Evil Season 4 Episode 12 Review: Is the Forward Path a Straight Line?

Critic’s Rating: 4.25 / 5.0

4.25

Was Evil Season 4 Episode 12 Sister Andrea’s swan song?

Earlier this season, she alluded to a man whose heart she broke when she chose the sisterhood, and “Fear of the Other” offered a more in-depth look at that meaningful event in her life.

With only two episodes remaining, we need to focus on the leads and their future, and that’s a pretty heavy lift.

Two Weeks on the Show and Two Weeks in Real Life

There are two weeks left for the assessment team to dig into demons and two episodes remaining.

Would it be remiss if we assumed that each episode would cover a week leading up to that unfortunate event?

I’m also willing to bet that we’ll see Ben’s mind-bending story finish up during Evil Season 4 Episode 13 so that the finale can be spent defeating Leland and uniting Kristen and David. Can the series end any other way?

A Traditional Case of the Week on Evil Season 4 Episode 12

It’s awesome getting a traditional case of the week this late in the game, and it worked excellently to tie it to one of the series regulars.

It would have been tragic if we’d learned a bit about Sister Andrea before she chose Sisterhood without getting any details.

Andrea was the love of Paul’s life, and even years later, the responsibility she felt for his death was prevalent.

On Evil Season 4 Episode 4, “The Demon of Grief,” the first parts of this story emerged.

Meeting Paul Jr. and seeing Paul in the (compromised) flesh drove home the point that an experience like Sister Andrea’s can be a weight almost impossible to shake.

The story was quite frightening and managed to circle around to show us how the trio of assessors might have had different lives had they chosen different paths.

“Fear of the Other”

I cannot be the only person who would be online right now looking for my doppelganger if such a program existed, right? Hang on… let me double-check that one doesn’t exist.

OK. Wait. There IS a website that looks for your doppel called Twin Strangers. And, folks, I found mine. She appears older than me, but it is FREAKY. It’s so freaky, in fact, that I’m not sure it can possibly be real. Wow.

Well, no wonder Kristen, Ben, and David were hesitant to seek out their others. It’s an experience.

It’s funny that Kristen tried David first; I’m fighting every ounce of strength not to try uploading someone I know instead of me. In Kristen’s case, it gave her someone to fantasize about without the guilt.

David has Demon Kristen, and now Kristen has Doppel David.

Ben’s Doppel Gives Him Pause

Kristen had fun with her doppel experience. Ben, though, has been going through something lately. He’s struggling with visions and impending unemployment, and one of those is much more worrisome than the other.

Ben is willing to scientifically attack his hallucinations, but he’s out of sorts about leaving the assessor gig.

Putting out feelers has prospective employers knocking down doors to retain him — how can hearing over $900k as a starting salary give you pause?

The look on Ben’s face was anything but ecstatic, and part of that is due to his friendships with David and Kristen and all that he’s learned taking on this crazy job.

Ben saw a version of himself as a husband and father, which had never seemed important to him before. It may not be now, but Aasif Mandvi let on with his facial expressions that Ben may be thinking about a lot of things that never crossed his mind before.

He’s not afraid to succeed, but Ben is afraid that the life he’s chosen will not make him the happiest.

Has Andy Betrayed Kristen Again, or Have Leland and his Cohorts Gotten to Him?

Has Andy been retconned to satisfying an Evil ending with Kristen and David front and center?

Andy hasn’t been Husband of the Year material, but he never appeared to be anything other than a family man, either, once he got off Everest, anyway.

But now, he’s acting in ways that challenge everything we’ve come to know about him. From the affair to how he handled the settlement, none of it makes sense.

The settlement Kristen was aiming for wasn’t real per se, was it?

There was no company behind Andy being stranged on Everest because he was with Leland. Is what Kristen is uncovering about Andy real?

Is Everyone Being Manipulated?

We’re talking about demons who can take on human form here. Is Andy Andy? Did he have an affair? Has he been whisked off or killed?

I’m not sure two more episodes will make sense of it, but nothing here feels right.

I could easily buy into Andy connecting with a random stranger who is also suffering from mental health issues. He would not have set up his affair to visit his home and daughters, and he would not have taken money they needed to survive.

It’s got to be demons at work. But if so, would it justify an ending where Kristen and David got together, or would that feel like cheating?

Nobody can deny the electricity between them, but if everyone is manipulated into making it happen, then it’s a wretched fate, not a win.

If the case of the week told us anything, it’s how easy it is to exploit a situation for your own purposes.

Leland’s Day in Court

There was a past to understand, a case to solve, and alternative lives to consider, but there was also Leland’s day in court.

Despite a surprising turn of events that found Dr. Boggs recommending the harshest penalty for Leland’s bad acts, demons won the day, and Leland was cleared of all charges.

To get there, the demons had to use every bit of evidence at their fingertips. They had everyone but Boggs and Kristen in the bag. The judge? He killed Leslie right there in his chambers. Whatever they had on him made a murder rap seem worthwhile.

It might have looked like this story was wrapping up, but did you expect Leland to go down so easily?

We had the chance to talk with Michael Emerson (the interview will be posted tomorrow), but he shared this sneak peek into Leland’s future:

Sometimes your downfall comes a little bit out of left field, something you’re not expecting or looking for. And it may not be the end of you, but you may be, let’s say, benched or hampered.

— Michael Emerson about Leland Townsend’s Upcoming Fate

Perhaps the strength our characters received during Evil Season 4 Episode 12 through their various encounters will be what’s needed to send Leland and his machinations to hell or, worse, rob him of his power and influential friends.

Hints of What’s to Come

There are hints of what’s to come for everyone.

Kristen has decided to go into practice for herself again with Dr. Boggs’s help.

I’d like to think they’ll reatain a close connection.

Ben’s weighing his options, but with a wealth of career opportunities before him, he may unexpectedly pivot toward something more meaningful.

David and Sister Andrea are at the mercy of the Church when it comes to how they currently serve God, but I can’t help but wonder if the Church’s greed could make them course correct, too.

Just because this team is being disbanded doesn’t mean that the party has to end. Amongst them, they are the assessment program.

The decisions they would have made along the way would have been distinct from how the Church directed their actions.

The forward path isn’t always a straight line.

Same Team, Different Direction?

With so many cases still unsolved, would it be crazy to imagine they’d ignore where they’re being told to go and band together again? They could call it The Entity.

What do you think will come of these final two episodes? Will we get the answers we want or only the answers we need?

Is there a Hail Mary pass on the horizon that will put this group back in action again? Netflix, are you answering prayers today?

And tell me if you visit Twin Strangers. What a trip!