S04.E01: How to Split an Atom

[AnimeMania]

Kristen learns the details of Leland’s evil scheme involving her ovum, and Sheryl’s involvement in the plot increases the tension between mother and daughter. Meanwhile, David, Ben, and Kristen are sent to investigate a particle accelerator suspected to be a gateway to Hell.

Premiere Date: May 23, 2024       Paramount+     

Peter Mark Kendall as Dr. Parquet
Cara Patterson as Emily Reinhardt

Edited May 23 by AnimeMania

[NeenerNeener]

Yay! I love this weird little show! And this episode is just as weird as it was before the long hiatus. I need to rewatch some scenes with the kids, because some of the younger ones should definitely be showing 2 years worth of growing up that's not part of the show time line.

Edited May 23 by NeenerNeener

[Anela]

That hole reminded me of the hole I found in the bottom of our microwave, last thanksgiving. 
 

kristen’s mother going to Leland, to fuck with her family some more.  I’m sorry for disagreeing with anyone who has hated her from day one.  
 

loved Kristen’s response to Leland at the beginning. 

6 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

Yay! I love this weird little show! And this episode is just as weird as it was before the long hiatus. I need to rewatch some scenes with the kids, because some of the younger ones should definitely be showing 2 years worth of growing up that's not part of the show time line.

I was thinking that, too, but they were filming up until about two weeks into the writer’s strike (they picketed the show when it was filming). So, the most growth will probably be seen in later episodes.  :)

[Chaos Theory]

 

The particle accelerator stuff was weirdly spooky and had a artsy feel to it that I couldn't put my finger on.

Kristen's maniacal laugh is everything.  I adored her clapping back at Leland about how she couldn't think of a better torture them him raising a kid.

Mark your calendar's everyone 38 days until the birth of the anti-Christ.  

 

 

Edited May 24 by Chaos Theory

[Snazzy Daisy]

Ohh Lordy! That’s the horniest chopping act I have ever seen! Patrick Brammall, you’re f-king hilarious. 🤣

A catastrophic event will happen in 38 days - the opening of a particle acceleration lab OR the birth of Kristen’s Antichrist baby?

“Your eggs and my sperm, destined for each other from the beginning.”

The creepiest sentence ever!

Kristen tries to keep her family safe by banning Sheryl from Bouchard home and forbidding her from seeing her granddaughters. But Kristen doesn’t know that Leland has Andy by his balls. He can be triggered anytime by a simple “Feliz Navidad”. Very convenient.

Lynn would rather lie to her mom about sneaking out to see her BF than telling the truth about becoming a nun. Damn girl, speak out.

Ben has started seeing things after being hit by a beam at a particle acceleration facility but he says nothing to his team. David and Ben need to talk to each other (and to Kristen) about the unexplainable things that happen to them. Come on, guys. This is frustrating.

I wonder why the trio hasn’t followed-up on the missing girl from the viral video. Don’t they believe in Mateo?

Which one is scarier - particle accelerator creating a chain of quantum black holes that could swallow the earth OR the opening of gates of hell?

Kristen casually tells the guys she’s having a baby in 38 days. Wait until they find out that Leland is the father. 😆

 

Edited May 24 by Snazzy Daisy

[phalange]

Welcome back, show! I’ve missed you.

Kristen ruining Leland’s joy by reminding him he has to feed and change the antichrist at 4:00 a.m was hilarious. 

I’m glad Kristen banned Sheryl from the house, though Sheryl is, of course, scheming to get back there.

When Kristen confronted Andy about talking to David, I thought at first Andy would have no memory of doing that, but apparently he remembers what happened while being mind controlled.

I love Kristen just casually telling David, “I have feelings for you, yeah.”

So Ben got hit with the collider beam and now he’s seeing demons. I feel like that’s something he should be sharing with David and Kristen. Communication, people, c’mon! 

In 38 days they get to deal with the gates to hell/a black hole AND the birth of the antichrist. Another thing Kristen just casually mentions, lol. But based on her reaction, I feel like she’s hanging on by a thread and will eventually snap.

[Annber03]

Oh, this show. I'm going to miss this show in all its bonkers glory. 

1 hour ago, phalange said:

Kristen ruining Leland’s joy by reminding him he has to feed and change the antichrist at 4:00 a.m was hilarious. 

"Did you ever wonder why The Omen skipped the infantcy? Because that's the real horror." Loved that line XD. 

I loved how Kristen took advantage of her daughters not talking to tell them all the changes that will be happening in their house, LOL. And I'm really intrigued by this whole thing of Lynn sneaking out to see Sister Andrea - Sister Andrea is right to try and put some distance between them, given she knows Kristen and all, but still, I'm hoping we'll get to see more scenes of her and Lynn together, 'cause I'm genuinely curious to see how that'll play out. 

I echo everyone's sentiments about Kristen keeping Sheryl away from her house entirely. But knowing Sheryl as we do, yeah, we'll see how long that lasts. 

Oof, Andy. That manipulation working overtme. Mind, he'd already expressed some suspicions about Kristen hooking up with either David or Ben before, so he was already susceptible, but still, yeah, actually showing up at David's place to confront him... 

(It's all the more ironic that he's worried about David and Ben, too, given he has absolutely no clue that Kristen's already had an affair with a guy she met on a case.)

I did like Leland and Sheryl each fighting to try and influence David with their little mantras :p. 

That entire scene in Ben's apartment was super creepy. Poor guy is probably never going to know a good night's sleep ever again. I loved Kristen's concern for him, and the way she kept fussing over him. Also, no, Kristen, please don't ask Ben to explain quantum mechanics to you, 'cause every other time a woman's discussed that topic with him it never ended well for them. Mind, Kristen's already in full on wacky land thanks to this job, so...maybe she'll be different? 

So. Thirty-eight days until the supposed end of the world, and this place is going to have a big debut right around that time...and there's a creepy hole on the property to who knows where. Okay, then! No pressure! I liked Kristen being so casual about her baby at the end as she was, too. 

Buckle up, everyone, I think we're gonna be in for a wild final season. 

Edited May 24 by Annber03

[ferjy]

So happy this is back, the episode was as good as ever. Although, contrary to many here, I know, I did miss the girls’ overlapping chatter, one of my favourite things in the show. Sister Andrea looking up to the heavens with an “Oh God!” when she was interrupted yet again, this time by Kurt. 🤣

I was pleased to see there are 14 episodes this season. Then was completely deflated when I read it’s the last season. 🙁 What’s the matter with these people?? The show has years left in it! And will probably be replaced by some crap show they churn out that will last one season. If Paramount doesn’t want it, please find another home for it, showrunners.

 

Edited May 24 by ferjy

[Chaos Theory]

Only on this show is Lynn maybe having sex with a boy preferable to Kristen then hanging out with a nun.  

Edited May 24 by Chaos Theory

[Dani-Ellie]

I have so missed this show and its sheer WTFery. 

[SeanBug]

This was one of the best episodes ever.  

At first I was like "why aren't the girls talking". Then it dawned on me, a little meta moment of "yeah we hear you fans saying that the girls all yelling at once is a bit much". 

Ben if you're going to explain quantum mechanics, physics, whatever, can I sit in on that class? 

Just loved every minute of it. And that they address Andy's kidnapping, and now he's being controlled by Leland?  And Sheryl is still being just THE WORST MOTHER EVER.  WTF woman!! 

Please Netflix, we're begging you to pick up Evil!  You did us a solid on Girls 5Eva, now we need you to show Paramount/CBS how to keep a good thing going. 

Paramount is actually bragging about how it's LAST SEASON !!   Hey idiots. You have a highly rated show that you cancel, but keep handing Taylor Sheridan buckets of money for all his crap. (1923 not included, that actually is a good show). 

[For Cereals]

Did anyone catch the “skip the intro and you’ll be haunted”?  (I love the intro so never skip 🤣)

[kwnyc]

Oh, I wonder where Kurt's ambition/pact with the devil has led him to...

I do hope Kristen's husband is going to get to the bottom of his kidnapping and brainwashing.

Sheryl remains one of the best villains around.

And Sister Andrea is the backbone of the show!

I heard that after they had last season finished (shortened due to the strike), when the show was cancelled, they let the producers do 4 more episodes to wrap up the plots. Thank goodness!

Edited May 24 by kwnyc

[Madding crowd]

I’m also happy the show is back; no other show is legitimately scary and funny at the same time. Kristen seems a bit unhinged and between that and Andy being mind controlled plus evil grandma, I hope the girls will be alright. I love Sister Andrea and happy she is back. I don’t really understand the splitting the atom stuff but they did a good job of showing how creepy the facility was and the gates of hell hole.

[Chaos Theory]

Evil never really fit on CBS which is why I was originally happy it got put on Paramount Plus which I though at the time would be a little bit riskier shows that didn’t appeal to the CBS demographic.   But then it just became another place to dump its vast array of CBS shows.   It’s sad really shows like Evil and Why Women Kill deserve more of an effort.

[WAnglais1]

I am sooooo happy this is back. 

I understand Ben not telling Kristen and David about what has happened to him. He's been the Science!Guy all along and this betrays his entire life and education. They'll find out eventually. 

I don't think Kristen is going to give an actual birth to the AC. Her egg has been placed somewhere else with Leland's Evil!Juice...perhaps in a jar to be grown...or in another human. I don't want to think about that too much. 

Andy, I would've stopped chopping those veggies a LOT sooner. 

Sheryl is completely nuts. Leland's junk must do tricks or spin or something. 

I like hearing the girls all babble on and on at once. It makes them like real girls in that age group. 

Let's not forget Wally Shaun. His character doesn't believe in all this stuff. Perhaps some major foreshadowing there. 

Lastly, Andrea Martin deserves an Emmy for this show. 

[Anela]

I’ve been watching the first season, and had forgotten a lot of what happened.  Kristen did her homework on Leland, found out his real name, and his marital history, which sent him to his own “therapist”. I’d forgotten how dark it was, too.  Sheryl chose dating him, over her own family, when her daughter said she didn’t want him around.  I think it’s a combination of anything devilish he’s got going on, and her own mother’s blatant selfishness. There was all that stuff with the rich guy in season three, too.  

40 minutes ago, WAnglais1 said:

 

I don't think Kristen is going to give an actual birth to the AC. Her egg has been placed somewhere else with Leland's Evil!Juice...perhaps in a jar to be grown...or in another human. I don't want to think about that too much. 

 

There was a pregnant woman at Leland’s office, where her mother works, and it was implied that they used Kristen’s egg from the IVF company.  It could be a total mind-fuck on their part, too, but Leland would be creepy enough to do that. 

[Chaos Theory]

20 hours ago, Anela said:

  

There was a pregnant woman at Leland’s office, where her mother works, and it was implied that they used Kristen’s egg from the IVF company.  It could be a total mind-fuck on their part, too, but Leland would be creepy enough to do that. 

I didn’t think they were being that vague with Leland saying the pregnant woman he was with was his baby mama.   And I always thought Kristen’s stolen egg plot ended way too conveniently with the nice perfect family murder suicide.    Leland getting ahold of Kristen’s egg is 100% something he would do just to fuck with Kristen not really thinking ahead on what it means to have an actual baby.  Which is the prefect push/pull for their plot line.   Plus you add evil grandma who actually does love her grandkids and you have a fun story.

Edited May 26 by Chaos Theory

[steph369]

On 5/23/2024 at 10:21 PM, phalange said:

Kristen ruining Leland’s joy by reminding him he has to feed and change the antichrist at 4:00 a.m was hilarious. 

That was hilarious. Although the real horror is when they become teens. Kristin is just starting to get into those years with the girls. Maybe there will be an Evil special in 16 years with Leland rearing a teen Antichrist. That’s when you’ll really enter the Hell you so eagerly delved into, Leland! 😁

[goldilocks]

On 5/24/2024 at 2:40 PM, SeanBug said:

Paramount is actually bragging about how it's LAST SEASON !! 

Idiots. 

This was a great episode! I was glad to see Sister Andrea back, I wasn’t sure if she’d still be in it. I’m another that’s happy to have the show back and echo the disappointment of the wrap up. It can’t end yet! Someone MUST pick it up! 

[ferjy]

On 5/25/2024 at 12:17 PM, WAnglais1 said:

Andy, I would've stopped chopping those veggies a LOT sooner. 

No kidding! A bit extra in the dinner that night. Puts a whole new spin on finger food. 

 

[Mari]

On 5/24/2024 at 9:02 AM, Chaos Theory said:

Only on this show is Lynn maybe having sex with a boy preferable to Kristen then hanging out with a nun.  

I figured since Kristen had a panicked return to atheism, it's kind of like when the very devout (insert any one of several religions) family has a kid switch to something very different to get married.  (Like going from Muslim to Buddhist, or Catholic to Wiccan).

Even if it turns out the parent will be okay with it, it can be incredibly difficult for the kids to confess--and the difficulty is compounded if they are converting out of conviction and are still under daily parental control.  Questioning can be seen has healthy and eventually faith affirming.  Converting?  Not so much.

And poor MaybeNun kid is getting extremely mixed signals from her mom about it.

 

And add me to the list of people who are very pleased that tiny, disbelieving Father Ignatius is sticking around.  

 

ETA:  Are we sure that all Andy was Felized into doing was confronting David?  Since he remembered that, I've been wondering if whatever he was actually whammied into doing was something else, and that's what Leland had him do to cover up missing time and/or unexpected location.

Edited May 27 by Mari
Had a question.

[Anela]

6 hours ago, Mari said:

ETA:  Are we sure that all Andy was Felized into doing was confronting David?  Since he remembered that, I've been wondering if whatever he was actually whammied into doing was something else, and that's what Leland had him do to cover up missing time and/or unexpected location.

It was the way Sheryl and Leland were arguing over what to say to him. It was like a trigger. I was surprised when he remembered, too. Unless they wanted him to, causing a wedge between them, as well as possibly between Kristen and David. 

[Niuxita]

Unpopular opinion but "You talk too much" is not a nice thing for a father to say to his daughters. It's a good way of showing Andy's slow descent into asshole territory (if this episode is anything to go by), but fathers being dicks about having daughters is so normalized that perhaps the writers didn't even think about the implications. And Kristen going along with it just left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not a fan of all the "hee hee we know the girls are annoying" meta jokes. What is this, the 1950s? Little girls should be seen and not heard?

Other than that, I'm so happy to have this absolutely unhinged show back (even if it is for the last time 😭). I missed Kristen being Kristen ("I giggle at the thought of you waking up at 3 am because the Antichrist needs changing" 🤣), I missed my favourite trio of skeptical/believer besties investigating paranormal stuff (Kristen being so doting over Ben after his accident melted my cold dead heart), and I missed crazy soundbites like "They think it's going to open the gates of hell... Don't look at me, it's just what it says". Wallace Shawn is fantastic in the role of supervising priest du jour.

Speaking of Andy descending into asshole territory, if this is this show's clever way of going for broke and engineering a Kristen/David endgame, I am all for it. If there ever was a show insane enough to pull off a married woman/hot priest OTP, it's this one. I know it's controversial, but dammit, I love their chemistry, and why else have Kristen admit she has feelings for David after a whole previous season of not even mentioning it. I'm probably gonna be disappointed, but this is gonna be a fun season nonetheless.

On 5/26/2024 at 12:57 AM, Anela said:

There was a pregnant woman at Leland’s office, where her mother works, and it was implied that they used Kristen’s egg from the IVF company.  It could be a total mind-fuck on their part, too, but Leland would be creepy enough to do that. 

Yeah, I don't have the last episode of season 3 on hand to rewatch, but I'm pretty sure the party was for both Leland and her. It was made fairly clear that they were going to be parents.

[tennisgurl]

I am so glad that this batshit crazy show is back, its somehow both one of the scariest and funniest shows on television. I love that Kristen's response to finding out that Leland and Sheryl used her eggs to make himself an anti christ is to laugh in his face, which is always the best way to get to Leland. Going back to his Jake from State Farm meltdown in season one, Leland just cannot handle someone not taking him and his evil plans seriously. 

This was a great episode, I am watching these slowly to make them last longer, I don't ever want the fun to end! 

I would never skip the credits, both because they're so gorgeous and because I don't want George to haunt me. 

[StarBrand]

I'm delighted by the return of the pop-up books. I don't think that was used last season, was it?

Kristen laughing manically at Leyland was absolutely hilarious. You can tell he never thought for a second what it would mean actually raising a baby. Haha.