IT’S ALL ABOUT the burn in the next chapter of The Exorcist.

Are these incidents separate examples of how much the demon has his hooks into the city? Or are we dealing with more than on demon as prophesized by Father Marcus?

We were also offered further insights into these characters and the demon/s may have had on them for some time.

So let’s open up the operating theatre to dissect the latest episode of The Exorcist and delve into this plot a little deeper with 5 key points taking from Chapter Three, ‘Let Em In”.

1. The car crash
   Isn’t that a thing?
   You declare your true feelings towards your soul mate and friend, when a demon steps out in front of the car, causing it to crash and killing your beloved.
   Such is the plight that faces Katherine in the first of our flashbacks involving the Rance’s.
   But what does this mean and reflect?
   Is this would-have-been lesbian affair, a torment on Katherine’s soul?
   Does the demon capitalise on this often scorned upon view of gay relationships in order to gain control over Katherine?
   What is there to gain from this?
   And did you notice that we never saw Julie’s face at all?
   A touch that I liked and adds weight to the symbolism of their relationship, especially as it was Julie’s face that Katherine was describing that she was attracted to at the time that the accident took place. 

2. The burning man
   If ever the Pope’s welcoming committee needed convincing that Chicago is falling foul to the Demon’s delights, surely it comes in the guise of a burning man, who turns up outside the building.
   Not much seems to be said around this, other than a brief mention from Bennett, who may have been the only character swayed be the depths of depravity circling them.
   Will the clergy finally get their act together, or is it all too little too late?

3. From one burn to another
   After stealing a dress from the store, once again showing how under the thumb she has become, Casey is taken in front of Marcus, who begins to drill her about her inadequacies and jealousy of her sister.
   This action draws the demon to the surface, which reveals to Marcus that he is the same demon from the failed exorcism in Ep 1, much to his disbelief.
   So armed with the proof that Casey is clearly under the demonic influence, (caught on camera by Father Tomas) they try to stake their case for an exorcism, only for Marcus to be slapped in the face with an excommunication.
   Man that’s gotta sting. Better cool off by getting smashed in the church pews.
   Oh, and just burn the excommunication papers while you’re at it too.

4. The curling iron replaces the crucifix
   A fairly infamous scene from the movie, bears witness to Regan using a crucifix to masturbate with. An action that is used to shock her mother in order to display just how possessed she now is.
   Here a similar device is used to shock, but instead it’s the audience that bear witness to the cruel act of self-mutilation as Casey inflicts bodily pain upon her genitals with a curling iron.
   It’s a gruesome moment and one that reflects the fine line between pleasure and pain and treads a similar ground to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser in the process.

5. The train scene
   Earlier in the episode, Henry starts to realise that there is something clearly wrong with his daughter and when he tries to pry into what is going on, he falls into a temporary coma, (a result of his scaffolding injury).
   Cue demonic possession in from of an entire carriage full of people.
   When a guy sexually advances on Casey, the demon arrives and lures the dark side to the surface.
   Casey then shreds the guy apart with his body eviscerated and then his jaw ripped open.
   Fuck that was intense, but another indication that sex is definitely a key attributer to when the demon’s power is at its greatest, when you combine this attack with the self-mutilation scene and the car crash at the beginning of the episode.
   And did you notice at the end of the train attack, there was another sign declaring, ‘He is coming.’ over Casey’s shoulder? 

With all this doom and gloom circling the characters, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there is no hope for light in the darkness.

But when Bennett hands Marcus a list of places to go to, outside of Chicago, is this a beacon for him to follow in order to restore order and faith once again?

And can Father Tomas take on the torch in Marcus’ absence?

Time will tell in the next episode, ‘The Moveable Feast’.

SO THE EXORCIST TV series finally reached Australian shores and a plethora of excitement had been brewing from the Surgeons of Horror camp in anticipation of where this series would take us.

As usual, there were skeptics and believers among our team of professionals, but as Lead Surgeon, it was my duty to take on board the dissection of the Season.

And what better way to do this, than by dissecting one episode at a time.

The Priests:

Father Marcus

Right for the set-off, this series would focus on the priests, as they will play the centrepiece for the show, which I highly support.
Character is such an important aspect of any movie or TV series. In order to keep our interest they must be strong and filled with plenty of depth, especially as what we hope will transpire is the breakdown or assassination of these characters when they come face to face with the demon.
“You gotta build them up before you can pull them down.”

First up is Father Marcus, played the magnificent Ben Daniels, who can convey depth with a single look.
He’s the hardened veteran of Exorcism. A man that has already witnessed the extent of The Devil’s work and danced in His playground.

But to what extent has he gone too in order to challenge and rid people’s souls of evil?
We get the chance to witness a doomed exorcism take place, where Marcus will stop at nothing to try and outfox the demon, to the point of pulling a gun on a fellow priest.
We’re also given our first twist in the tale, albeit via a painful twist of the neck – a nod to the original – but as was duly pointed out by fellow Surgeon Antony Yee, “That would kill yer”, and in this case, it did, and Marcus would lose this battle.

So, Marcus is a hard-boiled guy from the heart of humanity, shaken to the core, but lived to see the next day. Is he now about to meet his match in the Rance household?

Father Tomas

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Father Tomas, a young pioneer in the priesthood, destined for great things. His parish is in a rundown part of town, but he has restored faith in the community with his energy and spirit. And his sermons reflect this.
But what ails him? There are whispers of his relationship with a woman. Has he truly buried these feelings?

And do you get the feeling that he’s had it too good so far? That his life has been a little too easy up to this point?

Will his quest for greater things lead him to darker places? We certainly hope so.

It’s certainly going to be interesting when he comes face to face with the demon.
Or has the demon already got his hooks into Father Tomas?

Are these nightmares that he is having, the perfect vessel for the demon to manipulate with Father Tomas’ mind, before the game even begins? It would be pretty cool, if this was the case, and the journey all the more rewarding when he does do battle.

All is not well in the Rance household

It would appear from the beginning, that certain things are off kilter with the Rance’s. We’re led to believe at first that the trouble centres on the daughter, Katherine, who was recently involved in a car crash, where one of her friends died.
However, ironically enough, it seems that she is probably the least of our concerns at this stage.
In the “twist” reveal, we are shown that it’s her sister, Casey that is under the devil’s thumb. The sweet and innocent are much more corruptible and mold like putty in the devil’s hands.

Unfortunately this reveal, was pretty obvious and didn’t blind-side me at all. There is promise of more twists to come, and I hope that they bring on the shock factor, as this was a little underwhelming in its delivery of plot.
Having said that though, I do take my hat off to the character development involved in this episode, as it certainly holds potential for further developments down the line.

Interestingly though was Casey’s comment, whilst possessed in the attic, about there being more than one rat to contend with. Are their more people already under the demon’s control?

There are certainly hints that the father, Henry (Alan Ruck) is not all together there and hasn’t been for some time.

And let’s not forget Angela (Geena Davis) the hypersensitive mother of the family who suspects the devil’s hand at every corner. Is there more to her than meets the eye? She seems very quick to shout “Demon” when it comes to Katherine.

What has made her so on edge?

Has she had dealings with the Devil before?

The homage

The last word I have on this episode is the homage to the original movie.
Whilst every fan loves to see the nod of reflection to cinema’s finest moments, in this case when Marcus arrives at the possessed abode and lifts his head to the heavens to gaze upon the lit window of an apartment above, whilst silhouetted by it’s haloed glow, we can only wish that these are few and far between if the series is to make it’s own mark in the franchise and stand on it’s own feet.
Time will tell if indeed the series will be able to stand out of it’s predecessor’s shadow and become an entity in it’s own right.