The Exorcist - Chapter Six: Star of the Morning - Review: "Missing"

This week's The Exorcist continued to throwback to the original movie, whilst also embarking on its own gruesome path. There was a fury of publicity regarding the disappearance of Casey, a racially-fuelled backlash to this publicity and even a wealthy conspiracy to awake demons. It was a crazy episode, indeed, and definitely worth the wait!

What's your favourite scary movie Angela? I doubt it'd be The Exorcist.

Chapter Six opened with a retro flashback to a teenage Reagan being interviewed about her past possession. The young girl is uncomfortable and awkward, whilst her mother revels in the attention. It certainly set the scene for the episode by reminding viewers of the tense relationship between the mother and daughter (which was somewhat evident in the original movie, and also hinted in the show itself). I would say it was a pretty cool way to start the episode, especially since the connection to the original movie was the most interesting aspect going into this episode. The interviewer asked Reagan if she feared the possession would follow her around forever, especially since her mother had exploited such in a tell-all book, to which the young girl seemed anxious. Even though we knew Reagan had started afresh as Angela, it did no harm to remind us of motivations for why she wanted to reinvent herself.

Angela (Geena Davis), in the present day, struggled throughout the episode with the flurry of problems in her life. Her marriage is under strain due to her deception, even in the face of her daughter sharing the experience of possession, as well as the fact her youngest daughter is missing for the entirety of the episode. Throw in the return of her somewhat selfish mother, and you have the perfect opportunity for Davis to show some real vulnerability and desperation. The scene which she best displayed this took place half-way through, when she shared a troubled moment with her mother, Chris (played by guest-star Sharon Gless). Letting out the pain of the past, Angela attacked her mother for exploiting her possession, to which Chris herself expressed pain. The latter revealed that she did feel guilt, as well as great distress, over Reagan disappearing decades ago. Just as the pair were on track to reconcile, the phone rang and any heartfelt reunion was put on hold.

It wasn't just the matriarch of the Rance family who was having a rough time though. Henry (Alan Ruck) was still trying to process the truth regarding his wife. Even though the focus is often on Angela and her struggles, it was heartbreaking to hear Henry explain how he felt. He remarked that, despite having a brain injury, the one thing he had faith in and could always hold onto was his family. The exposure of Angela's lies has brought such into question, and so Henry is likely to not be in the best of health for a while, I'd expect. Especially after one scene showed him looking a little worse for wear in front of two police officers. Demons, leave Henry alone, please.

In the midst of their private family problems, the Rance gang had the added pressure of publicity surrounding Casey (Hannah Kasulka). As Chris explained though, they'd need exposure to help find the girl though, so the publicity was necessary. During a press conference with the local police superintendent, a group of protesters hijacked the speech to draw attention to the inequality in Chicago. Reminding locals, and the police, of the recent deaths of several black citizens (those whose organs were harvested by the demons), the show charted into very powerful and contemporary waters. The racial dynamic was very welcomed, and added another layer to this complex narrative. Additionally, the way it was all shot was movingly tense, with the representative reading out the names of the victims, inter-cut with the demons using their organs. It was perhaps a brave move by FOX, though it's obviously not original.

Father Tomas wasn't happy about errors on the 'Missing' flyers. Awkward.

Speaking of originals, let me mention Sharon Gless again for a moment. Although I was disappointed that Ellen Burstyn hadn't returned to play the role she originated, after a scene or two, I did feel Gless portrayed Chris pretty damn well. I particularly enjoyed her scene with on-screen granddaughter Kat (Brianne Howey), which saw a welcomed defensive attitude, in regards to her mother, from the latter. Revealing the details of why she thought the demon chose Reagan, the writers thankfully stayed true to the original with the whole Captain Howdy and the Ouija board story. Chris also explained to her granddaughter that the bad publicity from Reagan's possession caused the downfall of her movie career, hence why she resorted to selling the story in book form. It was wonderful to see Kat learning about her family's past, though I would much prefer her to share such a moment with Angela instead.

Now, to the main event, and the question I'm dying to know; what is Maria Walters' (Kirsten Fitzgerald) endgame? This episode showed us a more sinister side to the philanthropic lady, with her involvement with the Friars of Ascension bringing her wholesome reputation into question. Walters and her husband are even connected to the white vans kidnapping people around town, the same vans who were involved in the organ-stealing. So, The Fiars of Ascension are a group of influential people who are sponsoring the Pope's visit to Chicago. Maria had previously mentioned that she was part of the papal committee because she wanted to save the city, on behalf of her ill husband whom felt passionately about doing so. If last night's episode is anything to go by though, she may not be telling the entire truth. Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan) finally joined Team Exorcism, as I want to call them, by essentially teaming up with Father Marcus (Ben Daniels) for good. The pair have had a tense past, constantly bickering yet sharing a mutual respect, though now it seems as though Bennett has finally been convinced by Marcus to help him.

Father Bennett, on this new mission, visited the Walters' mansion for the Friar's event, and ultimately put a target on his own back. Questioning the lecturing at the event, which preached of 'rogue angels' who would help humanity, he branded these angels as demons, and highlighted the sinister-ness of the group. As he left, several members, including Maria, gave stern and villainous glances, so I'd say he may want to watch his back.

A little later on, the Friars sat round a table as their leader, Brother Simon (Francis Guinan), the creepy park guy who we know funded Father Tomas' church previously, joyfully entered the room. The group are really strange and do some kind of ritual and chant. Brother Simon blows the remains of the organ victims into the air, and each members asks some higher power (not God though, I'd assume) to let them be the chosen one/body. Maria really wants to be chosen, and even sheds a tear when the police superintendent is chosen instead. I won't pretend I fully understood the scene, though they're certainly being used as vessels and nothing good will come of this, especially since they're responsible for the Pope's visit. The Vatican may want to start preparing to elect a new Pope unless Team Exorcism do manage to save the day.

Before I conclude the review, I have to very quick rejoice that the camper-van duo, the Rego's (played by Ken Marks and Keira Naughton) returned this week, helping Father Marcus out once again with his quest to defeat the demons. I have such an interest in this pair, I don't know why, but I do. I love the outsider perspective helping the religious man, it's an interesting dynamic. Give them a spin-off FOX.

Ben Daniels is pure class. 

So, the episode ended with Father Marcus and Casey. We'd seen him exploring a lead a few scenes beforehand, where he ventured into a dark tunnel, full of creepy (read: possessed) homeless people, eventually leading him to Casey. I think Ben Daniels deserves credit for acting so calmly in that scene because I was on edge just watching it. Following the missing girl out of the tunnel, he soon tracked her down. Feasting on a bird, whilst perched in water, Casey was as possessed as ever. A brief fight scene ensued and before you know it, Father Marcus is drowning the poor girl whilst shouting religious lines about. Unsurprisingly she rose un-possessed, though warned that he was coming back. Personally, whilst I'm glad to see Casey somewhat safe, it was a little ridiculous that she was rid of the demon so easily here, yet last week Father Marcus tried for ages with little result. Maybe the demon wanted to leave her this week, for whatever reason, so we'll see. I won't criticise this move just yet until we know the full motives for such.

Quote of the Week:

"Yo! Colin Firth" - Cherry Rego. 

Performer of the Week:

Each week this show is genuinely done so well by all. I find it extremely hard to pick out one person in particular, though I feel that this week belongs to Geena Davis and Ben Daniels. Davis had the script and plot on her side, and she gave us such a raw performance, particularly opposite Gless in scenes. Daniels made his own spotlight, once again making the edgy priest lovable and captivating. I want Father Marcus to succeed. I want to see him save the day, and I want to see him prove everyone who doubts him wrong. Daniels brings such a charm and intrigue to a character who on paper may come across as dull or irritating. 

I hope you enjoyed the return of The Exorcist as much as I did, and make sure to have your say in the comments section below.