Review: ‘Evil’ S01E04 ‘Rose390’

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Warning: Post contains spoilers

“Evil” on CBS continues its superb, cinematic, storytelling. Season 1 Episode 4 “Rose390” starts with a horror virtual reality (VR) game. Then, action cuts to Catholic Church assessor David Acosta (Mike Colter), medical advisor, Forensic psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), and tech advisor Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) visiting the house of the McCrystal family. There’s Tom and Sarah, the parents, baby Olive, and their son Eric. Upon entering the McCrystal house, it’s apparent that something’s amiss. The cabinets and refrigerator are all locked up. Moreover, young son Eric’s room is kept padlocked. Sarah explains, “We’ll stay out here.” Tom adds, “[Eric] gets a little agitated when he sees the baby.”
Ben, David, and Kristen perform an assessment of Eric. Bouchard believes that Eric suffers from psychological issues, while David suspects demonic possession. Ben offers a different opinion: environmental factors responsible for behavioral changes. Eric exhibits violent behavior and a lack of remorse or empathy. “Can you tell us what happened with your big sister?” Kristen ask. “I bit her,” Eric explains. “Really hard.” When Kristen wonders “Why did you bite your big sister?” Coldly, Eric reveals “Because I wanted to.”

The McCrystal family consulted a slew of psychologists, each of which provides a conflicting assessment. Likewise, medication works for a stint before it fails. Eric discusses an anecdote where he dared a classmate to jump onto the subway tracks and count until 42. Astutely, David recognizes this as a plot point in a graphic novel, Ochre 7.

Kristen’s mother, Sheryl Luria (Christine Lahti) gives her granddaughters Lila (Skylar Gray), Lexis (Maddy Crocco), Laura (Dalya Knapp), and Lynn (Brooklyn Shuck), a set of augmented reality (AR) goggles. Naturally, the Bouchard daughters select a horror-inspired AR game rather than the kid-friendly augmented reality experiences. Initially, it’s mostly fun and games with the kids scared by spooky apparitions. However, when internet play is enabled, a mysterious user Rose390 requests to join. It’s presumably the same unnamed figure at the beginning of the show. While Rose390 features the avatar of a small girl, and a voice to match, Ben tries the glasses and deduces that it’s a pedophile using a voice manipulator. Eerily, Rose390 frightens the girls by informing them that their father isn’t off climbing Mt. Everest, but instead is deceased.

Observations:

“Evil” impresses with a seasonally spooky shocktober episode. When David, Kristen, and Ben walk up to the McCrystal household, they walk past a lawn decked out in Halloween decorations. I’ve really enjoyed the juxtaposition between the supernatural and science. Once again, “Rose390” plays upon that dichotomy brilliantly. Eric proves “The Omen” Damien creepy, with a calculating maliciousness. In a neat twist, David can’t quite assure demonic possession, while Kristen isn’t able to diagnose any specific psychological condition.

The AR game subplot presents a frightening moment. What begins as a silly horror VR experience with the little girls getting scared turns sinister and serious when the mysterious Rose390 joins. Possibly this is related to The 60, and Dr. Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson)? And perhaps Kristen’s husband really is deceased, and she simply doesn’t know it. There’s no mention of Townsend, The 60, or demon George (Darren Pettie) who appeared in Kristen’s dreams in a departure from previous story arc. Father Amara (Clark Johnson) reprises his guest-starring role, and I hope to see more of Amara as the season trudges on.

Its finale truly proves the genius of “Evil.” It’s an inventive show which mixes genuinely dark material with drama and comedic elements, bolstered by an excellent cast in its leading trio of David, Kristen, and Ben, each buoyed upon intriguing backstories.