Even before FOX's The Exorcist premiered, horror fans across the globe were dreading the latest instalment in the legendary franchise. There seemed to be a sense of fear that the show would ruin the legacy, even though The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) did that all by itself, arguably. Last night's shocking twist however will no doubt have excited some viewers whilst frustrated others. The show at first seemed like it was simply located in the same universe as the original 1973 movie, but now its been confirmed that it's in fact a sequel of sorts. This changes everything...
Before the shock reveal is discussed, lets go over the rest of the episode. Chapter Five centred almost entirely within the Rance home, on a gloomy and dark evening. Rain slammed against the window and sound of the thunder attacked the house, creating a very on edge (and almost claustrophobic) atmosphere. It seemed to fuel anxiety within Angela (Geena Davis) who cleaned to distract herself from the heartbreaking thought of two priests exorcising her daughter upstairs.
The exorcism itself seemed to span over several scenes. It was tough, it was violent, it was funny, and it was very sexual. It was what you'd expect from this franchise, I'd say. Casey (Hannah Kasulka) looks like a mixture of a Cabin Fever character and Reagan MacNeil from The Exorcist (1973). Covered in bruises and (what was presumably) vomit, she definitely looked the part. Before the exorcism took place, Casey had a mysterious scene with her father Henry (Allan Ruck). Telling him she had a secret, the possessed teenager seemed to channel something into him, whilst almost licking his ear with a black and vile tongue. Based on his conversation later on with Angela where he suggested she need to confess something, it can perhaps be assumed that the demon was making Henry aware of his wife's true identity.
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| Father Tomas or Baby Daddy Tomas? |
This hallucinating power of the demon, or maybe simply the minds of the priests', was even more messed-up during a very sexual scene between Father Tomas and his married love-interest Jessica (Mouzam Makkar), who was actually Casey/the demon. Jessica flirted and propositioned the priest, claiming that she was "hungry" and that Christ had preached to "feed the hungry". Proceeding to place her fingers in his mouth and touch his skin, the demon lingered on Father Tomas, who was loving the attention. Father Marcus interrupted the pair just in time to prevent much action taking place; phew! This brush with 'Jessica'/the demon prompted Father Tomas to seduce the actual Jessica, finally. It was inevitably going to happen at some point, and the scene was very steamy indeed. Inter-cut with scenes about Father Marcus' childhood and parents, the Literature student in me analysed the scenes as being significant. Not only visually quite interesting, I'm wondering whether its foreshadowing a potential pregnant Jessica. This would certainly bring some more personal drama to the blooming love between Father Marcus and his married lover.
In regards the exorcism, Father Marcus ended up doing it alone. During their previous attempts, Father Tomas had been naively distracted by the demon's performance as his grandmother, and then after the whole demon seduction scene, there was no way the hunky priest was going to be capable of helping out. In all honesty, this is what Father Marcus does, so I'd rather him take the reigns. Unfortunately for him though, just as he seemed to be making progress, the police (after being contacted by Kat) came and arrested him. It was utter chaos; a demonic teenager tied to a mattress, a priest who looked very guilty, a screaming mother, and a snitch daughter who soon seemed to realise she'd been duped. With a wicked smile, Casey/the demon let Kat know that she'd messed up, royally.
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| Grey is the new black. |
Have no fears Father Marcus fans though. Although stuck in a cell, he was later greeted by Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan), his frenemy of sorts, who remarked: "what am I going to do with you?". The pair will presumably team up again, this time in an attempt to save his Holiness, the Pope. Whilst in his cell, the priest said "He is Coming", the slogan used on the multiple ad campaigns we've seen about the Pope's arrival. This suggests that he's now aware of the connection between the harvesting/the demons and his Holiness. What exactly is in store for the Pope is unknown but it doesn't look good. Father Marcus needs to save his superior, if he wants any chance of saving his reputation and priesthood.
Similarly to "He is Coming" being used frequently in previous weeks, this episode's repeated line was "bring her to me". The identity of the 'her' was generally up for debate, though it was clearly not Casey, as the Salesman (Robert Emmet Lunney) said it directly to her. It didn't take long for the show to reveal who he was referring to though. The episode, as a result, ended with an entire section of homage to The Exorcist (1973). In a poignant confession to Father Tomas, Angela gave viewers the revelation that she was in fact Reagan MacNeil from the original movie. A child when her possession took place, Angela has post-traumatic amnesia, following these terrifying experiences. This explains why she's never brought up the events of the original movie before, and gives a reason for her constant fear of the demon being in her home (she seems to remember certain parts of her past).
The way the twist was revealed is very much a credit to the writers. It wasn't one of those shocks which was just thrown at us without a moment's notice; instead Angela carefully led us down a path towards the truth with her dialogue to Father Tomas. Viewers will have understood where she was going at varying points, and I thought this was a fantastic way of doing so. I noticed a few people online have commented that they already figured out the Reagan twist out (particularly on an IMDB forum), though I imagine that for the most part, most viewers hadn't suspected such. "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR" were my first words as I listened to Angela unveiling the truth. So it's safe to say I wasn't expecting this kind of a game-changing twist.
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| The ultimate homage. |
A few weeks ago, I unconsciously hinted at the twist, kinda; "Unlike Father Tomas, Angela does not immediately represent her counterpart in the original movie. They share some traits but ultimately Angela seems to share the role of Reagan (Linda Blair) with her two daughters". I had no idea that I was closer to the truth than I thought, though I'm glad I didn't suspect the twist so early on (where's the fun in that?). During the episode I suspected Angela was the 'she' the demon wanted, but I didn't know why. I should have guessed, yes, but I had no idea the show would take such a bold move. Bravo to those behind this decision, bravo.
I personally love this twist, I really do. It's innovative, pretty unpredictable and it makes sense. It's interesting to be able to see this transition that Reagan has gone through. Sure, it might lose a bit of traction in a few weeks, but right now, I'm still hyped about this revelation. Not only does it directly connect the movie franchise to the show, it also adds to some of the show's familiarity for fans.
Hopefully nobody suspects this was a last minute decision by the show, because from what I've read, it wasn't. This was clearly the intention all along, with Angela's name even being a clever anagram. Angela Rance can be rearranged to spell 'Clean Reagan', representative of the person she (supposedly) is. We know this isn't necessarily true as the demon (Pazuzu) has found her once again.
The last scene presented us with yet more of a throwback, with the arrival of Angela's (Reagan's) mother, Chris MacNeil. Originally played by Ellen Burstyn, in the show Sharon Gless has been cast as the actress mother. I have to be honest and say that I am disappointed Burstyn hasn't reprised her role, though this may be through her own choice or perhaps the decision of the show-runners. Either way, I wish she was on the show.
Quote of the Week:
"When people obsess about the past, it's because they're afraid of the future" - Kat Rance. There was something so powerful about this line, and I do see a lot of truth in it. In addition to this before 'Quote of the Week', Angela's game-changing dialogue in the episode's concluding scenes was also incredible.Performer of the Week:
Everyone. Every single person involved. The entire episode was wonderfully acted, shot and directed. Even the rain and the lighting and the music created such a tense atmosphere which helped sell the actor's emotions. This is possibly my favourite episode of the show so far, and it'll take a lot to change that.Thanks for reading my latest The Exorcist review. Share your thoughts of the game changing twist in the comments section below.
