YAGA Episode 5 “The Horns” is terrifying because it’s relatable. Because it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, you’ve met men like this. And I’m not just talking about manipulative men like Henry or wannabes like Logan. I’m also talking about Rapp himself, who benefits from bad men, knows it, and weaponizes it to get information. And I’m also talking about men like Carson’s boss that tried to kiss her and when she rejected him he told her not to get pissy.
“The Horns” managed to elevate that horror that all women know by giving a little historical context in the conversation between Katherine and Rapp. Because even someone as charming as Rapp doesn’t understand why women are angry all the time. It’s because we’ve been demonized for absolutely everything, down to our freckles and whether we want to have sex after menopause. It’s about control of us. And the ones that step out of line are othered and labeled as witches.
The real devils in “The Horns” are men.
MORE: Need a refresher on where we left off? Read our review for YAGA Episode 4 “A Dance with The Devil”!
There will be some men watching this episode who will be upset and yell out “not all men.” We know it’s not all men IRL. But every man benefits from the subjugation of women. If anything, an episode of television like this begs for some introspection. Because I would even say even Billy benefits from the patriarchy. And in his first appearance in Episode 1 he was enamored with Rapp and wanted to be just like his boss. Both of them are problematic men. But Billy doesn’t see that. And neither do the men who watch an episode of TV like this and get angry at women instead of examining themselves and how this system affects women like their mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends, and more.
YAGA “The Horns” also gave us some of our first expansive scenes into the worst of the worst when it comes to the men on this show aka Henry. And I’m a broken record when I say that Hudson Williams once again skeeved me out in a way that I didn’t think was possible. It wasn’t just in the way that he carried himself either. It was in the eyes that made Williams disappear and Henry take his place. And in those eyes we saw a fascination with Katherine that unnerved while making it clear that Henry was amused by her and wanted to dominate her because he could.
MORE: Sam Krochmal Talks Yaga, Hudson Williams & How Canadians Have a ‘Fire in Our Bellies’. Read our interview!
Outside of actual Williams’ performance, Henry has some nerve. He thinks he’s this big shot who can wield his charismatic power enough to make someone change their entire being to just be and look like him. But he’s never met someone like Katherine. And when he thinks that he’s conquered her by having sex with her, he doesn’t understand that she’s going to destroy him. At least that’s what I think is happening. I also think that Henry is not bones. Henry is dust in the wind in that orest that Rapp visited. And whatever he did to make someone like the Baba Yaga choose him, it was bad.
By Episode 5 I think I’m starting to pick up more clues as to what that bad thing is that Henry did. Because you don’t show bits and pieces of something like that chicken restaurant for nothing. And you don’t give us a quirky and fun introduction with Lily if that wasn’t going to come back. It did in this episode in a very bloody and terrifying way. So is Lily part of whatever terrible thing that Henry did? If so, that burning fate in the forest that we saw in Episode 1, it was a punishment for something truly deserved.
Keeping that all in mind, the one person that I cannot pin down is Carson.
In my previous review for Episode 4 I couldn’t get over the fact that she used that lotion from a stranger like nothing after admonishing others for using drugs that they didn’t know what was in it. And then it’s like she snapped back into place in Episode 5, acting like the officer that we know. She was diligent, not shy about saying what she wanted to say, and a little too taken with Rapp. But I’m going to have faith and just keep weaving the little clues together, from that conversation between Carson and Katherine about children, the vision Rapp had, and even Carson smelling that shirt while pleasuring herself.
Every clue matters in YAGA.
YAGA releases new episodes every Friday on AMC+.
