Things are getting a lot more confusing with this story.

Maybe it's just me, but I found myself scratching my head quite a few times while watching The Exorcist Season 1 Episode 3. In fact, I'd be surprised if I'm not missing a patch of hair on my poor head.

Could it be I'm looking too hard for meaning in some of the scenes? I'm hoping you'll be able to help me out.

Father Bennett arrived in Chicago as part of His Holiness' prep crew. Maybe it's just me, but it seems far fetched that the same priest who is sent to the dusty streets of Mexico City to check on an exorcism is the same guy heading up the tour for Pope Sebastian.

It would have made more sense to me if he had finagled his way onto the crew because of the city's proximity to St. Aquinas and desire to track down Father Marcus, but Father Bennett actually seemed to be the lead. Okay.

As such, he got acquainted with Father Tomas, Mrs. Walters and Angela, as well as being informed on Casey's possession. Talk about fortuitous.

Father Tomas' parish is a busy place. I stopped attending church as soon as my mom stopped forcing me to go, so I've never seen the hustle and bustle of an inner city Catholic Church. I don't even know if it would ever look like that. It never stops. It's crazy.

Henry went to see Father Tomas about Casey, and we learned he's suffering a head injury from scaffolding falling on his head. What's to guess the Salesman tricked him into pulling a rope or something that caused the entire thing to collapse? 

In any event, everyone knows it's Casey who is possessed, and Father Tomas tried going the easy route to get approval for an exorcism. Father Marcus laughed in his face. By this point, Marcus already sussed out that the homeless are aiming to whip up a smattering of demons using the body parts of murdered victims.

I suppose possession isn't good enough? I'll just go ahead and so no, it's not, because Casey spilled her guts with fairly little prodding by Marcus once he got going.

All he needed to do was say she wasn't as pretty or as loved as her sister for Casey to turn on her demon and the Salesman (whose role I still don't fully understand) and for the Baptist demon to show himself to Marcus. 

Yep, same dude who was inside Gabriel. Taunting Marcus. Telling Marcus when Gabriel's neck snapped, God looked at Marcus with open-eyed indifference. Cruel, that. But seriously, it didn't take much for Baptist, Casey or Marcus to give up the ghost and crumble under a little pressure, you know?

Baptist is a strange name for a demon, because I immediately think of John the. Any relation? I don't feel like doing my usual Googling, so I'm going to wait until it's revealed, because I'm sure it's coming.

Why did Baptist pick the Rance family? We know the Salesman was messing with them as early as three months ago when Kat was in the accident. That whole scene was really painful. It's no wonder she's been in hiding ever since.

To have shared her love for her friend for the first time to have her die seconds later is extremely harsh. But does anyone else think when Julia said to look into her eyes there might have been something else there other than love? Was it just the Salesman in the street that caused the accident? I guess that was enough.

The growths on Casey three months later must be manifestations of the evil inside. That she so easily accepts the love of the Salesman, a dirty (literally), older man who fondles and kisses her doesn't feel right.

Where did Casey get the idea she's unattractive? Granted, we've not spent any time with the family in the past to see what their dynamic was before things changed, but Henry now seems equally devoted to both daughters. He acts tenderly towards Casey and the love in his eyes is real.

Casey, however, is falling ever further away from her family.

I was confused, at first, about the timing of the memorial for Julia. It seemed as if it was in the past, but Kat's dance troupe clearly held it until she was ready to join them for it. That only reinforced Casey's jealousy.

At least there was no damage done to the dancers, because as soon as the recital stared, I expected Casey to start snapping ballet dancer's legs just like her lacrosse player friends. 

It's apparent the Salesman is trying to alienate Casey from her friends and family, but I wonder if he's also trying to get her body, as well. The part on the train was not terrifying as much as it was humiliating.

The Baptist, or whoever is controlling Casey at this point, did something to the passengers' cell phones, right? That's what was happening as all of them looked down at the devices in their hands? 

I hope so, because if they started filming at any time during that melee and Casey was caught on film either ravaging those kids or, demon forbid, peeing herself at the very end, she'd be hard pressed not to kill herself. How much can a possessed teenager take in this modern society?

What really sucked about the hour is how excited Father Marcus was, overall, to see Father Bennett. After everything they'd been through together, he still thought that when push came to shove, Bennett would do the right thing when it came to an exorcism. 

Instead, Marcus was excommunicated.

But what did it mean, overall, to his relationship with the Church and with Bennett? That's where I got to scratching my head. Was the excommunication a show put on for Father Tomas? What do the names mean on the back of the tickets? Why would he care if the Church was threatened?

Color me confused. What kind of game are these two guys playing?

And what's up with Mrs. Walters? Her family became prominent by making most of the shatter proof glass that keeps Chicago standing. She seemed angry at Father Tomas for pointing out Pope Sebastian should visit the poor of the city for more than 20 minutes, and that his area is safe.

But then she invited him over and gave him a $100,000 donation. Even he asked about the catch. She just said she was feeling generous. Do something to make her feel generous again. Is her happy face, her sad face and her generous face one in the same?

Another plot line where I fell right off the ledge. What did it mean?

You guys tell me what you think. I'll be talking with the showrunner and Geena Davis at NYCC, so I hope to get some scoop about what this season is all about!

Until then, watch The Exorcist online and fill me in on all your theories!

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.