‘The Exorcist’ takes a grief-stricken turn into genre greatness

As a rule, I generally give television shows three episodes before deciding whether it’s truly worth my time or destined for the slush pile that is the long list of programs that I’ve written off over the years. When it was originally announced that FOX was going to bring “The Exorcist” to the small-screen, I was firmly against the idea. And since it’s premiere, my thoughts haven’t been very positive about the finished product. And then Friday’s (Oct. 7) episode happened.

Going into the episode, titled “Chapter Three: Let ‘Em In,’ my expectations were quite low. And let me be clear here: In its execution, “The Exorcist” has been top notch in production value and performance quality since day one. The main issue I’ve had, thus far, has been the slow burn feel of the show and the lack of any real character for the audience to connect with. There needs to be some sort of empathy for the Rance family in order for this to work. And boy did we finally get that in spades!

By giving viewers a look into Kat’s (Brianne Howey) past, we’re not only shown why she was locking herself away in her room for days on end, the story finally sheds some light on young Casey (Hannah Kasulka) and why she’d be a prime target for any demon to possess. Grief is an awful state of mind and something that can ruin a person from the inside out. Giving us a view of Kat’s burgeoning romance, only to find it coming to crashing (and bloody) end suddenly put everything into perspective.

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Kat’s grief brings Kat attention, an attention that has surfaced a deep-seeded resentment in Casey. Negative thoughts breed negative feelings and it’s the car crash — and the subsequent death that transpired — that helped the grief and resentment attract the evil force that is now residing deep inside. It’s the proverbial blood in the water for this very different kind of shark.

Up until this point, it felt like Casey was the weakest character in the story. But that’s the brilliance behind “The Exorcist’s” writing team as, much like the demon taking over her being, the transformative power of evil is a slow moving train. But once it’s got a firm grip on your soul, the downward spiral becomes a nightmare with no light at the end of the tunnel.

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Not only does it seem that there is an army of demons set to take over the city — and the world, I assume — we now have a better picture of the entity Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) and Father Marcus (Ben Daniels) will be battling against. This is a different fight than the one Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) had against Baphomet, and goes much much deeper (church conspiracy, anyone?)

The life of one young girl isn’t the only thing hanging in the balance this time around, but it’s her fate that will dictate how the bigger story will unfold.

“The Exorcist” airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

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