S04.E07: How to Bandage a Wound

[AnimeMania]

Ben and David join a train engineer who believes he is being haunted on the tracks; Kristen cares for her mother; Ben begins to question his sanity, impacting his relationship with Renee.

Premiere Date: July 4, 2024       Paramount+  

[SeanBug]

This was a great episode.   Finally the voice of reason. Close up the hole for God's sake. 

I don't know if anyone else watched Manhattan, but the actor playing the train engineer played an Army private at Los Alamos, where Katja's character worked on building the atomic bomb.  

Love that the train tracks right above the house are haunted. That is some great writing. And makes sense. 

Please Ben. Don't become the guy who makes videos and begs a woman he hooked up with once before she slaughtered a goat with her cult to come back, considering he didn't really ask her to move in in the first place. 

Nice to see Karima back.  

If the blood or whatever is making Sheryl young, why does she look exactly the same as she did before the transfusions?  

[Madding crowd]

Yes, I mentioned that before about Sheryl: she looks exactly the same as she did  before so that it is hard to believe it is making her stay young. I was hoping Kristen would ask her daughter why she was interested in learning more about nuns and possibly get her involved in volunteer work or get her some books to read. Kristen does seem a lot colder in general since the first couple of seasons. She always was clinical about her job but seemed warmer to people in general and her family.

I thought the train idea was cool because I live near the tracks and there have been accidents and suicides since I’ve lived here but I don’t think they did a lot with the story and all the demons now are comical instead of scary so the creepy factor I love is kind of missing. 

Edited July 4 by Madding crowd

[Scout Finch]

I don't know exactly what for but I really want my own Sister Andrea!

I always thought it would be fun to be a train engineer but after learning this episode about how they have to deal with running over people...yeah, not so much now. (The other train-related adventure that would be exciting is riding in empty box cars but besides being illegal, as a female, there'd be an extreme risk to my safety. I get frustrated at not being/wanting to do things such as explore abandoned buildings by myself while men don't even give it a second thought!)

[millennium]

3 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

(The other train-related adventure that would be exciting is riding in empty box cars but besides being illegal, as a female, there'd be an extreme risk to my safety. I get frustrated at not being/wanting to do things such as explore abandoned buildings by myself while men don't even give it a second thought!)

They should.  Railroad tramps aren't happy-go-lucky free spirits who sing songs and leave cryptic signs carved into fenceposts.   They are desperate and often mentally-imbalanced individuals, society's castoffs, whose only goal is to survive another day or get their next fix, even if it means hurting someone to do it.

It's nothing new.   Railroad tramps became a huge problem in the country after the Civil War and the depression of 1873.   They would show up in numbers in towns and villages harassing housewives for money and food, getting in drunken fights, destroying property, burning barns and committing outrages upon unfortunate young women who happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.

Abandoned buildings are just as bad, being gathering places for homeless and drug addicts, but also have the added danger of structural hazards.   These potential pitfalls, human and otherwise, are gender neutral.  

10 hours ago, SeanBug said:

If the blood or whatever is making Sheryl young, why does she look exactly the same as she did before the transfusions?  

She should really get her money back.

[millennium]

P.S. This was a good episode, from the train engineer's somber, credible delivery to Leland's humorous over-the-topness, to Ben's befuddlement at what's happening to him.   The Baby Come Back video was funny and horrific.

To answer Kristen's question "What has happened to my children?", look in the mirror.

[SeanBug]

1 hour ago, millennium said:

She should really get her money back.

Or her soul.  I never could figure out what the blood stuff was all about. Were they killing younger people and taking their blood?  Because in the beginning of that story line, Sheryl was going to bars hitting on young and older men. 

TBH I never understood Sheryl's deal. I realize dating Leland was a plot device to keep Leland around the family, but after what he did to her, why would a smart woman like her go back to him and engage in all that terrible stuff.  

And it was Leland endangering Laura that was the final straw? After everything he did to that family?  He was grooming Lexi to be the head of a sigil family, threatening Kristen constantly, kidnapping Andy.  Speaking of, what happened to Edward? 

Hopefully they'll explain what all this was about. 

TBS, I really did enjoy this episode, even for the simple fact they closed up the hole. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

“You will not be haunted if you skip Netflix intros.”

Is EVIL taking a dig at Paramount+ for canceling them??! 🤣

It’s a bit weird seeing Jefferson White with hair, playing a haunted train engineer. Am so used to seeing him as a menacing serial killer in Chicago PD and a not-so-bright cowboy in Yellowstone. Anyway, JW is amazing in the scene where he tells the trio about the deaths on the track and what he has been seeing during his shift. His whole demeanor screams haunted, depressed and traumatized. The point system for train employees is actually the true evil here.

“What happened to my daughters? Since when have they become demented longshoremen?”

Ohh Kristen, there are so much more that they’ve been keeping from you! The girls manage to keep quiet about baby T and the bathtub incident with their dad. They have more loyalty to their dad and grandma apparently.

Love seeing Karima again. But the stuff with Ben and Renee the cult lady is just boring. They should’ve brought back Vanessa instead.

So, a path to Hell in Kristen’s basement has finally been sealed. The reveal that Kristen lives directly under the “Hell Gate Bridge” is a nice twist. The Demon Tracker app is the most ridiculous thing in this episode, not Lou the horned demon who drags the Prom Girl ghost. By the way, is “Lou” a short form of “Lucifer”?

With one Hell Gate closed, I guess all the demons now have to travel to the particle acceleration facility to return to hell. 🤨

 

[sistermagpie]

13 minutes ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

It’s a bit weird seeing Jefferson White with hair, playing a haunted train engineer.

 

Okay, I finally have to add something about this here, but one of the fun things about this show for me is all the people from The Americans who show up--besides Katja Herbers, who's in every ep, Jefferson White is by my count the 6th person from that show to show up on this one.

[millennium]

11 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

She always was clinical about her job but seemed warmer to people in general and her family.

Then she killed a man.   The show doesn't want us to forget that, hence the murder weapon in the opening credits each week.

6 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

one of the fun things about this show for me is all the people from The Americans who show up--besides Katja Herbers, who's in every ep,

Apparently she was in The Americans, Westworld and The Leftovers.   I watched all three of those start to finish and have no memory of her.

[Anela]

I’m on the bathroom floor with a scared dog, watching this. 
I’m enjoying this more than the last two episodes.  

if Ben is making unknown phone calls, that side of him could also delete the log.  

this one was actually creepy.  It was satisfying seeing Sheryl follow through. I hope she means what she said to Kristen.  

13 hours ago, SeanBug said:

This was a great episode.   Finally the voice of reason. Close up the hole for God's sake. 

I don't know if anyone else watched Manhattan, but the actor playing the train engineer played an Army private at Los Alamos, where Katja's character worked on building the atomic bomb.  

Love that the train tracks right above the house are haunted. That is some great writing. And makes sense. 

Please Ben. Don't become the guy who makes videos and begs a woman he hooked up with once before she slaughtered a goat with her cult to come back, considering he didn't really ask her to move in in the first place. 

Nice to see Karima back.  

If the blood or whatever is making Sheryl young, why does she look exactly the same as she did before the transfusions?  

I watched Manhattan. I knew I recognized him from somewhere.  

[wilnil]

24 minutes ago, millennium said:

Apparently she was in The Americans, Westworld and The Leftovers.   I watched all three of those start to finish and have no memory of her.

I haven't seen the other two, but in Westworld she was William's estranged daughter (Emily, I think?) in season 2.

[Anela]

34 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Okay, I finally have to add something about this here, but one of the fun things about this show for me is all the people from The Americans who show up--besides Katja Herbers, who's in every ep, Jefferson White is by my count the 6th person from that show to show up on this one.

The Americans is what I just looked up, because that’s what I thought of when I saw him. 

[Annber03]

...okay, Ben? I am really getting worried for you, buddy :(. His face at the end, when he just flat out acknowledged he might be losing his mind... Oh, please let him figure out what on earth's going on and work it out. Also, honestly, setting aside all the weird stuff with her claiming he called her when he doesn't remember doing so and all that, I agree, he really should just cut things off with her in general. 

And yeah, I was torn between laughing at him singing as he was in that video and being realy weirded out. Until Renee revealed it was a video, at first I thought she was just playing the audio of his call and he'd realize that there was some kind of technology simulating his voice. Could still be the case with the video, too, so I hope he looks into that possibility at some point. 

I liked his talk with Kristen on the stairs, too, because, boy, howdy, did I feel that entire rant of his. And I loved him covering up the hole - I just appreciate the continuity of him coming over to fix things around Kristen's house :D. And so earily in the morning besides!

I too enjoyed seeing Karima back again. I like it when she talks to him, she always knows just how to cut through the BS. 

2 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Anyway, JW is amazing in the scene where he tells the trio about the deaths on the track and what he has been seeing during his shift. His whole demeanor screams haunted, depressed and traumatized. The point system for train employees is actually the true evil here.

Yeah, when he mentioned that I was like, "Damn, that sucks." And yet I'm also sadly not surprised that's a thing.

But yes, agreed, he was so good with that whole monologue about the things he's seen on his route. He just looked like a man who hadn't gotten a proper night's sleep in weeks. I also liked how the show drove home the real horror that comes with trying to stop a train in time to avoid hitting someone, knowing full well you won't be able to, and the trauma of knowing you've hit someone. The part where he said he'd killed them - Kristen's right, of course, that it's not his fault, but after that whole description you totally understand why he feels that way all the same. When he was celebrating being freed of these haunting images and thanking the team for helping him, I was briefly afraid we'd later learn that he crashed, intentionally or unintentionally, and died on his next route or jumped off the bridge or something. Thank goodness that wasn't the case. 

I do wonder now, though, if those ghosts Lexis saw in the yard at the end of the episode (and of course it's her who's awakened in the middle of the night and lured out to see them), were some of the train victims? Also, I do kind of wish we could've seen the ghost in the white dress at some point. All the talk about her had me genuinely curious to see what she looked like. I too love the whole thing of them finally acknowledging there's something freaky going on with that train above their house :D. 

Quote

 

“What happened to my daughters? Since when have they become demented longshoremen?”

Ohh Kristen, there are so much more that they’ve been keeping from you! 

 

Seriously! I do love how that whole scene with the girls was so typical of sibling interactions - one kid's about to be scolded by Mom for something they did, and they're immediately like, "Okay, but she's doing something even worse!" :p. The bit about Laura had me especially going, "Wait, what?"

1 hour ago, Anela said:

this one was actually creepy. 

I honest to god jumped in my seat when the demon said "Yes" after the girls asked if it would hurt them. And I was holding my breath at the end of the episode, when Lexis was in the backyard with the demon detector. 

(Regarding that app, by the way, I loved Kristen pointing out to the girls that, hey, apps like that are a great way for advertisers to target people.)

As for Sheryl and the blood transfusions, I do wonder if that's the whole point -she's been led to believe they'll keep her young when really it's all just snake oil. I loved her revealing she'd damaged Leland' stockpile, and that fight between them was INTENSE. Never let it be said that Sheryl doesn't follow through with a threat - she may not have been able to completely cut off his junk, but she came pretty damn close. 

2 hours ago, SeanBug said:

And it was Leland endangering Laura that was the final straw? After everything he did to that family?  He was grooming Lexi to be the head of a sigil family, threatening Kristen constantly, kidnapping Andy.  Speaking of, what happened to Edward?

Oh, good question, I forgot about Edward! 

I did like Leland pointing out that she sholudn't be too shocked that he'd go to the kinds of lengths he did with Laura. I am curious, though, if she is genuinely about to turn over a new leaf, or if this just winds up being another way to get Kristen even more caught up in whatever craziness she and Leland are involved in.

And yes, Sister Andrea continues to be awesome. Her talk with Kristen about Lynn was really good, and I appreciate that they came to an understanding and compromise as they did. 

[millennium]

2 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

I guess all the demons now have to travel to the particle acceleration facility to return to hell.

Or just take a bus to New Jersey.

[Anela]

8 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I honest to god jumped in my seat when the demon said "Yes" after the girls asked if it would hurt them. And I was holding my breath at the end of the episode, when Lexis was in the backyard with the demon detector. 

(Regarding that app, by the way, I loved Kristen pointing out to the girls that, hey, apps like that are a great way for advertisers to target people.)

And yes, Sister Andrea continues to be awesome. Her talk with Kristen about Lynn was really good, and I appreciate that they came to an understanding and compromise as they did. 

Same. I mean, those apps are fakes - I downloaded one, a couple of years ago, just to see what it did - but we know there is something going on in the show. 

The scene with Andrea, reminded me of a scene from Poltergeist, where the professor (?) studying the paranormal, was talking to the mother, in the middle of the night, trying to reassure her. I love Sister Andrea. I love seeing women support each other - friends, too. They have each other's backs, and Andrea wasn't put out by her concerns at all. 

So, you think the video was a deep-fake? I thought she was manipulating him at first, but he did call her when he felt the urge to call Kristen. I can barely remember the episode she was in, because I had covid, and I think I had my scared dog covering me that night, too - bad storms. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

40 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I did like Leland pointing out that she sholudn't be too shocked that he'd go to the kinds of lengths he did with Laura. I am curious, though, if she is genuinely about to turn over a new leaf, or if this just winds up being another way to get Kristen even more caught up in whatever craziness she and Leland are involved in.

Can Sheryl really cross over to the good side when she is the head of a demon house? In the C for Cannibalism episode, Edward has gifted her a head in a jar. Even though that shrunken head has been flushed down the toilet but she is still leading a demon house, right? Surprisingly, Sheryl manages to stay under the radar, undetected by The Entity. Father Kabiru, please take note!

 

[phalange]

Even though I find Sheryl to be as culpable as Leland, I did enjoy her getting her revenge by not only stabbing Leland but destroying all the jars in that room and deleting the files of Kristen’s therapy sessions from the laptop. Good luck dealing with a stab wound and a crying baby, Leland!

The haunted railroad tracks being right above Kristen’s house makes sense. Sister Andrea to the rescue! Nice jump scare when the apparition said “yes” to wanting to hurt the girls. I assume all the ghosts Lexis saw at the end were meant to be victims from the train tracks.

Ben is really not doing well. That video seems very unlike him, so I feel like it must’ve been faked somehow. 

[Annber03]

52 minutes ago, Anela said:

So, you think the video was a deep-fake? I thought she was manipulating him at first, but he did call her when he felt the urge to call Kristen. I can barely remember the episode she was in, because I had covid, and I think I had my scared dog covering me that night, too - bad storms. 

Hey, sympathies over your having Covid a while back - I had it a couple years ago myself and I'm currently sick with it again now :/. 

But yeah, I can totally see it being a deep fake, though your theory of her manipulating him makes sense, too. She was involved in a cult when we first met her, after all, and they know how to manipulate people. 

I do think there's got to be some technological explanation of some sort for the video and those calls, though, yeah. I don't know how they'd explain making up a whole video of Ben singing to Renee, but this is the same show that had the girls download an app that finds entities, so... 

Or maybe the video is real, but they've altered the voice/dialogue somehow to make it seem like it was meant for Renee. Mind, I'd think Ben would remember filming a video of himself singing, but given his state of mind at the end of the episode, maybe he can't?

17 minutes ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Can Sheryl really cross over to the good side when she is the head of a demon house? In the C for Cannibalism episode, Edward has gifted her a head in a jar. Even though that shrunken head has been flushed down the toilet but she is still leading a demon house, right? Surprisingly, Sheryl manages to stay under the radar, undetected by The Entity. Father Kabiru, please take note!

Good question, I honestly don't know! Maybe that'll be something this show will explore - they've spent so long defeating these demon houses, but what happens if they find someone who could potentially cross over to the good side? That would be interesting to play with. 

[Anela]

28 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Hey, sympathies over your having Covid a while back - I had it a couple years ago myself and I'm currently sick with it again now :/. 

But yeah, I can totally see it being a deep fake, though your theory of her manipulating him makes sense, too. She was involved in a cult when we first met her, after all, and they know how to manipulate people. 

I do think there's got to be some technological explanation of some sort for the video and those calls, though, yeah. I don't know how they'd explain making up a whole video of Ben singing to Renee, but this is the same show that had the girls download an app that finds entities, so... 

Or maybe the video is real, but they've altered the voice/dialogue somehow to make it seem like it was meant for Renee. Mind, I'd think Ben would remember filming a video of himself singing, but given his state of mind at the end of the episode, maybe he can't?

Good question, I honestly don't know! Maybe that'll be something this show will explore - they've spent so long defeating these demon houses, but what happens if they find someone who could potentially cross over to the good side? That would be interesting to play with. 

I hope you feel better soon. ❤️

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

I hope you feel better soon. ❤️

Thanks :). Not the way I'd hoped to be spending my holiday weekend, obviously but I am slowly getting a little better. 

[Castiels Cat]

Sheryl may have replaced Edward at this point. She seems to have enough power at the moment to assume that she has. 

I think the energy signals in the backyard were demons. They have no place to go now that the hellgate was closed and were stuck in the backyard. There is no reason for train track ghosts to be in their backyard whereas their house has been infested continually.

Edited July 5 by Castiels Cat

[Affogato]

I wonder why they didn’t exorcise Kristen’s house earlier, when the house next door was infested with demons. It is connected. I realize she doesn’t believe, but there was the bloody toilet incident, and if it was bed bugs they would want to take the precaution. 

At first I was put off by her reaction to Lynn’s talking to the nun, because at that age people should be allowed to explore their options, but I did buy her explanation of her reaction. She is pretty overloaded and reactive at this point. 

I noticed Trader Joes sells margaritas in cans the other day, but i didn’t buy one.

I wonder if the Djinn, or some other demon, was setting up Ben’s fake videos/calls to give Ben what he wanted. The devil does work by temptation.

I’m guessing the blood transfusions make them immortal if they continue taking them. If they make them younger, too, it would be a slow process (Lahti isn’t getting any younger) and if they are withdrawn they age rapidly. I wonder if this will happen to Leland in the next couple of episodes. 

I had an app once that superimposed images of ghosts on photos that you took. It was kind of dumb and I deleted it, and I don’t remember the name, but the app the girls had reminded me of it. 

Edited July 5 by Affogato

[Zaffy]

Every episode without the Vatican idiots is a good episode!

Always a pleasure having Sister Andrea going after demons. And she is a "star" in demon world. Go Sister! 

There is indeed an app called "Ghost Detector Radar Camera" and has a 4.3 rating our 5 with around 50k ratings. Happy "customers" who found ghosts in their basements?

So what is going on with Ben? 
Did the accelerator accident made him have multiple personalities?
Does the Jinn control him? Or the satanists are gaslighting him using technology against him? Maybe Renee is on this?

And yes, WHY keep a hole open in your basement, especially this size? we seal tiny holes because you know, creepy six legged monsters can invade your home not a gate open for dozens of bats to come in.

 

[WAnglais1]

I was thinking Sheryl would go for the femoral artery in Leland's leg. He'd bleed out in around a minute. I don't recall which side she stabbed him on. 

Whatever the stuff they've been mainlining may not make her LOOK younger. Maybe it makes her internally younger and feel better again. Take it away and withdrawal is a beast. 

Aasif, if I may say so, has a nice singing voice. I think that song "Baby Come Back" by Player must be having a resurgence. The teenage cashiers at my grocery store were singing along the other day and told me they "love it." My theory is the Djinn is causing all the havoc with Crazy!GoatKilling!Woman. Ben's face at the end with Kristen on the stairs. A great moment. 

My parents had a hole in the basement wall about the size of the one on the show. A furnace had been replaced and the hole not filled in. It remained that way for over a decade. Not sure why. 

[Zaffy]

6 hours ago, WAnglais1 said:

My parents had a hole in the basement wall about the size of the one on the show. A furnace had been replaced and the hole not filled in. It remained that way for over a decade. Not sure why. 

But at least you could see the end of the hole, right? right????

[goldilocks]

On 7/5/2024 at 5:21 PM, Zaffy said:

Every episode without the Vatican idiots is a good episode!

I think we need them. It has been an important part of the show the science (Kristen) vs. religion (David) with Ben there as the tech. Lately it’s gone a bit far for me. I didn’t mind Leland or Sheryl as adjuncts, Leland as the antagonist and Sheryl as mod grandma, but I could do without their group and the stuff with Andy, and Kristin being the mother of the Antichrist. 

Edited July 7 by goldilocks

[WAnglais1]

16 hours ago, Zaffy said:

But at least you could see the end of the hole, right? right????

This made me laugh. Kind of. After the house was sold we got a call from the new owners. Some feral dogs had dug their way in and went nuts in the basement. Sister Andrea should've been called in then, too. 

[steph369]

On 7/4/2024 at 9:17 AM, SeanBug said:

If the blood or whatever is making Sheryl young, why does she look exactly the same as she did before the transfusions?  

 

On 7/4/2024 at 10:31 AM, Madding crowd said:

she looks exactly the same as she did  before so that it is hard to believe it is making her stay young.

Probably keeping her from aging further rather than reversing her age. 

[ferjy]

On 7/4/2024 at 10:31 AM, Madding crowd said:

and all the demons now are comical instead of scary so the creepy factor I love is kind of missing. 

Agree! I like the creepiness of the show. I do like the snippets of humor too, but comical demons don’t do it for me. 

 

[steph369]

1 hour ago, goldilocks said:

I think we need them. It has been an important part of the show the science (Kristen) vs. religion (David) with Ben there as the tech. Lately it’s gone a bit far for me. I didn’t mind Leland or Sheryl as adjuncts, Leland as the antagonist and Sheryl as mod grandma, but I could do without their group and the stuff with Andy, and Kristin being the mother of the Antichrist. 

Wholly agree with you. I don’t like that turn it took either. I find the science vs. religion interesting, which is how the show started out. Sheryl and Leland with the demons and their antics, not so much. And while I love Sister Andrea, I’m not crazy about the demon slayer action shots. I prefer her sympathetic nature along with her just the right amount of snark. She was great in this episode. 

[ferjy]

40 minutes ago, steph369 said:

 

Probably keeping her from aging further rather than reversing her age. 

If the show is picked up by someone and keeps going, Christine Lahti is going to have to be getting a lot of facelifts and botox treatments!

 

[steph369]

On 7/4/2024 at 9:17 AM, SeanBug said:

Nice to see Karima back. 

I love her and Ben’s interactions. I wish she’d be in it more. 

[ferjy]

On 7/5/2024 at 12:27 AM, Annber03 said:

she may not have been able to completely cut off his junk, but she came pretty damn close. 

“Too bad you’re a little short down there.” 😄

 

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, ferjy said:

“Too bad you’re a little short down there.” 😄

I said this on another site in regards to this episode, but seriously, Leland clearly has some kind of masochistic streak. Sheryl, Kristen, and the girls have all figuratively and/or literally beaten him down and humiliated him before, and yet he keeps creating opportunities that allow them to do it again and again. 

[WAnglais1]

On 7/6/2024 at 11:38 PM, ferjy said:

If the show is picked up by someone and keeps going, Christine Lahti is going to have to be getting a lot of facelifts and botox treatments!

 

Marvel has that de-aging software they use in those endless movies. It seems to work pretty well.

[Mari]

 

On 7/6/2024 at 10:38 PM, ferjy said:

If the show is picked up by someone and keeps going, Christine Lahti is going to have to be getting a lot of facelifts and botox treatments!

 

My headcanon:

The Devil is all about lies.  I'm betting the jar fluid gives you--and anyone else taking it--an energy bump and the illusion of youth.  If it gives you an energy boost and causes you to see yourself (and other takers) as years younger, you're going to act that way.  Probably with some extra confidence, which would change people's reactions to you.

And the withdrawal from something like that would be hideous.  People go to terrifying lengths to make sure they get their next fix of regular drugs, let alone something that convinces you it's the fountain of youth.

Plus, you know that the Devil and demons would be getting a lot of sadistic glee out of convincing their followers they're getting something when everyone but the purchasers know it's an illusion.

[Affogato]

10 minutes ago, Mari said:

 

My headcanon:

The Devil is all about lies.  I'm betting the jar fluid gives you--and anyone else taking it--an energy bump and the illusion of youth.  If it gives you an energy boost and causes you to see yourself (and other takers) as years younger, you're going to act that way.  Probably with some extra confidence, which would change people's reactions to you.

And the withdrawal from something like that would be hideous.  People go to terrifying lengths to make sure they get their next fix of regular drugs, let alone something that convinces you it's the fountain of youth.

Plus, you know that the Devil and demons would be getting a lot of sadistic glee out of convincing their followers they're getting something when everyone but the purchasers know it's an illusion.

This is a compelling theory. 

[Anela]

I can’t remember the guy’s name, but I think the rich guy was just there to lure Sheryl back in, after Leland was a (word I can’t use here). I know the actor is on another popular Netflix show, so he might not be available.  

Edited July 10 by Anela

[Castiels Cat]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

I can’t remember the guy’s name, but I think the rich guy was just there to lure Sheryl back in, after Leland was a (word I can’t use here). I know the actor is on another popular Netflix show, so he might not be available.  

Edward. He was the head of a house. He chose her to succeed him. We know the succession ritual. He was instrumental in the Andy kidnap scheme. Judging by her current status perhaps she has succeeded him; do we need to see her eat his tattooed dead flesh? Leland is head of a house and wanted Lexinto be his successor.

If Sheryl really wants to take Leland out she should be honest with Kristan. Tell her almost everything. Tell her that Leland tried to kill Laura and Andy. Tell her about Lexi and the sigil house. Kristin can kill him with the Vatican's blessing and support.

 

[Anela]

15 minutes ago, Castiels Cat said:

Edward. He was the head of a house. He chose her to succeed him. We know the succession ritual. He was instrumental in the Andy kidnap scheme. Judging by her current status perhaps she has succeeded him; do we need to see her eat his tattooed dead flesh? Leland is head of a house and wanted Lexinto be his successor.

If Sheryl really wants to take Leland out she should be honest with Kristan. Tell her almost everything. Tell her that Leland tried to kill Laura and Andy. Tell her about Lexi and the sigil house. Kristin can kill him with the Vatican's blessing and support.

 

I forgot that they really ate someone, at a party.  Ew.  That would be a good reason for his disappearance.