The Exorcist TV Series: A Bloody Good Surprising Breakout of a Show!

I realize that this topic is not science fiction but horror. And, of course, SF is, generally, what we discuss at this blogpost. But I wanted to talk about The Exorcist TV series because of what a wonderful drama I found it to be. And, should you decide to take a chance on watching it, I'm hoping you will come to appreciate this bit of quality television to the same or greater depths than I.

Out of courtesy I warn you upfront....

 !MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

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On Friday, September 23, 2016 viewers began a ten-episode journey into the realm of the supernatural with a reinvigoration of events springing from the 1973 movie The Exorcist. Premiering on the Fox television network, the fresh, reimagined TV series of the same name brought to life new characters in a new situation who were forced into confrontation with a frightening demonic entity hell-bent - and that is the correct word - to possess and destroy them for its own tormented purposes.

At first I did not think I would like the program. I started off with it from the very beginning and found it a tad odd, slow, and (probably because I'm not really a horror fan) not much to my taste. But I kept watching - premiere episode, second episode - and by the time I'd reached the third show, well let's just say I was enthralled. So I kept going...all the way to the very end! And guess what, people?

I LOVED THIS FRIGGING SHOW!

The characters were compelling, and surprisingly well-developed. They were deep and able to relate to - to empathize with - because of the solid portrayals delivered by an impeccable cast of quality thespians who brought a magnificent A-game to each and every show week after week! And the program's overall plot was mysterious and complex enough to keep this guy on the edge of his seat waiting for the next twist to come round the bend. And boy did they, deliciously! So I was hooked, and ultimately didn't let the slow start discourage me from continuing to watch until the season finale.

With that being that, in this meditation on the TV series, I'm going to provide an overview of the storyline that weaves in some of my videos on The Exorcist (they're all conveniently available on YouTube), because during the first-season run I did a near episode-by-episode review, delving into the plot points and characters, and offering my takes and speculations on where the series was going and what it was evolving into. I'd like to share that with you now. So let's begin.

The Characters

Let's begin by highlighting the primary people that populate this new Exorcist incarnation (no puns toward any religious use of the word intended there) because this is where our foundation is and the launching point from whence we'll understand the story.

The Rance Family

 

Henry Rance

To the right is Henry Rance, patriarch of the Rance family, the man who tries to hold his fragile family together once things begin to go wrong. We don't know it when first introduced to him, but Henry is suffering from a brain injury that transforms a normally sharp and intelligent architect of man into a slow and dimwitted individual who is barely conscious of what is happening around him, including to his daughters and wife. However, over the course of the show, Henry begins to recover, and, as we come to discover, the mishap that caused his brain trauma is not an accident, but the calculation of deliberate provocation meant to confuse him and distract his wife with his condition so that others may become the target of the supernatural designs of the demonic entity at war with the Rances.

Angela Rance

This is mom Angela Rance, the feminine mystique of the program in whom is vested a number of matters. Angela, as we come to know her, is a dedicated wife and mother, in addition to having a thriving career in the hotel industry. She is a devout Catholic, guiding her family in the ways of upright religious discipline and ensuring their spirits are just as cherished as their mortal existence by taking them to weekly Mass. But there is more to Angela than meets the eye. And it is through the unfolding of the series that we come to find that Angela Rance is in fact actually Regan MacNeil - yes, that Regan MacNeil - from the original 1973 Exorcist movie, who was demonically possessed as a young 12 year-old girl. After a series of strange events start to happen with her children and inside her home, Angela/Regan begins to suspect that one of her girls is demonically possessed, just as she was long ago. More on this later.

Katherine "Kat" Rance

This is one of the children of the Rance family, Katherine Rance. Known as the graceful one, Kat - as she's also called by her parents and sibling - is a ballet dancer. She's prone toward mild narcissism and self-absorption, especially after the tragic accidental death of her girlfriend and fellow dancer, another young woman we know only as Julia. Yes, Katherine is revealed to be a closet lesbian, or, at the least, experimenting in that direction. Upon Julia's death, Kat goes into a deep depression from whence she withdraws from the family and isolates herself in her room, also becoming very antagonistic, particularly toward her parents. She especially resents her mother for not accepting her sexual orientation and being unwilling to even speak the name of her girlfriend, and is angry at her father for effectively being a "potatohead" unable to care for himself or be wholly present in the family's affairs. However, this will change as it becomes more apparent that her sister's problems are actually greater than Kat's own.  

Casey Rance

And this leads us to the younger sister of the family, Casey Rance. She is the tomboy of the two girls and whom might also be considered the wallflower. Where Katherine is elegant and beautiful, Casey is rugged and cute by some estimations, but far from the glamor girl. Because she's treated differently, and somewhat less, than her sister by others (possibly including her parents too), Casey is resentful of Kat and always searching for a way to distinguish herself from her superstar sibling and be noticed of her own merit. Her emotional discontent leads Casey on a journey toward demonic possession. Yes, you read it right. Though it is Mother Angela's Rance's original contention that it is her daughter Katherine who is demonically possessed, we come to learn (as does Angela) that it is in fact Casey who has been taken over by the seducing power of an evil spirit. The demon's segue into Casey's life is the promise of self-actualization separate and distinct from her sister's long shadow, and acceptance for her own innate beauty and talents. The demon leads Casey down a primrose path until it has burrowed deep enough into her psyche to take full control over her body and mind.

"The Salesman," the demon, Pazuzu

This is that demon. Calling himself "The Salesman," this otherworldly entity is on a singular mission when we first meet him to seduce Casey into his web and capture her soul for his own. He grants to her preternatural powers she's incapable of summoning by herself, such as superstrength, knowledge about others she can't possibly know, even the ability to injure others without actual physical contact - all classic signs of demonic infestation of a living human being's body. However, there is more to the Salesman than meets the eye, even for a demon, for we come to learn that this fallen angel is the very same evil spirit that once possessed Casey's mother, Angela/Regan MacNeil as a child! Yeah! Whoa! Later in the series he reveals himself as Captain Howdy, the exact same name he used when first contacting the young Regan in her mother's basement in the '73 movie incarnation. It is here, and through the revelation of Angela's real name as Regan, that The Exorcist TV series is not shown to be merely some spinoff of the 1970s movie, but an actual continuation, after a fashion, of those events! It is demonstrated that the Salesman/Captain Howdy is in fact Pazuzu, the exact same demon confronted by Fathers Lankester Merrin and Damien Karras in the film. It's also shown in the television story that this quite clever demon is singularly responsible for all the travails that have been happening to the Rance family over the life of the program - from Henry's brain injury, to Kat's car accident, to Casey's emotional problems - all in an effort to get revenge on Angela/Regan for beating it forty years ago. Man, what a determined fallen angel this one is! Even four decades don't stop it from wanting to reclaim Angela as its own.

But there's another angle, a late-comer to the struggle against Captain Howdy/Pazuzu that the new Exorcist creators introduce into this hellish mix, one I did not expect, but was pleasantly surprised to welcome.

Angela's mother, Chris MacNeil

We are treated to the presence of Angela's mom, the former actress Chris MacNeil herself, who shows up on the scene when she discovers that her granddaughter Casey has gone missing thanks to news reports. When Grandmother MacNeil appears she and her estranged daughter Angela, expectedly, don't get along due to Angela's perception of how Chris exploited her possession for greed and profit when she was a girl. This causes some strong disagreements as to how to go about finding Casey, and nearly scuttles said efforts when Angela asks Chris to leave when she erroneously invites a reporter into Angela's home to interview her. But, as time goes on, the two reconcile in part because of Henry's insistence that Chris can help them find Casey. Mother (Chris) and daughter (Angela/Regan) begin a slow climb toward mutual trust that is promising, but, unfortunately, will be cut short by tragic events.

But there's more still, other personae who play pivotal roles alongside these main characters.

The Holy Fathers

Yes, yes, I know this is a title generally reserved for the Holy Father, the Pontiff himself, the Vicar of Christ, the Pope. However, I am using the title a bit tongue-n-cheek to reference the three manly and courageous Church priests of the TV series - Fathers Tomas Ortega, Marcus Keane, and Devon Bennett. Each is a standup, righteous man in his own way, and each deserving of respect in the story. Let's explore why.

Father Tomas

This is one of our good men of integrity, Father Tomas Ortega. He is a modern priest just beginning his career as a man of the cloth. His outlook parallels that of Father Damien Karras from the 70s movie in that Tomas does not believe in demonic possession. As a man of modern times, Tomas relegates such arcane thinking to the medieval Church where he regards it to belong. Demons, he believes, are nothing more than metaphors, projections for the internal dispositions and psychological states of people, especially those who think themselves afflicted by the presence of such beings. However, Tomas gets a rude awakening to the reality of the intersection between the natural and supernatural when he's confronted by a possessed Casey inside the Rance family home.

But there is another side to Tomas, his old girl-flame, Jessica, whom he still exchanges occasional letters with and whom is still in love with him despite her status as a married woman. This leads to an inevitable affair (both emotional and physical) with the matrimonially dissatisfied Jessica, and, consequently, to a weakness in Tomas that can ultimately be exploited by the demon he will confront when he decides to help the Rance family. Tomas is also going rogue against Church orders by aiding Casey without the permission of his superiors. But despite all this, Tomas is a man of deep and abiding love for those whom he cares and a man striving in his heart to be the quality priest he believes God wants him to be. This makes him altogether a decent human being worthy of his position even considering his failures.

Father Marcus

Father Marcus Keane is the exorcist of the show, mimicking the experience and knowledge of Lankester Merrin in the original movie. But more, Marcus is a man of power and awesomeness on his own. My nickname for Marcus is "The Punisher" because he's proven himself willing to go toe-to-toe with the forces of darkness be they natural or supernatural. And he knows how to win when he does! Marcus' background has made him ideally suited to be a Catholic exorcist. Early in life was confronted with the truth of human ugliness when he witnessed his own father murder his mother at the tender age of seven years old. He killed his dad in retaliation and self-defense but was orphaned as a result. The Church took Marcus in as a ward and, later, secretly trained him to become an exorcist when he showed the capacity to do so by confronting a demonically possessed man at only 12 years of age! For the last forty years since, Marcus has plied his trade from place to place, helping those who must be freed from the horrific devastation of demonic control. There's more to Marcus too. It's revealed in the show that Marcus is known to the fallen angelic brotherhood as a priest to be regarded, even feared. They in fact want Marcus with them and, in the past, have tried to tempt him to join them on the other side, against God's order. So far Marcus has resisted their siren song of treason against the Heavenly Father's celestial authority.

Father Devon Bennett

Father Devon Bennett is also a most intriguing character. The Prefect of Papal Outreach and Security, Devon is a politician of refinement and education. He's adept in different languages, diplomacy, negotiation, and he is a skilled fighter able to handle himself against Satan's mortal minions in combat. Devon is a hard fighting soldier who's faced the possessed before and beaten them. He is the first besides Father Marcus to realize there is a vast conspiracy underway to assassinate the reigning pope and destroy the faith of millions in the process. Devon goes undercover of his own recognizance to find the would-be perpetrators behind the plot and bring them to justice. In the process, he is captured by the enemy and tortured. He is even given the choice to die or become one of the demonically possessed and serve the satanic brotherhood. But he does not give in and survives to fight another day, and help keep his brothers Marcus and Tomas honest. He is a scholar-warrior and a superb addition to this group of staunch truth-seekers.

In our next installment on the new Exorcist TV series, more characters and a deeper look into the major plot themes of the series.

Until then...



To the upward reach of man.