Discussing Ep. 1.3
I liked this episode. I thought it was a real improvement over first two, getting much creepier and blurring the lines between the rational and the supernatural while adding a mystery element to it all.
It was great how they introduced the six types of demonic possession. What makes them interesting, especially diabolical oppression (where you seem to be bombarded by tragedy after tragedy in quick succession) and diabolical obsession (exhibiting bizarre behaviour) is that these types of possession are far, far more difficult to prove. The irony of the first one is that people will chalk up such tragedies to a string of "bad luck," which is a no more scientific explanation than demonic possession! The second one is difficult to separate from psychological problems, which was a perfect set up for Kristen to show her stuff. I thought they did well by having her being able to label that Broadway producer, Byron Duke, as possessing narcissistic personality disorder, as well as her being able to give insight into popular leadership/self help programs such as the 53 Rules of Dominance. Also, they way they explained Duke sweating blood as being nothing more than his hair transplant getting infected and making him bleed was rather funny. What was also funny was how at the end, when everything seemed alright and Duke seemed like he was becoming a good guy, he gets a message that causes him to jump to his death! I thought that was both unexpected and brilliant!
Seems like these devices were the star of the episode. I NEVER liked these things! It's like the beginnings of Skynet or something. The fact that it's alleged that these devices are actually spying on their users, collecting information for the government or perhaps becoming sentient on their own is creepy enough. This episode upped the creepy factor with these devices by adding a paranormal element to them. Once again, they went the route of presenting what seems to be a supernatural occurrence to be explained away with non-supernatural explanation, only to have those non-supernatural explanations be insufficient in the end.
I loved how Ben went about exploring every possible option, from the hacker using the wi-fi to using the cellular signal and how he was able to affect even the temperature in the room via the cellular signal. Of course, what creeped Ben, his sister and me out was when another "hacker" is able to use his father's device and starts talking to his sister in, I'm assuming, Punjabi and talks about a baby. The mystery is set up there in regard to what baby he was talking about and who, or what, that "hacker" was. Because while the real hacker owned up to pranking Duke, there was no explanation for this. Of course, it could be an elite hacker using software that Ben and his sister have never heard of, but it seems like Ben and his sister are up on the latest technology so it's a real mystery who or what was talking to them. When the Alexa device started laughing, that freaked me out. I've heard of devices doing that and this show made me NOT want to buy one all the more!
The other mystery, of course, is in regard to David's dream and what that entails. First off, I want to address what that priest told him about demon's vulnerabilities being revealed in numbers and symbols. That's the first I've ever heard of such a thing and it sounded stupid. But the other line that really got me was when he said that "God draws in straight lines, while the devil draws in puzzles and anagrams." I had to agree with Townsend....that made no sense. One need only look to the parables of Jesus to realize that God does indeed use puzzles and non-direct language to reveal truths. The Bible is FULL of that. So I thought that was a really stupid thing for that priest to say because it completely flies in the face of what the Bible and other religious texts teach about God.
There was almost a DaVinci's Code feel to David trying to figure out his visions. It was a tad bit too easy though, having those Roman numerals on that tomb be latitude and longitude coordinates that David could superimpose on a map. That was a bit much. But I am interested in finding out what it all means and if it indeed is a message from God. The answers seemingly lie in Chicago, New York and Washington.
The spark between Kristen and David was downplayed a little, though it was a bit out of place when she asked how David could think of joining the Church amidst all the scandal and abuses at the hands of the Church. I liked his answer though, that the Church obviously needs good people to counteract all the bad that's been done in its name.
Speaking of Kristen, I think she gone and fucked up! So while I'm not a fan of how they're developing Townsend as essentially being the Devil himself, or at the very least a demonic personality, so blatantly....what's done is done and they might as well run with it now. And run with it they are! I did like Townsend's rationale for wanting that 14 year old kid in prison, claiming how it will corrupt him to the point where he becomes less innocent and more susceptible to becoming a monster, possibly a sociopath. That "second prison rape" line was chilling! And I loved how Kristen tried to record him talking but her recording got all fucked up in key places where Townsend talked.
Where I believe Kristen herself fucked up was in trying to play fire with fire with this guy. Creating a deepfake conversation and trying to pass it off as genuine....I think that's going to bite her in the ass in the future. I'm going to assume that a message this show is going to get across is that you cannot defeat the Devil with lies. Like the Bible says, the Devil is the father of lies. While Kristen may have won this one battle, she will lose the war by applying these kinds of tactics. She is in over her head and I kept shaking my head at the fact that she used a blatant deepfake as evidence. If they revisit this story in the next episode, I could see Townsend somehow revealing the recording as a deepfake, destroying Kristen's credibility and even casting doubt in David's mind about Kristen's morality, though it would be somewhat hypocritical if he judges her when he has his own secrets.
Overall, this was a great episode. I'm getting more involved in these characters and where this is all going to go!
