The Exorcist continues to deliver this week with “Safe As Houses” being a strong second episode. Continuing to build off the strengths of season one while upping the ante on the terror factor sets The Exorcist: The Next Chapter above all other horror shows on television. While we’re still following a few different storylines, “Safe As Houses” does a great job at setting up everything that is to come. The Exorcist is the one horror show on television that you should not be missing. Let’s break down tonight’s episode!
Father Bennett and The Vatican
Image Credit: FoxFlash
Holy S**t Father Bennett is back and he’s not playing around. After almost being murdered by Cardinal Guillot, Fr. Bennett is back at The Vatican, stirring things up. He stresses to his superiors that there is a corruption running deep within the church, Cardinal Guillot included. After taking some time to prepare a case, he tries to prove that demons a problem within the church and that many of the possessed are also becoming fully integrated. A fate much worse than possession and quite a bit trickier to fight. Cardinal Guillot puts on a pony show to prove that he cannot possibly be possessed by drinking a glass of holy water. The flaw in this plan, why on earth did they not let another priest bless the water. Bennett is questioned on the whereabouts of the ex-communicated Marcus and Father Tomas, but he declines knowing where they are. Bennett wouldn’t even give their location to his direct superior, he’s no traitor to their cause after Chicago. His supervisor gives him a new task, finding some woman who shouldn’t be allowed a gun. Later on, Bennett witnesses his direct superior being taken away by Cardinal Guillot’s lackeys. So things aren’t looking too good at The Vatican. He calls Marcus and tells them to get far away from their current location and to wait for further instruction, that the corruption is coming for them.
Father Tomas and Marcus Keane
Things aren’t going too hot for this demon-fighting duo either. After kidnapping Cindy to save her life, the local Sheriff (and her husband) Jordie, is pretty keen to rough them up. Cindy is taken to the hospital before Tomas and Marcus can complete the exorcism, which is bad news for everyone at that hospital. Ben Daniels is amazing as Marcus, giving a badass speech about how the poison coursing through her veins is Lucifer himself. But Tomas keeps letting the demon into his head in order to try and save Cindy. This causes some strife between the two and could put Tomas in serious danger, which he just keeps shrugging off. This is what we all fell in love with in Season 1, Tomas and Marcus taking names and kicking some demon butt. So I love that The Next Chapter is keeping the focus on that amazing on-screen energy.
Image Credit: Fox Flash
Image Credit: FoxFlash
After realizing that he made a grave mistake, Jordie brings Tomas and Marcus to the hospital to deal with his possessed wife. She’s completely wreaked havoc at the hospital and after watching Cindy climb all over those walls, you won’t be able to sleep properly. This is another thing that The Next Chapter is getting right and solidly puts it at the top of the list for horror shows on television. The Exorcist is pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable within a horror story and then kicking it up to the next level. With how terrifying this first possession is, I am absolutely terrified at how awful it will be when it’s one of Andy’s kids. Cindy ends up murdering at least one man at the hospital before spider-jumping into the ceiling and scampering away. They find her in the nursery of all places, as this is how the demon was able to grab hold of her to begin with. After losing a child of her own, all Cindy wanted was to hold her baby one last time. And the demon within Cindy has decided that these babies in the nursery are annoying and delicate, easily broken. If Tomas and Marcus don’t back off with the exorcism she will squeeze the life out of every tiny baby in there. Tomas has been letting the demon into his head in order to get touch with the real Cindy. She’s still in there, hiding at her old church, which according to Jordie, they haven’t been to in the past 10 years and looks eerily like the abandoned building on the island where the foster home is. He reaches out to Cindy and they are able to finally rid her of the demon, but not without cost. We have no idea what allowing the demon in will do to Tomas and his judgement going forward. Marcus has warned him of the dangerous of engaging with any demon, but Tomas is certain it’s how he is supposed to save lives. I hope that our demon-fighting duo can figure out their differences and that Tomas will start listening to Marcus! It shouldn’t be that complicated to understand that engaging with demons probably isn’t safe for the soul.
Andy and the Kids
Image Credit: FoxFlash
After quite the scare with Caleb, Rose is debating if she needs to report the incident as potential self-harm behavior. We still aren’t sure what the history is between Andy and Rose, but tensions are high between the two of them while they debate about what is best for the kids. Caleb admits to Andy that Verity took him out to the well, and told him to stand there and count to 10 to prove himself. Verity recalls a different version of the story, the version we saw in “Janus.” She is put-out that Andy would just assume Caleb’s story and is adamant that she did not lead him out there at night and then leave him alone. Interestingly, just like in “Janus” Andy is the only one who interacts with the youngest, Grace. So I’m interested to see how that continues to play out, but I also really hope that Grace doesn’t end up possessed, she’s just a cute tiny child with a sometimes creepy creepy “brave face” she doesn’t deserve something as horrific as possession! Rose questions if Andy is the best at spotting self-harm and signs of depression which opens up tons of questions about his late wife Nicole and what really happened surrounding her death. Something is definitely happening in those woods and Shelby is the one to experience it first hand tonight. We get to meet the (slightly strange) neighbors as they offer Shelby the chance to see the miracle of life firsthand. But there is something very wrong with the lamb that is delivered and Shelby can feel the evil in the woods. Not knowing what to do, he rubs lamb’s blood on the front door to protect the house. Great, because this won’t be difficult to explain to Rose at all. Though she takes Andy’s word that Caleb standing on the well really was just a silly initiation, she still has to do an overall assessment for the state. Evil is already there and biding it’s time until possession. Hopefully Marcus and Tomas won’t be far behind, because Evil has a new home now, and even though he is a great parent to those kids…Andy isn’t prepared for what’s coming.
Image Credit: FoxFlash
The Exorcist airs every Friday night at 9/8 c on Fox.
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The Exorcist Official Website
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