The mark of a good piece of horror fiction is what it can dismantle in terms of expectation — and not necessarily the level of scares it can serve up, because every viewer has their own benchmark for what constitutes as "scary" (and that's a debate for a piece that isn't this one). What can prove even more exciting is the ways in which horror can challenge our assumptions, throw a wrench into the scenario we think is about to play out, or find a way to completely turn it upside-down and render us breathless in the outcome. Season 3 of Evil, which hails from Robert and Michelle King and returns to premiere on Paramount+ this weekend, practically revels in subverting what we think we know is about to play out — and the outcome remains as deliciously spooky, wacky, and sexy as it's ever been.
Sure, the benchmarks of the narrative remain pretty close to how it's always played out since the beginning, but as of now, the rock-solid trio at its center, consisting of psychologist Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), newly-minted priest David Acosta (Mike Colter), and resident tech genius Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), operate largely as an extension of the series as a whole — one that's settled into its groove and knows exactly the niche it fills in small-screen storytelling. It works to Evil's benefit to keep these three grounding the story, especially when the third season consists of such mind-boggling phenomena as scientists studying the weight of a soul, more horny sex demons, and the Devil employing people in an office building whose sole job is to keep us all doomscrolling on the Internet. When it comes to the team that the Church has tasked to investigate these weird happenings, it's clear that Kristen, David, and Ben remain an effective, closely-bonded team, with their differing perspectives sufficient to challenge one another — even if someone like David is open and willing to embrace signs of the supernatural, and Ben wants to debunk them as quickly as possible. The motif in and of itself could have the potential to veer towards repetitive, but these are the moments where Evil asserts itself as a procedural series rather than just a horror show — and it also does plenty to shake up these relationships rather than letting us become too comfortable with the status quo.
Speaking of bonds, last season's finale culminated in the fruition of the simmering attraction that has been persisting between Kristen and David for as long as either of them has had eyes (in other words, always). In a scene that was already charged with a lot of emotion — including Kristen's confession that she had murdered serial killer Orson LeRoux — the two proceeded to lock lips, finally giving in to the temptation that each of them presents for the other. The good news is that Season 3 doesn't waste any time in clueing us into what happens in the immediate aftermath of that steamy smooch; unfortunately, the situation is also a hell of a lot more complicated than the two of them simply being able to get naked and jump into bed together, satisfying as it would be to watch Colter and Herbers embrace their undeniable ability to set our TV screens ablaze. The return of Kristen's husband Andy (Patrick Brammall) is one particular thorn in the side; the fact that David has officially pledged himself to God, and is attempting to maintain celibacy in the process, is another. The struggles that he's already been experiencing in terms of his past with sex addiction rear anew, and of course they happen in distinctively Evil fashion, in the form of a nighttime visitor that isn't at all the one David really wants intruding on his dreams.
Whether that makeout session has any potential long-term fallout for David and Kristen is something that remains a mystery as of the five episodes given to reviewers — and it's also a development that even the third, scrutinizing corner of their professional triad is too preoccupied with his own business to notice. As the verifiable skeptic of the group, Ben has reached a point of spiritual crisis. By this point in the series, he's been privy to too many events that he can neither explain away nor justify with science, and it leads to him experiencing something of an emotional setback. It's a refreshing switch-up for the character, given how many other series are content to simply let their skeptic insert remain an unbeliever no matter how many times they're confronted with proof to the contrary. It also means that he ends up relying on the reassurances of his similarly-minded sister Karima (Sohina Sidhu), a technological whiz in her own right, which leads to many charming scenes between the two actors to break up much of the season's scares and drama.
That's not to imply that even the horror of this series isn't paired with frequent jokes — it's just a significantly more twisted sense of humor as befitting a series of Evil's nature. Remember that office building where the Devil keeps his employees to carry out his pernicious tasks — including the aforementioned doomscrolling as well as efforts to drive up interest in a newly-invented form of cryptocurrency? It turns out Kristen's mother Sheryl (Christine Lahti), who has already been dabbling in the occult herself, has a new gig, courtesy of her ex-flame and primo manipulator Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson). As someone whose presence skews the median age in her new occupation, Sheryl's forced to endure several snide remarks about being of a boomer generation from her younger colleagues — at least, until she digs her heels in and cruelly asserts herself as a presence not to be messed with. Lahti continues to be an alluring presence on-screen this season, and proves a worthy adversary for Emerson's shrewd and calculating energy every time they share a scene together.
It's not only at Sheryl's workplace where demons are found — some of them are lurking within the Church itself, and apparently, the only person who can see them is the veteran nun Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin). With Martin being bumped up to a series regular for Season 3, her more frequent appearances are a more than welcome addition to the excellent ensemble cast. Her stoic expression paired with the occasional impish twinkle in her gaze lends both gravity and playfulness to scenes that see Sister Andrea facing off against horny, hairy, profanity-spewing demons that are more than twice her size with nothing but conviction in the set of her shoulders. Naturally, her insight and ability to see beyond the veil of reality prove a threat to Leland's ongoing efforts to infiltrate the Church, and one of the new conflicts of the season involves his attempts to discredit her perceptiveness as a form of insanity — which plays out over the course of several episodes early on.
With the series having shifted over to Paramount+ last year, the Kings went on the record as saying that the move allowed them to re-add scenes that would have never gotten past standards and practices while the show was still airing on CBS. Now, Evil's creators are clearly relishing in the ability to lean full-tilt into everything that network censors would have balked at — and the end product only works to the show's advantage overall. Although Evil does wrestle with questions of spirituality, faith, morality, and the occult, it's also doing so within a framework that allows it to be as nasty, unsettling, humorous, and sinister as a series of its caliber deserves. I'm firmly convinced that no other show out there is doing it exactly like Evil, and three seasons in, that still remains true.
Rating: A
Evil Season 3 premieres Sunday, June 12, exclusively on Paramount+.