The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 6: Darling Nikki Review

If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.

Synopsis: A visit to the foster home carries deadly consequences, as Marcus and Father Tomas attempt to draw the demon out of hiding; Rose finds herself the target of the demon’s wrath.(IMDB)

Writer: Jeremy Slater

Director: Jason Ensler

Rating: TV-14

Runtime: 45mins

This episode immediately picks up where the last one left off, finding Andy in the attic confronting a seemingly real Nikki. She makes it abundantly clear that she is not planning on leaving his side this time and strangely enough Andy doesn’t question her. It is during this time that we find Father Tomas confessing his visions to Markus in detail, explaining that the house has a very dark and sinister history in which the demonic spirit that inhabits it has been feeding off of the various tenants for decades. Tomas and Markus’ paths lead them back to Andy’s orphanage but this time with the blessing of Rose who allows them to observe Andy’s actions. The duo spends some time and effort convincing Rose of the validity of their profession and that in certain circumstances the evil they’ve seen can be a danger to not just the integrated but those around them as well.

By this point in the episode, Andy is well on his way to demonic integration. He has fully accepted the existence of Nikki as an entity that is not really his late wife, however, he doesn’t even question why she is there or for what purpose. Later in the episode during a conversation with Rose, he alludes to the fact that he did not mourn the loss of his wife because he thought he needed to stay strong for the children. This has caused him to slowly begin to lose touch with reality and admit aloud that the future of his household is in question as a result of recent events. These are the symptoms that are perfect for demons to prey upon according to Markus and Tomas and only serve to spike their suspicion that something and now someone in that house is dangerous. The strongest scene in the episode is between Markus, Tomas, Andy, and Rose as they begin to discuss the house and Andy’s past in an attempt to catch the demon off guard and provoke it to reveal itself to them. This has little effect as Nikki is coaching Andy throughout the entire conversation, but the strength of the scene comes through its quiet tension that slowly builds to a fever pitch in which Andy kicks them out in an angered state.

This is where the episode takes a turn for the absurd. Harper’s mom makes a very strange appearance to the house as things begin to unravel with Andy and Rose. She attempts to take Harper back and leave Andy’s house for good. This was entirely unexpected and to be completely honest changed the tone that the episode had steadily built. The only rationale for her existence at this point in the story was to bring the priests back into the house after getting kicked out, however, that is a paper thin reason and one that was painfully noticeable in an otherwise decent episode. Everything came to a head once the priests return back to the house. As they try and save Harper and restrain her mother, Andy emerges from his bedroom (post failed coitus) and finally reveals the presence inside of him by murdering Harper’s mother in gruesome fashion. The episode ends as the Tomas and Markus begin praying over Andy as he begins screaming.

We are also treated to Father Bennett and Mouse’s story moving forward, albeit at a snail’s pace. They are still attempting to kidnap a high ranking member of the church in an effort to expose and get more information about the conspiracy to dismantle the church by demonic possessions. As luck would have it, they stumble into the bedroom of Maria Walters, one of the major players from season one, who is bedridden and near death. She is fully integrated with the demon who possesses her and both Bennett and Mouse resort to torturing her for answers about the demon’s plan for the church. Walters doesn’t provide many answers but does let slip that Father Tomas is very much on their radar and will hopefully turn to their side in the near future. It will be an interesting storyline to monitor for the future but is currently open-ended. What is clear is that Father Tomas is struggling with his “gift” and is in desperate need of help as it worsens.

This episode could’ve been so much better and as the credits rolled it was apparent that nothing really occurred to propel the story towards any sense of resolution. The demon residing in Andy’s house took its time revealing itself. This was probably a testament to its longevity and prowess, but in terms of this episode, it took too long. There was a decent feeling of dread and tension building across the runtime of this episode, however, it was completely dismantled by the unnecessary appearance of Harper’s mother. This will be an episode that will be forgotten in terms of the entire season, but ones such as these are also necessary to build towards a larger resolution that we know is coming. Hopefully next week’s episode is able to build off of this one in a way that helps the story move positively forward. Overall, it’s a minor setback to a solid season up until this point.

Score: 6/10

Critics w/o Credentials

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