Evil Review: 2 Fathers (Season 1 Episode 8)

Evil Season 1 Episode 8, “2 Fathers,” is a TRIP. 

The show manages to include so many different tones and vibes on a single episode.

The best thing is that all the disparate elements actually enhance each other so that “2 Fathers,” is absurdly entertaining. 

Forget Vanessa’s grafted sister; it is impossible to believe Evil can be this good.

Yet, here we are, a bunch of believers. (BelEvilers?) 

Sins of the Fathers

The most powerful content on “2 Fathers,” is the exploration of the generational evil of slavery.

So far, we have seen the trio consider individuals in the present time dealing with, more or less, discrete forms of evil.

Leon Acosta takes Evil to a whole new level; our two-dimensional understanding of evil and becomes 3D. 

The Acostas have experienced generational trauma.  The sigil was first used by a slave owner who was so cruel that he whipped Annie’s arms as she defended herself against the kidnapping of her baby. 

Especially because we get to meet Annie and see her vibrant personality, this knowledge is too much to bear. 

Leon acknowledges the inherited pain he and David from their ancestors. 

LEON: There’s pain in my paintings and in my DNA, and in yours and in Annie’s. But that’s not all that I am and not all you are. 

Generational trauma is so overlooked on TV. It shouldn’t be. I feel grateful to Evil for providing this view of evil. 

The sins of a father may not be inherited, that’s a biblical thing, but the victims of the sins pass on their pain to their babies. 

Leon doesn’t claim that his pain makes him stronger or has made him who he is.

Instead, he makes the profound point that the way we choose to carry our pain, including inherited pain, shapes us as individuals and is what we can control. 

LEON: What I know is that I’m in charge of how I shoulder that weight. So, I reached out and reclaimed that brand for myself. For me, that’s a symbol of resilience . . . You carry your weight the way you need to and I’ll carry mine, What is true, is that we’re both going to carry it.

The dialogue and performance by Vondie Curtis-Hall are astounding. 

The interconnected nature of the storylines on “2 Fathers” means that we can apply the lessons David is learning to Ben and Kristen. 

Ben is having trouble looking past Vanessa’s beliefs. On the surface, this seems about his general skeptical personality.

But, through our newly acquired Leon lens, it may also be how Ben carries his own pain. He is a dark-skinned South Asian American man. 

Like David who is a descendant of slaves, Ben has the impacts of racism in his DNA.

We have already seen evidence of familial rifts and conflicts. What pain has Ben inherited? Why is he so afraid of believing? 

Our Leon lens can also lead us to see Kristen’s life in a new way. She is a woman raising four girls with the help of her mom. 

 

 

As I pointed out in my review of Evil Season 1 Episode 6, “Let x = 9,” the storytelling on Evil is always intentional. 

It is not a coincidence that Kristen has four daughters, not sons, and her husband is gone for the first seven episodes.

Evil is still building the meaning, but the fact that it is all women and girls in the Bouchard household points towards misogyny and patriarchy as an intergenerational vulnerability for Kristen, her mom, and her children. 

Fascinating. 

Baby, No

And a motif is born! 

Evil is doing something will all the baby-content. Even though the significance of the babies is not clear yet, that anything baby related will continue to be the scariest parts of the show is crystal clear. 

Kristen is just too much; I love her. She has a giggle fit over witnessing the most horrific thing ever, of all time, just a couple of hours after seeing it. 

Esther’s goblin baby is just one example of the use of babies or baby imagery on the show. On Evil Season 1 Episode 7, “Vatican III,” Bridget’s miscarriage is the root of her vulnerability. 

Then there is the mystery of what Joe was talking about when Ben walked in on his horrified sister. A baby was mentioned.

No one will ever forget the baby in the pool. No one. 

It’s not clear how this will come to fruition. As I’ve said before, there is nothing more terrifying to me than losing my babies. Literally nothing. 

Evil is tapping into our greatest fears and vulnerabilities. 

As the motif continues to develop, we can look forward to comic relief and weird moments in the weird world to boost our ability to stomach it. 

We are blessed by Evil.

Confessional

• Andy coming home and seeing Ben’s name on the wall, that really does something for me. 
• Sheryl getting it on with Leland (or some other demonic object?) in the office is so disgusting. Barf.
• Vanessa is awesome. Ben needs to spend some more time in that mirror to check himself. 
• Racism in ADR is a really cool issue to bring up. 
• David Acosta is the coolest priest to ever father. His reaction to getting drugged is simply, “Damn.”
• A functioning thruple that is NOT evil. Evil, you get it. 
• My Evil fan theory is that Sheryl is going to kill Andy at Leland’s behest. 
• Kristen is so adorable. She is also VERY thirsty for Hot Priest+.

What did you think of this episode of Evil? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Evil airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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