EVIL Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Vatican III
Jessica Lerner
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Welcome to Mythology 101, where viewers will receive very rudimentary answers to some of the season's most burning questions.
Maybe I oversold the course, but EVIL Season 1 Episode 7 did move the overarching plotlines of the season nicely along.
Not only did it touch upon the Poveglia Codex, also known as incomplete ancient prophecies written by monks thousands of years ago, again, but viewers finally got an answer to who and/or what The Sixty are.
Though the suspected prophetess Grace was MIA -- mostly likely back in China -- the Church was still very interested in what she had to say.
The Vatican would like nothing more than for Grace to be a false prophetess, but on the off chance, she's the real thing, which seems pretty likely, then they need answers.
Acosta: She would sometimes blow up a balloon to hear God more accurately.
Silvio: Excuse me?
Acosta: She would blow up a toy balloon.
Silvio: Do you not find this odd – a prophet requiring the blowing up of a balloon?
Ben: I found it off that there was a prophet at all. Everything after that was just gravy.
Silvio: What does that mean: gravy?
Ben: It means that once something is stupid, it doesn’t matter how much more stupid gets piled on top of it.
Those answers could prove extremely important if Grace's prophecies combined with the Poveglia Codex spell the end of days for earth.
It's highly unlikely the series is going to pull a "Heroes" and create some sort of cataclysmic doomsday event that would spell the end of humanity.
It is possible, though, that the show could take a page out of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and have a Hellmouth of sorts open up, allowing demons access to the world above.
Despite the possible craziness of my speculations, my theory is given some credence by the demonic map that lists the hierarchy of 60 demons, or The Sixty, as they've been referred.
It seems Townsend is just one of the demons Kristen, Acosta, and Ben have to look out for, as there could be as many as 59 other lurking around.
Kristen: So what do you think?
Acosta: I think we’re in a bad spot.
Kristen: You think she did it?
Acosta: I think he did it.
Kristen: David, I love our debates over these issues, but not when it comes to murder.
One of those demons may even end up connecting back to Acosta's father, as the episode ended with the realization that his father's artwork was marked with a demonic sigil.
Based on next week's promo, it looks like it'll be a family affair all around, though, as both Acosta's father and Kristen's husband are slated to make appearances.
At this point, it'll be more interesting to meeting Acosta's father and trying to figure out he connects to the demonic hierarchy.
The introduction of Acosta's father opens up so many possibilities for the future and has the potential to give viewers more insight on the character.
Kristen: Well, there is a psychological condition called coercive control. A criminal husband can dominate his spouse and force her to hide his crimes. And sometimes, the dominated spouse will even take the blame for the crimes.
Ben: Why does psychology always sound like a con to me? It does. It’s like religion for grad students.
As for Kristen's husband, it's unclear what to expect.
Viewers know close to nothing about him, other than the fact that he's gone for prolonged periods, living out his dream of mountain climbing while his loving wife takes care of the bills, the house, and their four daughters.
Sounds like such a wonderful husband and father.
The one thing I am curious is if the guy picks up on the sexual tension between Kristen and Acosta.
Since this little plot point gets mentioned every single episode, I wonder if Kristen's husband will bring it up at some point.
What are you doing? Fleabagging?
Mira
And while Townsend didn't interact with any of the main cast this episode, he still got to have his fun.
Acosta mentioned in EVIL Season 1 Episode 1 that Townsend was a "connector" of sorts, meaning that he finds a way to influence people into doing "bad things," to put it simplistically.
This episode was the first time viewers got to see Townsend in action and watching him work his toxic masculinity was horrifying.
Does he sit at restaurants or coffee shops all day, just waiting to prey on someone vulnerable? Or is there a method to his madness?
Townsend: You hold the power to make your life what you want. You need to get back at her.
Boy: How? If I do anything to her, she’ll tell the police.
Townsend: People generally don’t believe women. They overreact and are emotional. And if you do it right, she’ll be too embarrassed to tell anyone. Be a man.
Whatever his tactics, Townsend was more than effective, as he got Sebastian, the guy who was rejected by a barista, to give the girl a disgusting present and essentially join an online white supremacy cult.
He didn't even seem that fazed by the other online members suggesting he go out and rape some poor innocent woman because he deserved it.
And that was in just two therapy sessions. Think about how much more -- pun intended -- evil Sebastian will be capable of under the tutelage of Townsend.
It's disturbing to watch those scenes and listen to all the vitriolic and misogynistic rhetoric that Townsend spews, mostly because it hits close to home.
Kristen: So Leland is a psychopath who uses the metaphor of demonology to give his pursuits meaning?
Acosta: If that’s the best way for us to communicate, then yes. If he comes back Kristen, you have to tell me. There are two sides to this; it’s not enough to just use logic.
Kristen: If he comes back, you’re gonna have to keep me from killing him.
I'm hopeful that we'll see more of Sebastian and his interactions with Townsend in the future. It seems like too good of a plot to wrap up in just one hour.
It'd be especially interesting if Sebastian became connected to one of the team's assessments, as those longer overarching storylines are much more appealing.
Some stray thoughts:
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I really like how the "cases of the week" have shifted from determining whether or not the supernatural really exists to just focusing on its implications. For example, viewers didn't get an answer if the woman who confessed to the murders was possessed or suffered from a dissociative identity disorder. What we did get to see is how the story played out, and that is much more satisfying. There are only so many times Kristen and Acosta can have the same back and forth before it gets repetitive.
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Did anyone else think Julia was going to be revealed as the artist before Acosta said his father was the painter?
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How amazing was it to have an episode that was completely devoid of Kristen's daughters. I had almost forgotten what it sounds like when four little girls aren't simultaneously screaming over each other all at once.
So what did you think EVIL Fanatics?
Are the prophecies in the Poveglia Codex true? If so, does this spell the end of the world?
Have we seen the last of Grace or Sebastian?
Which family member are you looking forward to meeting more?
Don't forget to hit the comments below and let me know you thoughts. If you happened to miss the latest episode, no worries, as you can watch EVIL online right here at TV Fanatic.
Jessica Lerner was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in October 2021.
