Kirsten has to deal with the repercussions of her actions as the team is asked to exorcise the person they’d least expect…

It’s a hearty welcome back to Evil, nearly 18 months since the last episode aired, just pre-COVID. At the time it seemed all steam ahead for the second year, but the pandemic meant not just a delay in shooting, but a rethink of the entire season. Based on this episode – and the “George”-hosted trailer that followed – we’re in for a treat.

There’s not an immediate effect noticed of the move from network to streaming (the show is now on Paramount+ in the US), bar an obvious redub to allow Katja Herbers to use the f-word when describing Leland (which is more than justified in the circumstances). It’s a show that always felt as if it was straining the boundaries of what was permissible on network television, and it will be interesting to see how much is different in post-production – not least the length of episodes, now they’re not restricted to the standard length.

It’s the hell of an opener, courtesy of executive producer Rockne S. O’Bannon, with one of the biggest laughs I’ve had this year at a non-comedy show, and one of the sharpest jump scares. The former comes courtesy of Michael Emerson popping up where and how you’d least expect very early on in the episode; the latter I won’t spoil.

The episode is centred around Emerson’s Leland wanting an exorcism, and the reactions of the team to this alone are worth the price of admission. Cue a series of taut sequences that once again walk the tightrope of the supernatural vs. the mundane that the show did well in its first run – what has caused the burn on Kirsten’s hand, being the central one this time.

There’s plenty of attention given to all three leads – Herbers’ Kristen has plenty to juggle, given what she did in the series 1 finale, and that’s before one of her children develops a problem; Mike Colter’s David is disconcerted by the correlation between Leland’s comments and his visions; while Aasif Mandvi’s Ben’s scepticism is put to the test. There’s no Christine Lahti this time around (although the trailer suggests some fireworks are incoming) but Kurt Fuller’s Dr Kurt Boggs gets far more than he’d anticipated from his session with Kristen.

Verdict: A strong starter that recaps as necessary and sets up the threats neatly. 9/10

Paul Simpson