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Warning: Post contains minor spoilers
CBS show “Evil” pairs an unlikely duo in Catholic Church spiritual assessor David Acosta (Mike Colter) with forensic psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers). Whereas season 1 episode 1 found David, Kristen, and Ben (Aasif Mandv), a contractor hired by the Catholic Church turned professional skeptic, investigating a possible possession, “Evil” season 1 episode 2 finds the trio probing a potential miracle in “177 Minutes.” A teenage girl was pronounced dead, then came back to life almost two hours later.
Ben, David, and Kristen, now officially a team, solidify their dynamic. “So how does this work with a miracle?” Kristen wonders. “Well, we investigate the medical evidence and you as our psychological and medical advisor…” David begins, “I’m our medical advisor?” Kristen swoons. Ben interrupts, “Yeah, don’t be too flattered. I’m the tech advisor.” The trio features a natural banter that works extremely well.
A college soccer player, Naomi Clark, 18, collapsed in the middle of a match. She was pronounced dead of a cardiac arrest. However, shortly after being visited by her parents and a priest, Father Augustus (Dakin Matthews), Naomi sits bolt upright, alive and well.
Dr. Townsend proves more than a mere menacing presence. Leland threatens to reverse every decision Kristen made for the D.A.’s office. “Every innocent person would be guilty, and every guilty person would be innocent.” David shakes his head, admitting “He’s coming after us.” Acosta believes that Townsend is a demon trying to kill hope. Further, Leland encourages Bouchard to ask David about the second time he saw God in an attempt to divide the pair. Although Acosta doesn’t provide the details, chances are this isn’t the last time it’s mentioned.
Observations
The standalone monster-of-the-week, or in this case miracle-of-the-week episode format works extremely well. Coming off its riveting pilot “Evil” S01E02 “177 Minutes” manages to plunge straight into the action. Character relationships strengthen while backstories flesh out enjoyably.
During an interview with David and Kristen, Naomi reveals the details of her near-death experience. According to her account, a hole opened in the grass, a black hole. Then, sixty people emerged from the hole. Possibly, this is a reference to The 60, a mysterious demonic group that’s been mentioned before by Leland Townsend.
Kristen admits an attraction to David, and vice versa. I’m not against romance in narratives, but I do hope it’s pulled off organically and not in some shoehorned attempt to infuse a love story unnecessarily. At the episode’s conclusion, there’s a bookend scene where David jogs to a club entrance. But instead of turning around, he proceeds inside, locating a drug dealer that he’s clearly well-acquainted with. Acosta purchases some shrooms, then prepares them and trips. As he explained to Kristen, he once had a vision but lost it. Presumably, David seeks to revitalize his vision. While tripping, David sees a ball of light comprised of tiny figures. “Julia?” he wonders aloud. This unconventional, hallucinogen-popping priest-in-training is certainly an intriguing character.
Ultimately, like its pilot, the spiritual elements of “177 Minutes” are debunked. Though it doesn’t dwell on it, “177 Minutes” touches on systemic racism. Boris McGiver puts in a solid guest-starring role as Monsignor Matthew Korecki which I both suspect and hope will be recurring.
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