S02.E07: S Is For Silence

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

The team is dispatched to a monastery to investigate the corpse of Father Thomas, whose body has not decayed in the year following his death.

Dropping Sunday, August 29, 2021.

[ferjy]

Poor David. It was only the monk that wanted you.   

Kristen: “Why is he looking at me that way?”  😄

 

That was a properly creepy episode. With the inherent silence, you picked up on all the other sounds. The whistling and howling of the wind, the rustling of the leaves and debris being blown around, and the haunting choral music melded perfectly with the ominous theme. I had my volume turned way up and almost hit the ceiling when the raucous opening credits theme came on. (And when the book screamed!)

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by ferjy

[jada]

This episode made my skin itch.

[NeenerNeener]

Why am I not surprised about who broke the vow of silence.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Boo! 👻 

There is only one thing that I like about this episode - seeing the fun & girly side of Kristen.

Fucks and fuckity fuckity fucks!

I am more interested in next episode! 😘

[Anela]

I'm afraid that I would have released the demon, not long after I arrived. I would not survive there.

I forgot to cancel paramount plus, so I'm here for another month. :)

6 hours ago, ferjy said:

Poor David. It was only the monk that wanted you.   

Kristen: “Why is he looking at me that way?”  😄

 

That was a properly creepy episode. With the inherent silence, you picked up on all the other sounds. The whistling and howling of the wind, the rustling of the leaves and debris being blown around, and the haunting choral music melded perfectly with the ominous theme. I had my volume turned way up and almost hit the ceiling when the raucous opening credits theme came on. (And when the book screamed!)

 

I wear wireless headphones, because I like to hear everything. :) Except when they catch people chewing, or slurping.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Anela

[Ceindreadh]

I love this crazy little show.  I had to pause while watching the scene where David was trying to pray and we got the subtitles of his inner monologue!  And all the little facial expressions that I might have missed if I'd been listening to dialogue.  Like when David and Ben noticed Kirsten in the whiskey barrels. 

How can a show about good and evil and demons be so funny!

[Snazzy Daisy]

REMINDER‼️
Do NOT google “botfly”

[HerkyJerky]

What did Kristen’s nightshirt say?

[raven]

OMG Botflies!!!!!!!!!! EEEE!!!  I can watch LOTS of gross stuff but bug things are my kryptonite.  EEK!

1 minute ago, HerkyJerky said:

What did Kristen’s nightshirt say?

Something along the lines of "I really hate being right all the time".

20 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

REMINDER‼️
Do NOT google “botfly”

For sure (I didn't because I've heard of those before.  As much as bugs freak me out, there was a show called "Monsters Inside Me" that I watched that was about botflies and similar EW).

1 hour ago, Ceindreadh said:

How can a show about good and evil and demons be so funny!

ITA.  I laughed quite a bit - the etch a sketch writing tablets with the names on the back written on masking tape; Kristen having a grand old time soaking the wine barrel; David's inner monologue fuckity fuck is that throw up?? ; Ben finding a kindred spirit with the monk who had a laptop set up; everyone's facial expressions at one time or another.

I was really entertained.  The location was great as well.   Really loving this season.

[Madding crowd]

Kristen was acting a little strange in this one, even for her. There was really no where else for her to sleep but the creepy statue room? I wouldn’t want to visit a place like that. So happy this weird, strange show is back! Loved David’s inner monologue.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Madding crowd

[leocadia]

1 hour ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

REMINDER‼️
Do NOT google “botfly”

Sadly, this came too late to save me. 🤢

I had heard about them, but only in the context of something that happens in the jungles of the tropics.  I had to look it up immediately to make sure that the show was wrong and I was still safe up here in the northern US...the show wasn't wrong. 

I did find it a bit unlikely that the monks would allow outsiders to spend the night if they truly believed that a single word spoken would release a demon.  I can't imagine being somewhere and not accidentally saying something out loud.

Edited August 30, 2021 by leocadia

[Anela]

1 hour ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

REMINDER‼️
Do NOT google “botfly”

I already knew what they were, so I didn't. :) I had to look away, because that was gross.

45 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

Kristen was acting a little strange in this one, even for her. There was really no where else for her to sleep but the creepy statue room? I wouldn’t want to visit a place like that. So happy this weird, strange show is back! Loved David’s inner monologue.

I wasn't sure if she was flirting with the nun, after a while, or if she just enjoyed spending time with her (getting drunk), and felt fond of her, as well as protective, due to the horrible way she was treated by the monks. 

[Chaos Theory]

Kristen and the silent nun were a fun pair. Watching Kristen flash the monks and then the statues was kinda funny.   She’s been acting really naughty.  
 

loved seeing David’s thoughts which were basically a bunch of “fucks” and Kristen.

 

 

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

REMINDER‼️
Do NOT google “botfly”

Don't worry, I have zero plans to do that :p. God, I was shielding my eyes and squirming and cringing SO MUCH during that scene. And I think I may have lost my appetite for the night as well. EW. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ewwwwwwwwww. 

That grossness aside, though, I really loved this episode. I too am not surprised that Kristen was the one who broke the silence, though I was also wondering if Ben might break, 'cause he seemed pretty restless over not being able to talk at times throughout, too. He basically said as much at the end! 

It was so fun watching the team try and figure out how to communicate and work together without talking, though. I loved everything with the clipboards (and what colorful child clipboards they were, too :D!), and it really speaks to how well we've come to know these characters to where we got a good sense of what they were thinking and trying to say through their facial expressions and gestures, both to each other and in general. That's a hard skill to pull off, so kudos to the cast for handling that part of things so perfectly. 

I am glad that they did manage to find a place to escape to in order to actually talk to each other, though. And it was nice to see them all working together again, given how they've all been kind of off doing their own thing or worrying about and dealing with their own personal traumas and issues of late. 

4 hours ago, Anela said:

I'm afraid that I would have released the demon, not long after I arrived. I would not survive there.

I would probably do okay, myself - times like this being quiet actually bodes well for a person :p! Though that's the only aspect I'd be able to stand. The whole thing of being separated and treated differently from the men would drive me as nuts as it did Kristen. Given that aspect of the storyline, I can't help wondering if her fear that she'd unleashed the demon by speaking was meant to be kind of reminiscent of the story of Eve and the apple? 

Really loved everything with Kristen and Fenna throughout. They had such a sweet, fun, touching chemistry, and I liked Kristen giving her her shirt at the end, too. The intimacy between them was especially interesting, and has me wondering if we'll seen Fenna again at any point down the line. I'd be all for that :). 

Quite a surprise, the reveal that Mulvehill was spending time there. Knowing what we know about his recent issues, and his connection to Leland, I can't think that, and the fact the team got sent to this particular monastery, is simply a mere coincidence. I suspect he/Leland may help to explain some of the weird stuff that went down there, too. 

And speaking of weird things, man, Ben in those catacombs...it's the sub basement all over again. I was actually muttering, "Go, go, go, go, GO!" when that weird black blobby thing started floating towards him. I both want to know and don't want to know what the hell that was. I liked that you could see the effects of that scary memory coming back to Ben after he escaped, too - he looked pretty shaken when he returned to the team. Kristen comforting him was nice. 

On a much lighter note...

2 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

I had to pause while watching the scene where David was trying to pray and we got the subtitles of his inner monologue!  And all the little facial expressions that I might have missed if I'd been listening to dialogue.  Like when David and Ben noticed Kirsten in the whiskey barrels. 

How can a show about good and evil and demons be so funny!

Right? I was dying at David's inner monologue XD. That was absolutely hilarious. And I also loved his and Ben's facial expressions when they saw Kristen in the barrel, it was a great mix of, "What the hell?" and "No, yeah, that looks about right." :p. Kristen and Fenna getting drunk off the whiskey and goofing around was a riot, too. 

That's another great thing about this episode, it's going to be one that'll work great on rewatch, 'cause I know there were a few things I probably missed or didn't catch all that closely this first go-round. 

So glad to have the show back. Excellent way to kick things off - bring on the rest of the season!

[Snazzy Daisy]

2 hours ago, HerkyJerky said:

What did Kristen’s nightshirt say?

“Boy, do I hate being RIGHT all the time!”

[HerkyJerky]

Thanks, SD!

[phalange]

Ok, that pop-up sequence scared the shit out of me.

I love the whole concept of a mostly non-spoken episode. And I’m not surprised it was Kristen who cracked first lol. She lasted longer than I would’ve, though. I loved her getting drunk with Fenna and leaving her the shirt.

Ben writing WTF on the clipboard and David’s thoughts of “fuckity fuck fuck Kristen fuck” were hilarious. Definitely would not have been able to do that on t.v. 

My favorite episode of the season so far.

[Athena5217]

4 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Kristen was acting a little strange in this one, even for her. There was really no where else for her to sleep but the creepy statue room? I wouldn’t want to visit a place like that. So happy this weird, strange show is back! Loved David’s inner monologue.

I can’t believe they had her sleep in that creepy room. Seems like a sure fire way to have the silence broken by someone screaming at the creepy statues. I thought Kristen’s behavior was over the top. I understand her anger at how the monks treated women, but I would expect her to be more professional  since the Church pays her salary.

I found myself fixating on how inefficient the winemaking process was because of bad equipment. Why not use a sponge mop to coat the barrels with whiskey? Why not use a wagon with spacers for the bottles to transport them? Using a shallow wheelbarrow would lead to many broken bottles.

[Annber03]

15 minutes ago, Athena5217 said:

I thought Kristen’s behavior was over the top. I understand her anger at how the monks treated women, but I would expect her to be more professional  since the Church pays her salary.

Eh, I dunno, she has shown a more rebellious attitude when interacting with church officials before. Maybe not quite to this extent, no, but she's made her feelings clear about some of their attitudes and positions and whatnot in the past. Plus, given so much of her other behavior thus far this season, I think her antics here fit with that as well - she's just in complete and total "give no fucks" mode nowadays. Killing someone can be very freeing in that way :p. 

That, and she was drunk, which also didn't help,  LOL. 

[Scout Finch]

How did botflies: cause scratches on the coffin lid and demon cabinet doors, keep the Father's body from decaying, and all suddenly appear on people's bodies at the same time? What about the stigmata?

Me interjecting out loud that since the silence was supposedly to keep the demon locked inside the cabinet: "I think you can all start talking about what the hell is going on right now, given that the demon made a jailbreak."

[Nellise]

13 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Kristen was acting a little strange in this one, even for her. There was really no where else for her to sleep but the creepy statue room? I wouldn’t want to visit a place like that. So happy this weird, strange show is back! Loved David’s inner monologue.

I thought having her in that room was a way to show how little they cared for women there. I think that's also why Kristen was acting out a bit, she knows how traditional church types think about women.

Did they ever explain the stigmata part? That wasn't the flies.

I thought it was funny having Fenna say she couldn't understand English and only spoke Dutch when Katja Herbers can speak Dutch.

[Anela]

12 hours ago, Athena5217 said:

I can’t believe they had her sleep in that creepy room. Seems like a sure fire way to have the silence broken by someone screaming at the creepy statues. I thought Kristen’s behavior was over the top. I understand her anger at how the monks treated women, but I would expect her to be more professional  since the Church pays her salary.

I found myself fixating on how inefficient the winemaking process was because of bad equipment. Why not use a sponge mop to coat the barrels with whiskey? Why not use a wagon with spacers for the bottles to transport them? Using a shallow wheelbarrow would lead to many broken bottles.

I wouldn't expect her to do anything else, in the face of sexism. They aren't an authority for everyone, no matter what they believe about themselves. 

10 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

How did botflies: cause scratches on the coffin lid and demon cabinet doors, keep the Father's body from decaying, and all suddenly appear on people's bodies at the same time? What about the stigmata?

Me interjecting out loud that since the silence was supposedly to keep the demon locked inside the cabinet: "I think you can all start talking about what the hell is going on right now, given that the demon made a jailbreak."

I thought the same thing. I couldn't believe they were in a panic, and still writing on those boards. I guess it's normal for them.

2 hours ago, Nellise said:

I thought having her in that room was a way to show how little they cared for women there. I think that's also why Kristen was acting out a bit, she knows how traditional church types think about women.

Did they ever explain the stigmata part? That wasn't the flies.

I thought it was funny having Fenna say she couldn't understand English and only spoke Dutch when Katja Herbers can speak Dutch.

I thought that, too. :)

[WAnglais1]

I liked the Ray Harryhausen skeleton effect coming after her. Once again, it doesn't matter: Man, woman, demon, skeleton...they all want to crawl on top of Kristen. Even Young!Bearded!Monk was giving her the eye. 

That kind of gets old, to me anyway.

Other than that, super creepy episode. 

[Madding crowd]

I didn’t have an issue with Kristen’s response to the sexism . I found her actions with the young nun to be overly familiar and not like Kristen. Even before she got drunk she was very touchy and flirtatious with the young nun which seemed odd to me. She just met her and was stroking her face and holding her in her arms when she was sick.  I would have preferred if they showed her more as a mentor than a girlfriend. Even the end with the nun so excited that Kristen left the nightshirt behind, reminded me of a teenager hugging a boyfriends shirt. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Madding crowd

[HollyG]

On 8/29/2021 at 4:57 PM, raven said:

the etch a sketch writing tablets with the names on the back written on masking tape.

I loved those magic slates when I was a kid! I'm glad they're still around, I hadn't seen them in many years.

Edited August 31, 2021 by HollyG

[hatchetgirl]

21 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

How did botflies: cause scratches on the coffin lid and demon cabinet doors, keep the Father's body from decaying, and all suddenly appear on people's bodies at the same time? What about the stigmata?

Exactly this. I was coming here to ask what I missed. 

So, they all decided botflies, and disregarded everything else? What no talking? Did they decide the demon was still on the ground? That thing in the basement? The scratches inside the coffin?  THE MONK NOT DECAYING???? 

And I really enjoyed this episode. I hate the leyland episodes.

[LADreamr]

I also wondered why a quiet word releases the demon, but not the relatively louder and more public laughing.  Is it about sound or communication?  

Kristen should consider maybe not drinking.  It never leads anywhere good with her.

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, LADreamr said:

Kristen should consider maybe not drinking.  It never leads anywhere good with her.

I've seen some theories elsewhere that maybe those canned margaritas she loves to drink have been getting spiked or something :p. Would certainly explain a few things if that were the case.

[raven]

18 hours ago, hatchetgirl said:

o, they all decided botflies, and disregarded everything else? What no talking? Did they decide the demon was still on the ground? That thing in the basement? The scratches inside the coffin?  THE MONK NOT DECAYING???? 

Ben did mention he thought maybe the clay was keeping the monk from decaying and he took samples and someone picked them up.  There was no follow up on that though nor on the the stigmata.  I don't mind things being unexplained but this stuff not being mentioned was kind of odd, even for this show.

On 8/30/2021 at 2:08 AM, Scout Finch said:

"I think you can all start talking about what the hell is going on right now, given that the demon made a jailbreak."

Hee,  I was thinking the same thing "well at least you can all talk out loud now!"

I think Kristin was put in the creepy statue room because she's a woman and maybe because she was laughing with Fenna.  They could have put her where ever the nuns slept.    David was in a much nicer room.

[snoopypez]

Kristen and the nun were SO CUTE together. at this point I think I at least half ship her with like, everyone EXCEPT David. Sorry, David.

(...Leland too, but no apologies to him.)

[Norma Desmond]

On 8/30/2021 at 3:08 AM, Scout Finch said:

How did botflies: cause scratches on the coffin lid and demon cabinet doors, keep the Father's body from decaying, and all suddenly appear on people's bodies at the same time? What about the stigmata?

Yep. Especially the keeping the body from decaying and the stigmata.

 

These 2 scenes cracked me up:

 

 

 

[millennium]

On 8/30/2021 at 2:08 AM, Scout Finch said:

How did botflies: cause scratches on the coffin lid and demon cabinet doors, keep the Father's body from decaying, and all suddenly appear on people's bodies at the same time? What about the stigmata?

They couldn't.  The botflies were more a symptom of what was occurring rather than the cause.   To lay all the blame on the botflies seemed like a feeble cut and run by the team.  "See?  It's just botflies.  We're outta here."   Dana Scully did it all the time, but left fewer loose ends.   I expected at least a sense of looming unanswered questions when the episode ended rather than a feel-good scene.   I don't think this show takes horror seriously.  It seems to use it merely as a set-up for humor or to showcase aspects of the characters' personalities.

I have no love for Kristen this season.   I find her to be a bit annoying, getting and drunk and fooling around when her colleagues are trying to do a job.  Perhaps getting away with murder has emboldened her to believe that nothing matters.     Ben the atheist was being chased through dark, claustrophobic catacombs by something terrible yet somehow he managed to respect the policies of the monastery and not say a word.  Kristen, meanwhile, gets a room she doesn't like and just casually shits on sacred tradition for her own satisfaction, consequences be damned.

I loved the silence in this episode.   It was the perfect counterpoint to all the other episodes featuring Kristen's grating, hyper-chatty children.

[SharonH58]

On 9/6/2021 at 5:49 PM, millennium said:

 I loved the silence in this episode.   It was the perfect counterpoint to all the other episodes featuring Kristen's grating, hyper-chatty children.

Do they ALWAYS have to have the kids talking at once?

Edited September 9, 2021 by SharonH58

[millennium]

2 hours ago, SharonH58 said:

Do they ALWAYS have to have the kids talking at once?

I think it's supposed to be a thing, and we're supposed to find it cute and endearing.   Personally, it's no surprise to me why their poor grandmother handed herself over to the devil after babysitting that bunch every day.

[ferjy]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

I think it's supposed to be a thing, and we're supposed to find it cute and endearing.   Personally, it's no surprise to me why their poor grandmother handed herself over to the devil after babysitting that bunch every day.

🤣  And why Kristen is heading the same way. I’m surprised I’m not burning in Hell by now.

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by ferjy

[kwnyc]

Quote

Ben did mention he thought maybe the clay was keeping the monk from decaying and he took samples and someone picked them up.  There was no follow up on that though nor on the the stigmata.  I don't mind things being unexplained but this stuff not being mentioned was kind of odd, even for this show.

Yeah, it felt like the undecayed body was the McGuffin that got them there. Even if there Were botflies in the dead monk's body, he hadn't decomposed a bit after a year.

If you've ever been to the Shrine of St. John Neuman in Philadelphia, they keep his body on display, and it hasn't decayed (or has been carefully preserved...)

Sainthood is a big deal, and the Catholic church can always use more saints. 

When I was a little girl, and was sick, my mother had a relic of St. Bernadette of Lourds that she would put around my neck. I'm sure lots of other Catholics have similar memories.

St. Botfly could have been a new stream of revenue for the Church.

[Niuxita]

On 9/2/2021 at 11:07 PM, snoopypez said:

Kristen and the nun were SO CUTE together.

I just watched this episode as I make my way through season 2 for the first time and SAME. It was a great episode overall but I really just wanted to come here to gush about Kristen and the nun, LOL. I really appreciate that, in a very male-dominated episode, the show still managed to give Kristen a separate storyline where she forges a bond with another female character (and without them speaking a word to each other, to boot!) Shows, especially male-centric shows, don't really tend to care about developing relationships between female characters unless it serves a specific purpose, so it was really nice to see them going out of their way to do the exact opposite. And yeah, I appreciated the subtext as well. It doesn't seem to bother anyone when it's between Kristen and David, so why should it be any different just because the nun is a woman? I've seen actual f/f couples on TV that didn't reach the level of intimacy and tenderness that Kristen and Fenna had after only one episode, so kudos to both actresses. Whatever it is the show was going for, they sold it.