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Silence may be golden, but watching a drunken Kristen Bouchard pratfalling into a giant wine barrel is pretty great, too.
I learned this valuable life lesson while watching Evil‘s return Sunday, a nearly silent episode that might just be the show’s most entertainingly goofy hour yet. After all, would you expect the f-bomb to be dropped both repeatedly and with vigor throughout an episode set at a monastery?
Don’t worry, though. There are plenty of stigmata and insect infestations and possessed statues, making this an Evil episode through and through. Read on for the highlights of the Robert King-directed “S Is for Silence” (then read what he had to say about the episode here).
SHHHHH! | You’ll recall that, at the end of the previous episode, Bishop Marx tasked our trio with investigating the curious case of Father Thomas, whose corpse at a remote monastery remained untouched by decomposition long after his death. To meet the Vatican’s threshold for sainthood, they’ll need some DNA evidence and proof of a second miracle. So Kristen, David and Ben trudge north to do the Pope’s bidding.
The Sacred Trinity Monastery is 130 years old. No work has been spoken there since its inception. “Please honor our vow to God by not speaking. Ever,” a sign asks visitors, who also are forbidden from using electronic devices or cell phones. (Ben gets by because he has to take photos; a monk does something to his phone, however, to lock it from reaching the outside world for 24 hours.)
The visitors are handed Magic Slate-like boards to facilitate communication. Kristen’s has Casper the Friendly Ghost at the top, Ben’s has the animated Robin Hood, and David’s features Star Trek: The Animated Series. It quickly becomes clear that Kristen’s presence, by virtue of being a female, is disruptive; she (not happily) goes outside while Ben gathers hair and other DNA samples.
While she’s outdoors, she makes the acquaintance of Fenna, a nun carting glass bottles through the courtyard in an old wheelbarrow. With pantomime and friendly smiles, they strike up a fledgling friendship, a social interaction lubricated liberally with the whiskey brewed on-site. The brothers also make wine that’s “aged in whiskey-soaked barrels,” per the label, and Kristen gets firsthand knowledge of that as she — hilariously but unsuccessfully — tries to help Fenna infuse the wine casks by soaking sponges in the hard liquor, climbing into the massive barrels and squeezing the spirits into the wood by hand. Did I mention that the ladies have been sampling the wares?
Kristen is sliding around one of the huge casks like a hamster on a buttered-up wheel when David, Ben and the brothers enter the brewery. It turns out that Fenna, who is wearing one of Father Thomas’ crucifixes, is part of the “second miracle” evidence: She’s got stigmata wounds in both hands.
IN WHICH DAVID ATTEMPTS TO MEDITATE | The first dialogue in the episode shows up when David, Ben and Kristen slip under a wire fence — therefore stepping off the monastery’s property — to have a whispered confab. Kristen is sure that the wounds on Fenna’s hands are from the wheelbarrow’s rough handles. Ben hypothesizes that there’s something in the clay of the catacombs that protected Father Thomas from decay. And David fills them in on the story of a demonic cabinet that’s standing in Father Thomas’ cell: It was discovered in that spot a century ago, the facility was built around it and monks have been keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t open. It’s also the reason for all the silence: If a word is spoken, the demon inside will get out and never be recaptured. (Side note: If you’re into ASMR, I have a feeling you really enjoyed that scene.)
Back inside, Kristen quickly ascertains that Fenna’s injuries aren’t from the wheelbarrow: She also has pain-free wounds on the tops of her feet and along her ribs — mirroring those the Bible says Jesus endured on the cross. Kristen goes to touch the wound but winds up cupping the young woman’s face, one of several chaste but intimate interactions they’ll have over the course of the hour.
While Kristen is getting photos of Fenna’s marks, a monk named Father Winston invites David to “silence your mind” in the chapel. But David can’t, and so we’re treated to a running commentary — via subtitles — of his racing thoughts. He’s distracted by a stain on the floor that he thinks might be from vomit. “Jeuss died for my sins. He suffered. All I have to do is not think about a monk throwing up for a few minutes,” he muses. And then that devolves into several “f—k”s with a “Kristen” — and a visual of her lips — thrown in for good measure.
THE MEANING OF THE BOX IS, WELL, ONE-FOLD | Down in the catacombs, Ben is investigating claw marks on the inside lid of Father Thomas’ coffin when he notices a weird blackness at the end of the tunnel. The blackness seems menacing as it begins to move toward him. Ben snaps a few photos then runs, narrowly making it outside before whatever it is catches up to him.
Upstairs, Kristen sits down next to David at dinner but is ushered to the nuns’ table; at least Fenna is happy to see her. She and David have a running, non-verbal commentary throughout the meal. “Why is he looking at me like that?” she wonders (via subtitles) at one point, followed by some tightly cropped visuals of the two of them together. Can the nuns sense her impure thoughts? No clue, but all of a sudden, they start making a ton of noise with their plates and cutlery. “WTF?” Kristen hand-signals across the room to her equally perplexed co-worker.
After the meal, Fenna brings Kristen to the room where she’ll be sleeping… which is a cot wedged into a storage room stuffed with statuary. Some of the sculptures are really creepy — one is a skeleton/grim reaper thing (which will become important later). Everyone who sleeps at the monastery is supposed to gag themselves before going to bed, in order to cut off any inadvertent sleep vocalizations. Kristen looks right at the skeleton, says “boo” and then stuffs her gag into her mouth.
Is that the reason that the demon box suddenly opens and something (we don’t see what, but we see things from its point of view) flies out and spreads in the monastery? Who even knows? What we do know is that Kristen suddenly wakes up and sees the skeleton statue turn its head toward her. Then it climbs down with its scythe, picks its teeth with the blade (heh) and climbs on top of her… but it disappears when Father Winston starts banging sticks together, summoning everyone from their beds.
In addition to the shock of finding the box open, a bunch of brothers — and Fenna — have been afflicted with painful, pulsating welts on their skin. Kristen wants to call a doctor. David says they have a doctor — and an exorcist — on site, and that the brothers should handle things the way they see fit. Kristin yells that the community is “so f—king anti-woman!,” but the plan to do things the monks’ way stands. And when the exorcist is summoned, he’s Father Mulvehill, aka the priest with the gambling debts and the spurious connection to Leland Townshend.
Mulvehill begins the ritual, mouthing the words instead of speaking them and anointing Fenna’s new wounds, which look like writhing demonic sigils. When he pours holy water on the wound on her abdomen, she screams, black liquid spews from her mouth and she starts clawing at her gut before passing out. AND THEN A SWARM OF FLIES BURSTS FROM HER WOUND and I nearly pass out.
FLIES AWAY HOME | But don’t worry, because Ben the Magnificent has a Scientific Answer: botflies. He thinks that’s what was in the demonic box, as well as what was causing the humming sound coming from Father Thomas’ coffin. Botflies burrow under skin to lay eggs (aka the sigils) and they are known to come out when their airholes are covered with petroleum jelly (or, in this case, anointing oil).
So Mulvehill gets everyone else all oiled up, and Kristen strokes Fenna’s hair while the girl dozes, her head in Kristen’s lap. Then Father Thomas’ corpse is reburied, just after a botfly climbs into his mouth, and it’s time for the trio to go.
Father Winston wants David to stay, and the future Father Acosta is tempted. Despite the lifelong lack of talking and sex, he’s drawn to the peace that the brothers seem to have mastered. But “God needs me out there,” he tells the monk.
Before they go, Fenna gives Kristen a bottle of whiskey but walks away before Kristen can hug her. The young woman is delighted, though, when she returns to her room and finds the nightshirt Kristen was wearing, laid on the bed as a parting gift. “Boy, do I hate being right all the time,” it proclaims.
Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the mostly silent episode? Sound off in the comments!
Perhaps my favorite episode this season.
Loved the episode, but we are still confused about a lot of it. What were the scratches from inside the coffin and the cabinet? Why was the cabinet dripping ooze? Obviously bot flies aren’t living in an enclosed cabinet for 130 years. Was there actually a miracle? The priests body looked like it was suddenly decomposing at the end, but no mention on Stigmata on Fenna or the fact she barfed black fluids during the exorcism. Why would the cabinet suddenly decide to burst open now after that long? Seems like they found a reason for the sudden skin issues, but just ignored the whole purpose of the entire episode?
A bunch of flies would not be able to burst out of the cabinet like that. Beside if they were in the coffin/or the cabinet it would seem like they would not have survived that long without oxygen.
it was incomplete. why did the monk not decay? what about the stigmata? why r they still silent when the box is empty and the demon is gone? why is no one concerned that the demon that wants to destroy the world is free?
So, Kristen and Fenna didn’t kiss? I really thought that happened.
I thought they kiss too
Didn’t happen.
They didn’t show them kissing but they showed Kristen leaning forward in such a manner that I can’t see it as being anything else? It was certainly implied IMO.
it just looked to me like Kristen wanted to hug Fenna, nothing else.
The priest took the SIM card out of Ben’s phone. Also it wasn’t the nuns who started making lots of noise at the dinner table but the monks dropping off their finished plates on the nun’s table since they are obviously too important to do their own dishes.
I was a little nervous going into the nervous episode because so often it’s the music that makes something super creepy but it felt like they mostly relied on sounds you’d actually hear in the monastery so I didn’t find this ep to be too scary (which is fine. I think the show balances everything nicely). I think it would have been interesting for Ben’s demon to make an appearance while sleeping there and gagged.
As much as I like this show today’s episode seem to leave a lot unfinished. What about the box? When Kristen said “boo,” was that what opened to box?Stigmata?, scratches on the inside of the coffin? There are several more things as well. The show is not that long to explain all the things going on. I suppose leaving things undone let’s us wonder. I guess that’s ok.
Is “boo” really a word? Does it “count?” Maybe; maybe not. There are explanations that can account for everything we’ve seen in this episode. Usually the show tells us those explanations, but given the format of this one, it couldn’t do that without robbing it of some of its dramatic effectiveness.
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If there were flies in the box, someone in the monastery must have been feeding and tending them. And that person would have had to have taken over from a predecessor, given the age of the box. And that person was the deceased monk whom everyone thinks was this super holy person. He died suddenly, without finding his successor conspirator, and that’s why the box suddenly became untenable and opened, because the flies inside weren’t being managed, tended and cared for anymore.
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And he died from being infected by the flies. He got careless due to the infirmity of old age and got bit. Either the infection made him appear dead and he was buried alive, scratching the inside of the coffin himself, or the flies scour wood to make marks that look like scratches. But at any rate, the flies escaped from his body and coffin and infected the others. The escaped flies that infected the others are the cloud Ben saw in the crypt.
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As for why the monastery would bother with the deception and keep a fake demon in a box, well, the “demon in a box” justifies the monastery’s existence. Just like all the so-called “holy relics” kept by monasteries throughout history. How many have had a piece of the “one true cross” to lure pilgrims and visitors and funding from the Holy See to keep the monastery going? Exactly.
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As for the body being incorrupt for a period of time, it could be a side effect of the fly infection. It could be a result of all the whiskey the monks drink, which has been known from antiquity to have a preservation effect on bodies. And lastly, sometimes, it just happens. For a time, anyway.
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The show doesn’t outright tell us all this in this episode, unlike how it mostly does in other episodes. But all the pieces are there, and it does indicate and point us to them. We just have to put it together for ourselves this time.
I think the botflies only appear to be the answer. I think a real demon was released from the box. Fenna’s stigmata was certainly real. Maybe she’s the saint, not the non-decomposing priest. But I think Father Mulvehill’s presence speaks volumes (silently, of course!)
Oh yes, as usual, it could always be that the supernatural explanation is the case. I think some people were having trouble following the non-supernatural explanation in this episode, because it wasn’t as clearly laid out as in other episodes, so I was trying to help with that. Personally I think that if the show ever picks a side, that would ruin it. Evil doesn’t announce itself. Having any answer at all is inherently a comfort, so you don’t get the comfort of answers when it comes to true evil.
Exactly. Evil disguises itself because it would never complete it’s goal if it answered any questions with the truth.
When the team slipped under a wire fence, so they were outside the enclosure, they talked quietly. Ben theorized that the lack of decay of the dead monk’s body was likely due to the high clay content found in the cavern.
what about the stigmata?
AND THEN A SWARM OF FLIES BURSTS FROM HER WOUND and I nearly pass out.
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You and me both! I was cringing and shielding my eyes and squirming like crazy throughout that entire scene. EW. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew.
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That grossness aside, though, I did very much enjoy this episode. Kristen and Fenna’s interactions were fun and really sweet – I loved her leaving the shirt for Fenna at the end, and David’s thought process while with the other monks absolutely cracked me up XD. That was hysterical. I also loved Ben and Kristen each signaling “WTF?” at various points throughout the episode :p.
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And I liked the way the episode worked around the issues with communication, with the team finding a spot away from the monastery to talk and compare notes, and the use of the slates – and slates meant for kids, no less :D! It was great to see how everyone handled the non-verbal communication throughout, and spoke to how well we’ve come to know these characters, to where we had a pretty good idea of what they were thinking through their facial expressions and gestures. Kudos to the cast and crew for pulling off that aspect so flawlessly.
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And of course, some good creepy, tense moments as well. I loved all the suspense as we wondered who might crack first and speak out loud, and how the silence affected the investigation, for better and worse. And then Ben down in the catacombs, seeing that weird black thing floating around…shades of his time stuck in that sub basement. I’m interested to see if/how that continues to affect him going forward. Also liked the reveal of Mulvehill being at this monastery. That tells me that whatever happened here isn’t fully resolved yet, especially since there are still a few elements of the case still left unanswered and unexplained.
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On a lighter note, fun to return to the hints of Kristen and David’s interest in each other a bit. Curious to see if/how that continues to play out going forward.
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Yeah. Definitely among my favorite episodes of the season, this one :). Good to have the show back from its break!
Make that three of us when the flies came out! Not to mention the ‘wounds’ themselves before they erupted!! Yikes
wonderful “one-off” episode, Obviously,it would not be a regular feature, It really made the viewer stay alert and engaged to find out what was happening onscreen.I actually checked “botflies” online.Let’s just say the still photos of humans and animals (in RL)as victims of botflies are enough I did not need to see any videos to confirm.Great episode–kept wanting to send Ben a message to remind him of the “E is for Elevator”(audio–from the movie “The Haunting”–“There will be no-one around if you need help….in the night…in the dark”
I was going to say never search bot fly removal on YouTube. So gross but I can’t help but watch
Isn’t really an issue about the disrespect that the monks showed to the women in the monastery? I don’t think that it is unfair that the women eat separately if that’s what they believe. But, the disrespect when she is attempting to do a job that she was sent to do or the disrespect of throwing plates and cutlery on the women’s table–whether they had finished eating or not was unspeakable. If she had been the only one to go to the monastery. how would she have been able to do her job?
Also, Ben and David, should not have allowed her to be excused from the tomb. It had nothing to do with their beliefs. She was there to do a job. It showed that her 2 friends and co-workers had a blind spot of their own. It doesn’t make them bad people, but it shows how we all have to make changes. David in a prior episode admitted he didn’t know any of the nuns in the seminary where he lives. That’s crazy.
An interesting perspective. I was focusing on the fact that Ben had recently been so traumatized by being left isolating in the basement in “E is for Elevator” it surprised me that he would be so willing to go down to the tomb alone.But your mention of Ben and David having a “blind spot” is an interesting one. It got me thinking of how “chauvinism ” (an unreasonable belief in the dominance of one’s own group –usually referred to in “male chauvinism”) is tied to “chivalry”–the knightly code which emphasizes protection to those considered weak (including women) who are in need of protection from the superior group.
I wish I could share your enthusiasm. I canceled my subscription after this episode. On what planet does the Catholic Church depicted in EVIL exist? I could go on; suffice to say the show has been seriously dumbed down. I expect better from the Kings. They’re getting lazy resorting to knee jerk depictions.
LOL!!bAs a born and bred Roman Catholic–if you have a problem with how the Catholic Church is depicted-so be it– but I would’ve thought you would’ve bailed out LONG before this!
I agree! Plus, Kristen is a Catholic. Her irreverence and disrespect in the monastery during meals, barrel cleaning, and speaking at bedtime is out of character for her. I felt this episode was a disappointment.
My comment above should have said, I agree with Giovanni Vitacolonna. The show was a disappointment. Kristen is a Catholic and her disrespectful behavior in all of her monastery scenes was very out of character.
Kristen isn’t Scully. I agree that her capriciousness in uttering “boo” and constantly challenging the monks seemed a bit out of character, but then I remembered two things: 1) She found their behavior toward women and the nuns to be incredibly frustrating and irritating, and 2) She was drinking a lot. Which, when combined, led her to react more with ridicule than respect toward the situation–and she’d no doubt intended to act respectful when she first arrived. That’s not even factoring in the frame of mind she’s in from her private life at the moment . . . I don’t think she behaved well, but I don’t think it was out of character given the circumstances. Not everyone is at their best all the time, and this felt genuine as a “Kristen not at her best” example.
Not sure where anyone is getting that Kristen is a Catholic. She’s been a skeptic along with Ben in every single episode.
Multiple times in the series they’ve said she’s a “lapsed” catholic. She’s referenced it, even her husband referenced it when he was concerned she was no longer lapsed but fully becoming catholic.
Kristen is a lapsed Catholic, she no longer practices her faith. This was revealed in the beginning of the first season.
This planet. Did you know Robert King is a devout, practicing, Catholic? And they have a monsignor as a consultant on set. As a self-educated Catholic in Mystical Theology, guided under the direction of two Franciscan priests (The same order shown in this episode), I can say they’ve been pretty accurate. The theology has been sound.
She’s been a skeptic alongside Ben the entire time. Also: thinking about adultery. Murdered someone. Probably possessed. Why are you even still watching at this point if you’re so concerned with how the Church is depicted?
“No clue, but all of a sudden, they start making a ton of noise with their plates and cutlery. ” That was the monks? They started slamming their finished plates on the nuns’ table and the nuns got up and collected the plates, presumably to clean them.
Like omg! Was it just me or was there a ton of sexual tension between Fenna and Kristen? Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed this episode!
If only we could just sneak Fenna out of that monastery. I’d be into that plot twist.
As great as this episode was, it was weird that I had to pause the show to read dark handwriting on the boards.
I kept doing that too.
There was another great nearly silent episode years ago in Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I think it was called The Gentlemen. I think perhaps the botflies captured everyone’s attention – & there was a real demon released from the cabinet. There is too much unresolved – too much mystery still left. And the fact that Father Mulvehill is there?? He of the Leland connection?? There’s more here. I love all of our main characters, & Kristen is so charming. Those funny, touching scenes with the young nun were great.
The Buffy episode was called “Hush” and was also brilliant. Different premise in that everyone lost the ability to speak and then was hunted by the Gentlemen without being able to call out for help. So a different kind of scary. Loved Hush and loved Evil’s silent episode, too. Scary, funny, sexy all at once!
Definitely! I need to rewatch the Buffy one – thanks for the episode title!
They never explained the stigmata and the fact that the monks body didn’t decompose.
And I could have sworn they said the reason for the silence was due to the demon in the box. Once the box was open, why did anyone need to remain silent? Damage done.
They made a vow, they need to go to the Superior General of the Franciscan Order to be dispensed from it. Which probably would be granted to them.
I wish I had Kristen’s nightshirt ♥️
WTF indeed! This episode had it all, great acting chops from the talent, horror, flies, drunken nun fun, a well balanced blend, like their whiskey!
We watched this episode strictly for the entertainment value without worrying too much about any…er…Revelations.
For the record, I was sure that Kristen’s “BOO,” was the catalyst that let the demon out of the cupboard. Other than that I’m not concerned. The monastery can stay in the country and our team can come back to their troubles aplenty at home. Too bad they have to leave the nun behind…
I thought the “silent” episode of EVIL was interesting and well done.
However, the show’s predominant charm is the camaderie & banter between David, Kristen, and Ben.
Looking forward to the upcoming episodes!
So why didn’t the corpse decompose?!
Ben mentioned that it could have been the clay.
I not only think they kissed I think they hooked up. Kristen mentioned that she never felt like this while the nun was washing her feet. Then the night-shirt that Kristen gave Fenna (the dutch nun. Kristen is dutch, btw) caused Fenna to pick it up off her bed, hold it to her chest grasping it toward her face while looking toward the sky, twirling and falling backward onto her bed. Like a teenager in love.
Loved this episode but the bot fly does not explain the stigmata! Do they assess this is a miracle and move on?