Review: Evil Series Premiere “Pilot” – Chilling, Riveting, and Provocative New Drama. Review: Evil Series Premiere “Pilot” – Chilling, Riveting, and Provocative New Drama.
Air Date: Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 10/9c on CBS
Reviewer Rating
Evil should be watched in the dark, if you dare. If you are at all spooked by scary things that go bump in the night, perhaps you should change the channel. Creators and writers Robert and Michelle King have woven a dark tale of mystery, intrigue, and delve into the dichotomy between good and evil. Evil is chilling, riveting, and provocative. You don’t have to be religious or a believer in order to be captivated by Evil.
Having screened the first four episodes, I binged my heart out, devouring each episode as if I needed the terrifying fix (I did). Throughout the “Pilot” episode, there are moments of terror that catch you completely off guard (ok, maybe just me?). The anticipation of the unknown is what drives Evil. It’s brilliantly written, and the acting is superb, not to mention the disturbing special effects and costumes.
The chemistry between the two leads, Katja Herbers and Mike Colter, who play Kristen Bouchard and David Acosta, respectively, is electric. Kristen is a former mountain climber turned psychologist who works with the DA’s office. She determines if the criminals they are prosecuting are clinically insane or bullshitting their way to get a reduced sentence.
David is a priest-in-training and works for the Catholic church. He investigates reports from all around the world, everything from alleged demonic possession to possible miracles. When a mutual case brings Kristen and David together, they must work to find out if the defendant is truly possessed by a demon or not.
Evil is rich with diversity and plot twists. Kristen’s life is full of ups and downs while raising four young daughters on her own because her husband is off being a guide on Everest. And David has his own demons he wrestles with. The way each of their stories unfolds is well paced and thoughtful.
Other wonderful performances include Christine Lahti as Kristen Bouchard’s mother. Her rock-n-roll vibe and casual way of disparaging her son-in-law has me on her side 100%. And Aasif Mandvi as David’s tech guy (and resident skeptic) Ben is one of my favorite parts about Evil.
His job is to debunk and disprove anything supernatural or paranormal. He believes everything from whispers to bumps in the night, and even abnormal behavior can be attributed to something physical and real.
Kristen, David, and Ben are three people who happen to cross paths. Is it divine intervention or coincidence that brought them together? Each has their own personal battles they must overcome while trying to solve the mysteries of the case at hand.
Of course, with all the do-gooders, so to speak, there must be a bad guy. Michael Emerson plays Leland Townsend and he’s the baddest of the bad. David says there are people in the world who purport evil and Leland is certainly a ringleader of bad people who enjoy doing evil things. Emerson does a fantastic job of making you loathe him almost immediately. His snide comments and confidence really get under your skin.
Leland and David have history but it’s unclear in the “Pilot” how they truly know each other. And Leland’s knowledge of intimate details about Kristen become quite a conundrum, but don’t believe everything you hear. Or maybe you should?
Whether you believe in the paranormal, supernatural, demons, heaven and hell, or not, Evil is a tremendously fantastic drama filled with intrigue and thought-provoking scenarios. And there’s 8oz cans of margaritas because “it’s easy.” When you have four kids and work full-time solving mysteries and are dealing with demonic possessions, sometimes, you need a margarita and fast.
And I won’t spoil anything but beware of George (Marti Matulis). He is scary AF!
Tune in to EVIL, Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.
For more on the show go to https://www.cbs.com/shows/evil/
Follow CBS on Twitter with #EVIL
Photos ©2019 CBS Television. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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