The battle to stop Kthara’s evil plans reaches its climax, but nobody will walk away unscathed.

Here we are then, at the end of what’s been an uneven maiden run for this TV adaptation of one of Marvel’s spookier properties. By turns, it’s been surprising, fun, odd, stilted and even (in places) dull. But with a novitiate about to give birth to the new mortal form of an ancient evil and our hero still possessed by that creature’s son, can it stick the landing with a worthy conclusion?

Sort of?

Part of the issue here is that after the big surprise reveal of Gabriella’s super accelerated ‘pregnancy’, the writers don’t really seem to know what to do with it. They mostly sidestep the potential ethical issue of a deeply Catholic woman being about to give birth to a literal demon and therefore not having what might otherwise be the ‘obvious’ avenue open to her. They mostly have her be sort of defiant and spiel a lot about how she’s not going to do it and she’s in control when really she’s anything but. The one interesting choice she gets to make – wherein she essentially puts her own life before those of others – doesn’t really, in the grand scheme of things, make an awful lot of difference.

But what about Daimon? We know after all that he won’t be ‘dead’ but also how on earth can he now ‘save the day’, especially when he’s currently still possessed by a demon stronger than both himself and Ana.

Well, after a bit of dithering while Ana recovers both parts of their father’s knife, and some helpful assistance from the world’s newest Keeper, it all just….sorta works out. To say more would be to give away too much but suffice to say that after an epic build up the last twenty minutes of so of the episode is spent in fairly mundane housekeeping, as we examine who’s left standing, what their lives hold next and so on. It’s all a little bit of a damp squib, not least because having built up Kthara as such a massive threat all through this season, she must perforce take a sort of second place as the show lays down foundations for a second season it may or may not get, including the introduction of an entirely new character literally just before the closing credits.

In many ways, it’s been an interesting journey. There are good characters and decent actors portraying them here, but many elements have felt ‘off’ as well. It’s as uneven in its conclusion as it’s been from day one, and honestly, I can’t really tell if it’s been worth it as a whole.

Verdict: Simultaneously rushed and glacially paced. The Schroedinger’s Cat of season finales. 5/10

Greg D. Smith