#leland x kristen

[darkwing-katy]

Had to ask based on your recent Evil reblogs, what are your thoughts on Kriland (Kristen x Leland) ? The chemistry is there for some steamy one-shot fun but I don’t see a lot about their dynamic so just wondering your take.

Also really enjoying your Leland x Reader fic, and am excited for the next chapter!! Are any of your works on Ao3?

Thank you for feeding the community with your work ☺️

Okay, so they tooooootally have a lot of chemistry, right? But I don’t necessarily ship them. Will I read oneshots of them? Absolutely. They just work so dang well together! They would have wild hate sex. They make each other worse and I am here for it, but I also love that they’re on opposite sides that have this strange give-and-take thing going on. His appearance in her life changes her for better and for worse—without Leland, she never would have met David and Ben, never would’ve murdered LeRoux, never would’ve cheated on Andy (I truly believe that), but she also wouldn’t really be happy, you know?

Also I am PEEVED and MIFFED and ANGRY that we got that line of, “You’ve been protecting Kristen for the last few years now; you can’t protect her any longer” in the series finale because WHAT DO YOU MEAN, PROTECTING?! Is Leland in love with her?! Is it that he’s just that obsessed with her that he wants to be the one to end her?! Is it because he genuinely believes that she’s the proper mother of the Antichrist and he worships her even as he hates her?! I NEED TO KNOW DAMMIT

Oh no, side note, now I want fics where Leland becomes some sort of weird uncle/godfather/something to the Bouchard kids because he goes from being completely evil to being…not quite evil but not quite good (as implied by the last four episodes) and he keeps encouraging them to do bad things and they have to be like, “No, that’s bad, we can’t do that.” Something akin to Lilo and Stitch. Or Loki and Mobius. I dunno, I think it’d be fricking hilarious.

Sorry, you got me on a tangent that got sidetracked haha

Anyways, the point is that I love them together but not necessarily romantically together.

Also I’m glad you’re enjoying the Leland x Reader fic! When I got into this show, I thought it was CRIMINAL that there weren’t any Leland x Reader fics out there already. I knew I couldn’t be the only one who’s obsessed with that man, and if that meant I had to be the first one to write something, then dammit, I’m doing it! It was either that or wrote a fic with an OC and that was too much effort, haha.

I do have some things on AO3! I’ve got a masterpost of fics pinned to my page. Three of the four are Lost fics because I’m obsessed with Michael Emerson and Lost. I’ve started posting the Leland fic to my AO3, but it’s several chapters behind the one on tumblr (should be all posted on there by Halloween because I thought that was excellent timing).

Thanks for asking! Sorry not sorry for the long response—the coffee kicked in right as I started typing and the brain got really excited about a lot of things.

[evilcentral]

EVIL 4.04 – How To Build A Coffin

[vangreunen-art]

Cannot wait for season 4

[scarletsloveletter]

(edit: pls lmk if you’d also like david kristen fanfic 😭)

i just finished watching Evil and immediately went to AO3 and here to scavenge for David x Kristen fanfic and i…

am not seeing as much as i expected?

i NEED to see these lovely characters more in little stories PLEASE lmk if you’d be interested in reading more about them and i WILL get to writing 🫡 even if there's just one other person who'd be interested 🫶🧍🏻‍♀️

(i can’t guarantee i’ll do these incredibly complex characters justice but i WILL try my best 😭)

[postguiltypleasures]

EVIL articles

Considering that when I first saw an advertisement for it my reaction was “why now? Who asked for this?” it’s a little surprising that Evil is my favorite new show. As the advertisement first impression was of a version of The X-Files for our time where the skeptic and believer are divided over religion (specifically Catholicism) instead of alien abductions et al. (Yes, I watched enough of TXF to know that when it came to Catholicism, the skeptic/believer dynamic got flipped. No I don’t think that is relevant in discussing Evil.) I became interested when I realized that it was created by Robert and Michelle King, who created The Good Wife and its spin off The Good Fight.

Now that it’s aired eleven episodes I feel comfortable creating an analogy: Evil is to TXF as TGW/F franchise is to the Law and Order franchise. For starters both of the King’s series care about their protagonists’s domestic lives in ways that the earlier series’s just don’t. Another thing that is interesting about the comparison between the two shows that while TXF always implicitly agreed with the believer, Evil tends to find non demonic/supernatural explanations for most things, but always tends to make it more disturbing because of that. In that way it’s more like the argument from the original Twin Peaks after the reveal that Laura Palmer was murdered by her father Leland, after years of sexual abuse, but he may have been possessed by the demon Bob. But then the characters hate ask themselves which is more disturbing, if Leland did all that because he was possessed, or just being abusive? Evil seems to leave that question the answer to most of its mysteries.

The initial reviews were based on the first three episodes. I’m linking to their Metacritic page, but I don’t remember any standing out by being particularly insightful.

Over at Vox, Emily VanDerWerff chose to write about the fifth episode, the Halloween one, as the episode of television of the week. As I mentioned elsewhere, VanDerWerff co-wrote a book about TXF, so naturally she included a comparison to the earlier show, going to say that Evil is like if every episode of TXF was written by Darin Morgan. I feel a little weird about that analogy. On the one hand the both have a frequency of throwing on screen things where whether or not you find it scary or funny says something about you. But on the other hand several years ago I decided to revisit TXF but only watching Morgan’s episodes and one of the impressions I got was that they probably work better if the more average formula of an episode was fresher in you mind than it was for me.

VanDerWerff has also written about how the majority of CBS (the network that airs Evil) are TXF most successful knock offs. Evil is something of a break from the majority of CBS standbys, and I’d also kind of like to read about it more as a break from that.

While I mentioned choosing to watch the show because of the Kings, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the Executive Producers/writers is Rockne S. O’Bannon, creator of the cult science fiction shows Farscape, Defiance and the short live Constantine tv show! I’m much more excited about figuring out how this fits into his oeuvre than a hypothetical Darin Morgan run TXF.

Emily Nussbaum wrote about the show in a column The New Yorker about the appeal of the network procedural. (She later put the show on her annual review, shortly before announcing that she’s leaving TNY.) I agree with the thesis and do think that the episodic structure has been underrated as an art form for too long. Nussbaum also mentions the show’s mythology being less in depth than some recent films, though I have to say, this far I like the show because its mythology is vague. When I saw the ads I worried it would do one of my least favorite kinds of supernatural procedurals, the kind that chooses Biblical literalism as its mythology. Biblical literalism is a big reason that I couldn’t get into Sleepy Hollow. I was greatly relieved when Fringe dropped its flirtation with Biblical literalism early in the second season. I completely expect that the mythology, especially surrounding what Leland Townsend is doing and who he could be, (my IRL friend who watches the shows thinks he’s The Devil). But I’m still hoping that the show sticks with “the answer” of “which possibility is more disturbing” as a guiding principle.

Finally I’m going to highlight a list from TVLine that named protagonist Kristen Brouchard’s daughters some of the “Scene Stealers of the Year”. Kristen’s daughters, whose names all start with the letter “L” and seem pretty close in age, are somewhat surprisingly more liked by critics than online commentators. I get feeling like kids are an annoying distraction. There are four of them and other than, Laura having a possibly fatal heart condition, nine really stand out as individuals. But, partially because of Laura’s condition, I’ve also gotten the feeling that they are doomed, and I really don’t want them to be! (While making TGW the King’s considered killing off one of Alicia’s children, but as the actor Josh Charles wanted to leave the show, they killed off his character instead. Also did you see the fourth episode?) I’m also interested in how already having children affects her story. Most of the time on these kinds of supernatural/science fiction procedurals with a female lead character her fertility and ability to start a family are a point of tension. On TXF, Scully’s ovum were stolen when she was abducted. Alias briefly knocked off this plot in its better off forgotten third season. Fringe found it focus with inter generational trauma, including a couple of characters starting the next generation. iZombie used Liv’s zombie to question what kind of future she could build, etc. Evil starting out with the young leading lady move the question from “will she ever find happiness and children?” to “does the traditional family unit actually work?” And it’s pretty clear that no one is fulfilled by this, especially Kristen’s mother who clearly wants to be the fun grandmother, but has much more responsibility for the girls than she’s actually interested in. Kristen and her husband’s actual passion, mountain climbing, is incompatible with raising kids, and the fact that her husband gets to do it professionally and is away for months at a time adds this, and probably contributes to Kristen lusting after her new colleague, David Acosta. (As a priest in training, whether or not he will ever have children or find romantic satisfaction is much more David’s story, and I’m here for the gender reversal.)

[multifandomfix]

Who I Write For

Abbott Elementary: Barbara Howard, Melissa Schemmenti

Absolutely Fabulous: Claudia Bing, Edina Monsoon, Lulu, Patsy Stone // Eddy x Patsy x Reader

Alice In Wonderland (2010): Iracebeth, Tarrant Hightopp

American Horror Story (Seasons 1-5 & 8): Constance Langdon, Countess Elizabeth, Dandy Mott, Elsa Mars, Fiona Goode, James Patrick March, Jude Martin, Stevie Nicks, Wilhemina Venable

A Series Of Unfortunate Events: Count Olaf, Esmé Squalor, Georgina Orwell, Justice Strauss

Big Sky: Alicia Corrigan, Beau Arlen, Ren Bhuller, Sunny Barnes

Bosom Buddies: Henry Desmond, Kip Wilson, Ruth Dunbar // Henry x Kip x Reader

Bridgerton: Agatha Danbury, Anthony Bridgerton, Portia Featherington, Queen Charlotte, Simon Basset, Violet Bridgerton

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Anya Jenkins, Drusilla, Joyce Summers, Rupert Giles, Spike

Call The Midwife: Chummy Noakes, Jane Sutton, Patrick Turner, Patsy Mount, Shelagh Turner, Sister Hilda, Trixie Franklin, Valerie Dyer, Violet Buckle

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: Ambrose Spellman, Hilda Spellman, Lilith, Mary Wardwell, Zelda Spellman // Hilda x Zelda x Reader, Lilith x Zelda x Reader, Lilith x Mary x Reader

Cinderella (2015): Fairy Godmother, Lady Tremaine

Clue: Blanche White, Jocelyn Scarlet, Wadsworth // Blanche x Jocelyn x Reader

CSI: Catherine Willows, David Hodges, Gil Grissom, Heather Kessler, Sara Sidle // Catherine x Sara x Reader

Dark Shadows: Angelique Bouchard, Elizabeth Collins, Julia Hoffman // Elizabeth x Julia x Reader

Dead To Me: Jen Harding, Judy Hale // Jen x Judy x Reader

Death Becomes Her: Helen Sharp, Lisle Von Rhuman, Madeline Ashton // Helen x Madeline x Reader

Doctor Who: Donna Noble, Eleventh Doctor, Jack Harkness, Jackie Tyler, Jacobi!Master, Kate Stewart, Missy, Ninth Doctor, River Song, Simm!Master, Tenth Doctor, The Maestro, Thirteenth Doctor, Twelfth Doctor // Missy x Simm!Master x Reader

Downton Abbey: Cora Crawley, Edith Crawley, Elsie Hughes, Isobel Crawley, Joseph Molesley, Mary Crawley, Thomas Barrow, Violet Crawley

Enola Holmes: Eudoria Holmes, Miss Harrison, Sherlock Holmes

Evil: Bishop Thomas Marx, Kristen Bouchard, Leland Townsend, Sheryl Luria

Frasier: Daphne Moon, Frasier Crane, Niles Crane, Roz Doyle // Daphne x Roz x Reader, Frasier x Niles x Reader

Friends: Janice Litman, Joey Tribbiani, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Rachel Green, Richard Burke

Game Of Thrones: Brienne Of Tarth, Bronn, Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Davos Seaworth, Jaime Lannister, Jorah Mormont, Melisandre, Petyr Baelish, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister

Ghosts (BBC): Fanny Button, Julian Fawcett, Kitty, Mary, Pat Butcher, Thomas Thorne

Glass Onion: Benoit Blanc, Birdie Jay, Claire Debella

Good Omens: Aziraphale, Crowley, Madame Tracy, Shax // Aziraphale x Crowley x Reader

Grace And Frankie: Brianna Hanson, Frankie Bergstein, Grace Hanson // Grace x Frankie x Reader

Green Wing: Caroline Todd, Guy Secretan, Harriet Schulenburg, Joanna Clore, Mac Macartney, Sue White // Joanna x Sue x Reader

Grey's Anatomy: Addison Montgomery, Amelia Shepherd, Arizona Robbins, Catherine Fox, Cristina Yang, Derek Shepherd, Erica Hahn, Mark Sloan, Meredith Grey, Miranda Bailey, Teddy Altman, Tom Koracick // Cristina x Teddy x Reader, Derek x Mark x Reader

Halloween: Laurie Strode, Lindsey Wallace

Hannibal: Bedelia Du Maurier, Frederick Chilton, Hannibal Lecter

Harlots: Lady Repton, Lydia Quigley, Margaret Wells, Nancy Birch // Lady Repton x Nancy Birch x Reader

Harry Potter: Barty Crouch Jr, Bellatrix LeStrange, Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Minerva McGonagall, Molly Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy, Rita Skeeter, Severus Snape, Sybill Trelawney // Bellatrix x Narcissa x Reader

His Dark Materials: Lee Scoresby, Maggie Costa, Marisa Coulter, Mary Malone

Holes: Kate Barlow, Louise Walker

House MD: Gregory House, James Wilson, Lisa Cuddy

House Of The Dragon: Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen

I Dream Of Jeannie: Amanda Bellows, Evil!Jeannie, Jeannie, Roger Healey

Insatiable: Bob Armstrong, Coralee Armstrong, Regina Sinclair // Bob x Coralee x Reader

Just Shoot Me: Dennis Finch, Nina Van Horn

Killing Eve: Carolyn Martens, Eve Polastri, Villanelle // Villanelle x Eve x Reader

Last Tango In Halifax: Caroline Dawson, Gillian Greenwood, Judith Tyzack // Caroline x Gillian x Judith x Reader

Legends Of Tomorrow: Damien Darhk, Gideon, John Constantine, Leonard Snart, Martin Stein, Mick Rory, Rip Hunter, Sara Lance, Zari Tarazi // Leonard x Mick x Reader

Mamma Mia: Donna Sheridan, Ruby Sheridan, Tanya Chesham-Leigh // Ruby x Tanya x Reader

Marvel: Agatha Harkness, Ayesha, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Eleanor Bishop, Everett Ross, Hela, Helmut Zemo, Jeri Hogarth, Kilgrave, Loki Laufeyson, May Parker, Natasha Romanoff, Pepper Potts, Stephen Strange, Steve Rogers, Thena, Thor Odinson, Tony Stark, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wanda Maximoff // Everett x Stephen x Reader

M*A*S*H: BJ Hunnicutt, Charles Emerson Winchester III, Francis Mulcahy, Hawkeye Pierce, Henry Blake, Margaret Houlihan, Maxwell Klinger, Radar O'Reilly // Henry x Radar x Reader

Merlin: Arthur Pendragon, Gwaine, Merlin, Mithian, Morgana Pendragon, Morgause, Uther Pendragon

Mom: Bonnie Plunkett, Jill Kendall, Natalie Stevens

Mrs. America: Gloria Steinem, Phyllis Schlafly

Mrs. Brown’s Boys: Buster Brady, Cathy Brown

Nanny McPhee: Cedric Brown, Mrs. Blatherwick, Nanny McPhee, Selma Quickly

NCIS: Abby Sciuto, Ducky Mallard, Jenny Shepard, Jethro Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo

New Amsterdam: Elizabeth Wilder, Iggy Frome, Lauren Bloom, Max Goodwin

Nine Perfect Strangers: Frances Welty, Masha Dmitrichenko

Ocean's 8: Debbie Ocean, Lou Miller, Rose Weil, Tammy

Once Upon A Time: Archie Hopper, Cora Mills, Cruella DeVil, Killian Jones, Maleficent, Regina Mills, Rumplestiltskin, Victoria Belfrey, Zelena Mills // Regina x Maleficent x Reader, Regina x Evil Queen x Reader, Regina x Zelena x Reader

Only Murders In The Building: Charles Haden-Savage, Cinda Canning, Loretta Durkin, Oliver Putnam // Charles x Oliver x Reader

Orange Is The New Black: Aleida Diaz, Alex Vause, Carol Denning, Gloria Mendoza, Judy King, Linda Ferguson, Lorna Morello, Natalie Figueroa, Nicky Nichols, Red Reznikov

Peaky Blinders: Aberama Gold, Alfie Solomons, Arthur Shelby, Luca Changretta, Polly Gray, Tommy Shelby

Penny Dreadful: Evelyn Poole, Vanessa Ives

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Hector Barbossa, Jack Sparrow

Prodigal Son: Edrisa Tanaka, Jessica Whitly, Malcolm Bright, Martin Whitly, Vivian Capshaw

Ratched: Betsy Bucket, Edmund Tolleson, Gwendolyn Briggs, Lenore Osgood, Mildred Ratched // Gwendolyn x Mildred x Reader

Rizzoli & Isles: Angela Rizzoli, Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles // Jane x Maura x Reader

Sanditon: Alexander Colbourne, Arthur Parker, Charles Lockhart, Sidney Parker

Scandal: Mellie Grant, Olivia Pope, Sally Langston

Schitt’s Creek: Alexis Rose, David Rose, Moira Rose, Ted Mullens

Scream Queens: Cathy Munsch, Gigi Caldwell

Sex Education: Colin Hendricks, Erin Wiley, Hope Haddon, Jean Milburn, Maureen Groff

Shameless (US): Claudia Nicolo, Frank Gallagher, Helene Runyon, Lip Gallagher, Monica Gallagher, Sheila Jackson, Svetlana Yevgenivna

Sherlock: Irene Adler, John Watson, Martha Hudson, Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes // Sherlock x John x Reader

Suicide Squad: Amanda Waller, Harley Quinn

Supergirl: Alex Danvers, Brainy, Cat Grant, Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor, Lex Luthor, Nyxly, Winn Schott

Supernatural: Abaddon, Amara, Bela Talbot, Bobby Singer, Castiel, Crowley, Dean Winchester, Ellen Harvelle, Jody Mills, Lucifer, Mary Winchester, Pamela Barnes, Rowena MacLeod

Sweeney Todd: Judge Turpin, Nellie Lovett

Ted Lasso: Jamie Tartt, Keeley Jones, Rebecca Welton, Roy Kent, Ted Lasso, Trent Crimm

The Addams Family: Debbie Jellinsky, Morticia Addams // Debbie x Morticia x Reader

The First Lady: Betty Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt

The Good Doctor: Audrey Lim, Shaun Murphy

The Good Place: Janet, Michael, Tahani Al Jamil

The Magicians: Eleanor Lipson, Eliot Waugh, Fen, Margo Hanson, Zelda Schiff // Eliot x Margo x Fen x Reader

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Midge Maisel, Rose Weissman, Sophie Lennon, Susie Myerson

The Nanny: CC Babcock, Fran Fine, Maxwell Sheffield // CC x Fran x Reader

The Parent Trap: Chessy, Elizabeth James, Meredith Blake

The Politician: Dede Standish, Dusty Jackson, Georgina Hobart, Hadassah Gold // Dede x Hadassah x Reader

The Prom: Angie Dickinson, Dee Dee Allen, Karen Greene

The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills: Adrienne Maloof, Camille Grammer, Eileen Davidson, Erika Jayne, Kim Richards, Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna, Lisa Vanderpump, Sutton Stracke

The School For Good And Evil: Clarissa Dovey, Leonora Lesso

The Tudors: Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Catherine Of Aragon, Margaret Tudor

The Umbrella Academy: Five Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves, The Handler

The Witcher: Calanthe Of Cintra, Geralt Of Rivia, Jaskier, Tissaia de Vries, Yennefer Of Vengerberg

Three's Company: Helen Roper, Jack Tripper, Lana Shields

True Blood: Arlene Fowler, Bill Compton, Eric Northman, Ginger, Jessica Hamby, Maryann Forrester, Pam Swynford de Beaufort, Rosalyn Harris, Russell Edgington, Sarah Newlin

Two And A Half Men: Alan Harper, Charlie Harper, Evelyn Harper, Judith Harper

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Andrea Baydon, Jacqueline White, Lillian Kaushtupper // Jacqueline x Lillian x Reader

Wednesday: Larissa Weems, Marilyn Thornhill, Morticia Addams

What We Do In The Shadows: Lilith, Nadja, Nandor // Lilith x Nadja x Reader

Will & Grace: Beverly Leslie, Jack McFarland, Karen Walker

Xena: Warrior Princess: Alti, Aphrodite, Ares, Autolycus, Callisto, Gabrielle, Joxer, Xena // Xena x Gabrielle x Reader

Yonderland: Debbie Maddox, Imperatrix, Negatus // Debbie x Imperatrix x Reader

3rd Rock From The Sun: Dick Solomon, Mary Albright, Sally Solomon, Sonja Umdahl, Vicki Dubcek // Mary x Sally x Reader

30 Rock: Diana Jessup, Jenna Maroney, Kenneth Parcell, Liz Lemon, Lynn Onkman, Nancy Donovan // Jenna x Liz x Reader

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Other Miscellaneous Characters

[kristenbouchard]

okay sunday’s ep really underscored for me the priest/parishioner dynamic between david and kristen because the episode WAS all about confession and when to grant absolution. david’s class was about confession, he heard leland’s confession, and he heard kristen’s, but to david it’s all under the guise of a hypothetical theological or moral problem. he listens to kristen and he doles out wisdom, but does he hear her? there’s such a confession booth-esque wall between them because she wants to reveal things about herself to him without actually letting him into her life or giving him the chance to do anything about it, and david doesn’t question this at all, if it even occurs to him. they flirt but they’re both sitting with wooden slats between them not thinking to get up and look around the corner because they’re safe where they are with these half-formed, single perspective ideas of who the other is and what they want/need from each other. meanwhile ben is sporting x-ray vision and actively wants to tear the entire church apart 

[aion-rsa]

Evil Season 2 Episode 3 Review: F Is for Fire

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Evil review contains spoilers.

Evil Season 2 Episode 3

Evil season 2, episode 3, “F Is for Fire,” begins at its hottest point. Dr Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) is having trouble sleeping, but she’s not being kept awake by some demonic force. Her husband has been off on some mountain climbing expedition, and the last time she tapped an axe, it was into the skull of a serial killer. Even forensic psychologists have needs, and when they do, sometimes the only cure is a nocturnal mission.

Technically, the monster-of-the-week would register higher on the Fahrenheit gauge. It’s an Islamic spirit tied to the element of fire, with flames where his hair should be. But Kristen’s devil-in-Miss Jones routine is a slower burn which the series, and Herbers pulls off extremely well. They set mood music, tilt cameras, drench scenes in torrid gelled lighting, and raid the closet for a change of wardrobe. Dr. Brouchard is completely transformed, but it is too strictly engineered of a transformation. It feels textbook, and Evil is about breaking procedure.

Last week’s episode, “A Is for Angel,” ended after David Acosta (Mike Colter) heard an all-too enthusiastic confession from Leland Townshend (Michael Emerson), who had shooed Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) out of the room only moments before. The nun knew something was up, and David knew she was in the know. The last words of the episode, “alright, I’ll help you,” were positively uplifting. Sister Andrea’s help, apparently, only goes so far, and Martin perfectly captures her expanding her limitations.

First, Sister Andrea wants nothing to do with David’s sigil map, because he’s not supposed to be in possession of it. He was told to look into it, but not have a physical, visual aid for reference. The nun will not break the rules of the church, even if they are not official commandments. However, when David begins to explain the background, and how it all leads to something more sinister at RSM Fertility, we can see her interest grow. By the time she’s separating alphabets from language to language, letter by letter, Sister Andrea projects her entire process. Even better than this, she leaves the audience with a thousand questions about her past. Why is she such an expert on so many things? She is like Deep Throat, the Well-Manicured Man and X on The X-Files combined, but with far better grounding in reality.

Once Sister Andrea gets to the clue of the coded message, she quickly deciphers the letters of a name, and surprisingly, the family has been wondering why it took so long for the church to get there. David’s backlog of cases is a subtle running joke, but it’s become contagious. But so does the demon at the center of the episode’s mystery. The thing haunting the little girl is called an Ifrit, in Islamic mythology, it is neither good nor evil, just very moody, and often burns very hot.

The subject of the investigation is a girl named Mathilda Maubrey, played by Matilda Lawler, who also played Brenda, the little girl in the mask who took Kristen’s children grave-digging in season 1. Mathilda is the foster child Brian and Jane Castle are thinking of adopting, but mysterious fires keep starting whenever the kid is left alone. The biological mother was arrested for arson. Kristen thinks the daughter might be replicating her mom’s behavior. Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) is open to the idea the mother might have been put away for crimes Mathilda committed. Or the answer might be found behind door number 3.

Mathilda is very bright, and Lawler plays her intelligently but with a desperate edge. She sweetly tells Kristen she doesn’t need to give examples of the things she’s being questioned about. But she’s really saying she’s at the end of her patience and doesn’t like to be patronized. She is not an angry child. She says she only gets mad after talking to her mom because she misses her. Her parents probably should have led with the nanny-cam tape, though. It is the reason they called in the church, they say. Why make the team linger over this without that information? Kristen throws out a perfectly good tea set. It comes back, but still.

Even though we believe Mathilda, what is she doing with chlorine tablets and brake fluid? Her father has a point. Besides the invading entity, the family also has to endure religious intolerance from the clergy itself. The spiritual workers from the two faiths don’t wrestle the spirit as a tag-team, the priest and the sheikh face off against each other in a pious preliminary.

Poor Ben is forced into defending a mythology he doesn’t buy into because of some form of nationalistic pride. Watching how the priest treats the sheikh before the exorcism rites begin, the audience tends to side with Muslim-raised skeptic. Not only does Ben have to contend with the holier rollers doing wheelies on his family’s faith, Kristen pushes his agnostic buttons with all the guilt of a lapsed Catholic. It’s a good thing he’s got a dream demoness waiting up for him at home.

“Why do you have a retainer,” Ben asks his nighttime friend, and the entire atmosphere gets uneasily creepy. What exactly is he being tempted by and, could the demoness have stolen Lexis’ dental-wear? Kristen’s daughter has been sporting a devilish smile since chomping off the finger of an orthodontic nurse. As it is a night terror scene, it could be foreshadowing of something exceptionally dark and frightening in a very skewered way. The detail could also be some Freudian holdover because Ben had just been chastised by his own sister on his faith. But it could all be leading up to his interpretation of god’s latest punchline, straddling the team “in the middle of Queens watching a sheik and a priest exorcize a 9-year-old girl.”

Kristen’s mother Sheryl (Christine Lahti) turns out to be even more manipulative than any of us, audience or characters, may have given her credit for. I can understand what Leland sees in her. She makes up a fake name, and books herself some sessions with Kristen’s therapist Dr. Boggs (Kurt Fuller). This may sound like it’s underhanded enough, but when she’s caught, she goes all in, dropping to her knees and begging forgiveness from the doctor. It’s scary, but mainly because it works.

“F is For Fire” continues to fan the embers of ambiguity. Everything about Mathilde’s fire-starting abilities seem to have as much of a rational explanation as a spiritual one. Kristen does go burning her candles at both ends as a direct result, but with mitigating factors. But the episode also benefits from the grey areas between the Islamic and Christian beliefs, and the inherent pecking order of spirituality. Evil doesn’t offer easy outs, they prefer intellectual subversions, like ending an episode on a little girl starting fires with a glance.

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Evil airs Sundays on Paramount+.

The post Evil Season 2 Episode 3 Review: F Is for Fire appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3hfWRuL

[dizigang]

Justice x 2

Leland assists convicted serial killer Orson Leroux with having his conviction overturned; Kristen is called into court to testify while her daughter, Laura, undergoes emergency heart surgery; David witnesses a woman's evil instincts firsthand. source https://dizigang.com/dizi/evil/sezon-1/bolum-12

[evilcentral]

coltermikecolter: All hail the #Kings of @evil Robert & Michelle King 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿😈 👿and a lot of GOOD 😇 👼 @paramountplus @netflix

[evilcentral]

evil: Episode 9, no context

[darkwing-katy]

The Spider and the Fly Part V

Pairing: Eventual Leland x Reader (sorta? You’ll see what I mean)

Word Count: 3,703

Summary: All you want to do is get through your online courses and keep your best friend from making bad choices in men. But there’s this creepy therapist who is absolutely insisting on you making an appointment with him. Who the hell is this Leland Townsend, and why won’t he leave you alone?!

Part five of seven. Takes place sometime around/between/during seasons one and two.

The series is inspired heavily by my favorite poem, “The Spider and the Fly” (1829) by Mary Howitt. This poem is in the public domain.

Tagging: @primosflowergarden; @vi-er

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

—————————————————————————————————

The Spider turned him round about and went into his den

For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again;

So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly

And set his table ready to dine upon the Fly

It’s been a long few days. You’ve switched to the opening shift so your afternoons and evenings are free, and you stayed up until midnight two days in a row getting all of your coursework done for the next two weeks. You know you’re going to need as much time as you can get if you want to accomplish this. 

And thus the stalking began. You now know where Leland lives, which is fitting because he knows where you live, too. You also know that he attends church rather frequently, though you can’t for the life of you imagine why. There’s no way in hell he’s a religious person, not with the things he’s said to you. There’s something else going on, and you decide you’re going to find out what.

You’re waiting outside for him to leave, if only so you can be certain that he’s not about to walk in while you try and glean his real motives. You’ll wait as long as it takes, your favorite coffee in hand. It’s warm outside, but it’s evening, and there’s a nice wind that’s breezing pass you every now and then, winding between the buildings and bringing the scents of pizza, hot dogs, sewage, and people. The scents of New York.

Ah! You see him. Leland steps out of the church and pauses for a moment. You can’t see his facial expression from here, but you’d bet almost anything that it’s a smirk or a sneer. He shakes his head in what appears to be glee from a distance as he goes down the stairs and makes a right at the sidewalk. You watch him disappear into the city and count to twenty before you leap up from your bench and rush to the church. You take the steps two at a time in your haste—you want to make sure he doesn’t double back and find you here. The sooner you’re inside, with those ornate doors closed behind you, the better.

You are now in the sanctuary of the church. It’s big and ostentatious, but there’s something about it that reassures you. You can be safe here. Leland can’t get you here.

It’s not true, of course, but it’s nice to feel the illusion of safety, even if you keep your eyes and ears alert as you walk down the aisle way to the front altar. Your eyes make note of anything interesting, which…is simultaneously a lot and very little. The interior of the church is beautiful, but there’s absolutely nothing here that screams Leland Townsend at you, nor is there anything that seems worthy of his attention.

So why the hell does he keep coming here?

You sit in a pew and prop your elbows up on the wooden pew ahead of you as you purse your lips in thought. What does Leland want? you wonder. There’s no way he’s here for God. So then…what?

“Can I help you?” a deep voice asks from your left.

You jump in your seat, your pulse racing. It’s not Leland’s voice, which is comforting, but the fact that he’s got you so paranoid is infuriating. You twist to see the speaker. It’s a tall man with dark skin and a bit of a beard. He doesn’t have on a clergy outfit—just a navy zippered sweater (that looks extremely cozy) over a nice button-up and jeans. He does wear a cross rosary, though, and his entire demeanor radiates peace.

“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says with a small smile. 

You immediately like him. “It’s fine,” you reply with a flippant wave of your hands. “That’s what I get for watching too many scary movies, I guess.”

He chuckles and indicates the pew you’re sitting in. “May I?”

You nod, and he takes a seat next to you, though you notice there’s room between you. Another green flag—he’s not trying to get all up in your business; he’s keeping a respectful distance. “Are you a priest here?”

He gives a casual shrug. “I’m working on it.”

“Ah.” You look away from him, back to the front of the church. You’re not sure what to say, so you say the first thing that pops into your head. “It’s peaceful here.”

“I’m glad you think so.” You turn back to him as he extends a hand. “My name is David Acosta.”

“(Y/F/N) (Y/L/N),” you reply as you accept his hand. He gives it a firm shake, a friendly one, before releasing your hand. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. Are you new?”

You shake your head with a snort. “Not really. I was, uh, just looking for someone, I guess.” Would David know who Leland is? He’s not a priest, but he seems to be knowledgeable about this place. He noticed I’m not familiar, which means he must recognize familiar faces, right? 

David shrugs. “Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help. I work here,” he adds by way of explanation.

You decide to chance it. “Uhhh, Leland Townsend?”

David stills, and his eyes narrow, though it’s not so much accusatory as it is curious. “Why are you looking for Leland Townsend?” he asks, not unkindly, but there’s an edge there.

You turn so that your whole body is facing him, your legs half on the pew, half dangling off. “You know him?”

David gives you a slow nod, his lips pressed together into a thin line. The edge has spread to his eyes, but to his credit, he’s still looking at you with warmth. “You could say that,” he murmurs. “How do you know him?”

“He’s my therapist,” you grumble, and David’s eyes narrow even further. Now he’s giving you a suspicious look. “Or at least, he insists that he is.”

“You feel otherwise?”

You cross your arms over your chest. “I fucking hate the guy,” you hiss. Your eyes widen as you realize what you just said. “Oh, wait! Sorry. Probably shouldn’t say ‘fucking’ in church. Oh, shit, I did it again!” You put your hand to your mouth. “Sorry. He just—I just—he’s so awful,” you finally grit out. “He won’t leave me alone and I’ve been trying to figure out why and so I followed him here and waited for him to leave and—,” 

David holds up a hand to stop you, the hardness in his gaze gone. “Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else,” he says in a low voice. You watch him rise and motion for you to follow him, which you do. 

You hadn’t meant to blurt all of that out, but you’re just so fucking done with the situation, and judging by the way David is reacting to the mention of Leland’s name, he knows full well who your stupid therapist is and how shitty of a guy he is. 

He leads you to a more private conference room. You take a seat at the long table in the center while David closes the doors. When he’s done, he sits down across from you and gives you a look of concern. “I’d like to know exactly what you know about Leland Townsend, if you don’t mind telling me,” he says. “How do you know him?”

You suck in a deep breath before launching into the whole shitstorm that’s been your life over the last few weeks. You try to censor yourself, not wanting to curse in front of a priest-in-training, but a few choice words slip out, more often when you arrive at the end of your tale. You’re too wrapped up in your anger to think about the words you’re using, and honestly? David doesn’t seem to care.

“And he threatened Betty again, and I’m just so fucking done with it, so I said, ‘Ya know what? Fuck it!’ And started following him everywhere because it’s not fair that he knows everything about me when I know nothing about him, and he keeps coming here—which makes no fucking sense ‘cause I seriously doubt that asshole is religious at all—so I came here to see if I could figure anything else out, but I don’t even know where the hell to start. All I know is that I’m done with it. I want him and his stupid pretty blue eyes out of my life.” You’re breathing heavily. Your chest rises up and down as you gulp in air, your heartbeat racing in your ears, but there’s something relieving about sharing all of this with someone else, even if he’s all but a complete stranger. A weight has been taken off. It’s not all the way gone, no, but it feels bearable now. You’re no longer alone.

David has listened patiently the whole time, asking a prodding question here or there to help you find more details, but otherwise, he’s sat there, his hands folded, his chin resting on top of his hands. When you’re done, he gives you a warm smile, and that smile breaks you. You feel a few hot tears slip out and swipe at them. “Sorry,” you mutter as your cheeks heat up. “Don’t mean to cry.”

There’s no judgement in his face, only understanding. “It’s okay. Leland has an ability to get under people’s skin, and you’re not the only one.” You sniffle. “You won’t be the last, either. But…” he hesitates, like he’s not sure if he should be telling you this.

“What?”

“You are the first person I’ve heard of who’s tried to get away from him. From what I know, most of his patients seem to…” he drifts off again.

You can fill in the blanks yourself. “Buy into his bullshit about human darkness and violence and stuff?”

David laughs. “Yeah.”

You chuckle. Something about that feels reassuring. “Well, maybe that’s why he keeps harassing me and threatening me.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you?”

You raise an eyebrow as David leans back. “Why don’t I what?”

“Why don’t you buy into his…methods?” he clarifies.

You think for a moment. You don’t really have an answer, other than you’re not an idiot and you’re not power hungry. Sure, it’s fun to torment Betty’s boys, and you’ve gone on a power trip or two with your own exes, but you don’t want to do it all the time. You love the thrill of discovering what scares a person, but you have other things you enjoy, too, like your creative writing. “I dunno,” you admit sheepishly. “I just…don’t.”

David gives you a gentle smile as he pulls a cell phone out of his pocket. “Is it alright if I make a phone call?”

It’s sweet of him to ask you for permission, even though he doesn’t need to. It’s so different from how Leland treats you, all sneers and aggression and slamming you against walls and blood—oops, now you’re picturing him with the blood again and this is not the time or place for that.

You’re in church. You will not be thinking about the attractive psychopath that’s constantly terrorizing you. You will not think about the gleam in his eyes as he rips you to pieces with his words, slices you apart in the hopes that you’ll lash out at him.

You will definitely not think about the dreams you’ve been having with him lately. The dreams where you two are fighting for dominance in the kitchen, you with a knife, him laughing every time you swipe at him. The dreams that end in blood and clothes on the floor, in bites and snarls and moans.

You are in church, for fuck’s sake. 

So why the fuck are you still thinking about it? Your cheeks are flushed, and you exhale in a pant. David has left the room, presumably to make his phone call, so at least he’s not here to witness you. 

You glance around the room in an attempt to distract yourself from thoughts of Leland. There’s a massive window that takes up the whole wall at the opposite end of the room from the door, a crucifix dangling on the wall, and another set of wooden doors behind you. Above you, the room raises to a point—very church-like. Ornate lanterns dangle down, lit up with soft warm glows. You smile at them before rising to go to the window. It’s still daylight, but the sun will be setting soon. You can see people walking down the street in front of the church—a woman with her dog, a man getting out of a car on his phone, a woman pushing a stroller with a toddler sitting in it, both of them licking ice cream cones. You smile at the sight and think that maybe you’ll get yourself an ice cream when this is over. You deserve a sweet treat of some sort, at least. 

And maybe more canned margaritas. You can’t go wrong with more margaritas.

A dark shadow catches your eye at the end of the street. It’s a dark figure stepping into an alley, but before it steps out of your line of sight, it turns and you swear it’s looking towards you. Then it’s gone, and you rub your eyes. 

“I need more sleep,” you mutter to yourself.

You linger at the window for a while longer, allowing your people-watching to distract you. By the time David returns, though, you’re back in your chair. He grins at you. “I have someone I think you should meet,” he tells you as he pulls out his own chair and sits in it.

You cock your head at him, curious. 

“Her name is Kristen, and she’s had several…incidents with Leland as well. But, like you, she’s managed to come out unscathed, and I think that she can help you deal with him.”

You feel your own face split into a grin. “Alrighty then,” you say, “let’s meet her.”

Less than a half-hour later, Kristen is sitting in front of you alongside David. You instantly like her, but in a different way than you do David. Whereas he feels safe and comfortable, Kristen feels like she’s strong, someone who doesn’t take shit from people. She gives you kind smiles as she asks you questions about your interactions with Leland, and you hold nothing back, not even Samantha’s suicide, a detail you hadn’t shared with David.

Neither of them offer any judgement on you for what you’ve done, and it’s nice, even though you still feel no guilt over it. It’s like sharing this secret part of yourself is lifting Leland’s hand from you, and you suddenly realize that he’s been using that knowledge to keep you under his thrall. By sharing it openly with these two strangers (can you really call them strangers, though?), you’re loosening the noose he’s tightened around you. 

Your spirit lifts a little higher. You can beat him. You can outsmart him.

And then, there’s the cherry on top.

“Leland Townsend is not his real name,” Kristen explains. There’s a mischievous glint in her eyes, not unlike the light you’ve seen in Leland’s every now and then.

“What’s his real name, then?” you ask. “I’ve tried digging into him and found literally nothing.”

There’s a wry smile on her face as she spills Leland’s darkest secrets—who he really is. The entire time, you’re paying rapt attention, memorizing everything that comes out of her mouth. She tells you the sad tale of Jake Perry, the awkward boy from Des Moines, Iowa who has had two failed marriages and is pretending to make pacts with demons to reinvent himself. You could kiss her in thanks with how much material she gives you on him, and honestly, you’re considering it because it’s just so good. This is what you’ve been missing, the puzzle pieces that will allow you to kick him to the curb once and for all. 

Kristen escorts you out of the church when all is said and done. “Are you okay?” she asks, giving you a concerned look.

You look up at the sky, pink and purple clouds rolling in with the night. “I am now,” you reply as you inhale deeply.

“Are you sure?”

You look at Kristen. “Why?”

She gives you a small smile. “Because I know what it’s like to have him in your head, (Y/N).”

You put your hands in your pockets. “Did he ever come to your house?”

She nods. “Yes. Once. He came out of it with stitches and hasn’t come back since.”

Your admiration for her grows. “That’s badass.” You frown as you remember that he seems to like that kind of thing. “But I’m pretty sure he’s into that.”

Kristen makes a face. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he is,” she agrees. “But he’s never shown up there again.”

“Are you saying I just need to stab him and kick him out?”

She laughs at that. “No, no. Not at all. But…” she glances behind you at the towering church, “if you feel threatened...” she trails off as she returns her gaze to you. “You know what? I want you to call me if he shows up again.” She hands you her phone. “Please.”

You take the phone from her and put your number in. You also add your address. Kristen doesn’t seem like the type of person to abuse this information in any way—and it does make you feel better knowing that you have a warrior on your side. When she receives her phone back, she sends you a message with her name so you have her number, which you promptly save. 

The two of you descend down the steps together. “Kristen?” you ask before she gets in her car. 

She looks at you, her short hair tossing in the breeze. “Yeah?”

“Am I—should I be worried about him?” You hate how small your voice suddenly is, how fragile. You’d vowed to not let him make you feel this way, but now that you have people helping you, people who understand, you’re finally allowing yourself to feel a little scared. Leland scares you, dammit. He’s unpredictable in so many ways, he’s aggressive, and you’re all alone in your little rental place. 

Kristen tilts her head at you, her eyes soft with—pity? concern? You’re not quite sure what. Then she walks back up to you and puts her hand on your shoulder. She gives it a gentle squeeze, and the sensation almost brings tears to your eyes again.

David had mentioned that she was the mother of four little girls. Maybe she was just going into mom-mode. Or maybe she senses that you need someone else to talk to about this, someone who understands.

Whatever the case, you accept her reassurance.

“He’s just a sad, pathetic old man who likes to make himself feel big by threatening people. He’s all talk and no bark,” she tells you.

You wish you could believe her. “He’s hurt me, though,” you reply, your voice still sounding small, insignificant, puny.

“Hit him back harder,” she replies. “Kick him in the dick, get away from him, and call me the second you see him lurking around your house again. I’ll come over and we’ll deal with him together.”

You hate that your eyes are still watering, but God, this feels so good. Kristen pulls back and fixes her dark eyes on you. “Do you want to come over to my place tonight? I can drive you to your house and you can pack up some stuff.”

You’re so, so close to saying yes. You’re lonely without Betty, who won’t be back for a few more weeks. But at the same time, you don’t want Leland to take your home from you. You’ll lock the doors, barricade them, and sleep with a steak knife under your pillow, but dammit, you’re not letting him scare you out of your home.

“No,” you say, and at least now your voice is stronger. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.” You give Kristen a weak smile.

It’s clear that she doesn’t believe you, but she gives you a nod. “Let me take you home, at the very least,” she offers, and you accept. 

Waving goodbye to her when she drops you off is hard, but you genuinely appreciate that she comes in to inspect your place with you and make sure Leland isn’t lurking around. She doesn’t judge your mess of homework that’s been scattered across the kitchen table, nor does she comment on the amount of canned booze that litters your trash can. If anything, the sight makes her chuckle and tell you that she drinks the same thing, which gives you a little more hope. If she can chase Leland away and she drinks canned margaritas, then dammit, so can you!

When she leaves, you do exactly as you said you would. You lock every door and window and barricade them. You’re not taking any chances that Leland will break in tonight, even if he can’t possibly have any reason to do so. When you’re done, you grab a can from the fridge and sit on the couch. You pull up your favorite music streaming channel and put the playlist on shuffle. Almost immediately, ‘Vigilante’ by Taylor Swift starts. Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man…

You listen to to the words, let them soak into your brain along with everything Kristen and David have told you tonight. By the time the song ends, you’re ready—ready to set a trap to snare the fly known as Jake Perry. After all, don’t get sad, get even is a fantastic motto to have.

Then he came out to his door again and merrily did sing,

“Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing!

Your robes are green and purple—there’s a crest upon your head,

Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!”

Part Six

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evil: Introducing The Antichrist, Timothy 😈

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evil: Demon got your tongue? This week's episode of #EvilSeries is now streaming Paramount+

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coltermikecolter: @evil EPISODE 8 photos. Hope you enjoyed the show. 😈❤️