‘Evil’ 4×13 Review: “Fear of the Unholy”

Finishing Evil 4×13 brings us far too close to the end of the series, and at least as of now, it looks like that end has the potential to be a pretty bleak one. As a penultimate episode, it works very well. Somehow, “Fear of the Unholy” manages to trick us into thinking we might just be watching any episode of our show while simultaneously setting up an ending that’s…still very much up in the air. To put it another way, all the signs of the End Times are here. And yet, they’re also nowhere to be found. We have no idea where this is going, which is good. But, it bears repeating that we also have some options that are, uh, pure evil. (Which, obviously, is bad.)

The hour itself sends the trio off on one last assessment, and the case’s conclusion is somewhat fitting, considering it once again puts us in a place where science is the answer — and the Church, as an institution, is lacking. Admittedly, thanks to Hawking parallels that are a little bit too on the nose despite calling out Hawking himself along the way, this won’t necessarily go down in series history as our favorite case (or even anywhere near our top cases of the season). With that being said, the parts of “Fear of the Unholy” that are, somehow, supposed to lead us to this series’ far-too-early conclusion are as powerful as ever.

…and we’d gladly fill whiteboards with mathematical stuff if it meant saving this show. (I’d actually do that for free, to be honest. Someone hit me up.) For another option, we’ll dig through that black demon blood and bowel ick to get a piece of your favorite saint’s bones. Or! We also would not mind making a deal with your favorite Sousa-loathing devil. And keep your stupid parting gift, ~~Paramount~~ Rome. That’s not good enough, especially if you’re stealing David from ~~Kristen~~ us.

“Oh, well. It happens.”

As if everything about the four “bonus” episodes up until this point wasn’t a scathing commentary on how The Powers That Be function with about zero interests in mind other than money, Evil 4×13 comes along and says, “hi. They really all do suck.” Which, good. In this penultimate episode, we’re not talking about fear of the unholy. Nope. We are seeing, over the course of an hour, just how much nothing is scared anymore. Or, rather, the people in power don’t care about anything sacred anymore. But some of us remain as faithful as ever.

Before Father Acosta has a chance to finish leading his final mass in the church, parts of it — notably, the Monsignor’s office — are already packed away, stripped bare. (Yes, we see the practically empty room when the trio goes up there after the service, but that means it would have to be looted ahead of time.) When the trio tries to discuss their last assessment, crews barge through. Before the building’s deconsecration, its exterior already features a “Pardon our dust! CongoRun Coming Soon!” banner.

…and the Archbishop couldn’t care less about any of it. He goes through the motions of saying whatever he needs to say for the deconsecration rite and then…cheerfully gets down to business. The movers are coming tomorrow, the Church will be handing down new assignments “in the next few days.” So, “please be packed and ready to go.” Dude has zero care for this place or this people. Less than that, if possible.

He’s completely unbothered, to the point where doesn’t even care when a fragment of St. Joseph’s thigh bone that he’s supposed to collect is missing. Might as well have a spring in his step when he exits the building, even. As a surprise to no one, our dear Sister Andrea is not having it. So, she spends the majority of Evil 4×13 on one last mission of her own: Find that holy relic. Make sure it’s safe from the ~~New York rats~~ demons now free to roam about the place. Save the day one last time.

And save the day she does, totally unafraid to torture the demon with cleaning supplies (and threats to wash out his mouth with soap) to get what she wants. Actually, Andrea, hand us the Pledge and the scissors. We’ll help you stabby-stabby some demons and do some dusting. We’d even be willing to let our favorite nun wash our mouths out with soap to save this show…

“Have you ever seen God?”

Of course, scrub brushes and pointy objects aside, Sister Andrea’s greatest superpower has always been her faith. Not just the strength of her belief itself, but her ability to share that with others. As in, the greatest weapon she wields is her voice. Enter one of our favorite scenes Evil 4×13: the second time Sister Andrea wakes Father Ignatius up in the middle of the night. Sure, it’s a fun one — but it’s also so, so meaningful.

There, after midnight as he waits for something “kooky” Sister Andrea can see but he can’t, Father Ignatius really, genuinely wants her opinion on things. Her reassurances, even. So, he asks if she has ever seen God before. In the moment, Wallace Shawn gives a great performance as a man asking out of a combination of hope that someone can make his life’s work worth it and a pure, uncomplicated sort of curiosity. Then, when he learns that the nun has only ever seen the demons, the priest just…sags, defeated. But, in that way of hers, Sister Andrea just smiles when asked about the possibility that only evil exists. For her, it’s simple. Of course, there’s a God. She has plenty of evidence, like the way the demons fear her.

“It’s not the fear of a five foot nun.”

From there, Sister Andrea just…listens, shows her colleague — who won’t be her colleague much longer. Rude, FFS — all that love and empathy of hers. She hears Father Ignatius when he admits that he doesn’t know what he believes, that he’s “reaching the end of [his] life feeling like a fool.” And she does bring comfort to her old friend, reminding him why they believe, making Biblical references they both know to ground him as he becomes more and more passionate about how faithless the world is now. Sister Andrea is at peace, even while everything falls apart. In so many ways, she continues to be this series’ calming, grounding presence. Even, and maybe especially as she watches everything around her coming undone.

“The wider gate has no answer for death, father. People try to find comfort in thinking they become part of the universe when they die. A billion atoms amongst a trillion trillion more? God doesn’t think of us as atoms. He thinks of us as who we are, not what we’re made of. That’s why we believe. That’s why the narrow gate.”

We keep coming back to this whenever we discuss this character, how she makes what might otherwise be “raving nuts on the internet” (as Father Ignatius puts it when he references Socrates and Augustine) seem so…natural. So simple, such a given. And here it is again, delivered just as Andrea Martin always delivers. As we know and love, Andrea (both real and fictional) brings that certain extra something special to the conversation. That wry humor, that frankness. But this time, the performance comes with this extra sort of power that can only come at the end of all things.

The result of all of the above is just this beautiful, powerful, thoughtful scene. Just one more reminder of how special this series is, of how it manages to mix these quiet, all-too-human moments of vulnerability with all the nonsense and makes it all make sense — even as nothing can ever make sense or provide definitive answers on any of it. The conversation is brilliantly written and acted, as well as a much-needed pause to reflect that makes what we learn at the end of Evil 4×13 that much more unbearable. Sister Andrea, though she “won’t like it” (as David puts it in the understatement of the century), will be fine at the silent retreat. Because nothing can defeat her spirit.

But the thought of this character, unable to tell demons where they can go, or stand up for herself against the patriarchy, or even share her immense wisdom with those around her…it’s too much. And it’s cruel, to think of her being silenced — and accepting that silence because she will do whatever it takes to serve her God. However. We’d also point out that it’s kinda spot on. After all, Sister Andrea will never speak to us again…will she?

“I’m gonna miss you, Sister. I have very little confidence…” indeed. Here’s hoping this story has a better ending, and this penultimate episode is just setting us up with zero expectations so we can be extra relieved in the end.

“The devil doesn’t keep bargains.” “This one does.”

Evil 4x13. Left photo: Michael Emerson as Leland Townsend...defeated on the floor after David got him by surprise. Right photo is Mike Colter as David Acosta, seated, legs crossed, hands folded about to interrogate Leland. — (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+)

Watching Evil 4×13 and attempting to pick the highlights, you might just find yourself writing down every single thing Leland and David say to one another. Not a single word gets wasted, and every fraction of a second holds meaning. It’s impossible to keep up, and that’s not a bad thing. Not exactly, at least. We do, however, believe this is a great opportunity to take a moment and say, “imagine if we were able to get a whole season — multiple seasons, even — of this.”

Throughout their first encounter, not only does David manage to take Leland by surprise and gain something of an upper hand, he relishes it. Mike Colter plays him so…upbeat and mocking for a lot of this. When David tells Leland to take his time, Colter’s delivery can only be described as bright. Immediately after that, as he asks about Leland’s “billionaire friend,” the tone is so incredibly superior. (As it should be. Billionaires suck.) Then, as David takes his seat and interrogates Leland, he almost takes a bit of a…how you say…evil pleasure in the whole thing. Of course, when Leland says he left behind some of his “wickedness” through the remote viewing, it all makes sense. Like, of course. No wonder David seems like a different version of himself — he is one.

“I left because it seemed the church was no better than the monsters I was stepping into.”

For his part, Michael Emerson gives us a Leland who isn’t quite as smooth as usual. He doesn’t come across as the silver-tongued snake, tricking the priest into doing his bidding. Instead, the “truth telling” actually feels like…the truth? (Fully expect to find out this was a clownish take when we watch the finale.) Worse, he makes some excellent points, here and there. It’s a twisted parallel, of sorts, to Sister Andrea’s true belief in God that she shares with Father Ignatius. The nun answers Father Ignatius’ questions about belief without concrete proof by sharing her faith in the good in the world; the “none” that is Leland Townsend answers Father Acosta’s questions about choosing evil…with more none.

And all of that describes only their first David/Leland showdown in Evil 4×13. Or, rather, it fails to scratch the surface of that particular conversation…but we’re trying here. The second time David comes to see Leland, he actually knocks (on the door) this time. (Instead of, you know, going for a big ol’ whack.) Here, David does such a good job of tricking Leland, he also tricks us. Or does he? If we look at the way Colter plays David’s interactions with Giovanni and the monk, or even any number of encounters with his “handlers” along the way, he is quite obviously losing his patience.

Not to mention, just as Leland told him would happen, his handlers…are gone. Then again, that could be a case of Leland having disappeared them himself, only to fool David (and us). Who knows. Regardless, by the end of all of this, David definitely has a choice to make. Does he go back and try to make good on his bargain with Leland? Which, should we point out that it’s the priest — not the “devil,” so to speak — who fails to shake on the deal and betrays the other guy this time? Anyway. Going back to smooth things over with Leland could keep Kristen safe, and it would certainly prevent David from having to go to Rome. The other option: Do as the Church orders, go to Rome, and leave ~~our~~ his people behind.

It seems to us that David could very well break with the Church — and most definitely with The Entity — like Leland did…without turning to the Dark Side. In other words, he could keep the faith but still follow Sister Andrea’s advice: “Don’t let the Church pervert your talents.” Just saying.

Science isn’t sacred anymore either/never meet your heroes.

Evil 4×13 doesn’t just spell bad news for our religious friends. Nope! Our big ol’ nerdy-nerd friends also see far too many signs of decay around them. For starters, whether they believe or not, Ben and Kristen obviously enjoy what they do — despite how much they also enjoy complaining about it. If nothing else, they like working together. ~~(And she may or may not love working with David.)~~ But their very weird jobs aren’t all that’s decaying here. Enter Professor Johan Taupin, who exists right at the center of the trio’s final assessment.

“Listen. If Taupin wants to help the Vatican, just say yes.”

Right from the beginning, Ben makes his admiration for their subject’s genius known. He is a fan, and he can’t believe anybody else wouldn’t be. In fact, even when Kristen points out that Taupin’s a misogynist (at best), her usually-supportive friend makes all sorts of excuses. To the point of being kinda gross, honestly. And, for what it’s worth, Kristen’s expression of pure disgust when she checks Ben on the whole “just joking” thing is basically it.

By the end of Evil 4×13, Ben still sees the professor as an icon in the field…but that initial excitement to see his work and speak to him doesn’t really appear to be there anymore. In fact, when Taupin talks about his upload to the cloud after he dies, Ben…does not appear to be into it. It’s like he’s disappointed, like he doesn’t even want to be there. Because that’s just it — sometimes, your heroes are a disappointment. Even when they’re as great at what they do as always. And with the scientific community propping up garbage men and attracting zealots who turn those men into myths…is it really as rational as it claims to be? Seems like not.

While we’re at it: Is Ben seriously never going to get to deal with this djinn of his?