He is risen indeed…
The last act of this episode is pedal to the metal horror as – at long last – it seems as if Damien is fully accepting his heritage… which perhaps isn’t too surprising given everything that he’s put through in the first two-thirds of the hour. Scratch that: it isn’t too surprising given everything that’s been happening to him since the first frame of this series. The look on Bradley James’ face as Damien pulls himself out of the ground and faces Sister Greta is beyond chilling. He doesn’t have to look down at what he’s doing…
But Damien isn’t the only one who’s at the sharp end: writers K.C. Perry and Glen Mazzara don’t hold back with the scares, as Veronica also has some thorny problems (in an Evil Dead kind of way), Detective Shay investigates Damien’s loft and gets increasingly freaked out by what he thinks he sees and hears (and that’s after his son has whispered something really scary in his ear), and Sister Greta… Well, frankly, Sister Greta gets what’s coming to her.
Simone and Amani are both caught between a rock and a hard place during the episode, and it’s fascinating to watch their reactions and who they ally themselves with. Shay is finding himself increasingly isolated – suspended from the force, abandoned by his husband – while Ann Rutledge is desperate to try to protect both her children (Veronica and Damien) from Sister Greta…
A lot of pieces are starting to come together – during their discussions, Sister Greta explains to Damien about the seven-headed dragon he encountered in the VA hospital – and I suspect those that have the time will benefit from rewatching the entire series before next week’s season finale (and let’s hope A&E stick to their onscreen message and it is just the season, not series, closer).
Verdict: Some of the best scenes of the series help build the tension in this penultimate episode. 8/10
Paul Simpson
Ilustration by Urmel, once again used with thanks
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