The seventh episode of Evil's fourth season, titled "How to Bandage a Wound," seamlessly picks up where the previous week's cliffhanger left off. Leland (Michael Emerson), with a palpable sense of unease, enters his ransacked apartment only to confront Sheryl (Christine Lahti), seated in the gloom, a massive knife clenched in her grip. A chilling reminder of her threat to mutilate him echoes through the air, but Leland's denials are swiftly silenced as Sheryl hurls a sedative-filled pouch at his feet.
Shifting tactics, Leland attempts to soften his stance, claiming innocence and a misguided desire to bond with Andy through the guise of fatherhood. However, his duplicity is betrayed by the subtle way he conceals a jagged shard of glass behind his back, his eyes glinting with malice as he taunts Sheryl about her impending demise without the life-sustaining People Juice.
Sheryl, unfazed, dares Leland to inspect his dwindling supply, revealing a devastated room where most transfusions lie empty, their remnants shattered. This provocation ignites a fierce battle, with Sheryl striking Leland's thigh with her knife, and Leland retaliating by jabbing the glass shard into Sheryl's chest, its tip snapping off in his grasp. As Sheryl staggers, her resolve unwavering, she dares Leland to underestimate her, and the scene transitions into a poignant montage of both adversaries bandaging their wounds to the tune of Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl."
The montage culminates in a tense moment where Leland futilely attempts to silence Timothy/the Antichrist's cries using Kristen's Dr. Kurt files, only to watch helplessly as they vanish from his computer screen, likely at Sheryl's hand.
Kristen (Katja Herbers), visiting Sheryl in the hospital, remains guarded, her sympathy for her wounded mother in short supply. Just as she prepares to depart, Sheryl's phone rings, its caller ID displaying Leland's name. Kristen answers, listening intently as Leland vows vengeance against the perceived Sheryl. Realizing his mistake, Leland queries Kristen on Sheryl's fate, receiving a chilling response: "No, but you are." Kristen exposes Leland's fear—unity—and though it remains unclear if this revelation will forge an alliance between mother and daughter, Kristen's actions suggest a begrudging acknowledgment of Sheryl's plight.
Elsewhere, Kristen discovers Lynn's (Brooklyn Shuck) secret meetings with Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin), sparking a heated confrontation. Presented with a forged permission slip, Sister Andrea denies knowledge of its falsity, but Kristen's anger is palpable. Reaching a compromise, Kristen allows Lynn to continue counseling under strict conditions: sessions must take place in their home, with Kristen present. Given Kristen's own troubled past, this concession is a testament to her love for her daughter, though tinged with reservation.
In this week's gripping tale, Tyrus (Jefferson White), a rail engineer haunted by the weight of his profession, confides in the solemnity of his duty and the heartbreaking reality of suicides on the tracks. Despite his desperate efforts to avert tragedy—slamming brakes and blasting horns—fate still claims its victims, one particularly haunting memory being a young woman in a pristine white prom dress. Since her untimely demise, Tyrus's vision of her lingers, a ghostly echo on a stretch of rail that now summons a darker presence, "something sinister, dragging her away." Jefferson White's portrayal is nothing short of masterful; his fidgety Tyrus is a broken soul, his trauma etched in every nuance, leaving a profound impact.
As night falls, David (Mike Colter) and Ben (Aasiv Mandvi) accompany Tyrus on his journey, their train echoing with the whispers of the unseen. As they approach the fateful stretch, Tyrus's eyes lock onto something ominous amidst the tracks—a sight corroborated by the audience, yet invisible to David and Ben. The horn blares, brakes screech, and the train comes to a halt. In the aftermath, Tyrus rushes to inspect, while David's gaze is drawn to a horned demon lurking by the signal light, sneering at him before vanishing into the shadows, leading them to Kristen's apartment, perched precariously above.
On solid ground, claw marks mar the pillar, testament to the night's sinister endeavors. Kristen, hesitant yet acquiescent, allows David and Sister Andrea to delve into her duplex, conducting a miniature exorcism that blankets each room's corner with flickering candles, seeking to banish any lurking demons. In the sanctuary of the bathroom, Sister Andrea unleashes holy water upon the bathtub once occupied by the Demon of Grief, the water sizzling mysteriously. To Kristen, it's mere droplets; Lynn, however, seems captivated, her gaze betraying a secret knowledge. Does she perceive what Sister Andrea sees?
Sister Andrea's investigation deepens as she traces a slimy trail to a basement wall breach, once a mere hole, now revealed as a vast tunnel. Stepping fearlessly into the unknown, she finds warmth embracing the passage's confines. At its terminus, she confronts the same horned red demon David witnessed on the tracks—Lou, he introduces himself, a name that adds a chilling familiarity to his otherworldly presence. When queried about the tunnel's purpose, Lou's words are enigmatic. Sister Andrea tries every holy weapon in her arsenal—holy water, a cross, fervent prayers—but they falter against Lou's unyielding essence. "Sister, trust me: harm cannot reach me here," he taunts, his grip on her wrist a fiery reminder. "Yet, I can harm you," he whispers, leaving a searing mark as he retreats into the darkness.
Sister Andrea adamantly insists on guarding the ominous hole in the basement throughout the night's entirety, determined to ensure Ben seals it shut. Kristen, joining her in solidarity, voices her anxieties over Lynn's potential path as a nun, drawing parallels to the luminous yet stifled life of Fenna from "S is for Silence," a cherished episode of Evil. Sister Andrea, steadfast in her beliefs, vows merely to impart knowledge and leave Lynn to chart her own destiny. This poignant exchange between the two women fosters hope that Kristen's perceptions towards religious vocations may soften with time.
Meanwhile, Ben remains befuddled by inexplicable phone calls with Renee (Gia Crovatin), including one where he supposedly invited her to move in, prompting a furious confrontation. As she prepares to vacate his apartment for good, Renee reveals a video of Ben serenading her, pleading for her to stay – a memory he lacks. She yearns for the Ben in the video, contrasting him with the present version, while Ben expresses a longing to be that man and begs her to reconsider. Her rejection leaves the question lingering: is this a glimpse of a parallel Ben's reality, or the djinn's meddling? The uncertainty deepens, as Ben, a man of science, navigates unfamiliar waters.
With the basement's breach secured, Tyrus's visions along the tracks abruptly cease. However, the episode's chilling climax finds Lexis (Maddy Crocco) venturing outdoors to confirm their demonic liberation. The demon-detecting app initially shows clear skies, but as she turns to retreat, it erupts into a frenzy of "Entity detected" alerts, multiplying until Lexis finds herself engulfed. Her screams are drowned out by the blaring train horn, sending shivers down spines.
Evil continues its fiery streak, with each episode igniting fresh intrigue and refusing to relent in the season's latter half. The show's unabashed embrace of the supernatural – the demonic presence and the possibility of the basement hole as a portal to hell – satiates our thirst for the eerie and unknown. Anticipation builds as we eagerly await where this narrative will lead, though Evil, a master of tantalizing teasers, may keep us guessing for some time. Nevertheless, we shall embark on this journey together, uncovering the mysteries week by week.
