S02.E01: N Is for Night Terrors

[ApathyMonger]

Quote

The team is given the task of evaluating the likelihood of Leland being possessed, which if decided true, would require them to exorcise him.

Airing June 20, 2021.

https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/evil/video/xcElJ2opxxnYZLyPqqpxO4vnO8zvXIYj/evil-n-is-for-night-terrors/

Edited June 20, 2021 by ApathyMonger

[Chaos Theory]

I love the idea of putting the trio in direct conflict with Leland especially with the church wanting Leland to actually be possessed and the group coming to the conclusions he is just a garden variety psychopath.   

Poor Janie.
 

Also Lexi and her vampire teeth actually biting off someone’s finger.   
 

Leland is right about Kristen though.   Since she started working with David dark things have begun happening around her and she is an easier read then David even though he is probably easier to tempt on paper.  Since she legitimately feels zero guilt for killing a guy.   It will be interesting to see Leland continue to try to tempt the trio.  

Edited June 21, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[blixie]

 I gotta admit I kept thinking the show would find an out for Kristen killing La Roux, but her unapologetic (at least to the shrink) attitude is kind of great, especially in the way it feeds into her general doubts and ambivalence about God, and her susceptibility to Beelzebub. I also thought they might be suggesting that killing La Roux allowed what ever demon was in him to jump into her? I thought this was fun for the way it kind of just went whole hog into the supernatural stuff, the skeptical voices were there but constantly undercut. I do think they might still pull a punch with Kristen/La Roux but we'll see.

David's Funky Town Dream with Leland and B. Elz A Bub was hilars and is why I stan this weird wild show that doesn't seem to fit the general CBS paradigm, at least since the American Gothic days.

[MrWhyt]

even though it was obviously ADR'ed in later once they moved to paramount+ I had to re-watch the "we can not fall for a word that comes out of that fucker's mouth" line multiple times.

also: Is Leland Townsend a better role than Ben Linus? discuss

Quote

I kept thinking the show would find an out for Kristen killing La Roux, but her unapologetic (at least to the shrink)

I love how ruthless she is when it comes to protecting her family.

Edited June 21, 2021 by MrWhyt

[Annber03]

All right! Well! That was a hell of a lot to process! 

14 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Also Lexi and her vampire teeth actually biting off someone’s finger.   

That actually made me gasp and look away. This whole thing with Lexis is getting more and more disturbing with each passing moment. I feel for the poor kid, she has no clue what's going on with her. 

Quite a few good little jump scares this episode. What the actual fuck was with that freaky "Feliz Navidad" toy? Even knowing it would pop up when they opened the drawer again, I still jumped the way I did the first time it appeared. 

And then everything with Ben and that demon. That's a storyline I'm really especially intrigued about, both in terms of what it'll reveal about Ben in general over the course of the season and in terms of how this'll impact Ben's interactions with the rest of the team. Now that he and Kristen are both seeing night demons, and ones that taunt them on a sexual level at that, I feel that's a great opportunity for a compare/contrast situation, and for them to bond further as well. Y'know, when Ben isn't sitting here all suspicious about Kristen and her role in LeRoux's death, that is-and I'm loving that aspect of that storyline, too. He's always been rather protective of her and her family in a lot of ways, so it'll be fun to see how this affects his dynamic with her in that way. 

I also liked that we got a glimpse of Ben's place, dark though it was. Hopefully we can see it in the daylight at some point. And we got to see Leland's place, too. Everyone's homes being explored here :p! And speaking of those two, damn, did that final scene with Ben looking at him on the laptop give me the shivers. 

3 hours ago, blixie said:

I do think they might still pull a punch with Kristen/La Roux but we'll see.

I keep wondering that, too, and I'm debating which route I might prefer. On the one hand, I kinda like that they just laid it all out there that she did it and that's that and now she's dealing with the fallout, but on the other hand, given all the other super weird stuff going on, I can see where things with Kristen killing him aren't quite what they seem on the surface, either, and I like the possibilities in that setup, too. Even if she did kill him, maybe there was more of an immediate self-defense setup involved?

Or maybe she didn't do it at all, but Leland, or someone or something else, is gaslighting her into thinking she did. Someone at another site mentioned the whole idea of her becoming an unreliable narrator, and Ben made that point about how people's lies reveal a lot about them, so.... Yeah. Who knows. Whichever direction they go, the fallout will no doubt be quite interesting. And either direction will reveal a lot about Kristen's behavior here, her seeming nonchalance about offing him and the weird little smirks she kept flashing throughout and everything, too. The fact she made a point of telling Dr. Boggs that she made sure that Mrs. LeRoux would be far away from the crime scene, so her alibi would stand up, was a particularly unnerving detail. Boggs' reaction to everything Kristen was telling him was pretty much mine as well-I feel bad for the poor guy, he's got this whole thing weighing on his mind now and he can't talk about it with anyone. I wonder how long he'll be able to keep her secret, or if his knowledge of what she'd done will leak out some other way. He's already had his office raided once, after all, so....

3 hours ago, blixie said:

David's Funky Town Dream with Leland and B. Elz A Bub was hilars and is why I stan this weird wild show that doesn't seem to fit the general CBS paradigm, at least since the American Gothic days.

I loved his "WTF?" look on his face after that dream sequence :p. Leland is just having a ball going fully unhinged here, and somehow that makes him all the scarier. I like the exorcism idea, especially the angle that Leland's trying to manipulate the Church to do his bidding somehow or find a way in to try and destroy everything from the inside. His suggestion to Kristen that she help him to tempt David away had me raising a brow as well, especially given the state Kristen's currently in. Last season, she would've told him off in no uncertain terms. This season? I would not put it past her to, at the very least, consider the idea. David versus Leland is going to be quite the showdown, and if they do go through with the exorcism, it'll be very interesting to see how that affects David's chances of becoming a priest. 

As for other elements, I like the pop-up storybook opening intros. That's fun and different. 

This season looks like it's gonna be nuts. I can't begin to imagine where any of this will go, but I'm excited to see how it all unfolds. So happy to have this show back at long last. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

I love watching Kristen’s facial expressions and her nice coats throughout this episode.

Am glad that Ben is getting his own (sexy) demon this season, cannot wait to watch this story unfolds.

David… I miss you! 🥰

This is the creepiest scene for me! 🥶

 

[Athena5217]

It’s driving me crazy that we did not see what happened after Lexis bit the dentist’s finger off. Does she know what happened? How did Kristen explain to her why she still has those teeth? Did the dentist go to the ER to have her finger reattached? How did they explain what happened at the ER?

Hilarious that the grandmother told Leland how much she “loves ancient documents.” 

[jenn31]

5 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Now that he and Kristen are both seeing night demons, and ones that taunt them on a sexual level at that, I feel that's a great opportunity for a compare/contrast situation,

I think the biggest contrast is going to be that Katja Herbers is a good actress and Aasif Mandvi isn’t. I like the show, the only drawback for me is Ben. I don’t find the actor is very good (at least not in this, I haven’t seen him in anything else). I think it’s exactly as Ben joked, he’s the comic relief. It’s probably why the character was brought in. Problem is, he’s not very funny. He doesn’t have the natural comedic timing many actors have. 

[ferjy]

4 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

This is the creepiest scene for me! 

Ack! I was just getting that scene out of my head! {{flogs Snazzy}}

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by ferjy

[jenn31]

2 hours ago, Athena5217 said:

It’s driving me crazy that we did not see what happened after Lexis bit the dentist’s finger off. Does she know what happened? How did Kristen explain to her why she still has those teeth? Did the dentist go to the ER to have her finger reattached? How did they explain what happened at the ER?

 

I think it’s understood that the dentist went to the hospital. They wouldn’t make her resume her duties. 😁 I doubt Lexis knows she bit the dentist, she was under anesthesia. They probably told the truth in the ER, that a patient did it. They may address at least some of that in the next episode. 

[ferjy]

51 minutes ago, jenn31 said:

Problem is, he’s not very funny. He doesn’t have the natural comedic timing many actors have. 

I wasn’t sure whether it was the actor or the writing for the character, but yeah, it doesn’t work well. 

 

[jenn31]

22 minutes ago, ferjy said:

Ack! I was just getting that scene out of my head! {{flogs Snazzy}}

That was freaky. By the way, thanks for quoting it and putting it up a second time.  😜

[ferjy]

1 minute ago, jenn31 said:

That was freaky. By the way, thanks for quoting it and putting it up a second time.  😜

🤣

 

14 minutes ago, jenn31 said:

They probably told the truth in the ER, that a patient did it.

Maybe suggested it was a reflex reaction in her sedated state. Not sure if that would fly. Dentists everywhere are going to be afraid to put their fingers in their patients’ mouths now! 😄

 

[jenn31]

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I like the exorcism idea, especially the angle that Leland's trying to manipulate the Church to do his bidding somehow or find a way in to try and destroy everything from the inside

It’s a helluva way to go about it though. Talk about going all in. It’s not like an exorcism is pleasant. 

[ferjy]

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

So happy to have this show back at long last. 

I am too. I really enjoyed the first season and was thrilled to hear a second was coming. 

I love the scenes with the girls, when they all chatter at the same time. lol And Kristen doesn’t even bat an eye. 😄

 

[jenn31]

2 minutes ago, ferjy said:

I love the scenes with the girls, when they all chatter at the same time. lol And Kristen doesn’t even bat an eye. 😄

I know. It’s priceless. Probably funnier on TV than it would be in real life. 

[blixie]

Quote

Or maybe she didn't do it at all, but Leland, or someone or something else, is gaslighting her into thinking she did.

I think what made me suspicious is that she clearly IS guilt ridden both last season and in the early going here, but when she sits down with the psychiatrist she's chipper and devoid of guilt almost enjoying the process of telling him, to me it was almost like she wanted to get a reaction out of him/definitely testing him with the patient privilege thing, as if maybe HE did it? IDK it had a weird vibe, but that's kind of this shows brand LOL, so I think it's testament to the show I'd be happier with unrepentant serial killer killer Kristen, or them re-contextualizing what we think we know at this point.

[Chaos Theory]

I am sure Kristen did kill the guy.   As a matter of fact I have no doubt she did.   The show makes less sense as a guilt/innocence narrative.   Because dark things HAVE been happening around Kristen and she WOULD kill to protect her children.   The big issue for me is the effect it has on her soul.   How it makes her “easier to tempt” then  David.     Did Kristen enjoy killing?  Would she do it again if she felt threatened?

[Annber03]

7 hours ago, jenn31 said:

It’s a helluva way to go about it though. Talk about going all in. It’s not like an exorcism is pleasant. 

True. But Leland seems to have quite the masochistic streak, so he'd probably love it :p. 

7 hours ago, ferjy said:

I love the scenes with the girls, when they all chatter at the same time. lol And Kristen doesn’t even bat an eye. 😄

 

I like it, too :). I know the kids can be rather polarizing in this fandom, but I like them. They're cute and funny (y'know, when they're not being creepy. like Lexis is :D). 

6 hours ago, blixie said:

I think what made me suspicious is that she clearly IS guilt ridden both last season and in the early going here, but when she sits down with the psychiatrist she's chipper and devoid of guilt almost enjoying the process of telling him, to me it was almost like she wanted to get a reaction out of him/definitely testing him with the patient privilege thing, as if maybe HE did it? IDK it had a weird vibe, but that's kind of this shows brand LOL, so I think it's testament to the show I'd be happier with unrepentant serial killer killer Kristen, or them re-contextualizing what we think we know at this point.

Oh, I like the "trying to get a reaction/testing him" theory. I can definitely see that. Especially since, like I said in my other post, his office had been broken into before, thus explaining how Leland learned so much about her. I can see Kristen wanting to test him to make sure that he's kept up with his protections against such things since then. 

[leocadia]

16 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Whichever direction they go, the fallout will no doubt be quite interesting. And either direction will reveal a lot about Kristen's behavior here, her seeming nonchalance about offing him and the weird little smirks she kept flashing throughout and everything, too.

I'm willing to wait and see where they are taking this, but if things are as they appear to be, I thought the choices they made for Kristin were way too over the top.  I get that the show is leading us to believe that she is now evil or possessed, but I really hope it's not that obvious.

 

20 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

also: Is Leland Townsend a better role than Ben Linus? discuss

Actually, I'd have to go with #1 being Harold Finch.  I like ME playing a nicer person than Ben or Leland.

[Athena5217]

I recently rewatched the Season 1 episode where Kristen cuts Leland’s throat when he shows up at her house as her mother’s date. In a few second she formulated a plan and carried it out without hesitating. Based on that, I think she is capable of killing Orion and talking to someone about it. I don’t think she enjoyed killing Orson, but she has no regrets because her kids were threatened, just like when Leland showed up.

Demons need to learn It is dangerous to mess with Kristen’s kids

[HerkyJerky]

Michael Emerson DID graduate from a high school in Iowa but in 1972, not 1978.  No word whether he had any run-ins with any bus drivers.😈

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, HerkyJerky said:

Michael Emerson DID graduate from a high school in Iowa but in 1972, not 1978.  No word whether he had any run-ins with any bus drivers.😈

LOL, seriously, like I said last season, I love how my state is being represented by Leland, of all people, on this show :p. Cool to know Emerson's from here, though :D!

Edited June 22, 2021 by Annber03

[NoReally]

Shrink: Shoplifting?

Kristen: I killed a guy.

[tennisgurl]

I am thrilled that this show is back after such a long hiatus. This was a very interesting way to start the new season, lots of cool/creepy new ideas being set up and I like the demonic pop up book as a framing device. I love how batshit crazy this show gets, and it looks like this season is doubling down on the crazy. Leland wants to be exorcised, Ben is being stalked by a scary sex demon, Lexis is getting demon teeth, David is having visions of Leland getting his groove on, a whole lot is going on. I really don't know if it will turn out that Kristin is being influenced by something demonic that led her to killing La Roux and feeling just fine about it or not, with this show it really could go either way. I actually like that they are just going with her killing that scumbag and feeling justified in doing it for now, its a good way to further explore the shows themes of morality and good vs evil. 

The Feliz Navidad jump scare got me both time, but I definitely nominate Lexis accidently biting the dentists finger off with her vampire teeth as creepiest moment. Yuck! 

If Leland keeps pushing harder and harder with this more edgy Kristin, he might be headed for another therapy appoint with Dr. B El Zebub. 

[Anela]

I found out today, thanks to Katja Herbers on instagram, that those with Amazon Prime can get deals with some of the streaming services before midnight tonight. 99c a month, or for two months, for things like Paramount+. So I've done that, I just need to remember to cancel, before the end of August. 

I did watch this episode in another way yesterday, but this is better. 

[Norma Desmond]

Welcome back, show! It's been a long, long time!

 

I enjoyed the episode and am intrigued about how things are gonna play out. I also like that there is humor so it doesn't get too scary, otherwise I am not sure I would stick around. I love horror but as I'm getting older, I'm becoming more and more of a scaredy cat.

 

I like to think that Leland is indeeed a loser with delusions of grandeur, and that he would be scared to death if Satan really materialized in front of him. Let's see.

 

I had to laugh at Leland saying that David is the real prize. Indeed, sir! Mike Colter is incredibly hot. Sex on legs. Damn.

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Norma Desmond

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, Norma Desmond said:

Mike Colter is incredibly hot. Sex on legs. Damn.

Seriously, Kristen's a lucky woman being able to work alongside guys like him and Ben each day :D. 

[phalange]

I finally caved and got Paramount+ because, damn, I missed this bonkers show. There's a lot of ways they could've gone, and could still go, but I like that they have Kristen being unapologetic about killing La Roux, especially since Ben is suspicious and that makes for good drama. But Ben also has his own night terror demon to worry about now. 

David's dream with Leland dancing in the field was hilarious. Also laughed at how they clearly changed the dialogue to have Kristen call Leland "fucker." They're definitely taking advantage of not being on network t.v anymore. 

Poor Lexis has vampire fangs. That was a lot of blood she seemed to have lost, yikes. Even bigger yikes for the dentist who had her finger basically gnawed off. She's definitely gonna change professions after that. 

[hatchetgirl]

On 6/21/2021 at 4:31 AM, ferjy said:

Ack! I was just getting that scene out of my head! {{flogs Snazzy}}

 

Right?  I had to look away!

[Scout Finch]

On 6/21/2021 at 3:22 PM, leocadia said:

Actually, I'd have to go with #1 being Harold Finch.  I like ME playing a nicer person than Ben or Leland.

Yes, I'd have to go with Finch, too! The primary reason I began watching that and this show is due to Emerson (although in the former the eye candy that is Jim Caviezel also greatly held my interest!). There was something about Benjamin Linus that as he became more and more damaged I went from despising him to feeling a lot of empathy for him. That was the first time that I'd seen Emerson and I was really impressed with his very complex character. I never knew before just how much I needed to see Emerson bouncing around to "Funkytown"!

[kwnyc]

Quote

I finally caved and got Paramount+ because, damn, I missed this bonkers show. 

Yep. This is the show that finally got us there. (Though we can also now watch The Good Fight and Picard.)

My thought about Leland requesting an exorcism: what if it works? I mean, what if khis soul IS freed from possession? I expect we'll get into some gnarly detail this season.

Also, I recall on "The Mentalist" (my former favorite Sunday night show) that the hero, Patrick Jane DID kill the man he thought was responsible for his wife and daughter's death, and was put on trial and found guilty. He expressed no remorse for it, and escaped and went to a country without extradition. His character was also someone who ignored the law when it involved his family.

[raven]

Well I was going to wait until all the eps aired but oh well here I am.

Very entertaining premiere - Leland dancing in David's dream was the highlight for sure.  I really enjoy what they're doing with Kristen and she's switching from creepy to reasonable to kinda scary very well.   Intrigued by the possibility of Kristen tempting David to fall.  ooooh!!

[KittyQ]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:33 AM, Chaos Theory said:

Also Lexi and her vampire teeth actually biting off someone’s finger.   

This was a horrifying scene, but afterward, I wondered if Kristen is going to be sued by the dentist. Is this something that dentists have to worry about generally (not necessarily having their fingers bitten OFF, but being bitten by patients)? If so, do they have legal recourse, or is it just covered by their insurance? Either way, I imagine a new dentist is going to be in Lexi's future and that one will probably have to take some extreme precautions.

[Dani-Ellie]

I'm late to the party in discovering this show, but I gotta tell ya, that ridiculous Feliz Navidad toy gave me the biggest jump scare I've had in a good long while.

[30 Helens]

On 6/21/2021 at 5:55 AM, jenn31 said:

I think the biggest contrast is going to be that Katja Herbers is a good actress and Aasif Mandvi isn’t. I like the show, the only drawback for me is Ben. I don’t find the actor is very good (at least not in this, I haven’t seen him in anything else). I think it’s exactly as Ben joked, he’s the comic relief. It’s probably why the character was brought in. Problem is, he’s not very funny. He doesn’t have the natural comedic timing many actors have. 

I just started watching S2 and I know it’s very late for a response to this comment, but it amused me that some posters think Aasif Mandvi is an actor with no comedic timing— since he is actually a comedian. This is the first show I’ve ever seen him in as a dramatic actor, and IMO he’s doing a fine job. My introduction to Aasif came via The Daily Show, where he was a correspondent in the Jon Stewart years. Funny guy.

[Paloma]

On 6/20/2021 at 10:33 AM, Chaos Theory said:

Leland is right about Kristen though.   Since she started working with David dark things have begun happening around her and she is an easier read then David even though he is probably easier to tempt on paper.  Since she legitimately feels zero guilt for killing a guy.

My husband and I are just starting to watch Season 2 because we finally got access to Paramount Plus. We rewatched the last episode of Season 1 to remind us of where things had ended, but when we started watching this episode (first one of Season 2) we felt like we must have missed something. When and where did she kill LeRoux? In episode 13 of Season 1 we saw him taunting her with fake apologies outside her house and also calling her with the same, and we saw Lexie opening the door to what appeared to be the devil, and the door was still open when Kristen came home and found the gift basket, presumably from LeRoux. And then Kristen told Lexie to go back to bed and immediately left the house. I don't know why she didn't check the house first to be sure he wasn't still there and that the other daughters were OK, but are we meant to assume that she rushed out to find and kill LeRoux? 

 

[luckyroll3]

3 hours ago, Paloma said:

My husband and I are just starting to watch Season 2 because we finally got access to Paramount Plus. We rewatched the last episode of Season 1 to remind us of where things had ended, but when we started watching this episode (first one of Season 2) we felt like we must have missed something. When and where did she kill LeRoux? In episode 13 of Season 1 we saw him taunting her with fake apologies outside her house and also calling her with the same, and we saw Lexie opening the door to what appeared to be the devil, and the door was still open when Kristen came home and found the gift basket, presumably from LeRoux. And then Kristen told Lexie to go back to bed and immediately left the house. I don't know why she didn't check the house first to be sure he wasn't still there and that the other daughters were OK, but are we meant to assume that she rushed out to find and kill LeRoux? 

 

You haven't missed anything! The show wants you to be confused about what happened.