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āA is for Angelā is an episode of the supernatural drama, Evil, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The central cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Andrea Martin. It originally aired under CBS before moving to Paramount+. As of this review, itās available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.
The assessors investigate a potential angelic possession. David (Mike Colter) meets a helpful nun (Andrea Martin as Sister Andrea). Kristen (Katja Herbers) talks to the police. Sheryl (Christine Lahti) takes out her frustration on someone who deserves it. Leland (Michael Emerson) makes a haunting confession.
What I Like about Evil: āA is for Angelā
While āA is for Angelā fears depicting a biblically accurate angel, it still evokes a haunting terror such angels evoke. Brandon J. Dirdenās Raymond/Archangel Michael provides an unsettling performance that directly comments or alludes to actions that angels take in the bible.
This episode introduces Sister Andrea, who will become a key character of the series, acting as a spiritual advisor and mentor to David specifically. Sheās interesting enough to evoke lasting memorability, given more attention than debut characters in their introductory episodes.
Lelandās confession to David gets dark, revealing much of the personal relationship the two had before the series began. While nothing remains confirmed, and Leland clearly aims to antagonize David, Davidās reaction suggests that some truthful admissions linger within the deception. However, itās ultimately a viewerās decision to weigh these claims.
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āA is for Angelā creates a rather terrifying dynamic that evokes a haunting narrative. Where the previous episode focused more on what comes next, āA is for Angelā dives into the horrific implications of the procedural plot.
Tired Tropes and Triggers
As mentioned earlier, the procedural plot involves an angelic possession and some Old Testament godliness, which might upset some viewers. Some points suggest sexism and abuse, but little of this receives attention beyond the claim.
A character potentially murdered their wife, suggesting spousal abuse, but the reality of the situation seems blurred. Regardless, the victim tries to leave their abuser, which is a common source of abuse in domestic violence.
While nothing remains confirmed, a child molester apparently receives angelic punishment. The viewer takes the word of the angelās supposed host on this claim, which hardly means an absolute confirmation.
Suicide, potentially assisted suicide, is another plot point alluded to in the episode. Little remains a proven fact, but the suggestion seems plausible considering what the viewer knows of the situation. As this remains the only confirmation, the claims seem interpretable.
What I Dislike about Evil: āA is for Angelā
Again, āA is for Angelā puts a lot of focus on the horrifying concept of an angel but doesnāt try to depict a biblically accurate angel. Frankly, itās a wasted opportunity, considering the haunting nature of their descriptions. Such descriptions rival that of Lovecraftian abomination in horrifying potential. It seems like a perfect opportunity for a show or film like Evil. Even as āA is for Angelā challenges the depictions, it hesitates to open itsā trillions of eyes to the opportunities available.
Leland allows the assessors into his home and leaves valuable evidence for the team to find. For such an intelligent character, these oversights seem uncharacteristic. Viewers might assume this frantic response is a ploy, but his reactions suggest otherwise.
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Final Thoughts
āA is for Angelā returns Evil to the horror roots that the previous episode hadnāt lingered on. The episode unravels some mysteries of the past that better contextualize relationships. If youāre eager for Old Testament godly intervention, this episode brings out a proper dose of it. (3 / 5)
Welcome to Nightvale is an incredibly popular podcast created by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. It’s well-loved by horror and fantasy fans alike.
I think itās, well, fine.
The book Welcome to Nightvale is the first of a series about the same nameless Midwestern town. And it was, well, not that great.
The story
We begin our tale with Jackie. Sheās a nineteen-year-old who works at the pawn shop in Nightvale. She has been a nineteen-year-old for decades. Her life is simple. She works and she goes home. At home, she doesn’t do much but listen to the radio.
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That is until a strange man comes to her shop.
Meanwhile, a mother named Diane is struggling with her son. He is a shapeshifter, and also a teenager. He appears to be struggling with both. Diane is trying to help him, but he doesnāt want her help. She’s feeling unloved and unappreciated. Which makes sense, because he is sure acting like he doesn’t love or appreciate her.
Then, his father returns to town.
What worked
The Nightvale world is, if nothing else, a creatively dark world full of illogical Eldridge horrors. There are simply dark things lurking, without any rhyme or reason. Fantastical and horrifying people live side by side with literal miracles. This is easily the most entertaining part of the whole book.
What didnāt work
That being said, all the lovely world-building in the world isnāt worth anything if there isnāt a decent story in place. Itās like a gorgeous set for a play that goes nowhere.
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And it felt very much like this story went nowhere. Or, at least it took forever to go anywhere.
The story felt incredibly repetitive. For instance, we went over and over how Jackie was nineteen and had been nineteen for decades. We didnāt need to do that. Itās bad enough that sheās choosing to not move forward in her life. We donāt need to experience it with her.
This over-explanation kind of killed the one part of the story I liked. It took all the fantastical, unexplainable parts of the story and killed them with over-explanation.
Maybe this wouldnāt have mattered as much if I had been gripped by the characters. But I just wasnāt. Both Jackie and Diane felt boringly real, despite their fantastical lives. They seemed stuck in their ways and unwilling to do anything to change them. And that is just not a character that I want to read about.
In the end, this just isn’t Fink’s best work. If you’re looking for something great from him, read Alice Isn’t Dead.
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Or maybe itās just not for me. I, after all, appear to be the only person on the planet who doesnāt like this podcast. If you enjoy the Welcome to Nightvale podcast, you might enjoy this book. But if youāre just looking to start your Halloween reading, there are better options.
āN is for Night Terrors” is an episode of the supernatural drama, Evil, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The assessors assess a friend of the Cardinal.
āN is for Night Terrors” is an episode of the supernatural drama, Evil, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The central cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, and Christine Lahti. It originally aired under CBS before moving to Paramount+. As of this review, itās available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.
The assessors assess a donor and personal friend to the Cardinal. Kristen (Katja Herbers) confesses to Dr. Boggs (Kurt Fuller). David (Mike Colter) struggles to balance his work and studies. Ben (Aasif Mandvi) meets a demon.
What I Like about Evil: āN is for Night Terrorsā
Kristen returns from her season 1 finale with a strangely unreliable playfulness. With what the viewer knows, the performance creates an unnerving new norm for season 2 to unpack. While subtle, the trauma creates a domino effect across all her relationships. Everyone knows somethingās off, even if they donāt understand what.
Leland receives the most material to execute, allowing him ample opportunity to build meaningful hostile relationships with all three assessors. The viewer sees a perfect example of this through his new interactions with Ben, with whom Leland had no previous direct interactions.
David further indulges in dangerous behaviors to evoke his visions, replacing his old habits with pain to access these visions with renewed clarity. David needs God’s attention, forcing him into unhealthy cycles. Itās a particularly unsettling pattern to witness.
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As Ben is the least affected by the supernatural forces in the show so far, āN is for Night Terrorsā sets season 2 as the correction of this grievous error. This dynamic creates a synergy between the first and second seasons, having already built Ben as the least tolerable to the supernatural shenanigans.
Of all the seasons, season 2 establishes my personal favorite title gimmick across the seasons. While some episodes of season 1 have great titles that tie in the episode’s procedural plot, season 2 achieves this standard while matching the tone and overarching plot.
Tired Tropes and Triggers
Leland directly abuses the bureaucracy of the Catholic church to get what he wants. While season 1 explores potential corruption in the Catholic church, āN is for Night Terrorsā shows this corruption in action.
As mentioned above, David uses pain to activate his visions. Itās clearly shown as a negative with real repercussions on the body, but it does work. This wonāt be a lasting solution for Davidās visions, but that doesnāt help āN is for Night Terrorsā communicate the toxicity of this behavior. Aside from this claim, one moment shows the toxicity of this behavior as David misses a call from the person heās attempting to help.
What I Dislike about Evil: āN is for Night Terrorsā
The episode begins with a recap but also lingers on the ending of season 1 after this recap. It seems a strange point to linger on. The streaming era makes this a more exaggerated issue as a viewer gets bombarded with the same information three times.
Because of the personal relationship that all but one of the assessors have with the subject they are assessing, it seems inappropriate that they would continue assessing them. The more obvious their bias, the less sensible Bishop Marx seems when he keeps them on this assignment.
Lastly, the focused trajectory of season 1 takes a backseat to the procedural plot. While itās an understandable writing decision, it does step back from the initial focus. In a structural sense, this deviation becomes an obstacle specifically placed in their way, but it does reduce tension.
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Final Thoughts
āN is for Night Terrorsā re-accompanies the viewer with the dynamics of the Evil series following season 1. It plays a little too safe, afraid of expanding too much beyond the refamiliarization, but it adds a few new dynamics for season 2 to follow. (2.5 / 5)
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