Posted in: CBS, Review, streaming, TV | Tagged: Aasif Mandvi, andrea martin, Evil, Madeline Wise, Michael Emerson, Mike Colter, paramount, Review
Evil Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Is There Also The Angel of Disbelief?
The Paramount+ supernatural series Evil decided to swap the season three demon-themed titles for more angelic ones in the fifth episode titled "The Angel of Warning". The main arc finds David (Mike Colter) at a makeshift shelter following a disaster. While called into the emergency, he's not really properly dressed so he's mistaken as a cop rather than a Catholic man of the cloth. Following some improvisation, he comes to find out a survivor might have been guided by an angelic voice. This is your minor spoilers warning.
So there's some suspension of disbelief here which works for and against the show's narratives. First, before we get back into the theme of angels providing some guidance to random strangers to avert some natural disaster, there's a lingering plot hole I really wish the showrunners, Robert and Michelle King would address. As in my previous review, we're never really explained as to how Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson) gained so much influence within the church so quickly or any semblance of why as a newcomer, which last season just requested to be "exorcised". I'm sure at some point they'll reveal some blackmail scheme since Leland is in touch with some powerful executives at the corporate level, but it really shouldn't take all season to do that.
Evil: Making Sense of Sister Andrea's Trial/Hearing
At the trial to determine Sister Andrea's (Andrea Martin) sanity, there is a tongue-in-cheek aspect to all of it in that it's almost as if the series is putting itself on trial. So the entire premise is for the Catholic Church to search for things out of the ordinary to justify its faith and the idea of miracles letting Kristen (Katja Herbers), David, and Ben (Aasif Mandvi) investigate these paranormal cases. So as this plays out, we come to find how rigid Andrea wants to fight this within her own moral code. That means not allowing her defensive representative David (because he's not an attorney) to tackle the credibility of a prosecution witness because that's what the psychiatrist (Kurt Fuller) believes. How it gets resolved is the pretty crafty writing from Rockne S. O'Bannon and Erica Larson with its unexpected turn.
The other major developing arc is Sheryl's (Christine Lahti) rising up the corporate ladder by not only fulfilling Leland's wish ballooning up the fictional cryptocurrency Makob but also winning over her new five-eyed demon boss who has an affinity for shortbread cookies. The way the two interact is beyond surreal, in the vein of a Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro masterpiece even with its darker comedic aspects. Another honorable mention goes to Madeline Wise, who I hope to see in a more recurring role. Without spoiling her part, I will say that she could potentially compete with Emerson in the scene-chewing category and it's certainly a juicier role than when she had on Star Trek: Picard. I'm digging the level of absurdity that Evil is cooking up this season and look forward to more of it. The series streams Thursdays on Paramount+.