Evil Review: 7 Swans a Singin’ (Season 1 Episode 10)
Fa, la, la, la, la, WHAT THE FUDGE!?
There are at least seven separate parts of Evil Season 1 Episode 10, “7 Swans a Singin’,” that are cover your ears and look away screaming level frightening.
The fact that they are all on ONE EPISODE of television, it is unbearable.
We can’t skip through the commercials because we need the time to catch our breath and recoup.
Holly hell, I love it.
As is the case with Evil Season 1 Episode 8, “2 Fathers” the amount of disparate content on the show, with tones shifting and competing, serves to make the show better. It enhances our connection to the characters and our feeling that we don’t have a firm grip on reality.
Let Earth receive her King! Michelle and Robert King, that is. The experience and mastery of storytelling this creative team has is really a gift. They might not have been ready to give us Evil early in their careers.
So, too, our three leads, the actors and their characters, are at the perfect time in their careers to prepare the weighty content so that it comes out fully cooked and delicious.
Let’s get into those “7 Swans a Singin'” bites, shall we?
Bad Grandma is not just negligent, she’s full-on violent. We think the mafioso punch-advice is terrible and then she leans on her sweet granddaughter for snitching.
What is the word for this kind of scary? The one that makes you want to throw up and then take a thousand hot showers to rid yourself of whatever human malady that type of invasive betrayal represents.
Bad Grandma is really evil.
She is certainly Leland’s most powerful tool against Kristen. She has access to Kristen’s daughters, which is her greatest vulnerability to evil. We haven’t forgotten about that heart condition.
And Bad Grandma is really the perfect target. Before Leland’s influence, she was an atypical not exactly nurturing grandparent. Now, her abusive acts can be more easily dismissed.
Leland the Demon is good.
David’s B plot storyline leaves us screaming at our TV as the credits roll. His performance as the penitent priest in training is Mike Colter’s strongest of the season.
His cool unflappability from the first few episodes has quickly eroded and we are seeing behind the cloth.
It turns out that my speculation that on Evil Season 1 Episode 9, “Exorcism Part 2,” Renee was a vision is dead wrong. But, there is certainly something supernatural afoot. The heart with an arrow on the INSIDE of David’s car is the height of freaky to me.
Someone, presumably his dead fiance, is stalking David. Stalking is terrifying. It invades your sense of safety and can be incredibly traumatizing. It’s brilliant that Evil uses Julia’s haunting to make a comorbid point about stalking.
Colter has incredible range and the episode allows him to show it off. His guilt drips off the screen, but so does his ability to bury that beneath a facade of composure. Kristen sees the cracks, which makes her a special person in David’s life.
I’ll be honest, I don’t really get the gold earrings. They are such a basic gift. She wears them immediately, showcasing the level of her thirst. But, I’m not sure what they say about David.
The stabbing scene in front of the nativity scene is somehow even ore graphic than Sebastian’s accidental gunshot. The nearness to the imagery of a holy safe haven, a place of peace for a person who is being hunted, makes the brutal violence more eviscerating.
David’s face as he reaches out for Kristen, as he reaches out for life, is painfully poetic. The buzzing of the phone over the final credits continues the stanza. The result is a piece of work more haunting than the poem “Tell-Tale Heart”.
“7 Swans a Singin'” belongs to Colter, and Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard is also stunning. She manages to both be the freaky thing, and be the one who breaks it apart for scientific analysis. Wild.
Also, she always seems just on the other side of something hilarious. A smile is always dancing on her lips.
How strange. There isn’t really much in her life that is amusing. Yet, she finds a way to be curious and entertained by her work with the trio.
I have mentioned before how much I adore her strange. This episode leans into that quality of our star character. There hasn’t been a character as perplexing on TV for a long time. She may have her eyes on David, but we’re thirsty for her.
Mike Colter will certainly be back for the final episodes of the season. But, that doesn’t mean David won’t die.
Evil has proven it can do anything. We will remain in a state of fear for David’s life until the show’s return in January.
Confessional
- How, HOW are Kristen and Andy not immediately calling 911 when their kid stabs herself with a compass!! HER BRAIN IS IN THERE!
- I appreciate that the group of teen girls is diverse. I see those details.
- The influence storyline is a poignant commentary on social media culture and its link to suicidality, and the storyline that deserves some articles.
- What horrible thing did the teens here to make them stab themselves? That’s more than just subversive suggestions.
- “The Ls” made a gorgeous card for Ben the Magnificent. That is the most precious gift. Get these two some mistletoe! What? Andy who?
- Michael Emerson is so good as coercive control cult leader Leland the Demon.
- Where’s George?
- Kristen, seriously, girl, use some headphones for crying out loud.
- I think we can all admit, Christmas carols do get stuck in your head, and they can be more chilling than cheery.
- The creepy Christmas cartoon is amazing. All we can expect is the unexpected from this stellar show.
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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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.
7 comments
i can’t wait for kristen to find out that her mom is still seeing leland, she is going to go crazy. this show is crazy, a little scary but overall great television.
I agree – it’s bananas. I think that Kristen’s face-off with her demonified mom is going to be a major plot point. She might have to choose between her mom and her kids or maybe her mom will kill Andy. Something big is in the works. EEK!
This is such a great show. I am glad that they didn’t play the confession scene as a guilt inducing, dehumanizing visit. And the imagery of the phone ringing with Kristen’s name showing up, and then the image of the infant Jesus is a sharp juxtaposition to the three stars – that even in his time of trial, the Trinity that he worships is watching over him (David). And by the way, David in the Old Testament was the chosen one. Why is the character named David? Is there some meaning to the name in the context of the show’s storyline arcs? I guess we will see.
What a great show.
Oooh, love the biblical meaning of David info you gave! Also, David and Goliath! Completely agree with the three-star juxtaposition– SUCH a good show.
Janelle, Your review was excellent, it touched every subject I thought of while watching, including the significance of the earrings to Kristen, it’s all because it came from that certain special person, she had to wear it immediately.
I think this stabbing with David at death’s door will force Kristen to confront the full range of her feelings for David and that will have a disastrous effect on her marriage.
I’d like to add something you didn’t mention but was telling, that it was noted that she left Andy and the kids, walked into the hallway around the corner before secretly opening David’s gift.
That’s a really great point! I know it’s kind of terrible, but the demise of Kristen’s marriage can’t come soon enough for me. I just wonder how evil is going to take a part in that and what that will mean for the trio. I mean, that cat!
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