It is not often we shout to the rafters about potential spoilers but if you have not watched this episode stop reading right…now. The Exorcist “Through My Most Grievous Fault” threw a game changing twist at the conclusion of the episode.
There were hints throughout this chapter where the “Salesman” (clothes all tattered) tells Cassie to “bring her to us.” This was a tad confusing as it seemed that they already nearly had “her” aka Cassie. However this was not what the balding agent of evil meant at all.
Cassie has never been the target. She was merely the means to an end, a tallying up of debts left unpaid, or dues uncollected on the devil’s side. It turns out that not everyone was what they appeared to be.
Angela is, drum roll please, Regan MacNeil.
As soon as Cassie’s mother reveals her true identity, Chris MacNeil arrives, all kitted out like the figure from those 1973 posters, and tells Henry who she is.
So the big twist here, or the grand surprise, is that The Exorcist 2016 is less a re-imagining of the original than it is a full out sequel. Little Regan grew up and lied to everyone about who she was.
(Seriously though, can you blame her? The kid wanted to leave all that pea soup and peeing on the carpet in front of the company behind her.)
This sudden swerve in the proceedings is a welcome one. Although the show has managed to mirror the film in a few ways, mainly in certain tableaus like the fog, and Tomas’ long walk to Jessica’s apartment. It opens up a lot of possibilities.
It is not very clear why Chris MacNeil is dressed like Max Von Sydow‘s Father Merrin but the visual impact was brilliant. This episode kept the viewer guessing right up until the reveal.
It seemed like there was an enemy in the camp…But who? Kat was a prime suspect, she was, after all, the one that Angela decided was possessed not Cassie. Plus Kat may be the voice of reason but is she really protesting to help her sister?
Henry was suspect number two. After the demons in Cassie whispered in his ear he realizes that Angela has kept something from them all.
Tomas’ fall from Grace was horrible as was Marcus being dragged off to jail. The end result of both these separate actions has left Cassie running wild and not in a hospital at all.
The Exorcist is a darned scary show. There is something inherently terrifying about evil being able to penetrate an innocent loved one and then fling them about like a rag doll.
A demon, or demons, who know all your secrets and foibles. A spiritual being who has access to a font of knowledge that can run rings around those meant to help.
The feeling, above all the fear attached, is an overwhelming helplessness. No wonder the church decided to begin downplaying the very idea of devils and demons.
Yet despite the pulling back of the church, people are still snake fascinated the very idea of exorcism and the presence of demons. Even after William Peter Blatty’s best seller and the subsequent block buster film in 1973, a number of movies have been made that deal with the subject.
The Last Exorcism (2010) for example, a “mockumentary” that follows an evangelical Exorcist who does not really believe in the devil or possession. It deviates from the tale but only a little.
The recent success of other possession films like The Conjuring I and II as well as Annabelle also deal with exorcism but without the presence of The Church, aka the Catholic Church.
Reverting back to Blatty’s novel and the film, place the church back at the center of things. The reveal that Angela is Regan MacNeil goes a long way towards explaining the excessive build up of evil.
The sacrifices, the harbingers and all those evil minions who participated in the conjuring. This is not the story of Cassie at all, it is a tale of revenge, payback and a pissed off demon who still wants Regan MacNeil after all these years.
It looks like the spiteful creature, as Marcus calls it, may want the entire Rance family as well.
The Exorcist airs Fridays on FOX. Tune in and see why Chris MacNeil has shown back up after all this time and whether Father Tomas can be redeemed.
Cast:
- Alfonso Herrera – Father Tomas Ortega
- Ben Daniels – Father Marcus Keane
- Hannah Kasulka – Casey Rance
- Geena Davis – Angela Rance
- Brianne Howey – Kat Rance
- Alan Ruck – Henry Rance
- Kurt Egyiawan – Father Bennett
- Deanna Dunagan – Mother Bernadette
- Muzak Makkar – Jessica
- Kirsten Fitzgerald – Maria Walters
- Robert Emmet Lunney – Salesman
Guest starring Sharon Gless as Chris MacNeil
