Evil Season 3 Uncovers a Highway to Hell in a Terrifying Episode

“That’s like the start of literally 100 horror movies,” Kristen says, and captures exactly why this episode is so much fun. It keeps the genre paces, draws out the suspense, and delivers the scares and the humor with precision timing, often simultaneously. The second time we are on the road, alone with David, this is further supplemented by a spiritual element. The demon chase and possible divine intervention, while open to interpretation, is white-knuckled excitement from the moment David scratches at the grass in the dark to find his keys.

The effects are creepy, more realistic in the dark, and much more frightening seen through David’s eyes, which sell the saintly signs in a way the visual presentation only tries. When Ben points out how the team may only be seeing what they are increasingly expecting to see, it is indicative of the supernatural teamwork, but also how Evil presents itself. The sigils the team appears to find in every dark crevice could very well be a circuitry diagram, tunnel vision is one of the reasons Ben recently breached his own last nerve. So, when he trades Kristen’s “third man syndrome” theories for a cloud chasing reality, it fills a need, but still twists into more unanswered questions.

Russ Owlman, a sly play on a perennial dark house conspiracy, is a member of a demonic family, but he only plays with drones for dark web kicks. The genius of the installment is how even when one mystery seems solved, it only feels like a small layer has been uncovered. The atmosphere is further obscured by the Entity, whose job is to keep things covered. The encroaching suspense which comes with the Vatican’s Ultra-Secret Service is doled out like wafers at mass, and stick to the roof of the mouth. The audience is just getting used to the Entity, but we can already sense this is going to grow into one of the more addictive aspects of the show. It is not, however, the hardest habit to break.

Sister Andrea is one badass nun. The opening sequence is framed like a slightly askew Stanley Kubrick set. It is spacious and desolate, even dusty, all designed to make the character, not a tall woman, look small by comparison. It fails. Andrea Martin takes up space, and her character will continue to take up space in a church which is trying to squeeze her out into a silent retreat. Sister Andrea is not meant to be silent. Her one-word answers speak volumes, and the call for arbitration from the National Coalition of Nuns has the power of a Teamsters’ strike. Like the room Sister Andrea is questioned in, she will not be crowded.

With very subtle hints, Evil implies the power of Sister Andrea’s faith is so strong it can be weaponized. She’s already shown she can singe Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson) to the very soul with ammonia or afternoon tea. One of the high points of the episode comes after Sister Andrea’s session with Dr. Boggs (Kurt Fuller), who is examining her for signs of dementia, and goes off to chase his own inner demons. The expectation and fear we see in Boggs’ face, as he plays the heavenly chords on his grand piano, are exquisitely mixed to equal volume, and deafeningly funny.

In the midst of all the noise, Kristen seems to get in touch with her inner Sasha Fierce. This mini-arc plays out like a running gag. The guy she smacked across the face with frozen French fries hasn’t cooled down, and, even away, her husband Andy (Patrick Brammall) continues to be useless. Why does he bother setting up a video call when he’s snowbound and outbound? It really appears like the audience should feel Kristen’s mom Sheryl (Christine Lahti) is right.

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