Episode seven of Amazon Prime’s Dolores Roach was exceptionally fun. It makes me sad that we are so close to the end of the season. Especially because I can’t see how this ends with all of our beloved characters still alive.
The story
This episode begins with Dolores trying to talk to Nellie’s grandma. She comes bearing empanadas, hoping to get information about Dominic. Instead she’s turned away, and accused of ‘embarrassing her man’ by going to jail. Talk about some internalized sexism.
But being called some words in Spanish that I’ll not be repeating here is the least of Dolores’s worries. Hector, the irritating drug dealer, has decided to treat himself to a midday massage.
Dolores doesn’t have any plans to kill him. But they have a slight misunderstanding as to what constitutes a ‘nut’ allergy. And while Dolores does try to save him, she doesn’t know how to work his epipen.
This doesn’t work out.
Meanwhile, Luis is handling a visit from a health inspector. Because of course, this is when she pops in.
Ah, but even this isn’t enough trouble for one day. While Dolores is trying to figure out what to do with Hector, she hears something beeping. It sounds like a smoke alarm. It turns out to be a beeping sound from Gideon’s pacemaker. The pacemaker is being set off by it’s app on Gideon’s phone, which was discovered by Ruthi.
I don’t think pacemakers actually beep, but we’ll set that aside for now.
The point is that Dolores finds herself in the basement with a health inspector upstairs, a dead Hector on her table, and a very much alive Ruthi with a broken glass bottle.
What worked
So much of this episode worked that I’m not sure where to start. Let’s just begin with the slapstick comedy. This episode was funny as hell. I adored Ruthi and Dolores fighting in the basement. The taser part was especially funny. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll see what I mean. I also adored Hector’s back from the dead moment. Honestly, this was so funny.
I also really enjoyed the scene near the end of the episode with Jeremiah. I don’t want to spoil too much of it for you, but it’s a great moment of you enjoy socially awkward moments. Jeremiah in general is a character I don’t feel like I’ve shown enough appreciation to. But he really is such a delight.
Finally, I am constantly surprised by how relatable Dolores is. Yes, she is killing people. But haven’t we all been in bad situations, with nothing but bad options to get ourselves out? It’s clear that she doesn’t want to be where she is. She literally screams “I don’t want to be a serial killer!” at Ruthi during this episode. Same, Dolores, same.
She really is the victim here. I mean, Gideon, Marci, Ruthi and Hector are the real victims. But who cares about them?
What didn’t work
While I did think this episode was funny, I do feel like I’ve got to point this out. The humor from this episode came largely from the rather cliche ‘health inspector’ visit. Dolores accidentally poisoning Hector and then killing Ruthi with a restaurant full of people? Hilarious. Doing so with the fear of the health inspector coming downstairs at any time? Also funny as hell, but it has been done before.
This was the episode that really brought out the comedy in this horror comedy. There were several laugh out loud moments. There were hilarious situations, followed almost at once by horrific blood and violence. Exactly what you want in this genre.
There’s just two more episodes left in this season of Dolores Roach. I can only imagine the body count’s going to get even higher.
As we near the end of the series, Dexter Original Sin is heating up. Emotions are running high, and the blood is pouring. But is the story keeping up with the gore? Let’s discuss.
As a warning, I found it impossible to review this episode without a few spoilers. You’ll see why. But if you haven’t yet seen this episode, proceed with caution.
The story
We begin our story with Dexter and Harry in the kitchen after a hard night of work for each of them. Dexter tries to tell Harry that he suspects Captain Spencer killed Jimmy Powell and kidnapped his own son. But Harry doesn’t want to hear it. He’s more concerned that Deb never came home from Gio’s apartment.
The reason she didn’t come home is because Gio invited her on a day trip. He says he has to go for work, but she can come along for the fun.
And fun she has, until she finds something on his boat she wasn’t supposed to see.
Meanwhile, Dexter is following Captain Spencer around. He eventually gives up to go rescue Deb, only to be called onto a SWAT call. One that turns deadly, and was orchestrated by the captain.
As if there wasn’t enough going on in this episode, LaGuerta and Harry are hunting the NHI killer. And we realize who the killer is just as Harry finds out as well. At least, we’re really supposed to think we know who it is.
What worked
At this point, we know that Captain Spencer abducted and murdered Jimmy Powell, and has now abducted his own son Nicky.
So, we already know the killer. And that’s always the big reveal, right?
Well, no. We might know that Spencer is the killer. But what we don’t know is why. What is he after? What does he want so much that he’s willing to not just kill innocent children, but his own son? These are the questions that will drive me to watch the next episode, and the one after that.
This was a great way to answer a question, but leave more questions in the wake of that answer. It’s the perfect way to keep up the momentum of a season.
I was also shocked and impressed by the demise of Laura Moser. No, that isn’t the spoiler, we all knew that was going to happen. We knew it since the first season of the original series. What I didn’t expect was how emotionally invested I was in this. By this time we’ve seen Laura in a way we’ve never seen her before. She is a loving mother and brave as hell. So now, for the first time, we can mourn her. It honestly reminded me strongly of when Dexter lost Rita in the original series. I am crushed.
What didn’t work
Now, we’ve got to talk about Harry. Or more specifically, we’ve got to talk about Christian Slater. Because he just wasn’t good in this episode. He was chewing the scenery so hard I’m surprised they didn’t need to replace the kitchen table. I know he’s a better actor than this, so it makes me wonder what the hell was happening. He was overly emotional. And not in a way a man stressed out might be, but in an overacting kind of way. The whole performance just felt off.
Finally, we’ve made it to the spoiler part. At least, I think we do. Given the events of this episode either we know that the NHI killer is Brian, Dexter’s older brother, or we’re really supposed to think it’s him.
I don’t like this either way. If it’s him, then this feels like a repeat of the first season of the original show in which he was revealed to be the Ice Truck Killer. We’ve done this before. But we know it can’t end with Dexter finding out who it is. He’d never heard the name Brian Moser before as an adult.
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If it isn’t Brian, though, it feels like overkill. Showing him painting Laura’s nails with that same distinct color pattern. His therapist and nurse were among the victims. If it’s all misdirection, it’s too much misdirection. I honestly thought it was Brian as soon as I heard one of the victims was a therapist specializing in traumatized teens. We’re not dumb. We didn’t need to be beaten over the head with this.
Slater’s acting and the Brian storyline aside, I thought this was a great episode. I know the series could still disappoint me, but I’m holding onto hope. At least, like I said before, they can’t kill Dexter this time.
However, trying to fit in, Iris starts to discover a terrifying secret within this tight-knit group of friends. A deadly secret…
THOUGHTS ON COMPANION (SPOILER-FREE)
Never would I have thought I would be saying that a writer of ‘Fred: the TV Show’ and ‘Fred 3: Camp Fred’ wrote a damn fine film. But here we are.
Writer/director, Drew Hancock, created a funny, clever and interesting gem of a horror film. COMPANION is a great adventure film in the horror genre, focusing on the ideas of identity, self-preservation, the cogito, ergo sum of life, and women’s rights.
And, trust me, I know that sounds like a lot, but that’s pulled off by the superb writing and the acting – it flows together really well. It’s an incredibly precarious job to balance humor, horror and drama. If you go too hard with humor and it’s cringey. You give too much drama and it’s tonal dissonance. If there’s too much horror…well, that’s okay, actually.
But with heavy hitters with incredible comedic timing like Harvey Guillén and Jack Quaid, the cast only elevates the writing and story. Quaid and Sophie Thatcher have so much chemistry and work so well together that the drama feels authentic and raw. Thatcher is such an engaging actress, working with what could have been a very flat role. But she portrays Iris with such intelligence, wit and vulnerability, it sells the idea of COMPANION that would usually require more suspension of disbelief.
I liked the soundtrack by Hrishikesh Hirway. Both the original soundtrack and the songs chosen work well with the tone and plot. Super fun bop. You can tell that the song selections were picked with intent and care, for example, the Goo Goo Dolls’ song playing in Josh’s apartment.
The effects in COMPANION were terrific by being used sparingly but grotesquely, for example, the scene with the slow, tortuous scene with the candle. Most of it is practical, but there are some key scenes with CGI that are really well done.
BRAINROLL JUICE: THIS HAS VAGUE SPOILERS
I love horror films. Yeah, I know, big surprise. But this type of film highlights why horror is such an important and crucial part of our history and culture. Horror is a lens of a society of the times. Looking back, we can see what creatures scared us. What people were afraid of or should be afraid of.
Horror, by large, is a very social and progressive genre. Monster movies and mad scientist movies of the 1950’s were en vogue due to the rising fears of the atomic bomb and the Cold War. The same is true for the rise in space horror as we had the Space Race and landed on the moon.
Coralie Fargeat has been exploring this with great success with her most recent film, ‘The Substance‘, but first really dove into this with her fan-favorite, ‘Revenge‘. ‘Freaky‘ and ‘Happy Death Day‘, while comedic, explore girlhood, femininity and social expectations. ‘Don’t Breathe‘ turns the trope on it’s head (in a still gross way). ‘Babadook‘ shows the difficulty with being a mother, and ‘Hereditary‘ is a deep drama on matriarchal generational trauma.
Written like a person who understands the nuances of an “adult and juvenile human female” and is definitely not an alien
What does this have to do with horror and COMPANION? Well, pretty much everything. COMPANION is about what it means to be a woman. Her fears are real and reflect the fears of our society currently. Loss of agency. Loss of identity. Loss of her voice and decisions.
But like all good horror, it will stand the test of time. It will be on the right side of history, as they say. With an incel proxy as the villain and a woman learning about herself, it’s clear what Hancock envisioned for COMPANION. It’s a film about empowerment and reflection of our society right now. And unlike the newest Black Christmas, it doesn’t shove a diva cup down your throat.
“The Demon of Sex” is the third episode of Evil’s season 3, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The central cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Andrea Martin. As of this review, it’s available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.
The assessors investigate a new marriage that struggles with intimacy. Kristen (Katja Herbers) takes control of her family. Ben (Aasif Mandvi) has an existential crisis after facing plumbing difficulties. Sheryl (Christine Lahti) struggles with the new work culture. Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) battles a demon.
Evil Season 3 Cover
What I Like about “The Demon of Sex”
Ben usually seems underutilized as a character, especially in personal development, but season 3 works hard to rectify that issue. A skeptic’s disillusionment is an obvious choice for this type of character, but the writing and Aasif Mandvi’s performance drive the execution. It also adds another dynamic to his character referenced throughout the series, if rarely shown again, in the Science League.
“The Demon of Sex” is also a good episode for Sheryl, who struggles and triumphs in her new position. While her character trajectory teeters back and forth, “The Demon of Sex” shows what her development can look like when given the attention it deserves.
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“The Demon of Sex” also furthers the frenemy relationship between Kristen and Sister Andrea, providing ample material for both characters to explore. “The Demon of Sex” shows Kristen’s willingness to compromise and furthers Sister Andrea’s character flaws.
Leland (Michael Emerson) finally finds an attack that might work on Sister Andrea, beginning a plot thread to explore across the season. Commenting on this plot point might give credit to future episodes, but it’s a compelling example of Leland actually being devious and in control.
“The Demon of Sex” leans on Evil’s dark comedic tone, not intending to haunt the viewer but to entertain them. It dives further into the comical nature of corporate evil and marketing, showing a general shallowness in both arenas in which exploitation occurs. It’s dark, troubling, and entertaining without pulling its punches.
Disclaimer Kimberley Web Design
Tired Tropes and Triggers
In an episode titled “The Demon of Sex,” the titular demon seems to hold conflicting motives. First, it grows strong in the married couple’s abstinence, which suggests a different focus. But when acts become carnal, it’s the general kinkiness that makes the demon strong. Considering the couple talks about their troubles with a licensed therapist, it seems to evoke a general kink shame to the execution. However, the therapy also fails to resolve the underlying issues.
A slightly gory moment might unsettle some viewers, but it’s a single moment in an otherwise goreless episode.
A Nun with a Notebook to Save Your Marriage
What I Dislike about “The Demon of Sex”
As mentioned in a previous review, another demon seems to indicate a more direct concept of “sex,” while the motives of this demon seem more complex. It’s a minor point, but I can’t fathom why they didn’t connect this title with the more literal succubus that’s plagued this season already. Addressing that demon also seems like a more logical entry point as the audience sees what it’s been doing.
“The Demon of Sex” sets the groundwork for future plot points. While not a fault of the episode, it blends in the background, doing what it needs to and little more. I don’t mean to pretend this is a negative, but it doesn’t haunt the viewer like past or future episodes.
Final Thoughts
“The Demon of Sex” delivers but remains buried around more memorable episodes with more lasting power. It sets up key points for several characters and allows some to shine, but it doesn’t hold iconic moments to look back on. Ultimately, it functions as intended and keeps the audience eager for future developments.