Season 2, Episode 12, “D Is for Doll”
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Evil Season 2, Episode 12, “D Is for Doll”, now airing on Paramount +.
Since starting his journey at the start of Season 2, Leland Townsend’s reasoning behind his false exorcism has been shrouded in Wrongthe characteristic mixture of mystery and disorientation. At first it seemed his intention was to corrupt David in his quest to become a priest. But Leland always seemed more interested in wasting David’s time rather than presenting him with real doubts and theological trials. (Not to mention the fact that the Church did a great job of convincing David not to be a priest on his own – more on that in a moment.) Later, doubts were raised by Demon Therapist that Leland actually wanted that. exorcism purify itself of its influence. But Leland hasn’t given up on his evil antics – just ask Dr. Cara Autry – and has yet to have his time of coming to Jesus.
No, with Leland there is always a deeper and more sinister agenda, and he finally revealed his hand in “D Is for Doll”. Leland isn’t just interested in bribing David. He wants to join the Church as a fellow evaluator so that he can influence those who are vulnerable and who seek answers to act on behalf of his Father below. But Sister Andrea is on top of him and warns David that Leland will likely get the job. “The war begins,” she told him.
But David is distracted by his own problems, especially his upcoming ordination and his doubts about taking the stuff. Of course, the Church considering taking Leland for “accountability” purposes does not help the priest-in-training with his decision. So he’s going to visit the minister he met on “E Is for Elevator”, who shows him around his bustling local church getting ready for a Black Lives Matter rally. “How long would it take for this to be authorized by the Archdiocese? he asks David. “They would still dispute their responsibility when we take to the streets to protest.” After teasing the priest-in-training that he would never be pope (“Italians would never allow a black pope.”), He offered David a job in his church.
Meanwhile, a reborn and hallucinating Kristen apologizes to Dr. Boggs for accusing him of spying on her and sleeping with her mother. Kurt accepts Kristen’s apology and even brings her a case: a widower named Nathan who sees “a man’s shadow” in his house since his wife’s death. At first, the shadow was only interested in the widower. But it has now passed to his son, Elijah, who recently suffered a broken arm after someone pushed him while he was in the house. The only problem is that no one else was in the house at the time.
The team examines the man’s house that night, with Kurt accompanying them for a potential book he plans to write on the team. (David and Ben aren’t that excited about the idea.) They finally make their way to the attic, where they find a terrifying doll locked in a chest leaking rust. According to the man, his wife bought the doll at a flea market and the seller told her to always do what she wants. Oh, and the doll’s name is Eddie, the same name as Sheryl’s toy.
Kristen and the team aren’t the only ones playing with dolls this week. While babysitting a young boy, Lynn discovers he’s under the control of a doll who tells him what to do and where to go. “I have to do as he says. Because he just looks small, but he’s actually tall,” the boy warns. Later that night, when Lynn arrives home, she finds the doll in her bag.
As she drops off her grandchildren at school, Sheryl meets Edward, who casually follows her there to offer her a proposal. “I ask you to do two things. If you do them, I give you one thing … The only thing I give you is priceless.” Of course, he doesn’t tell her what the two things are, but, intrigued, Sheryl agrees. The first stop is one of Edward’s client’s buildings. He asks Sheryl to attend the meeting and, when she hears him say the word “daffodil,” slaps the customer in the face. The meeting quickly becomes antagonistic and, when Edward says “daffodil,” she does exactly as he asked and slaps the customer in the face. Edward is very excited about it, and he and Sheryl do it in the elevator.
The following night, the young boy’s parents walk past Kristen’s house, aware that the doll is missing. They ask if Lynn accidentally picked up the doll because he is “emotionally attached” to it. Kristen doesn’t like this hidden accusation against her daughter too much, but offers to check it out anyway and get back to them the next day. But parents want her to check now, apparently scared of what will happen if the doll is not returned. Kristen is able to push them away and finds Lynn, who thinks the young boy has put it in his bag because he is afraid of it. Kristen still insists she give it back, but when she does it in her bag, it is nowhere to be found.
David continues to seek priesthood counsel from Sister Andrea. She tells him about her past; how a man fell in love with her but committed suicide because he felt lonely. She, however, is not alone, believing that her goal is to be a soldier in the war against evil. Realizing that David has met someone who has doubts in him, she tells him to ask this person how they fight against evil and the demonic. “I just want a normal life,” David said, tears in his eyes. “Too bad you can’t,” Sister Andrea replied coldly. “God is there. And so is the Devil.”
David goes to see the minister and asks him how he treats “people under spiritual attack”. The minister, however, does not believe in the “hocus locus” stuff, but rather sees the harm in the form of police shootings and student loans. “I don’t believe in the devil with pointed horns and a tail. I believe in the devil of the fiery cross and the corrupt cop.” But David believes that part of being a Christian is believing in some of those “hocus pocus”. “God is as much a sleight of hand as the devil. “
Returning to the case of the week, Elijah finds himself in the hospital after having hardened himself by cutting his plaster. Nathan explains that he smelled bugs underneath and removing the doll from the house did not stop the demonic incidents. So Ben takes a closer look at Elijah’s room with ultraviolet light to see if the doll’s toxic chemical has seeped into the room. Instead, he finds three massive, horned demonic shadow forms on the wall. The Church sends Gregory, an exorcist caricature straight out of a bad comic strip – with the grizzled voice, long hair, and leather jacket – to eliminate the demonic infestation from the house. Of course, this only raises David’s doubts even more, and it doesn’t remove the demonic infestation. Nathan demands the return of his Eddie lest he continue to punish him for not giving him gifts, leaving no one happy with the results.
The only person who enjoyed this whole debacle was Kurt, who recorded the team throughout this adventure in preparation for the book he wants to write. As he leaves the house, however, he sees a demonic figure that somehow resembles George, Kristen’s old demon friend who haunted his dreams. He gives her a “boop” on the nose before disappearing into the shadows.
With everything Leland, Sister Andrea, and the pastor have said weighing on him, David confides his anxieties to Kristen. “I know you want to be good,” she told him. “There are so few people who want to be good. I worry what will happen if you turn away… I think you are providing a balance. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like if things turned out differently?” If I had met you before all this? he asks Kristen. “Are we in love? Kristen nods silently and walks over to David, placing her hand on his chest. “Go get ordered,” she told him.
It’s a moment that has been brewing for two years now. But unlike David and Kristen’s other conversations, which were filled with scorching sexual tension, this one never leaves the Friends Zone. It’s just two people, who really care about each other, talking about what their lives could have been like. Not necessarily regretting the turn of events. Just thinking about a potential past and a future that was never meant to be.
Back at Kristen’s, it turns out that it was Laura who stole the doll. Lexis recognizes that the doll is the same as Sheryl’s and brings it back to her grandmother’s shrine. But Sheryl is not there, because he is spending the evening with Edward in a restaurant. He says “daffodil” again, and this time she presents one of the customers for an STD test, embarrassing him in front of his guests and his wife.
His two tasks completed, Edward gives Sheryl his “priceless” gift: the preserved head of her great-grandfather. Passed down from generation to generation, Edward offers it to Sheryl, naming her his “successor”. “It’s your seal,” he told her. The word catches Sheryl’s attention, and for good reason, as the head matches one of the images on the seal card. She heads to Eddie’s shrine to offer him a sacrifice for his good fortune, only to find the second doll that has been placed by Lexis. She arranges her two dolls and the gifted head in the shape of a cross and begins to pray. “I’m ready. Use me,” she said as she collapsed with emotion.
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