Named for one of my favorite Goosebumps books, The Boy Who Cried Monster shed light on a character who hasn’t gotten much attention. One that, as far as I’m concerned, needed some additional screen time.

The Story

We begin this episode with Anthony, investigating the Fort where his brother vanished. He’s surprised to find equipment that wasn’t there before, as well as an underground tunnel.

Meanwhile, CJ is having a bad time of things. After leaving a food order out on a woman’s porch, causing it to be lost, he makes up a story about zombies to explain the mistake.

After being caught, he explains to his mom that he’s bored as a delivery person. He wants to help make changes to the family restaurant.

His mother seems open to this at first. Then, CJ brings a delivery of soup to Anthony.

Anthony, it seems, hasn’t been feeling well. It must be something he ate. Or something that ripped through his suit at the Fort. By the time CJ arrives, he’s falling apart.

But he manages to pull himself together just long enough to kidnap CJ and try to feed him that same goo that infected him. The other teens save CJ just in time. And Anthony, or at least something that looks like Anthony, loses his head.

What worked

To start with, this episode was funny. Considerably funnier than the rest of the season. Part of this was the focus on CJ, easily the funniest character in the show. But it was also the fantastic acting by David Schwimmer. His line delivery, especially while doing violent things, was so inoffensive and even apologetic. It was impossible not to laugh.

I also appreciate that almost everyone is together now. After everyone finally talks to everyone else properly, all of the kids are on the same page. Even Jen is at least aware of what’s going on and working to fix things. The only one who isn’t with the team is Anthony. Or, at least whatever it is that looks like Anthony and is walking around his house.

Finally, I want to talk about our new character, Hannah. Hannah is incredibly creepy, upsetting, and almost certainly not a human being. Everything from the way she moves to the way she talks to her weird smile is unnerving. It’s as close to the uncanny valley as an actual human can get. And since the actor is a real human even if the character isn’t (we assume) that’s quite a feat.

I also loved that Devin is smitten with her right away. And we don’t know if he falls so hard because he’s a dumb teenage boy or because she’s infected him in some way. Both seem equally possible. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does through the rest of the season. Because I’m sure it isn’t going to be anything good.

What didn’t work

All that being said, this episode did have several fatal flaws. And they happen to be issues that are at the very top of my most hated tropes list.

To start with, I cannot stand the love triangle between Frankie, Devin and Trey. It feels forced, and way too much time is being spent on it. Now, I’ll grant that part of this is just because it feels like a very teenage drama storyline. And technically this is a show for teenagers and tweens. But frankly, we can stop encouraging this sort of bad storytelling for younger people. They’re smart, and this sort of thing insults their intelligence.

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• Goosebumps available now on Disney+!Lucy likes to tell monster stories
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I also hate issues that could be solved with simple conversations. If Anthony had simply talked with his kids before being replaced by a pod person, a fragile pod person, I bet a lot of these problems could have been solved earlier. This always feels like a lazy plot device. Anytime the answer is, ‘If we’d just communicated earlier this could have all been avoided,’ I am out.

Things are getting serious with just three episodes left to go. So we’ll be marathoning them this week.

Living blind most of her life, Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) undergoes a transplant in The Eye (2008). The clearer her vision becomes, the more unexplainable the sights she witnesses. Yet, no one seems to understand or believe her. To understand what she’s seeing, Sydney must uncover what happened to her doner.

The Eye (2008) is a supernatural horror film directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, an American remake of a Chinese film of the same name directed by the Pang brothers. This PG-13 film stars Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey and Rade Serbedzija. As of this review, the film is available on Amazon Prime Video.

What I Like about The Eye (2008)

In 2008, the film earned two awards and three nominations. The poster above and Jessica Alba received award-winning acclaim. This should probably fall within the Dislikes, but it also earned Jessica Alba a Razzi nomination in 2009. However, the Razzi likely focused on her performance on The Love Guru. Make of that what you will.

I’ll further comment on this point in later sections, but The Eye does work to show the complexities of incorporating this new sense from a character who has lived most of her life without it. She isn’t “fixed” because she was never broken, and it’s a commendable decision considering how often the opposite idea appears.

This film focuses on Jessica Alba, allowing her plenty of material to work through as she slowly breaks down against the mounting issues facing her. It remains a largely controlled performance based on the material given. She would win a Teen Choice Award and (funnily enough) the previously mentioned Razzi nomination. There’s another small role from a recognizable actress in one of her early roles. I will say no more on the matter.

The Eye (2008) [Blu-ray] – Expired Digital Copy

• THE EYE DESCRIPTION The violinist Sydney Wells has been blind since she was five years old due to an accident
• She submits to a surgery of cornea transplantation to recover her vision, and while recovering from the operation, she realizes that she’s having strange visions
• With the support of Dr

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The Eye has strong bones and twists that I imagine come from the original film. I won’t comment further on the original, but The Eye provides twists that run with the concept of inherited memories. I love how The Eye explores this concept, though execution doesn’t fully develop these ideas.

Moving the narrative to Mexico adds a refreshing change of location. It adds some variety to the setting and a pleasant shift. However, I will say that the random town provides a typical depiction of rural Mexico.

Despite my reservations about The Eye‘s execution, the film lingers in its horror and often haunts the viewer. From the film’s concept to the visuals, The Eye has an early 2000s charm. Yes, it’s flawed and lacks in parts, but it still provides an entertaining and enjoyable experience.

Tired Tropes and Triggers

Ableism remains a potential issue for the film, though the ending persuades me against that concept. What can’t be denied is that there are several ableist characters, though I linger in the idea that this is intentional. The film shows their perspectives are wrong or inaccurate.

The key trope that this film explores is cellular memory. One addition to this concept is inheriting someone’s supernatural gifts. Though, that’s far from unique at this point.

What I Dislike about The Eye (2008)

Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) acts as a co-lead in the film and seems deplorable with his patient (Sydney). This is in no way an inherent issue with the actor but the writing. For a doctor who specializes in Sydney Well’s particular struggles, he seems furious anytime she appears overwhelmed. While it’s possible the ending suggests they are a couple, The Eye does leave this ambiguous. If The Eye intends to pair them by labeling these arguments as romantic chemistry, it fails.

The biggest problem with The Eye remains the underdeveloped ideas. While the plot points remain interesting, few get explored to any depth worth mentioning. Little gets solved, and even the climactic moment of development seems more a matter of happenstance. It makes me wonder if the original film might better explore these concepts.

Final Thoughts on The Eye (2008)

The Eye explores cellular memory with a supernatural twist. While far from a flawlessly executed film, a 2000s charm makes it memorable. If it further developed its concepts, The Eye might haunt in all aspects. However, it fills a niche for those with a taste for premonitions and lingering reapers eager for souls.
(2.5 / 5)

“The Demon of Money” is the ninth episode of season 3 of 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. As of this review, it’s available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.

The assessors explore the vile evil of stock trading. Dr. Boggs (Kurt Fuller) gets a positive review for his first draft. Grace Ling (Li Jun Li) struggles to adjust to her new reality. Leland (Michael Emerson) takes matters into his own hands. Monsignor (Boris McGiver) does what he must to do good.

What I Like about “The Demon of Money”

The investigation of DF’s stock provides a strange but enthralling mystery, accurately pointed out as similar to The Ring by Ben. It’s an unsettling and tension-inducing procedural plot to connect “The Demon of Money” together.

Michael Emerson’s Leland balances a genuinely horrifying character with Evil’s campier execution to deliver a haunting performance. This season seems focused on restructuring Leland’s transformation as the series’ key villain, forcing him to balance against other potential threats.

I initially struggled to understand Kristen’s distrust of Dr. Boggs, uncertain of what finally convinced Kristen. “The Demon of Money” clears up this confusion completely after revealing his book. While it’s not directly shown that Kristen read the book, the evidence suggests this is the case. I won’t reveal why it’s so concerning, but I love that Evil doesn’t beat the strangeness into the viewer, trusting them to catch on.

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Monsignor delivers a moment of action for a character who often defines inaction. It’s an intense moment to see and a pleasant development for a character who plays a key role in the series. It also incentivizes a returning character.

Li Jun Li also pushes the boundaries of Grace Ling, possibly earning the right to claim this episode as her own. As a prophet-esque character, there’s often an instinct to dive into the mystic wisdom, but Grace seems burdened by her gifts and the pressure placed on her.

“The Demon of Money” remains a haunting episode of Evil, paying off many of the points built up in previous episodes. This episode pulls off most of season 3’s setup while delivering haunting moments.

Tired Tropes and Triggers

One can argue that “The Demon of Money uses the bury your gays trope. It’s hard to deny when there’s an admission of love just as death occurs.

There’s some effective bodily disfigurement within this episode, one example leaning toward body horror. These are the results of self-harm, but these actions remain off-screen. Viewers witness the results of the act, but the harm is relayed to the viewer well after the act

What I Dislike about “The Demon of Money”

The procedural plot will have a slight return in a later episode, but it reaches a conclusion that doesn’t satisfy the mystery. I wanted more of it, which is far from a bad problem but one to point out. Ultimately, the missed potential undermines the execution.

Ben claims The Ring is a B-film, which is rightly called out, but the claim can’t go unmentioned here. Regardless of one’s opinions of the adaptation, it’s hard to label the film as a low-budget B-film considering its 48 million dollar budget. For shame on that claim.

Final Thoughts

“The Demon of Money” brings viewers closer to the end of season 3, tying the loose plot threads to set up the season finale. With a haunting procedural investigation, this episode remains a unique example of what Evil offers. While some weaknesses appear and interesting plots drop, the episode lingers in the mind to haunt the viewer.
(5 / 5)