SPEAK OF THE WOLF and he will come.

The Latin translation for the second episode from The Exorcist takes its emphasis from, the wolf in question is The Devil.

But in what form will the devil take?

And what exactly is his plan.

Once more I will 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 Two, ‘Lupus in Fabula”.

1. Has Father Marcus lost his touch?
   Father Marcus is a veteran in the field of exorcism, and has no doubt seen many challenges along the way, but has he met his greatest challenge yet.
   When he tries to snoop into the background of a homeless man, (who reacted to young Casey at the church, where he recognizes the devil in her), Marcus is then confronted by an elderly woman showing all the hallmarks of being possessed.
   Try as he might though, Marcus is unable to keep the demon at bay.
   Has he lost his touch?
   Is the devil truly that powerful, or has something happened to lessen Marcus’ strength?
   If his powers are truly stifled, what does that hold for the battle between Good and Evil that lay ahead?
   Do our hopes then lie with Father Tomas instead?
2. Will Father Tomas past come back to haunt him?
   Speaking of Father Tomas, it seems he is still a doubting Thomas, despite all the evidence that has been shown to him so far.
   Or at least he’s still not willing to rock the boat when it comes to his religious elders.
   And then there’s the matter of his old flame, Jessica.
   Does he still hold a torch to her? And will this be his’ own undoing?
   Give the Devil an inch and he will find a way to break you.
3. Who is the strange man that visits Casey?
   Speaking of the devil, his hooks seem firmly in control of Casey, who starts to see a strange man, and yet is completely comfortable around him.
   Is this the Devil himself, come to visit and manipulate her?
   The first time we see this man, would indicate this. He visits Casey at the Lacrosse game, where she gets her “Carrie” on and uses some telekinetic ability to snap an opponents’ leg.
   When her mother Angela gets suspicious and deceptively makes Casey drink some Holy water, you’d think that the game was up, and yet, the Force is strong with this one, as Casey contains herself long enough to get through dinner before barfing up pea soup into the toilet.
   How long can she hold up this guise though, when there are bloody centipedes appearing under her pillow?
4. How far does the devil’s arm reach?
   One great piece that come out of this episode was actually centred away from The Rance’s and the priesthood and into the neighbourhood.
   Throughout the episode, we are shown a young guy with headphones cruising in and out of shot, leading the audience to think that there was a potential back-story that we would follow with this character.
   Little did we know it was a rouse to show the true length of the Devil’s reach within the community as said headphones is dispatched along with his family in a massive bloodbath and all their organs are removed.
   What are these organs for?
   Are we about to witness a blood pact or sacrifice ala The Wicker Man?
   Whatever lay ahead, it doesn’t bode well for the locals.
5. And did you notice, the wrong side of the Pope?
   The closing image of the episode was a poster announcing the arrival of the Pope, coming to town, but strangely the image is of the back of the Pope.
   Could this infer that it’s not the arrival of The Pope that we should be prepared for, something much worse?
   Something of unspeakable evil that lurks where not even the greatest living religious presence can see.