothy. after all, he is their hopeful antichrist. but eh, i'm just gonna go with it and accept Leland creeping in alone at night to commit the deed was spurred by the order to get it done THAT NIGHT. he didn't have a plan in place. also he was really off his game due to having a little bit of David's soul inside him from the remote viewing, what with moping about watching cute animal videos with sentimental tear-filled eyes. i quess Mr. Gray was Satan himself? beware of gray areas!
the "banality of evil" certainly was a major aspect of the show, particularly in the last episode: the hell of a multiscreen Zoom call. Ben opting for a beige cubicle corporate hell in exchange for some filthy lucre. Leland, locked in a cabinet for eternity (i do not think this was a merciful fate). even the painting of armegeddon was basically no more than a crappy AI/NFT collage. i wanna look closer at that thing, it would be hilarious if there was an Ape in there, somewhere.
i liked that the VR goggles were brought back, if only for that amazing scene of all those people milling about Kristin's yard, agog with despair as they stared into their own private little hells. and i think you are right that it is George's hand, jkosmicki. being in the VR goggle world was much like sleep paralysis: people had to force themselves out of it, remove the mask, to escape.
i loved the map of the brain matching up to the sigils! i took it as Evil (the concept) keeping up with the times, overriding rational thought and co-opting technology. while Good - aka, codified religion, was falling behind while also, falling into Evil of its own making. i appreciated that the church got called out plenty, for their own culpabilty.
BONKERS is the perfect descriptor for this show, Kitteh! it is what led me to watch it, and i thank you. it's been a heck of a ride!
posted by lapolla at 3:46 AM on August 25 [3 favorites]
All I can say is the canned margarita I found was _really bad_.
posted by Kyol at 9:55 AM on August 26 [3 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 9:55 AM on August 26 [3 favorites]
OK so now what the hell do I watch on Thursdays? It seems like I'm in the spot where absolutely none of the shows I watch or want to watch have new eps coming out.
posted by miss-lapin at 7:21 PM on August 27
posted by miss-lapin at 7:21 PM on August 27
Right?? Once again, I have to wait out a sweet spot for something supernatural that ticks the correct boxes for me. (Weird; funny, intentionally AND unintentionally; good-looking cast; interesting premise.) And I have found this is harder than you think. I am VERY picky about my spoopy shows.
posted by Kitteh at 6:54 AM on August 28 [2 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 6:54 AM on August 28 [2 favorites]
All I can say is the canned margarita I found was _really bad_
Can we talk about specifics here? I was watching the last few episodes in parallel with a friend across the country and my plan was to send some canned margaritas and Pop Rocks to celebrate the final episodes, but I had trouble finding any that both had good reviews and that I could get shipped. This guy tried Cutwater but the reviews on that were not great. A couple of reviews suggested F!ve Drinks but that proved impossible to source online, and I had similar trouble figuring out how to get Cazadores shipped (though it at least seems possible to buy it locally).
Has anyone chased down a canned margarita that's both easy to acquire and easy to recommend?
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 5:09 PM on August 28
Can we talk about specifics here? I was watching the last few episodes in parallel with a friend across the country and my plan was to send some canned margaritas and Pop Rocks to celebrate the final episodes, but I had trouble finding any that both had good reviews and that I could get shipped. This guy tried Cutwater but the reviews on that were not great. A couple of reviews suggested F!ve Drinks but that proved impossible to source online, and I had similar trouble figuring out how to get Cazadores shipped (though it at least seems possible to buy it locally).
Has anyone chased down a canned margarita that's both easy to acquire and easy to recommend?
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 5:09 PM on August 28
Post Meridiem, and to be fair it got better as the ice melted and I really should have stirred in the salt better - the last sip was OK if not great. But the first half of it really needed to be cut with a little more water, frankly. But drinking it out of the can like Kristin? Absolutely not.
posted by Kyol at 6:39 PM on August 28 [1 favorite]
posted by Kyol at 6:39 PM on August 28 [1 favorite]
So a couple of things. 1 I've never had a good canned marg, but one year for christmas my cousin bought mixers that came in what looked like ornaments. They marg one of those was pretty good but I suspect that's because you add your own liquor to it and we used good liquor.
But amazingly there is some Evil news! Katja Herbers (Kristen) has been trying to resurrect Evil by lobbying for Netflix to pick up the show. Stephen King seems to be in support of that! He said of the show, "smart, thought-provoking, occasionally VERY scary. Plus, the chemistry between the three evil-hunters is strong and… to quote [Vice President/presidential candidate] Kamala [Harris]… joyful.”
The linked article included some other tidbits I didn't know. "With the release of Seasons 1 and 2 to Netflix, Evil ranked No. 2 on Nielsen’s originals chart for a full month, and it has even sneaked its way onto Nielsen’s much more competitive overall ranking a total of three times.
At last tally, Evil ranked No. 5 among streaming originals, with more than 400 million minutes viewed on Paramount+ as well as Netflix."
posted by miss-lapin at 12:24 PM on September 6 [3 favorites]
But amazingly there is some Evil news! Katja Herbers (Kristen) has been trying to resurrect Evil by lobbying for Netflix to pick up the show. Stephen King seems to be in support of that! He said of the show, "smart, thought-provoking, occasionally VERY scary. Plus, the chemistry between the three evil-hunters is strong and… to quote [Vice President/presidential candidate] Kamala [Harris]… joyful.”
The linked article included some other tidbits I didn't know. "With the release of Seasons 1 and 2 to Netflix, Evil ranked No. 2 on Nielsen’s originals chart for a full month, and it has even sneaked its way onto Nielsen’s much more competitive overall ranking a total of three times.
At last tally, Evil ranked No. 5 among streaming originals, with more than 400 million minutes viewed on Paramount+ as well as Netflix."
posted by miss-lapin at 12:24 PM on September 6 [3 favorites]
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posted by Shepherd at 5:03 PM on August 23