S03.E05: The Angel of Warning

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Sister Andrea's career and sanity are on trial as she battles Leland. Meanwhile the team investigates an alleged angel sighting.

Dropping Sunday, July 10th, 2022.

[AnimeMania]

I have no idea where the story is going, they seem to be taking the long road to getting to a point.

[Snazzy Daisy]

The pop-up book for this episode.

Quite boring…😣

[Annber03]

That talk between Sister Andrea and David at the end was good. I liked her apologizing for being so dismissive of his concerns about his visions and the racial element to them, and I also liked her trying to reassure him that no matter what, his visions are still real. And I loved the way he managed to help save her from being forced out of the church. Very clever move there, David :). I'm really glad that that woman's supposed warning to David about not trusting "his sister" turned out to be part of a lie on her part (and one connected to Leland, no less, because of course) - I'd hate to see Sister Andrea and David at odds, or to think she's playing him. They really do make a great team within the church. 

I can totally understand why David was struggling with trying to figure out if his visions are real, though. I liked how they used the fact that people have (literally) whitewashed notable religious figures in paintings and such throughout history as a way to touch on David's continued questions and doubts and uncertainties about his faith and his beliefs. And I also liked how they pointed out how that's an issue on a general level, too, in terms of how people view religious figures. Seeing the Church getting so incredibly uncomfortable at the very thought of a black angel was...oof. Certainly helps explain a lot of religion's role in the political and societal realm in a lot of ways, too, but that's a whole other topic unto itself. 

The case this episode was a good one, though I would've liked to explore the actual survivors' visions a little more deeply and try and figure out why they saw what they saw, and what that could mean, for them and the team and religion in general. That opening scene with David arriving to help out was very intense and emotional (when he passed the body bags on the floor, that got me). And I liked how the survivors' warnings affected David and Kristen as well, with David seeing a vision of that angel and Kristen hearing that creepy voice. It's interesting that Sheryl mentioned Kristen going through something similar as a child, and during a time of great stress for her at that. Either this is just her reaction to stress/the job getting to her as usual, or she's got a sixth sense, as it were, when something's off.  Likely a mix of both. 

And on that note, so once again, an attempt to talk to Andy doesn't pan out well. And now the girls are having scary dreams and fears about something happening to him, too. Hm. I don't blame them for being freaked out by the train noise, either - sure, they've lived with it for years, but with all the freaky stories they're reading online and the recent news of the actual building collapse, I can easily see where they'd be a little more startled than normal by the train. I know there's been some discussion online here and there over the last couple seasons about how safe that house is with the train going so close overhead, so it's good to see the show actually addressing it as well :p. I just hope that that's not meant to be some kind of ominous foreshadowing. 

So Sheryl sees her manager as a literal demon, eh? Eh, if it helps, no doubt she's far from the first person to imagine their boss that way :p. 

[phalange]

Dr. Boggs is definitely up to something or he's a terrible psychiatrist. Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder are diagnosed in children and adolescents. There's no such thing as "adult-onset conduct disorder." Adults that have those symptoms are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder, which Sister Andrea does not by any stretch of the imagination fit the criteria for. 

I like that they explored how Sister Andrea also has blind spots when it comes to race and that she apologized to David. And David used his position as a priest to fight for Sister Andrea. Leland was trying to divide them by planting that woman to discredit Sister Andrea and it backfired.

So the manager only appears as a demon goat to people who get promoted beyond a certain level? Sheryl seems like she's starting to question some things about her work, though not enough to quit, of course.

Yeah, I'm even more convinced Andy is not coming back. Now the girls are all having nightmares about him dying and Sheryl told Kristen she's better off without him. Plus those video calls could easily be faked and the camera made a point to focus in on the calendar where it says "Andy comes home." Things are not looking good. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Why David’s visions of Angels always come in labia shape and opening?

😳😳😳

Is it my sexy imagination or I have a really dirty mind?

Hey, thanks EVIL for ruining Ted Danson for me. This cannot be unseen…🤣🤣🤣

Edited July 10, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[ferjy]

Leland is going to all kinds of lengths to discredit Sister Andrea and I love that he is being thwarted at every turn. He is determined though, and I hope he doesn’t win in the end. Between Kristen and David and to some extent Ben (and even the girls!) they are keeping Leland on his toes. Hopefully they can keep diverting his evil (ha) intentions. 

It was interesting about the religious figures all being portrayed as white. It is apparent that women were demonized and belittled by the church but we don’t often see how race was an issue as well.  Even good-intentioned Sister Andrea who constantly deals with women’s inequality in the Church, didn’t see the same problem with race. She and David are a great team, willing to learn from each other. Take note, Leland, that’s how it’s done!

[jenn31]

8 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I have no idea where the story is going, they seem to be taking the long road to getting to a point.

I never really saw it as going towards a point. The show has weekly cases, most that are interesting or fun, and it’s about how the trio deals with it all, at work and at home. It makes points along the way, but I don’t think it’s out to get to a particular point.

[TakomaSnark]

8 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why David’s visions of Angels always come in labia shape and opening?

😳😳😳

Is it my sexy imagination or I have a really dirty mind?

Oh good, it's not just me that noticed the resemblance!

[Snazzy Daisy]

1 hour ago, TakomaSnark said:

Oh good, it's not just me that noticed the resemblance!

I guess EVIL wants us to learn more about “Yonic” (divine female passageway).

[HerkyJerky]

Is our team’s next assessment really named Candace Berganza? Why? Was Murphy Browning already taken?😛🤪😎

Edited July 11, 2022 by HerkyJerky
Misspelling

[Madding crowd]

This episode had a lot to say about racial politics within the Catholic Church as well as the psychological effects of online trolls and doom scrolling. I don’t think they decided on whether the angel was real. To me the obvious answer is that the same angel appears differently to people based on what they expect to see. I’m still hoping Kristen’s husband makes it out alive. Sheryl’s comedy act with Leland is wearing thin for me.  Leland dividing his time between this and hovering around the church just doesn’t play right somehow. There is also no explanation why a newly baptized Catholic would be invited into any church business, especially since the church’s investigative trio have said he is untrustworthy and he has no experience with Catholic matters.

[Anela]

I loved David, and Sister Andrea. Her gently scolding him for lying, and then admitting that she was wrong about something. I was thinking that he only saw the visions, the way he'd been taught to see them (as white people), even though he had the book that showed the real identities of some of the Saints. I didn't see them come to a conclusion about the others, but I'm glad they quickly caught that one woman in her lie. It was too obvious, and really dumb of Leland and that woman. 

I also think it's strange that they were all in favour of losing Sister Andrea. They pray to an invisible individual, that only some people believe in, and they claim to be fighting demons all the time. To literally see one, should be no surprise. I'd be wary of anyone who claimed to be in the exorcism business, but said you couldn't actually see and talk to them. 

Sheryl seeing her boss - hahahahaha!! But what did she expect? Given who she's been working with? The rest of us don't go around draining people's blood, as they were doing last season. 

the girls all having similar dreams at the same moment. Ugh. I hope the writers are just baiting, and they don't do something to the husband, but it has to be coming soon.

I hope they don't have another mid-season break. I didn't see a preview for next week. 

[RedInk]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

 To me the obvious answer is that the same angel appears differently to people based on what they expect to see. 

I was thinking the same, that the appearance of the angels shouldn’t negate the authenticity of his visions. And it rings true that people would experience visions that they connect to personally. I mean David is a an academic and sees illustrations. 
I cannot wrap my head around Kristen or Sheryl. It’s like every day is a reset. Both are constantly involved really profound supernatural experiences, with Sheryl occasionally acting as bad as (if not worse than) Leland, then they act so astonished when confronted with something illogical. Maybe that’s the point - that they both repress what they don’t want to see? I get that seeing an actual beast would be a doozy for Sheryl, but the woman was involved in bloodletting, making sacrifices to a doll & worshipping a shrunken head or something.
I wish we’d get some loose ends tied up. Is anything happening with the fertility center? Does Lexis have that tail? 😜

[Anela]

It bothers me a bit, that they made doom-scrolling sound like it's contributing to evil in the world. I know it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but changing things for the better, requires people paying attention to what happens in the world, not ignoring it. 

[AnimeMania]

6 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

To me the obvious answer is that the same angel appears differently to people based on what they expect to see.

The same angel appears differently to people based on what they "trust. I wouldn't be surprised if an angel didn't appear as a favorite dead relative.

[pertho]

On 7/10/2022 at 1:28 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why David’s visions of Angels always come in labia shape and opening?

😳😳😳

Is it my sexy imagination or I have a really dirty mind?

Hey, thanks EVIL for ruining Ted Danson for me. This cannot be unseen…🤣🤣🤣

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that

[Chaos Theory]

That's the fun part about Sheryl– half of her storyline is watching her be a truly terrible person while also cheering her on when she bribes her way into "The Manager’s"  office only to discover he is a 5 eyed demon who smells bad.  I love how Sheryl is still using her sexuality to get what she wants. Having her young female intern tell her to open her top button before she went to see “The Manager” was a great moment.      Sheryl is still my favorite (Not Kristen, Ben, or David) character.   

That being said I loved the David and Sister Andrea storyline.   What I love about it is how deep it truly is and that the two people who are basically outsiders in the church understand each other even if they don't understand the other persons exact situation.     David is black a priest in the Catholic Church who is told over and over to not make race an issue even when it likely is.  Sister Andrea is a nun who may actually be one of the truly "holy" people on the show but because she is not a man no one wants to believe that she is seeing a demon or that she has a close relationship with God. 

On 7/10/2022 at 3:54 AM, AnimeMania said:

I have no idea where the story is going, they seem to be taking the long road to getting to a point.

Honestly I think the point is what it has always been.   The Catholic Church has the team fighting the encroachment of evil in the world but like the lady who lied to them and worked for Leland told them; Their side is losing.   The Doom they are feeling is justified.   I think that is the point and the overall storyline.  How do you fight an evil that is already seeped into the very way you live your life?  

Edited July 11, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[kwnyc]

I was thinking it's about damn time that the good side is sending help...in the form of the angel who appeared to David in the last episode, and in the one he is seeing in his visions.

"Your side is weakening," is something that a losing team actually says. Not that I believe there will be world peace if all the families with sigils are stopped...but they are definitely scoring some hits on Evil.

I still don't think that the Friends of the Vatican, or the guy who claims to represent them, are actually that. I think he's there to distract David from the work he's already doing...or to get him to their side.

Kristen is showing more Strong Woman this season...good for her. All of them standing outside and yelling and throwing rocks at the train was a great scene. (And given that I hear the same train, just not as loud, is something I wouldn't mind doing.)

As fo Sister Andrea Martin, that was a beautiful apology she made to David, showing that SHE (though not most of the rest of the Church) is capable of growth and evolving. It's probably what protects her.

And I have a weird feeling that they are NOT going kill of what's-his-face (Andy) on the mountain, but that something horrid will happen to him afterward. I don't see him as changing sides.

I have finally gotten that Makob is supposed to be "macabre."

[gesundheit]

22 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Leland dividing his time between this and hovering around the church just doesn’t play right somehow. There is also no explanation why a newly baptized Catholic would be invited into any church business, especially since the church’s investigative trio have said he is untrustworthy and he has no experience with Catholic matters.

I keep waiting for some reveal about why they still have him there when they've seen him behave horribly and he's been proven wrong repeatedly. I'm not buying the "big donation" thing, it just doesn't track. And how would this week's case not force their hands into kicking him out??

20 hours ago, Anela said:

It bothers me a bit, that they made doom-scrolling sound like it's contributing to evil in the world. I know it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but changing things for the better, requires people paying attention to what happens in the world, not ignoring it. 

Doom-scrolling is bad, though -- if you're just scrolling through headlines and tweets imagining impending doom, you're getting fed a lot of misinformation and it leads people to dark places. I don't think they're suggesting being uninformed will prevent evil, but rather suggesting a more discerning approach to becoming informed than doom-scrolling! (And of course that there is evil intent behind a lot of the misinformation out there)

[Annber03]

6 hours ago, kwnyc said:

Kristen is showing more Strong Woman this season...good for her. All of them standing outside and yelling and throwing rocks at the train was a great scene. (And given that I hear the same train, just not as loud, is something I wouldn't mind doing.)

I kept wondering what their neighbors must've thought, hearing them screaming outside in the middle of the night as they were :p. But if the train was that loud, maybe it drowned out some of their noise. 

11 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

I keep waiting for some reveal about why they still have him there when they've seen him behave horribly and he's been proven wrong repeatedly. I'm not buying the "big donation" thing, it just doesn't track. And how would this week's case not force their hands into kicking him out??

I saw a theory elsewhere where someone suggested this whole thing with Leland and the Church could be a "keep your friends close, your enemies closer" sort of deal, too.

But honestly, I don't even know that there has to be a reason, simply because, well, look at all the awful people the Catholic Church has been known to keep around (or at least, quietly shuffle around) over the decades, even thought they know full well what those awful people have done. It could just be as simple as that, too. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

6 hours ago, kwnyc said:

And I have a weird feeling that they are NOT going kill of what's-his-face (Andy) on the mountain, but that something horrid will happen to him afterward. I don't see him as changing sides.

Yupp. Something bad will happen to him. We can see he’s already being surrounded by the sigils in the previous video call.

[Anela]

3 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Yupp. Something bad will happen to him. We can see he’s already being surrounded by the sigils in the previous video call.

I hadn't even noticed!

3 hours ago, gesundheit said:

I keep waiting for some reveal about why they still have him there when they've seen him behave horribly and he's been proven wrong repeatedly. I'm not buying the "big donation" thing, it just doesn't track. And how would this week's case not force their hands into kicking him out??

Doom-scrolling is bad, though -- if you're just scrolling through headlines and tweets imagining impending doom, you're getting fed a lot of misinformation and it leads people to dark places. I don't think they're suggesting being uninformed will prevent evil, but rather suggesting a more discerning approach to becoming informed than doom-scrolling! (And of course that there is evil intent behind a lot of the misinformation out there)

Yeah, I thought about that when I got up to do something else. But I'm careful about who I follow, and have stopped trying to discuss much of anything with those who persist in sharing misinformation. 

[Madding crowd]

I didn’t notice anything about the sigils, I need to rewatch!

[blixie]

Quote

I never really saw it as going towards a point. The show has weekly cases, most that are interesting or fun, and it’s about how the trio deals with it all, at work and at home. It makes points along the way, but I don’t think it’s out to get to a particular point.

Yeah I see it as a really fun anthology more than a serialized mystery box. Broadly though it's had the consistent theme of how do we deal with /cope with the idea of evil? And the basic Good v. Evil battle has played out all three seasons, with this seasons actually giving us the Vatican CIA to counter Leeland and the Goats. 

I as glad we finally have Sheryl realizing exactly what she's playing at even if it's still not clear if this is a Protect her Family game or I am really down with Demons game. 

[Babalooie]

On 7/10/2022 at 6:28 AM, phalange said:

Dr. Boggs is definitely up to something or he's a terrible psychiatrist. Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder are diagnosed in children and adolescents

Not sure about that.  I am an educator who has seen many students with ODD, and I have definitely diagnosed my mother-in- law with it. :)

[kwnyc]

Not a spoiler, but I think that Dr. Boggs is going to have some kind of conversion experience this season.

[tennisgurl]

In most biblical readings, especially of the old testament, angels were portrayed as scary otherworldly beings who's true forms were basically incomprehensible to the mortal mind, a lot of later interpretations were that angels appear in a form that is comfortable to the person who sees them, so you can see an angel in any way you imagine them, so some people could see angels as one race or another. The bigger issue here though is the issues of race within the church, which was an interesting topic to explore and I like how they tied it into David's visions and how is is trying to figure out how real they are. The church has a very unfortunate history of whitewashing their own saints and important figures, even Jesus himself, to the point that even someone as great as Sister Andrea can have bias, and its rough how uncomfortable people seemed at the idea of a black angel. The actual case of the week was really interesting, really one of the only issues I have had this season is that so much is going on that sometimes the cases of the week don't get as much attention as I would like. They're often so interesting that I end up wanting more, but then we have to keep cutting away. To other interesting things, but still. Some of that is probably on purpose though, I know how the show likes to keep a lot of things ambiguous, to Ben's frustration.

Leland is pulling out all the stops to get rid of Sister Andrea, and I love that he gets thwarted every time. He's persistent, but so is she, of course he wants her gone. I am really glad that she and David didn't fall for Leland's manipulations and instead had some real talk about their own biases and the biases of the church and that they could help each other.

I am very concerned about Andy, all signs are pointing to him not coming back. 

Edited July 14, 2022 by tennisgurl

[snoopypez]

Andy :(

Loved Sister Andrea's apology to David, loved David's way of helping her, love how this show doesn't shy away from any of the Hot Topics of Catholicism. Also loved the beginning--which was sad and horrific, but also amusing how poor David kept getting questioned because he didn't have his collar. 

I kinda like Sheryl's interactions with her new assistant (?) and the office manager or whatever he said he was. ...The guy who sees the boss as Ted Danson, not the boss-demon, I mean. 😜

[kwnyc]

14 hours ago, snoopypez said:

but also amusing how poor David kept getting questioned because he didn't have his collar. 

He reads as a cop!

[Linderhill]

On 7/10/2022 at 7:28 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why David’s visions of Angels always come in labia shape and opening?

😳😳😳

Is it my sexy imagination or I have a really dirty mind?

Hey, thanks EVIL for ruining Ted Danson for me. This cannot be unseen…🤣🤣🤣

The almond shape is a pretty common feature in Renaissance paintings and icons if I remember my art history correctly.  I never thought any of it was the shape of a labia.  

[Norma Desmond]

On 7/10/2022 at 8:28 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why David’s visions of Angels always come in labia shape and opening?

Yes. I was wondering the same thing. Surely it can't be unintentional.

Oh and good catch, SnazzyDaisy, on the Andy surrounded by the sigils thing. Wow. Poor guy.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Norma Desmond

[Snazzy Daisy]

15 hours ago, Norma Desmond said:

Yes. I was wondering the same thing. Surely it can't be unintentional.

Oh and good catch, SnazzyDaisy, on the Andy surrounded by the sigils thing. Wow. Poor guy.

Am so glad that there are several of us who have sexy imagination re David’s visions. Phew! 😆

[hatchetgirl]

On 7/11/2022 at 12:12 PM, kwnyc said:

I still don't think that the Friends of the Vatican, or the guy who claims to represent them, are actually that. I think he's there to distract David from the work he's already doing...or to get him to their side.

Exactly.  A couple episodes back, someone mentioned how it's splitting the trio. I think this guy is a Leland type character and he's all about keeping David busy with something shadowy.

[SherriAnt]

I think I'm in the minority when I say I don't care if Andy comes back or not. I also would think that, if you're getting almost a million dollars for the business, maybe move somewhere not under a train? Instead of renovating the worst house I've ever seen. It's under a train, for Pete's sake, and the girls share a closet for a bedroom with 1 bathroom! 

Also, go away Leland, nobody likes you.