If you’ve been reading this column long then you know I have a fondness for horror films. They were the forbidden fruit to me as a child, determined by my parents as inspiring nightmares rather than my imagination being the cause. In truth there were some that did add fuel to the fire but not all. They became my fascination and in time I grew to view them when I could and find something truly creative in these tales that deep down offered moral stories.
The same held true for various TV series over the years that
caught my eye. DARK SHADOWS ran in the afternoons after school, THE NIGHT
STALKER showed a wide variety of horrors and NIGHT GALLERY exposed me to the
literary works of authors whose tales were transformed to screen. When I heard
that CBS had a new series coming out called EVIL it piqued my interests. When
I’d see the commercials for it even more so. The result was a great horror
series but something far more than what we’ve become used to.
Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) is a forensic psychologist called in to consult with the police department when a murderer claims to be possessed in order to attain an insanity plea. Skeptical of all things supernatural she interviews the accused and thinks he’s faking it. But there were strange things that took place during their interview. When she requests further interviews with the accused the prosecutor refuses and fires her. Enter David Acosta (Mike Colter).
Acosta is a fledgling priest who works with the Catholic
Church. He lets Kristen know who he is and offers her a job as part of his
team. Their goal is to sort out those cases that they are approached with to
determine if they are true possessions or simply cases where people are having
mental issues. The third member of the group is Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi),
their technical wizard who helps determine if there is some fakery involved in
each case. With four young daughter to raise Kristen accepts the job.
Lurking in the shadows is someone that the team will face off against throughout the first season. Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson) is the new forensic psychiatrist hired by the prosecutor. But he’s more than that. Townsend is the representation of evil in the series, a possible link to Satan himself whose goal seems to be to thwart any attempt by the trio to solve the problems they face. At one point he steals Kristen’s notes on the first case, at another he begins dating her mother on the side. As the series progresses he takes on cases of various people he encourages to do the most horrible things they can imagine. One more evil image that consistently pops up in this first season is a succubus or demon spirit named George who haunts Kristen’s dreams.
So does the series work? Absolutely and on more levels than
the superficial horror element. The series will inspire discussions among those
viewing about the nature of evil and the question of does it exist in the world
as a manifestation of man’s inability to deal with reality or is there truly some
supernatural force out there that interferes with the lives of men on Earth
creating havoc? Each episode calls into question that balance of the rational
mind versus faith when it comes to that issue.
Tossed in are the family structure on several levels as well. First off Kirsten is married, her husband a professional mountain climber off on and adventure when the show opens. We learn through this that Kristen was once a climber too. Their four young girls are central to the show, displaying a youthful energy and wide eyed wonder that at some points places them in danger. And then there is the metaphorical family of the trio as they become close to one another. Kristen’s attraction to David is obvious from the start but this is a man studying for the priesthood.
Incredibly well made with some of the best acting to be found on series television the series may have missed your radar when it first aired. A second season is on the way and my guess is once you watch the first you’ll be hooked. It might also lead to some dinner table conversations about the nature of evil not just in the series but in the world today. One look at nightly news will make you think twice about that. EVIL will just make you wonder what or who is inspiring it.
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