The Exorcist - Chapter Three: Let 'Em In - Review: "Rough (Looks Like Urine Trouble)"

In and amongst the horror and scares, there's a vulnerability and emotion behind The Exorcist. "Let 'Em In" showed us another layer of the FOX show, though it's perhaps a little too late for fans to save the already rating failure production. The first episode presented us with a damaged family, but last night's took us much closer to the wound. There was death, heartbreak, tears and...pee!

Viewers were already aware that Katharine Rance (Brianne Howey) had lost a close friend in a car accident. What we didn't know was that Katharine had been the one driving, and that the two girls were into one another. The episode opened with a flashback to the tragic night, and showed us a different side of the eldest Rance daughter. It was wonderful to see her smiling for once, and the connection and love these two young women had for one another was undeniable. Katharine evidently had her life ahead of her; a talented performer, a beautiful love in her life and a supportive family. Taking her eyes off the road for just a split second, to look at Julia (Charlotte Thomas), the car headed towards a man in the middle of the road. Cut to a few moments later and Julia is dead. Covered in blood and panicking, Katharine realises she's lost the love of her life and this is undoubtedly the moment her own life came to a screeching halt. It was a heart-wrenching scene, particularly as the moments before the crash clearly meant a lot to both girls. They'd presumably waited and waited to tell one another about their underlying feelings, and once they were finally out, the idea of a relationship was tragically stolen from Katharine.

R.I.P Julia

The rest of the episode is set-up to focus on Julia's memorial performance by her ballet friends, whom Katharine has hardly spoken to since the accident. The performance itself is beautifully shot, with the dancing inter-cut with shots of Katharine and her family responding emotionally to what's on the stage. Again, it's refreshing to see the character in an unsullen state and at peace with her family. Katharine's past wasn't the only Rance family history revealed this week though. The cause of Henry Rance (Alan Ruck)'s disability is mentioned by the character himself, as he remarks about falling off scaffolding. I mentioned last week that the finale could easily involve a showdown in Father Tomas' (Alfonso Herrera) church, which is currently under renovation. Could history be about to repeat itself? With Ruck having been promoted to Series Regular, it's possible that Henry will be possessed by the/a demon himself, giving him a much more prominent role. He's already shown some signs of being a vessel for a demon, and so he could potentially end up on one of the church's scaffolds in an epic showdown between good and evil. I could be overthinking things though, just a little...

Henry's daughter, Casey (Hannah Kasulka) was inspected by Father Tomas and Father Marcus (Ben Daniels), who then attempted to converse with the demon through her. The former's approach is a little comedic, with him asking her to move a pen with her mind. I doubted that this demon would take that kind of pathetic bait, and I was right. Stepping in, Father Marcus took the lead and pushed the girl into a defensive corner, causing the demon to fight back. Spitting back in another language, the demon essentially confirmed the priests' beliefs that Casey is possessed. Did their superiors believe them? Of course not. Therapy was the suggested solution, and a dismissal was issued to Father Marcus. Luckily for us, he remained for the entire episode and only hopped on a bus right at the end. All that was left for him to say was *in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression* "I'll be back". We all know he'll be back and fighting.

Something wicked this way comes.

"He is Coming" continued to be teased this week, with imagery but also scenes devoted to the Pope's potential arrival. Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan) returned, much to Father Marcus' dismay, along with several other senior priests, to discuss the itinerary and details surrounding his holiness' visit to Chicago. Translating for his superior, Father Bennett explained that due to "additional risks", the Pope would be exempt from visiting the poorest areas of the city. Apparently "his holiness has the luxury of ignoring such matters, being a man of the people". Say what? To me, this if anything shows that he should visit every part of Chicagoan society. These people worship him, support him and respect him yet he won't slum it for a few hours for them? He's a "man of the people" but won't attend churches in the poorer areas of the city? It seemed very hypocritical, though I assume this was the intention. Father Tomas began to counter-argue, commenting that whilst the members of the poorest parishes may not have financial wealth to offer, "spiritually they are rich". Before his opinion could be shut down, which was inevitably about to happen, screams from outside the building interrupted the meeting. A man outside was on fire, though it's later revealed that there was no obvious cause; he just spontaneously set alight. Supernatural forces were at play here, clearly. The Pope has surely ruffled a few (burnt) feathers.

Amongst the ignorance surrounding the poorest areas of the city, there are a few important people who are paying attention to the needs of the helpless. Maria Walters (Kirsten Fitzgerald), who's part of the committee responsible for organising the Pope's visit, privately donated a hundred thousand dollars to Father Tomas' parish. Aware that gifts like that usually come at a price, the priest desired an explanation. With her husband dying a very undignified death, and due to his love for the city and the church, the woman is on a mission to save Chicago as much as she can. She's caught up in a "sentimental moment" she states. Father Tomas may be right to suspect a hidden motive, and I can't help but wonder whether her husband will make an appearance in the near future - possibly possessed.

I refuse to ship these two. 

On the topic of possession; the man whom only Casey can see was revealed to be a "travelling salesman" who preyed on the girl's insecurities. He acts as a Svengali over Casey, encouraging her to do some crazy shit indeed. What the hell was that scene with the curling wand? No thank you! We've already seen her snap a rival's legs, she's a professional cheater at Jenga, and now she can add stealing expensive clothes to her list of rebellious possession acts. In the episode's climax, she once again was inspired to act violently however by this demonic force, though this time on a train. After a passenger made unwanted advances towards the girl, she (well, the demon) flipped and proceeded to rip him to shreds in front of the rest of the carriage. As always with these moments, it was grossly interesting to watch. Casey's father lay unconscious during the whole ordeal but it seemed like some passengers were filming the attack, so it's likely the Rance's will see what went down soon. The scene also showed us Casey having a romantic embrace with the "travelling salesman" which was disturbing to say the least. He's clearly more than just a Svengali figure, as he doubles up as a lover. Following the attack though and in true The Exorcist fashion, she peed herself in front of not just her father, who had since woken up, but the entire train carriage. She gazed at her father with an expression which seemed to say "help me, Daddy!". There was a dark presence there, yet a vulnerability and a desperation in her eyes.

Quote of the Week:

"The thing about gardening is the more beautiful the plant, the more trouble it gives you. The really beautiful ones, they're always fighting tooth and claw for attention, sunlight, water, they'll soak up ever last drop they can get; even if they have to choke the life out of every other plant in that box" - Father Marcus. 

Performer of the Week:

This episode belonged the Rance daughters. Brianne Howey and Hannah Kasulka both portrayed too fragile young women but in different ways. Katharine has shut the world out in hopes of keeping the pain of losing the "love of her life" away, whilst Casey has been seduced by a demon because of her own insecurities and jealousy towards her sister. These two actresses, who are ultimately out-shined on paper by their more well-known co-stars, proved in this episode that you don't have to be a household name to be a star. They both captured my attention in every scene they were in, and in all honesty, I did feel overcome with emotion several times due to Howey's performance as the grief-stricken young woman. Kasulka on the other hand has this ability to portray a character whom both creeps me out, yet I still sympathise towards. Bravo ladies, bravo!

 This week's climax definitely topped the second episode's, though the latter will likely affect the narrative more. Last week's episode concluded with a horrific murder-spree in which a group of (seemingly possessed) individuals harvested victim's organs. This is likely something a community would mention and be in fear of, yet it was hardly mentioned in this episode. I wonder if this is because it was on the wrong side of the tracks, and I suppose the Rance family are a little preoccupied with their own problems right now. The reason for such a harvesting was however revealed in a conversation between Father Marcus and Father Bennett. The pair discuss how you need bodily organs to summon a demon, and the former suspects that, due to the amount harvested, there's more than one demon being called for in this instance. Oh crap! Looks like it's not just the Pope who's coming to town...

Let me know in the comments section if you're still rooting for The Exorcist and whether you'll be tuning in to the rest of the season to see how, and if, the pesky demon is defeated.

About the Author - JOEL LEAVER

Joel is a British student who loves all things camp or horror. He is often obsessed with TV shows created by Ryan Murphy, and cites Glee as his favourite show of all time. His other favourite shows, not including those created by Ryan Murphy, include Scandal, Desperate Housewives, Game of Thrones, Scream the TV series, Nashville and Pretty Little Liars - to name just a few. During the 2016 - 2017 season, he will be reviewing Feud, Ransom, Scream Queens and The Exorcist. Feel free to contact him via Twitter.

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