‘Evil’ 4×14 Review: “Fear of the End”

Evil 4×14 “Fear of the End” marks the end of the series itself, and it leaves us in a place that feels…eh. We’re not going to lie here. It feels terrible, but that’s only because canceling this series was a terrible decision. (You might even say it was, you know, evil.) With that being said, the series finale puts us in a place that’s as satisfying as it was probably ever going to be, while remaining very clear that these characters’ stories don’t just…end here. We have answers, yet aren’t finished asking every possible question. And we’ve stopped Leland for now, yet as long as he lives — and as long as there are plenty of others like him out there — we still have much, much more work to do.

In the spirit of the previous 13 episodes of this season, we may as well do one final tie-in to the episode’s plot as a way to beg for someone to save our show. So, let’s see. For one, we’re not afraid to look into the VR googles and see our worst nightmares for the end of all things realized — bring it. And if technology has been key to making sure the 60 maintain power in this world, then surely, there must be someone with the technology to fight back. Perhaps a streaming platform that might want to tell stories about a little demon baby named Timothy, his mommy, his sisters, his not-quite step-daddy (?) of a priest, his uncle Ben the Magnificent, a demon-hunting nun at a silent retreat (whyy there), and so many others taking on the Vatican.

…but probably not exactly that idea because Robert and Michelle King have imaginations that we mere mortals do not.

“That was not a game. I don’t know what that was, but that — that was not a game”

There’s something to be said for Evil 4×13 giving us the last official assessment and this series finale giving us the trio getting sucked back into one more unofficial one. (And um. If anyone wants to get sucked back in to giving this series a home…feel free to call all the appropriate folks to get that done.) But the most brilliant part of that plot point might just be the way that this for real, for real last case isn’t one the Church gives them. As it turns out, they — not their patriarchal overlords — were the solution all along. Put another way, case kinda just falls into their laps, yet it winds up being the key to everything. Not only that, but those endings all manage to exist in a space where they’re universal fears while remaining deeply personal for each character who views them.

The Bouchard daughters see their mother being murdered by Leland, with them completely powerless to stop it. And all of this happens as she’s far too focused on David and Ben — mostly David. Lynn and Lila seem to view Ben as the third wheel he began this series as, yet quickly proved he never truly could be — to hear them screaming for her. When Evil 4×14 gets around to showing us what the demonic future has in store for Kristen, she loses them. And she’s surrounded by people telling her what an unfit mother she is, how the four Ls are “practically raising themselves.” Don’t many of us feel this fear of losing our loved ones? And don’t we all have that self doubt, that far-too-cheerful voice in our heads telling us we’re not good enough for them? That they don’t care about us, don’t see us, don’t hear us?

Then, there are the boys and their own eerily-similar, yet completely different, encounters. In a performance from Aasif Mandvi that we can only describe as grief personified, Ben loses Karima. That would be bad enough, but he finds out, there at the end, that her faith in Allah was all for nothing. And he can’t comfort her, can’t reassure her, can’t give her an easy passage into that empty darkness and nothingness that lies ahead. David, too, learns that death is the true, definitive end. His God, his heaven…they were fiction. But unlike Ben and the kids, David doesn’t watch someone he loves die. Instead, it’s him bleeding out on the floor of the basement as Leland taunts him.

Again: Is this not something we all fear? That either our faith will be proved a waste or that we’ll realize our lack of belief in anything was spot on all along? But, at the same time, are the scenes with Karima and Leland not agonizingly specific for Ben and David, respectively? While we’re at it, did many viewers not come into this series finale afraid of what Leland might be able to pull off? After all, do we not lose every single time another brilliant series like this one gets a surprise axe to the back?

That doesn’t even begin to get into how fitting, in the most awful kind of way, it is that all of these reasons to despair — all of these glimpses of Doomsday — come just as Ben, Kristen, and David are just…being. Right when they are having a good time, out by the fire, sharing the impact they’ve had on one another. Their time together is cut short by the girls’ horrified screams. Is that not far too similar to how, just as Evil is really gaining the audience it has always deserved, and just when we’ve spent a season seeing the assessors have so many beautiful moments together, we’re cutting it all short?

“I am…going to miss you both.”

A lot of Evil 4×14 feels like a love letter to fans, to the characters, to the stories we’ve told. Yes, even in all the finale’s End Times, bats—t insane, glory. No. Maybe especially in all its nuts glory. Because that’s it. That’s the show. There’s the heart, and then there’s everything you never knew you needed to see on screen, all you never knew could ever work on television that does in fact work.

So, one way that love letter feeling comes across is in all the callbacks — the VR goggles, burning the assessor program files and referencing some memorable cases, the sigil map, the hastily-patched hole in the basement wall, the stars missing from the ceiling, and so much more. But, obviously, the main way is through the time the trio spends out by that fire, just being them.

Where do we even begin with the scene(s) by the fire? And how do we even try to sum up how meaningful it is to see creators really care about their characters enough to make sure something like this gets into their series finale and stays there? There’s a huge myth arc to wrap up in far too little time! Who lives? Who dies and how? (It is far too close to the High Hellidays, so perhaps I’m thinking about “who by plague, and who by fire” at the moment…) Where do the survivors end up, and how do we make sure everything works according to plan in a situation that nobody planned for? All of these questions, in the wrong hands, would be deemed too important for letting the three main characters show their love for one another like we see here.

But Evil has always been in the very best of hands, so we got just the right number of questions answered, just enough…without sacrificing the human aspect. We get to sit with these characters; we get to center them. As it always has been and always should be. And what a beautiful, bittersweet back and forth that balances the pure joy, and the more wry humor, with that deep connection — that new, weird little family — that new these characters have created. They can laugh about canned margaritas and talk about the deep things; they can joke about ruining each other to cover up the sadness of losing each other, while just…admitting out loud that they’ll miss each other.

“I don’t have many friends — I haven’t…up til now. Not friends that I could talk to about things. Deeper things. Death.”

We could gush about this forever. But we’ll leave one more note here before brain-dumping in the 2398743 notes part at the end of this review: Get you friends like these. And if you ever want proof that three different actors can portray what it means to be vulnerable and contemplative in three very different, yet equally stunning ways, look no further than what Mike Colter, Katja Herbers, and Aasif Mandvi do here.

One last, epic showdown

Clearly, Evil couldn’t end without packing as many twists and turns into what we thought might happen as possible, then adding a few more as a treat. In some ways, though, the biggest plot twist isn’t a twist at all. Sister Andrea warns Giovanni himself, “they’re not as obvious as you think. You have this wrong.” Does he listen? Of course not. It’s the same old, same old with the men of the Church. So, really, as much as it still bugs us…maybe Andrea living out the rest of her days without a voice isn’t that much of a change from shouting into the void. At any rate, the 60 get to put on a pageant of sorts, where the Entity doesn’t even know its members are both the main characters and the Big Bad. And David gets to be the hero Giovanni never, ever deserved.

Then, after multiple warnings from Stick and Leland getting called out by Gray at the 60’s Zoom meeting, he does try to creep into the Bouchard home and kill Kristen. But she’s waiting for him because of the app his company created. In some ways, even, he condemns himself via the exact same means he and the others aimed to condemn the entire world. Leland is too focused on the “Dang Me” blasting through his AirPods to hear Kristen creep up on him. He’s completely unaware of his surroundings, goes for all the easy answers — the bed, the ever-present preternatural light peeking out from below the en suite door — and loses.

Oh, and what a struggle between him and Kristen! And what a moment, seeing her just hanging on and not wanting to get out of the fight or flight response when the boys show up and convince her to stop. Herbers’ “still alive. He’ll just come back” sounds about as ragged and drained as anyone would be after the adrenaline bubble bursts. And then, to hear Leland shouting about all the “power of darkness” he has as he’s dragged away to a fate that, for him, might just be worse than death…so cool. Admittedly, the thought of Sister Andrea being forever silenced will always sting. But the peace written all over Andrea Martin’s face — the pride, even — as the nun embraces David to say goodbye without words…

…well, let’s just say we’re not crying, you are. Or, if we are crying, the tears are happy ones. Mother Andrea is proud of that man she raised. We know that’s for sure.

More on Evil 4×14

• “I’m depressed” being the first line of the Evil series finale…girl, same.
• Are these referrals from Kurt? Is Kurt even still alive after his unsatisfactory (to Leland) testimony? Like, we only see him in Kristen’s nightmare future…
• That “RUN” scraped into the drawer at Ben’s new desk is, uh, concerning. To say the least.
• No, but the score even sounds depressed. The tempo is just slightly off.
• Demon!Kristen wailing and grabbing on David’s leg to try to keep him from leaving is so very much us.
• Love one last stunning shot of David as a dark figure in a shadowy space.
• The way. He. Just. Stops.
• Colter’s side-eye just before David whips out that phone and rushes out of there, too!
• Also this: “you just told me my assessors were in danger. Where do you think.” If line delivery could kill…
• Cool, calm, and collected Kristen calling the cops and daring Leland with her eyes…oof. Like, he’s having so much fun and thinks he really did something with his “Mr. Trueman” act…but no. Nope, nope, nope.
• Can not imagine a world where we do not get to see Michael Emerson and Katja Herbers keep doing this. WTF. Like, his tiny pout when she’s taking his picture for proof that he’s there? Her almost seductive look, right before she tases him, that’s eerily reminiscent of her taking off her shoe in the “THIS IS ME WITH HELP LELAND” scene in Season 2???
• David’s out here about to break that door down.
• Their reactions to her sitting there with Leland at her feet. Ben: 😱?! David: ????
• The power Kristen Bouchard has.
• “About 20 minutes! Actually kinda satisfying.” I will always, always support this woman’s rights and wrongs.
• “Oh, my God. We’re back.” FROM BEN’S LIPS TO THE TV GODS’ EARS.
• “Aren’t you gonna miss that cannibal medical student?” “Ghost truckers!” “I’ll see your ghost truckers, and I will raise you…werewolves!!”  “Demonic elevator.” Them.
• So. Much. Joy.
• “You can’t protect Kristen anymore. I don’t know what your thing is with her.” Hi. Can confirm that I need about 10 more seasons of Evil just to understand this. Like, the way Emerson plays Leland’s reaction. It’s as if he’s heard this a thousand times before and is bored with it? But also something…else. So. Interesting.
• “Ooh! terrified. Terrified!” And a boop!
• Her head on Ben’s shoulder, arm hooked through David’s. Them.
• “Leland’s not gonna come back” here. The “he’ll just come back” after Kristen beats him at the end of Evil 4×14…whew.
• “…you guys don’t have to stay to protect me.” “I do. I don’t know about Ben.” “I’m just here to drink.” F an OTP. This is the OT3.
• “You’ve ruined me.” Same.
• “I am…gonna miss you both.” And I am going to miss all of them.
• They really said, “ok. Leland gets a bunch of great horror tropes in our series finale, but he doesn’t get to win.”
• The suspense in Lynn and Lila’s vision! So cool.
• Loved the countdown throughout.
• “FOR OLD TIME’S SAKE DON’T SKIP THE INTRO.” The skipping ghost is not ok either.
• Something about Colter’s look and the way he reaches his hand back to get those goggles from the girls. David is following Kristen into battle…even if he knows it’s “something stupid.”
• Super choice to follow that intensity with a classic Ben eyeroll and reluctant, “not this again” vibe about him, too. Again with that constant back-and-forth in how the series balances tone.
• “I think we drank too much.” Her snort.
• Super interesting for David to be the non-believer here. For once.
• Also fascinating how the two eldest Ls shared a vision, while the trio couldn’t be together in any way for theirs. Talk about our worst nightmare ending for this show, them being totally split up to suffer alone like that.
• “…don’t do this.” He is. Stricken.
• Also: Literally me at the people who canceled this show.
• “This is not fair. And it’s..not real.” Also me at this being the series finale.
• Kristen wins the scream queen contest against the chick Leland and Stick hired. Just saying.
• “Did you see it, David? Blinding white light, guiding you to the pearly gates. No? Not event clouds opening up? Bummer. I guess this means you’ve devoted your whole life to a fairytale! You were a fool, David. To believe a book written by broken men, who offered a damned world nothing but false hope.” I can not accept that I will never get to see Emerson delivering such a meaningful, dark statement like this with that gleeful sense about him again.
• Art.
• David shoving that one dude away from the door. Him and Ben pinning that other weirdo to the floor. Wow.
• “I’m not showing you sh—t! now get the F— outta my house!!!”
• The way Herbers mutters that line about taking away all the computers…
• Love the overlay of the regions of the brain with the 60 sigils. Genius.
• “I mean, what’s the use of all these Satan worshippers running around if you can just meet online?” You know what? I feel attacked.
• “Meet the evil coming to New York. You.”
• Choosing the number 18 feels very Jewish…and ironic AF. 18 is a “chai” (pronounced like “hi” but not with a true H sound…).
• “We’re using technology to plant evil and despair right in the human brain.” That classic Leland Townsend evil delight.
• “You have protected Kristen for four years.” No, really. I need to know more.
• “It ends tonight.” Lies. It’s never ending. I said what I said.
• David sinking down and looking up at Giovanni to ask about restarting the assessor program, then saying he likes “the lowest rung,” is such a powerful moment. At no point does it he come across as subservient. Quite the opposite, even. I can’t even begin to untangle all that, but I know it…is an image.
• “Then, why did they shut us down?” “Because they don’t know what they’re doing.” I love it when we send a message to our industry overlords through our characters!
• “It’s a patriachy that forces women into a defined role.” “But you won’t be! You will have a position in the hierarchy. and you will be…you!” That last part is v. important to Mr. Passionate here.
• “You guys don’t realize it, but…priests don’t meet my eyes. They don’t look at me. I am invisible.” Just saw this in the previous episode. So true.
• “You were just talking about moving out.” “Yeah! To Jackson Heights! Not to the Vatican!” Good choice. Because Jahn’s is there — delicious chocolate egg creams.
• Are we going to talk about that intense conversation David and Kristen have at that table — and not the one with actual words? Those looks???? (We can not brain about this. It is. A LOT.)
• “Yeah well, a risk not taken is a life not lived. Never give up a chance to F— or travel.” That doppelgänger is the real hero of Evil 4×14. (I kid. Mostly.)
• The “welp, gonna do this” look before she says “ok.”
• Leland busting through that hole in the wall…it’s giving the shot of Jack Nicholson in The Shining, with an Evil twist.
• When Lila asks Lynn for their mom’s credit card number, Brooklyn Shuck basically becomes that one Kombucha Girl meme.
• I don’t even care if it was meant to be a tribute to Scream movies. That “he’ll just come back” was so Sidney and Gale.
• Adored the little moment when Fenna bumps Kristen’s shoulder and shares that smile with her.
• Rome can not handle the four Ls. No way to prepare for that chaos.
• “Did you ever get those cool Italian sunglasses?” Ok. So. First of all, kinda obsessed with the way she makes a show of putting them on and showing them off. Second…David got himself some shades, too. We love a high-fashion duo!
• If you didn’t get hysterical over the “love you” and Ben’s inability to find words afterwards, you…probably do not have as much trouble expressing that kinda thing as some of us do.
• Oh, wow. The way Kristen 1) lies to David and 2) has to gather herself before saying nothing’s wrong…
• So, when are we getting a “sike! We weren’t dumb enough to cancel Evil” announcement?
• Alternatively, don’t talk to me because I’m in mourning.
• If this wasn’t up to the usual review standards, blame the feelings. And ask for more seasons to, possibly, get less incoherent drivel.

Here’s hoping it’s “see ya when you least expect it” instead of a real goodbye, folks. But in case it is, just…what a ride.

All four seasons are of Evil now streaming on Paramount+, and you can get your friends who only have Netflix to watch the early seasons there.