S02.E06: C Is For Cop

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

After the shooting of an unarmed woman, the team is tasked with investigating the police officer who pulled the trigger.

Dropping Sunday, July 25, 2021.

[For Cereals]

Amazon wants to make sure they get my money - 8/29!?

Glad they didn’t drag things out with Kristen.  I knew where the hallucination was heading, but didn’t want to see a huge investigation/trial set up. Interesting that the friend said they would say it was a black man in the yard...is that because she knew the Protectors would look the other way because she’s truly Kristen’s friend and covering for her, but also as a nod to being a part of the Protectors in that justice was served and she’s looking the other way because someone who is more “obviously good,” i.e. white, did something bad as Ben told Kristen earlier?  Which could also serve as a form of light intimidation in Kristen’s case that’s less blatant than being pulled over like David and Ben were. The friend definitely has something over Kristen’s head now...

I rewound a couple of times, but my old ass Firestick is cumbersome, what did Eddie the doll do? 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Mr Mick Carr who has 5 shows in a network reminds me of Dick Wolf. His lead character - Cliff Locke (a cop who doesn’t play by the rules) reminds me of Sergeant Hank Voight of Chicago PD. Coincidence?

This week’s monster isn’t a demon or creepy creature etc. It’s just a person who forgets who they are - Officer Jim Turley, the Protectors, Ben (with his CAS 3 research project history) and Kristen. This is what Kristen told Lila last week when she asked her about who monsters are.

Do police unions have deep pockets and regularly make donations to Catholic Churches? If yes, then money talks, again! In Officer Turley’s case, does union also mean the almighty Protectors? "We respect the Church, but we want you to respect us", this threat is clearly a red flag. Will the trio investigate further into their fraternity and sigil?

While David & Ben are being harassed and intimidated by the Protectors, Kristen is lucky enough to get her ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’. What a privilege to have friends in high places huh! Kristen was quick to judge and label Officer Turley as a racist cop (Twinkie defense) but she’s OK with Mira to fabricate a story about a black man in her backyard because it benefits her. Mira is now Kristen’s protector, will there be any sacrifice needed from her in the future? We’ll see. So Kristen, now Lexis knows that you murdered LeRoux!

Evil’s WTF moment for this week goes to Sheryl’s "Eddie, my Eddie… I offer this sacrifice in the name of Lexis. She is in doubt. Bring her clarity, not calamity." I don’t blame Lexis for freaking out, what a creepy Rad-G!

Am glad that we will be seeing the eccentric potion lady again for an exorcism. But am a bit sceptical re EVIL going dark into satanism, cannibalism etc. ala Eyes Wide Shut and AHS.

Edited July 25, 2021 by SnazzyDaisy

[Scout Finch]

Ack! I could have gone without ever seeing those photos! 😧

[Chaos Theory]

I love Rad G and her sacrificing money to Eddie. My Eddie on the alter.  I hope it comes into play later because it is further proof that Sheryl was playing with darkness long before she met Leland.  

I was pretty sure Kristen would have to face the repercussions of her actions but then this was about cops being “protectors” for some as they are “antagonist” for others.  So even though Kristen and Mira both are basically good people they are perfectly willing to throw a random black man under the bus so that Kristen can get away with murdering LeRoux.

Edited July 25, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[Annber03]

Holy hell, those last, what, ten, fifteen minutes or so were fucking intense. When she was walking around the backyard, and when that hallucination started...damn, I think I was holding my breath the entire time. And I was mentally saying, "Noooooo, don't grab the pick ax!" I mean, I get why she did, of course, just...given the circumstances...yeah. 

5 hours ago, For Cereals said:

Interesting that the friend said they would say it was a black man in the yard...is that because she knew the Protectors would look the other way because she’s truly Kristen’s friend and covering for her, but also as a nod to being a part of the Protectors in that justice was served and she’s looking the other way because someone who is more “obviously good,” i.e. white, did something bad as Ben told Kristen earlier?  Which could also serve as a form of light intimidation in Kristen’s case that’s less blatant than being pulled over like David and Ben were. The friend definitely has something over Kristen’s head now...

That, and it ties back to the conversation Kristen and Mira were having earlier about "good" cops versus "bad" ones, and Mira being all, "Not everything is about race" and insisting she believed herself to be "one of the good ones" and everything. She can deny she has racist tendencies all she wants, or that race plays a factor in her being a cop, but, well...that ending clearly proved otherwise. 

(And now I think about that ending further...so what happens, then, if some cop sees David coming over to Kristen's place in the future? Are they going to assume that he's the black guy Mira said was lurking around and scaring her? And if so....what would that mean for David?)

Yeah. On the one hand, I'm very glad that Kristen's secret is finally out to the cops, and I'm not surprised that Mira would cover for her, for all the reasons she mentioned regarding LeRoux and how awful he was and how so many people had a motive to kill him and everything. And, of course, as her friend, she'd do her part to help her, too.

But on the other hand...of all the ways to resolve this, definitely the most awkward and unsettling one, I think, for all involved. Mira's compromising herself and her role as an officer. Justice hasn't been served-yeah, LeRoux was a piece of shit, but there's a reason vigilante justice is frowned upon. Kristen's now got that guilt hanging over her head, both in relation to how the investigation was "resolved" and in terms of her still struggling to cope with what she's done. And yes, now Mira has this hanging over her that she can pull out whenever she needs something. So it seems like closure on some levels and yet on SO many others, it's not. This is not completely over yet, so I'm very curious to see what happens with whatever fallout continues to come from all of this. 

The case was weird and freaky, too. Again, not a surprising ending, unfortunately, but I liked the whole thing of them trying to see how that show may have affected and influenced cops' behavior, and I liked all the tension between the guy from the union and the team and everything. It was interesting to see Kristen trying to sympathize with Ben and David's feelings on the matter while still having to acknowledge she doesn't understand it in quite the same way they do. And indeed, the fact they could both commiserate over being pulled over at about the same time...what a thing to relate to each other on, huh :/? 

And on a similar note...I loved Ben going to David for advice on forgiveness and how to handle that when one isn't religious. David's idea from the 12 step program did sound funny on its face, but I get where he was coming from with that, and I liked Ben giving it a try, awkward though it was :p. That was a good scene between them, and it's nice to see Ben turning to him like this, and David trying to find a way to help that works for Ben. 

I'm also glad Ben finally talked to the others about the stuff he's been dealing with on some level, because what on God's green earth was with those night terrors this episode?!?! Man, Abby sure loves her some torture kink, doesn't she? Good lord. And what the hell happened with this job Ben had years ago that has him feeling so guilty? It sounds pretty bad, whatever it is. But yeah. Wow. Those scenes were....that was something. 

I did like him seeing David in his dream, though, and hearing him assure Ben that he's always been there. And I liked Kristen teaching Ben that trick with the string on her wrist, too-so they have  been discussing his night terrors, then? Interesting. I'd like to actually see their conversation about that sometime, see how they continue to compare notes on that topic. 

And speaking of super weird stuff that happened this episode....everything with Sheryl and that Eddie doll. What. The. Actual. Fuck? I don't blame Lexis one bit for running out of there. 

(It's interesting, too, that for all the concerns Kristen's had about Lexis lately, she refused to lie for her mom. I wonder if that's a promising sign for her in terms of her working through all the weird stuff she's been dealing with.)

Okay, so, a month's break before we return, and judging from that promo, shit's gonna get INSANE this fall. Bring it on. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Annber03

[skotnikov]

That promo was so good. I re-watched it 13 times already. 

[Annber03]

I'm gonna want to watch it again a few times simply to catch anything I might've missed or not noticed as closely the first time around :p. So many images flying by so fast!

[Snazzy Daisy]

Inspired by...

[mommalib]

I think something is gonna happen to David as a result of this random Black man thing. I just no there is going to be a consequence. And then him and Kristen are going have a serious problem. As Black man myself I would have a hard time just being around her let alone working with her.

[phalange]

I like that this show is pointing out the way cop shows can influence the public by making them complacent about cops. The director was especially gross when he was like, "We have to stick together *wink-wink*" to Kristen. And Mira was very insistent that she's a good cop and totally not racist, but had no problem creating a story about a black man in Kristen's yard to tell her boss. 

Not that I want Kristen to go to jail, because LeRoux was a murderous piece of shit and I have no sympathy for him, but this is a very good example of privilege. Kristen got away with killing him because she's a middle-class white mother with friends who are cops and are willing to lie for her. But I wouldn't put it past Mira to hold this over Kristen's head as blackmail if she needs Kristen to lie for her in the future.

Sheryl is just completely off the rails, and I'm more and more convinced she was demonic even before she met Leland. Making sacrifices to a creepy-ass doll? WTF? If I were Lexis I would've run out of there, too. And even though it incriminated Kristen, it's good that Lexis refused to lie. Maybe she's resisting her demon genetics. 

Speaking of genetics, Ben was apparently involved in some kind of gene editing program that went bad. I hope we get more information about this and why he's feeling so guilty. At least he and Kristen are actually talking about their night terrors and he was able to use her advice. 

As much as a hiatus sucks, it looks like the second half of the season is going to be worth the wait!

[tennisgurl]

This show always finds the most interesting ways to deal with real world issues. While plenty of shows have taken on police violence towards people of color, this show of course possible involves demonic possession, a cop protection racket possibly created by the devil, and a Dick Wolf stand in who's cop show empire might be actually influencing real cops' bad behavior. Very interesting episode, another one where its really ambiguous as to whether or not there was supernatural elements here or if its just good old fashioned corruption, and another case of the week where things just kind of end, which is an interesting thing about the show. The cases a lot of times just stop without a lot of real closure, which on other shows I would find annoying, but I think it often works here. It feels the way it probably does to Kristen, Ben, and David, that they just have to leave these cases to move onto the next, and it sucks that they don't always get everything figured out or leave loose ends open, but that's just the way it happens sometimes. 

The cop show creator had to be a Dick Wolf stand in, with his cop heroes who "don't play by the rules but they get the job done damn it" lead characters, his millions of cop shows that appeal to a mass audience and are beloved by real cops, and even him trying to reckon with the increased societal look at issues in policing through his shows, again like in a lot of real Dick Wolf shows. I cant say I have seen a lot of shows actually call out not only cop shows who glorify the police, but also the audiences and networks that are all about the cause when it makes them look good, but then complain when they get challenged in their television. 

Kristen, Ben, and David's incredulous expressions when the head of the policemen union was asking them to prove that the cop was possessed as his defense were hilarious. Kristen might want to try and emphasize with how Ben and David are treated different by the police, and she really is aware of that and isn't thrilled, but the whole episode had the theme of how Kristen has all of this privilege that her friends just don't have, and it all culminates with Mira letting her off the hook for killing LeRoux. Kristen, who did actually kill a guy (albeit a horrible guy) in cold blood, gets help from her cop friend to cover up her crime, meanwhile Ben and David, who haven't done anything, are both stopped and harassed by cops. I was like "no, don't pick it up! when Kristen grabbed the weapon, I knew it was coming, but then things took a real turn when Mira showed up and basically said that, not only was LeRoux a real piece of shit who's death can only improve the world, but Kristen is a pretty middle class white mom so its really easy for her to get away with this, no cop will be looking at her seriously. And Mira might not personally be racist, but she is apparently totally cool with using institutionalized racism to help create a cover story for Kristen, and Kristen is going along with it. 

Ben's night terrors are just getting crazier and crazier, and is now trying into some backstory stuff where he got involved in some kind of genetics testing's that went poorly. So while everything is going pretty badly for Ben, he at least got some dream backup from David, which was a really nice moment, as was him getting some support from real life David, giving him some advice on how to find forgiveness without actually having to appeal to God. Ben trying to get forgiveness from the post office was both funny and kind of moving in how much he is struggling and how hard he is trying to find some peace when it seems like the universe is committed to tearing him apart. 

Sheryl really has gone totally off the deep end, or maybe she was off the deep end all along and it just took Leland to get it really front and center. The altar of Eddie was absolutely the winner of most batshit crazy thing in the episode, I do not even know how to respond to that. Good for Lexis refusing to lie and running away from her grandma's creepy basement, she needs to stay as far away from her as possible, it seems like grandma is trying to trigger her demon self or something. Lexis, tell your mom! Or if you don't want to tell your mom after she tried to get you to lie, tell Ben!

I am bummed about the hiatus, but the next batch of episodes look WILD, even by this shows standards, I am so ready.  

[Madding crowd]

I liked the creepy doll that grandma had and the resolution of Ben’s dreams. I prefer scary stuff to tackling social issues and thought the cop’s connection to seeking out the church was a reach.

[Anela]

Did her friend say they wouid say they saw a black man in her garden, and chased him off? Which means that she’s part of the problem. 

On 7/25/2021 at 5:42 PM, Annber03 said:

Holy hell, those last, what, ten, fifteen minutes or so were fucking intense. When she was walking around the backyard, and when that hallucination started...damn, I think I was holding my breath the entire time. And I was mentally saying, "Noooooo, don't grab the pick ax!" I mean, I get why she did, of course, just...given the circumstances...yeah. 

That, and it ties back to the conversation Kristen and Mira were having earlier about "good" cops versus "bad" ones, and Mira being all, "Not everything is about race" and insisting she believed herself to be "one of the good ones" and everything. She can deny she has racist tendencies all she wants, or that race plays a factor in her being a cop, but, well...that ending clearly proved otherwise. 

(And now I think about that ending further...so what happens, then, if some cop sees David coming over to Kristen's place in the future? Are they going to assume that he's the black guy Mira said was lurking around and scaring her? And if so....what would that mean for David?)

Yeah. On the one hand, I'm very glad that Kristen's secret is finally out to the cops, and I'm not surprised that Mira would cover for her, for all the reasons she mentioned regarding LeRoux and how awful he was and how so many people had a motive to kill him and everything. And, of course, as her friend, she'd do her part to help her, too.

But on the other hand...of all the ways to resolve this, definitely the most awkward and unsettling one, I think, for all involved. Mira's compromising herself and her role as an officer. Justice hasn't been served-yeah, LeRoux was a piece of shit, but there's a reason vigilante justice is frowned upon. Kristen's now got that guilt hanging over her head, both in relation to how the investigation was "resolved" and in terms of her still struggling to cope with what she's done. And yes, now Mira has this hanging over her that she can pull out whenever she needs something. So it seems like closure on some levels and yet on SO many others, it's not. This is not completely over yet, so I'm very curious to see what happens with whatever fallout continues to come from all of this. 

The case was weird and freaky, too. Again, not a surprising ending, unfortunately, but I liked the whole thing of them trying to see how that show may have affected and influenced cops' behavior, and I liked all the tension between the guy from the union and the team and everything. It was interesting to see Kristen trying to sympathize with Ben and David's feelings on the matter while still having to acknowledge she doesn't understand it in quite the same way they do. And indeed, the fact they could both commiserate over being pulled over at about the same time...what a thing to relate to each other on, huh :/? 

And on a similar note...I loved Ben going to David for advice on forgiveness and how to handle that when one isn't religious. David's idea from the 12 step program did sound funny on its face, but I get where he was coming from with that, and I liked Ben giving it a try, awkward though it was :p. That was a good scene between them, and it's nice to see Ben turning to him like this, and David trying to find a way to help that works for Ben. 

I'm also glad Ben finally talked to the others about the stuff he's been dealing with on some level, because what on God's green earth was with those night terrors this episode?!?! Man, Abby sure loves her some torture kink, doesn't she? Good lord. And what the hell happened with this job Ben had years ago that has him feeling so guilty? It sounds pretty bad, whatever it is. But yeah. Wow. Those scenes were....that was something. 

I did like him seeing David in his dream, though, and hearing him assure Ben that he's always been there. And I liked Kristen teaching Ben that trick with the string on her wrist, too-so they have  been discussing his night terrors, then? Interesting. I'd like to actually see their conversation about that sometime, see how they continue to compare notes on that topic. 

And speaking of super weird stuff that happened this episode....everything with Sheryl and that Eddie doll. What. The. Actual. Fuck? I don't blame Lexis one bit for running out of there. 

(It's interesting, too, that for all the concerns Kristen's had about Lexis lately, she refused to lie for her mom. I wonder if that's a promising sign for her in terms of her working through all the weird stuff she's been dealing with.)

Okay, so, a month's break before we return, and judging from that promo, shit's gonna get INSANE this fall. Bring it on. 

It bothered me that her grandma was fine with taking her to talk to the cops, behind her back, though. She wasn’t bothered that she scared her granddaughter, and it’s like she wanted her daughter to be caught.  

[Annber03]

35 minutes ago, Anela said:

It bothered me that her grandma was fine with taking her to talk to the cops, behind her back, though. She wasn’t bothered that she scared her granddaughter, and it’s like she wanted her daughter to be caught.  

Very true. And I suspect that's exactly what she wanted to happen. After all, if Kristen's caught, that can either a) get her out of the way , thus allowing Sheryl more opportunity to do whatever the hell she's doing (and possibly roping the kids, or at least, Lexis, into her plans), or b) be the first blow in Sheryl's attempts to make her daughter's life awful for whatever endgame she's planning. Or possibly, and probably, it's a mix of both options. 

On that note, now I think about it further, she and Lexis always seem to be the ones sharing one-on-one scenes. It was Sheryl who told Lexis to hit that girl last season, it was Sheryl who then told her to lie to her parents about it, it was Sheryl who brought Lexis home from school a few episodes ago in her attempt to try and "reconcile" with Kristen, and now here she is trying to get Lexis to join her at that Eddie altar. 

Add in all the disturbing stuff that's been going on with Lexis herself thus far and that's....deeply concerning and has a lot of unsettling implications. Hm. 

[Anela]

18 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Very true. And I suspect that's exactly what she wanted to happen. After all, if Kristen's caught, that can either a) get her out of the way , thus allowing Sheryl more opportunity to do whatever the hell she's doing (and possibly roping the kids, or at least, Lexis, into her plans), or b) be the first blow in Sheryl's attempts to make her daughter's life awful for whatever endgame she's planning. Or possibly, and probably, it's a mix of both options. 

On that note, now I think about it further, she and Lexis always seem to be the ones sharing one-on-one scenes. It was Sheryl who told Lexis to hit that girl last season, it was Sheryl who then told her to lie to her parents about it, it was Sheryl who brought Lexis home from school a few episodes ago in her attempt to try and "reconcile" with Kristen, and now here she is trying to get Lexis to join her at that Eddie altar. 

Add in all the disturbing stuff that's been going on with Lexis herself thus far and that's....deeply concerning and has a lot of unsettling implications. Hm. 

Yes, it does.  They’re making her darker than I thought they would.  She only got angry with Leland, because he insulted her, not when he was threatening her grandchildren.  

[kwnyc]

The subtext of the episode was about white privilege...Both Ben and David have been stopped by the cops many times, and Kristen has never been. And when Kristen actually confesses to murder, her buddy, the white cop, who believes that some people deserve to be dead, will cover for her (and blame a nonexistent Black guy in the yard).

As for the cops acting like cops in TV shows...people tend to believe the tropes they see on cop shows. Along with all the Law & Orders, we also have Blue Bloods, where the upright Reagans teach on a regular basis that only bad guys break the law, and if people just listened to the police, everything would be all right.

I had an idea that the second chase scene (that replicated the first, "real" one) was going to be a TV show. For one thing, it's on that block in Long Island City where they film ALL the chase scenes. (I live the next neighborhood over, and recognize a lot of stuff from shows filmed in NYC. That particular street/alley turns up a lot, probably because it's easy to block off and set up cameras).

The church has proven to be HIGHLY venal in this show. Between Leland throwing money at them for a fake exorcism, and the cops coming to them for an insanity plea for the cop who shot the unarmed Black woman, they basically sell themselves to the highest Catholic-aligned bidder.

I DO wonder if David's going to have some kind of crisis of faith, joining such a corrupt institution. 

Other questions to ponder during the hiatus: where is missing Daddy? Is Grandma a freelance demon/witch doctor or is she working with another group? What role will Sister Andrea play?

Ands as for Ben, wasn't there a case a year or so ago in which a Chinese scientist claimed to have cloned or created a perfect baby using gene modification? There were some references to "China" in Ben's dreams, and he was doing something with genetics. So he may bust out a bunch of knowledge when the team finds out (if it finds out) any more stuff about the fertility clinic.

[blixie]

I loved this one but can't feel like Kristen's confession to Mira is the end of anything. It felt very Devils Advocate to me, Pacino's Satan is all about temptation, the easy way, having Mira offer guilt ridden Kristen understanding/justification has only drawn her further into that field with the axe wielding B.L ZeBub. She is experiencing momentary relief, but that bill is for sure going to come due either through Mira, her partner or the Protectors. I can't believe they would pass up the opportunity for her to confess to David in the confessional, but I also like that the Kings have set them up as team who care for each other a lot, but are all super guarded don't always confide in each other completely. As assessors they have to be inherently doubtful, distrustful, suspicious. 

Eddie, my Eddie, is the reason I love this dam show. I have no idea what's going on with Sheryl, and it's interesting that she was the one telling Lexis to lie and now she's demanding she tell the truth, in both cases it was at the expense of Kristen's relationship with Lexis. But I feel like it's a red herring and that Sheryl sees Kristen's in DANGER and trying to reel her in and protect her.

[Norma Desmond]

Yes, looks like Sheryl's into some dark stuff and has been even before she met Leland. Eddie my Eddie was disturbing. She's totally grooming Lexis. And she was actively setting Kristen up to be arrested - she wants total access to the kids, or at least to Lexis. Makes me think she's into some Hereditary-like cult and Lexis is their future princess of darkness. Or something.

 

The "next  on Evil" trailer, presented by the ever-delightful George was amazing!! Can the hiatus be over? Need my Evil!

Edited July 31, 2021 by Norma Desmond

[Tammy12]

I just started/finished binging Evil and am so hooked! I wish I had waited until the hiatus was over to start watching, I cannot wait to see what else is coming this season. 

[ferjy]

On 7/31/2021 at 1:57 AM, Norma Desmond said:

Can the hiatus be over? Need my Evil!

I’m missing it too. I need my weekly Evil fix! I know it’s only been a couple of weeks but it feels like months. Counting down.

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by ferjy

[raven]

Things I loved in this one:

David showing up in Ben's dream

Ben asking the postal guy  for forgiveness (also, the show not being able to use the actual USPS logo)

Eddie My Eddie - so creepy!!!  so perfect for this show! 

Lexie running from EmE - smart kid!   I did NOT like Kristen asking Lexie to cover for her.

Ben's reaction to Kristin saying she's never been stopped by a cop

On 7/26/2021 at 2:59 PM, tennisgurl said:

Kristen, Ben, and David's incredulous expressions when the head of the policemen union was asking them to prove that the cop was possessed as his defense were hilarious.

Also our trio being called "The Mod Squad", hee

Though I'm here for the ambiguous creepy stuff, I thought they were successful in blending real world issues into it.   The cop show influence was an interesting point.   However, I thought Kristen's cop friend specifying " a black man" was more on the nose then the show needed to be.  I know it is a real life thing that happens but I thought the show had made its point very successfully already with the cap being how easily Kristen's friend was willing to cover for her.

GEORGE!!!  Best preview of things to come ever!  Monks!  Blood!! Hallucinations!!!   Goo!! Masks!!!  Sex!!! Sacks of POTATOES!!!

[ABay]

If you're at all interested the question of how much TV influences actual police behavior, there's a podcast for that. Running from Cops. This link is to free episodes but the podcast is also on Spotify, Apple, etc.

[rebel2u]

Just discovered this on Paramount and am binge watching.  I liked the first season best, with this group from the Catholic Church focusing on possessions, devils, Kristen's daughter Lexis possibly having ties to the devil, etc.

Season 2 seems to be focusing on Very Important Issues and trying to link them to evil practices. Thanks for the sledgehammer to the head to point out who's evil (the police) and who's not (everybody else.)

Since this is a show about the Catholic Church combating evil, I can think of one issue very close to home that they might want to investigate.  I'm sure there are countless previously and currently sexually abused men and boys who would appreciate a shout out to their cause.