Evil Review: Book 27 (Season 1 Episode 13)
The Evil Season 1 finale is a bloody revelation.
Even as Evil Season 1 Episode 13, “Book 27,” leaves us in an agonizing purgatory, it provides a stand-alone narrative that resonates straight down to the soul.
The acting, cinematography, editing, and music on the finale are perfection. There is much to say about this episode. Here is a scratch on the surface.
Motherly Love
The biggest reveal on the finale is the link between many different cases of evil the trio has encountered.
The through-line of evil is the weed babies! And Kristen birthed one of them, sweet under-the-radar Lexis.
It’s a Tetris whammy where suddenly all of the differently shaped pieces connect.
Kristen is a maternal center of EVERYTHING. Her hallucination at David’s family commune on Evil Season 1 Episode 8, “2 Fathers,” was a ghoul baby born amid the wheat.
Because it happened at the commune, Kristen’s ghoul baby vision directly connects David’s generational trauma and his visions to this new generation of evil.
Not only is this an incredibly high amount of craftsmanship that the writers of Evil need to be lauded for, but it also elevates the impact of the individual stories to next-level, other-worldly status.
It is too much for tiny human brains to comprehend. It’s as complex as the map of demons. And we haven’t forgotten how evil works, in those shadows and complex interconnections.
Evil is everywhere. But, so are mothers.
It’s a strange paradox because these mothers’ dreams and wishes for a baby are what led them to evil. Their great hope is ALSO the access point for evil to invade.
Like Eve, like Mother Mary, these women hold the future battles of good and evil in their bodies.
And, they carry the ethical weight of their choices quite ALONE.
Because of this link to the lonely pain of motherhood in “Book 27,” the completely harrowing moment from Evil Season 1 Episode 4, “Rose390,” where we realize that a mother has killed her own son, takes on an even deeper, almost helplessly deep, anguish.
Kristen is left to deal with what evil has borne in her family’s life all by herself.
The way she fights that battle is erratic, loving, strange.
The choice to never make Kristen a saint, a martyr, or a savior is splendid. It makes Evil more than the sum of its parts. It makes it feel like real life, with all its weirdness.
Katja Herbers as veritable single mom Kristen Bouchard rushes in and out of her home doing the best she can to protect her girls and failing at pretty much every turn. Everything that has happened in that household has happened under her watch.
But, we never see Kristen feeling guilty. She refuses to be what the world and the church would have her be.
She refuses to carry the weight evil has placed in her hands. Instead, she smirks and pushes on.
Kristen Bouchard is an enigma, unlike any other character on TV. She’s the mother I didn’t know I needed to see on my screen.
It is unclear how Lexis is going to deal with having a demon in her psyche. But it is perfectly clear that she has a fearless and fierce mother to guide her to peace.
Staircase to Heaven
The best scene on “Book 27,” is the conversation shared between David and Kristen on the staircase. Ben is an essential member of the evil-fighting trio.
However, as a few people point out on the episode, Ben is on the side while David and Kristen act as the magnetic poles of their operation.
Black and white, faithful and atheist, man and woman the contrasts between these two symbolize the great strength of human connection.
The hand-holding gesture that Evil pulsates on illustrates the unbreakable bond they share despite, or even because of, their contrasts.
The conversation delves into David’s greatest fear, death. It is the first time David has been truly vulnerable with Kristen and it unlocks a vision.
There are times it is flirty, and times it is sad. It’s rather electric.
It is PERFECT that this moment is shared tucked on a staircase in the modest home of a woman with a belly full of a non-human being. Seems kind of like being away in a manger.
The volley of words and tones creates a gorgeous resonance. It is a scene I could watch over and over and never tire of.
It’s a luscious and poetic breath on a five-star episode of a five-star show.
Bookend of the World
Sherlock Holmes would have a blast searching for all the clues in the finale that tie it to the pilot.
Let’s start with Kristen’s turtleneck, shall we?
On the pilot, Kristen wears a soft white turtleneck as she questions Orson. The finale opens with a dream sequence of this very moment.
Then, Kristen changes into another turtleneck that she wears throughout the rest of the finale. It is black and leather.
She’s no saint and she’s no victim.
Orson’s death is another bookend. His murders led to the trio’s relationship.
Now, Orson is shouting at Kristen and her children, including her demon-bound one. Kristen defends herself as she knows how, using her clever words.
KRISTEN: You go sow it somewhere else!
Shakespeare is used in the finale to describe David’s vulnerability. At the beginning of the season, Leland spat Shakespeare almost as a curse.
Undoubtedly, there are many other details that will continue to keep us busy until Season 2 arrives in the Fall.
Until then, it can’t be noted enough how special, exceptional, profound, glorious Evil is.
Confessional
- David’s vision makes me cry. It is so beautiful, longing, and sad.
- Ben the Magnificent can’t keep the girls free from the demons. Ben needs to embrace the spiritual realities and the pain of not knowing what is real if he is going to truly keep Kristen safe.
- “I can feel his teeth.” OH MY GOOD GOD.
- Kristen can hear her daughters despite the loud overtalking. That is some mad mom-skills.
- It is all just beginning.
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.
6 comments
Her hallucination at David’s family commune on Evil Season 1 Episode 8, “2 Fathers,” was a ghoul baby born amid the wheat.
Because it happened at the commune, Kristen’s ghoul baby vision directly connects David’s generational trauma and his visions to this new generation of evil.
I hadn’t considered this at first, but now you mention it, it seems so obvious. I also love your observations about the bookends with Kristen’s different turtleneck colors, and the use of Shakespeare quotes. One of my favorite things about reading all the comments and reviews of this episode thus far is seeing all the different connections and elements that people picked up on that others might have missed. It’ll make rewatching this episode that much more fun-the great thing about this show is how it rewards this kind of repeat viewing with these little details.
I also love your comment about Kristen not fitting into any one box. So true. And I agree that Ben may need to start looking deeper at other ways to try and help protect her family. I do love how much he continues to try to keep them safe, though. There were some great little moments between him and Kristen this episode.
And I also fully agree with your sentiments about that scene with Kristen and David. I particularly liked the moment when he apologized for them “not talking”, ’cause indeed, there’d been a little distance between them as of late, so it was nice to see them coming back together in that way. I like to think his vision is trying to tell him how to help Kristen going forward, and the fact he had the vision without the aid of drugs this time is telling, too. I look forward to seeing what lengths he’ll go to help her, too.
As for the entire plot about evil trying to target the womb, it’s such a creepy setup, and given all your talk here about the issues surrounding motherhood and the struggles a lot of women go through in regards to it, that provides the show with a chance to make some very pointed, important, timely commentary on those issues. They’ve proven they’re capable of tackling other weighty real world problems with some of their cases (like the Rwandan genocide), so I’m excited to see where they could go on that front with this storyline, too.
It’s also interesting to compare Kristen’s motherly behavior against that of her own mother’s, and how that shapes their characters as well.
I’ve really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this season. It’s been a wild ride, indeed. I can’t wait for season 2.
Agh, this comment makes me want to go back and write 10,000 more words on this finale! I totally agree that there were amazing Kristen and Ben moments. Ben The Magnificent is a huge force in the Bouchard household. It’s meaningful that the demon goat still gets in, BUT he is so important for their feeling of safety. I LOVE THEM! I don’t know how we’re going to wait until the fall.
That was a magnificent finale to the best show on broadcast TV. At this point, I have three must see shows each wee. EVIL, which is perfectly cast, though I don’t know why Christine Lahti is falling for Mr. Emerson. Well, the characters they play anyway. I think sometimes that Kristen’s mom is too desperate, but as one gets older, when you see your children preoccupied with their things, you really begin to feel alone. Some people say she’s too desperate. In reality, there are a lot of people who would probably be doing what she’s doing.
What can I say about the big three? Mike Colter is fantastic. Katja Herbers is out of this world. Aasiv Mandvi is essential. The dynamic between the three are the essential elements that make the characters believable. Can I be too old to have a crush on Miss Herbers? Who doesn’t want an intelligent, strong, protective, curious person in their lives?
Kudos to the supporting cast as well. I don’t know if Orson is really dead or Kristen is being set up by her friend, who is somewhat of a question mark at this point. What does she really believe in? Both supportive and suspicious of Kristen, she is an enigma.
The show treats the Catholic church with respect. It doesn’t make fun of its rituals or the institution itself, even as it presents a balanced treatment of the lives that priests live. They’re not perfect, subject to temptation just like everyone else. Well done, writers!
In short, it’s going to be a long couple of months before EVIL comes back. This show deserves Emmy’s for all the cast members. The big four are all supremely talented, and Christine Lahti is no slouch. Wow. It’s been a while since a show has this been provocative, insightful, daring, and intelligent.
If The Good Fight wasn’t coming back soon, I’d be totally bummed out. But why get rid of Rose Leslie? Bring her back!!!!!
Oh, the other two shows that are indispensable at the moment? Picard, that fantastic new show with the great Patrick Steward and a fine cast to go along with him. Brilliant, fantastic, thought provoking, haunting – Picard is great television. And of course, “The Good Doctor.”
Can you give me the Shakespeare quotation that David used? Another review said it was Henry IV, Book 1, but I have been unable to find it.
SUCH a great quote.
When that this body did contain a spirit,
A kingdom for it was too small a bound,
But now two paces of the vilest earth
Is room enough.
It’s in Act 5 Scene 4 of Henry IV
honestly – I enjoyed this series as walks the fine line I myself have between technology, this “here-and-now” and the world of faith and belief. I’m closer to “Ben” the magnificent skeptic than the other two but with faith; explanation first before totally assigning to faith. The funniest scene, burst out laughing, had to pause to contain myself moment; and what may have ruined the series for me was Leland and the Goat in Psychiatrist mode. Maybe because of goat yoga, no matter how big, they just don’t scare me…
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