The Exorcist - Chapter Four: The Moveable Feast - Review: "Compassion"

"Picky eaters, they grow up to be depressive and sexual anorexics"

That opening scene gave me the chills. Something didn't feel right even from the beginning, but it wasn't until Angela (Geena Davis) cracked open a dead-and-black-chick-filled egg that the true terror of the scene became apparent. Tormented by the Salesman (Robert Emmet Lunney), Casey (Hannah Kasulka) was stuck in her own nightmare. Forced to eat disgusting food and be reminded that she's in her sister's shadow, the young girl was very distressed, particularly when supernatural forces began holding her down to the floor. This ultimately turned out to be a dream of sorts, obviously, as in the real world she was in fact being restrained by hospital staff following last week's train incident. I thought it was a pretty cool idea; that the Salesman can completely distort and subvert her sense of reality and isolate her from the truth. It seemed like a step up from just whispering sinister things to her and letting her cheat at Jenga (and no I will never forget that!).

Poor Casey spent the entirety of the episode locked up in a hospital, under numerous tests and with her family unable to see her. It was even confirmed that the curling wand seen last week was used sexually by the girl, with doctors commenting that they'd found "genital burns" on her. Gross! It just goes to prove that the Salesman does have some sexual hold / relationship with the youngest Rance daughter. Kasulka still got to show off her acting skills this week (despite being bed-bound and often speechless), though in more of a body language and facial expression form. She portrays the vulnerability of Casey wonderfully, and I was so thankful she didn't end up dead by the end of the episode (I had my fears!).

A non-conventional approach to exorcisms. 

I also feared that we'd see little of Father Marcus (Ben Daniels), but thankfully I was wrong. Working his way through the helpful list provided by Father Bennett, the priest paid a visit to Mother Bernadette (Deanna Dunagan), to seek some advice. The nun provided some sassy dialogue and interaction with the priest, and ultimately had importance in showing him a more compassionate form of exorcism. Will he adopt this method with Casey? Maybe. During his time at the convent, Father Marcus witnessed, and participated, in an example of this more compassionate exorcising. The exorcist, in this case Mother Bernadette, hugged and gently touched the possessed individual and used her gift from God that way, in contrast to the typically aggressive and volatile standard exorcism. It was interesting viewing, though I'd much rather watch Father Marcus shouting at the demon whilst it slurs back at him; that's scarier. I mean, nobody tunes in to a show about exorcisms to watch a "compassionate" method. We want the violence and the cursing and the sweat and the neck-twists. That's The Exorcist brand at its best. 

Another listed ally lead were two Chicago tour-guides, with a speciality and love for murders and the supernatural. The pair knew a thing or two about demons, confirming, as expected, that the organs harvested so far can only mean one thing; a summoning. I hope this pair make an appearance again because I found them very interesting, particularly as they were two outsiders who could provide useful information, not just viewers, but also the main characters.

Someone who, in my opinion, is not useful however is Jessica (Mouzam Makkar), who once again came crawling back to Father Tomas. The woman revealed to her letter-lover that her husband had been cheating on her, and essentially she needed a shoulder to cry on / a place to stay. There is a level of hypocrisy here as even though her and Father Tomas didn't overtly have an affair, it's pretty obvious that they both had an unspoken understanding that they were attracted to one another. It's not necessarily "cheating" to then be sending letters to one another, but it doesn't give her much authority to take the high-ground on this sort of topic either. Although she obviously provides a love-interest for hunky priest, and could likely be a target of the demon in the future, I just find the storyline a little bland. I don't feel connected to the character - other than that I wouldn't want Father Tomas to get hurt (whether that be through her death or by her completely rejecting him).

Father Tomas also re-connected with wealthy Maria Walters (Kirsten Fitzgerald), seeking her approval in matters regarding Casey's impending exorcism. Asking if he should defy his seniors' order to not perform such, Walters encouraged him to consider speaking to the Pope about the issue, as the priest had implied himself. The end of the episode showed that he's not waiting around for His Holiness' approval, as our new favourite brotp are going to perform an exorcism, unofficially, themselves. The Pope will however likely play a huge role in the plotlines to come. Will he praise the priests for their efforts or condemn them? Will he even make it to Chicago after all? So many questions and theories.

Do not pretend you don't love their friendship. 

The episode concluded with Father Tomas and Father Marcus about to perform an exorcism on Casey. FINALLY. This is what we've been waiting for, yet we're only half-way through the season. It feels a little underwhelming and premature (yet very welcomed), though clearly there's more in store for viewers. Perhaps their first attempt together will fail. They're very different men with very different approaches to challenges. It's plausible that they would fail this attempt. It could even be successful yet the demon latch onto another member of the Rance family or one of the priests themselves. Something is going to go wrong, because we need a build-up to the inevitable season finale exorcism-to-end-all-exorcisms. Things may be about to get a whole lot more interesting...


Quote of the Week:

"Unconditional love; it's right there on the other side of the door. But you keep staring through the peephole, as if you don't deserve it" - The Salesman. 

Performer of the Week:

This week I feel as though everyone deserves the credit. Some episodes have been clearly stolen by a certain cast members, but this episode, to me, was so cohesive and well acted by all that I wouldn't want to choose. Geena Davis and Alan Ruck gave us the determination yet pain of parents struggling to save their daughter. Kirsten Fitzgerald oozes of the respectability that Maria Walters has. Robert Emmet Lunney keeps giving me chills upon chills. Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels are the perfect double-act of priests, who I want to succeed in their task. Brianne Howey, as I've said previously, is just a wonderful actress who seems to capture this underlying uncomfortability and pain of Kat. And last but by no means least, Hannah Kasulka yet again does not fail to impress me. I want Casey to win, I want her fight back. I want them all to. I want the battle of the century to go down and for good to triumph. Usually I'm team bad, but this time, the power is with the goodness. 

Sadly that's all for this week folks. The Exorcist is back next week, when we'll no doubt see the exciting exorcism of (or at least the first attempt to exorcise) Casey Rance. Tell me your thoughts of the episode in the comments section (and let me know how you feel about the bromance blooming).

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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