The Ending Of Evil Season 3 Explained
In Robert and Michelle King's brilliant paranormal drama, "Evil," you never really know what to expect. For fans, this is exactly what makes "Evil" so thrilling -– you can never guess what's coming next. However, these twists and turns — not to mention the shocking cliffhangers — make the breaks between seasons difficult to bear at times. How are David (Mike Colter) and Kristen (Katja Herbers) going to reckon with the fact that they are totally in love with each other? What has Leland (Michael Emerson) been up to all this time? And what's with all of these demon babies?
We'd wager that even the Kings can't answer all of our burning questions. In typical "Evil" fashion, and the Season 3 finale posed just as many new questions as it answered, leaving fans and critics alike begging for more. The finale episode of the season was aptly titled "The Demon of the End," a foreboding name that would seem to suggest to viewers that at least some of the series' mysteries will be wrapped up.
In a typically slick move, the episode is bookended (literally) by another title: "The Angel of Beginning." It's likely that each episode in Season 4 will follow this title formula (as every episode in Season 3 was titled "The Demon of ..."), but we're pretty certain the next season will be anything but sunshine and roses. Nonetheless, we really have no idea how Season 4 will pan out, so let's take a look back at how we left things at the end of Season 3.
A grieving Father Ignatius takes over
The penultimate episode of "Evil" Season 3 ended with a shocking cliffhanger. Leland attempts to murder Grace Ling (Li Jun Li) because of her powerful visions, but Monsignor Korecki (Boris McGiver) interrupts him and is stabbed. The Season 3 finale opens with a now-deceased Monsignor Korecki on the floor surrounded by clergy and a distraught Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin). The saddest of the mourners is Father Ignatius (Wallace Shawn), who was not-so-secretly in love with Monsignor Korecki and kisses his forehead as a goodbye.
Rather than wallowing in his grief, Father Ignatius picks up right where his dearly departed left off and begins assigning new cases to our mystery-solving trio. When they ask him if he wouldn't prefer to take some time off, he claims that throwing oneself into work during times like these is preferable.
Though he was a man of mystery, Monsignor Korecki was an important figure at the church -– and in David, Kristen, and Ben's lives -– so it will be interesting to see how everyone functions in his absence. We'd love it if Father Ignatius took over his duties full-time, as Wallace Shawn is a joy to watch. Plus, Father Ignatius has a much more cheerful and open-minded demeanor than his predecessor, especially after his near-death experience at the beginning of the season. Barring any new characters, it seems likely that Father Ignatius will become the trio's new intermediary — but you can never really be certain with this show.
Leland gets away with murder
Leland's attempt to kill Grace Ling was one of the more shocking occurrences this season, especially because of how human the whole event was. Rather than having one of his lackeys do the deed, Leland goes to the church -– from which he has been banned –- on his own, risking being caught to complete the task. In an interview with Bleeding Cool, Michael Emerson said that his decision to go after her himself "suggests that Grace Ling is an extraordinary threat to Leland's world and his colleagues, employers, whatever you call them."
This makes sense, but what we find troubling is the fact that Leland so easily gets away with his crimes. When David runs to Grace in her chambers and asks her what happened, all she says is "a man came for me" and that the Monsignor shouldn't be dead. The fact that Grace -– or anyone else at the church, for that matter -– didn't suspect Leland was behind it all is perplexing, to say the least.
This makes us wonder what will become of Leland next season. He has a nasty habit of getting away with all the terrible things he does, in part because he's made a literal deal with the devil. Even his eventual ousting from the church was fairly anticlimactic. It will be interesting to see if the church positions itself against Leland in the next season — something they've been hesitant to do thus far.
The Bouchard girls are heroes
Though we imagine some fans might find them annoying, by our estimation, the Bouchard sisters are the real heroes of the show. It's a delight to see them challenge — or at least annoy — Leland to the point where he gives up trying to mess with them. Their most heroic moment came during the Season 3 finale when they literally saved their father's life.
When Edward (Tim Matheson) answers a video call with the Bouchards that was meant to be with Andy (Patrick Brammall), Kristen quickly pushes them out of the room, knowing something is wrong. However, the girls know something is wrong too, and they don't believe their dad has actually been trapped in an avalanche, as Edward says. Suspecting that Leland is somehow involved, they come up with an ingenious plan, messaging him on Bumblebee Valley, the virtual game he uses to try and trick them. When they hear a familiar ping notification coming from the call, they know they were right.
Weirdly enough, neither Kristen nor Ben (Aasif Mandvi) believes the girls when they reveal their suspicions. Ben's dismissal of Laura's claim seems especially strange, especially since it's a fairly logical explanation. Andy is brought home thanks to the girls' machinations, but it's quickly revealed that all is not right. Our hope for the next season is that the Bouchard sisters will finally be recognized for their ingenuity instead of being dismissed by the adults around them.
Is Andy really safe?
One of the biggest revelations at the end of Season 3 was the return of Kristen's eternally out-of-town husband, Andy. Though they had both made the decision to sell the climbing business in the previous season, Andy had gone on one final trip when Edward made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Leland, Sheryl (Christine Lahti), and Edward were planning on killing Andy after keeping him in some closet filled with unknown liquids, but the Bouchard sisters ingeniously foiled their plan.
So Andy's back now, and everything's all right, right? Well, maybe not. Andy seems to be suffering from memory loss –- he doesn't remember being held captive by Leland and Sheryl, for one –- and he doesn't seem like himself. Kristen is shocked to see Andy acting all buddy-buddy with Sheryl, who he normally doesn't get along with, but she doesn't quite know what to do with that troubling development. Even more concerning is the fact that Andy can now see demons, which, as we've learned on the show, are only visible to a select group of people.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Robert and Michelle King explained that Andy had to be away for much of the season because Patrick Brammall wasn't available, but now that he's back, will he stay for good? Andy and Kristen's relationship has been rocky ever since she started working with resident hot priest David, and we can't imagine his newfound demonic trauma will make things any better between them.
Sister Andrea is the only thing standing between the Bouchards and total demon infestation
The Bouchard sisters may have played the role of hero this season, but Sister Andrea also ended the season by kicking butt and taking names. Kristen and David call Sister Andrea because there was some weird writing in their new addition addressed to her, and she discovers that the Bouchard house has a full-on demon infestation. In one of the best sequences of the entire season, Sister Andrea hurries around the house smashing demons (that only she can see) with a shovel while a confused Lynn (Brooklyn Shuck) asks her questions about being a nun.
Though she may not look like it, Sister Andrea is one of the most fearsome characters on the show, if her demon-hunting is any indication. Andrea Martin told TV Insider that the appearance of all these demons around the Sister this season "means these demons are feeling threatened actually, so they're encroaching on her much more."
Sister Andrea seems to be the only thing standing in between the Bouchards and total chaos, and she's also the only person David trusts enough to reveal his demonic issues. Though Martin suggested that "they're setting it up that she's kind of impenetrable," she's only one human, and we've seen the demonic forces get stronger every episode this season. Will Sister Andrea be able to continue acting as a savior? We can only hope so.
Kurt is all in with the devil
In the first two seasons of "Evil," Dr. Kurt Boggs (Kurt Fuller) often acts as the voice of reason. As Kristen spirals out of control, he does his best to bring her back down to earth and tries to convince her it is all in her head — even though, in many cases, it was not. In Season 3, Kurt undergoes a striking transformation. Convinced it is his destiny to write a book about his experiences with the divine and the paranormal, Kurt is seduced by Leland's offer to get by with help from his friend.
In this case, Leland's friend is a demon, and he requires a blood sacrifice in return. Robert and Michelle King told Entertainment Weekly that Kurt's descent into demon-worship was inspired by a simple premise. "I think his journey came out of the inevitability of someone who wants to write, but who may not be a very good writer," Robert said. Making a deal with the devil to achieve success is a tale as old as time, but "Evil" makes the story their own.
Though he got involved with demons so he could write his book, it now seems that Kurt has become a part of the demon family tree that Leland is so fervently trying to propagate. Is Kurt in so deep that he's now past the point of return? That may very well be the case — we just hope his book was worth it.
Who on earth is Crystal?
There have been so many creepy, unexplained paranormal moments on "Evil" so far that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Still, there's one moment in the Season 3 finale that remains a complete mystery. In a surprising twist of fate, the finale sees the trio sent on a case that is very close to home. Kristen's neighbor has put in a call to the church because some odd things have been happening around the house. We later learn this is because Kristen's house is experiencing a demonic infestation and some of that energy seeped in next door.
However, there's one thread that hasn't been unspooled yet. Kristen's youngest daughter, Laura (Dalya Knapp), tells Kristen that she's been talking to her neighbor's daughter -– who is apparently named Crystal -– through an air vent in their room. When she asks her neighbor about it, she responds that she doesn't have a daughter –- only a son.
So who has Laura been talking to all this time? The obvious answer is that it is another demon who has been haunting the property, but why Laura? Kristen has spent much of the series worried about Lexis (Maddy Crocco) because she was conceived through RSM Fertility, but nothing much has happened with Lexis as of late. This makes us think that all of the Bouchard sisters are in danger of demonic corruption, even the sweet, innocent Laura.
Ben the Magnificent needs a break
For most of the series, Ben has acted as the most logical, level-headed of the group. Not a believer in God like David or an expert in the sometimes subjective field of psychology, Ben prefers to solve problems using the lens of science and technology. However, in recent episodes, Ben has had some experiences that test his famously objective mind. In Season 2 he has a horrifying near-death experience involving an elevator (one of the most disturbing episodes in the series), and in Season 3 he is kidnapped and almost killed by a religious cult.
Luckily, Ben has found some solace with his sister and the science-minded group she is a part of — but is it enough? To be honest, we're starting to get concerned about Ben, because it doesn't seem like he's really processed or come to terms with the traumas he's experienced recently. As Aasif Mandvi told Inverse, "He's supposed to be making sense of things, and nothing seems to make sense anymore. It's really affecting his mental health and his perception of reality."
If nothing else, Ben remains a good friend to the Bouchards –- he's kind of part of the family at this point –- and his relationship with the girls is adorable. Still, the Bouchards aren't exactly the most stable of families, so we're probably going to continue worrying about Ben's sanity as we head into next season.
Is Kristen starting to believe?
Kristen is a dynamic, shocking, loving, and at times terrifying character, which is why she is never boring to watch. She's had many transformations over the seasons, but this most recent development is perhaps the most surprising. After Edward calls to tell Kristen that Andy had been trapped in an avalanche, Kristen fears the worst. Holding out hope that Andy is still alive, Kristen prays for Andy's return, promising that she will take the girls to mass every week if her miracle comes true.
Oddly enough, her prayer work and Andy returns (semi) unharmed. This turn of events leaves Kristen perplexed. Was it really God who answered her prayer? She doesn't believe in organized religion, but now she feels she has to make good on her promise.
Kristen reveals her conflict to David, who encourages her to have an open mind about things. We doubt that Kristen will become devout in Season 4, but this incident does mark an interesting development for her character. It was only two seasons ago when the crucifix burned her hand after she killed Orson LeRoux (Darren Pettie), after all. Will this bring her closer to David? We hope so — although this certainly won't make David's resistance to the temptations of the flesh any easier.
David tries to keep the demons at bay
Season 3 sees David finally join the priesthood, something that was always just on the horizon in previous seasons. One might assume this would be a positive development for David, but this isn't exactly the case. Not much changed when he became a priest, and Season 3 sees David feeling a little bit lost in his new position.
To make matters even more complicated, David continues to be haunted by various demonic (and angelic) figures. Sister Andrea has been acting as his counsel, and, rather surprisingly, her suggestion that he put a mosquito net around his bed to keep the demons at bay actually seems to work. Still, the demons continue to be a problem for David, especially the one who takes the form of Kristen. Sister Andrea tells David that his doubt only brings him closer to God, but David continues to doubt his doubt nonetheless.
Working with the Entity seems to have given David some purpose, but it also nearly destroys his relationship with Kristen when she finds out. It's clear that David still feels listless and adrift at the season's conclusion, and we can only hope his confusion doesn't make him even more vulnerable to demonic influences.
The recipient of Kristen's lost egg is finally revealed
The biggest reveal of the Season 3 finale of "evil" comes at the end of the episode. Along with her lawyer, Kristen has spent much of the season trying to figure out where the egg she gave to RSM Fertility has ended up. She thought it was with a couple whose pregnancy ends in a bloody crime scene, but that turns out to be a red herring.
At long last, Kristen finally gets her answer. The address her lawyer gives her leads her to an office building downtown. As she walks into the office, the first shock comes when she sees her mother there. The second shock comes shortly after she stumbles upon a baby shower taking place in the office. The father of the baby? None other than Leland Townsend himself.
It's a truly disturbing reveal, as Leland is quite literally the last person Kirsten would ever want her DNA to mingle with. What we don't quite know yet is what Leland plans on doing with Kristen's baby. Does it have something to do with the demon baby in Kristen's addition? We still don't know what exactly RSM Fertility does with the eggs it receives or the nature of its relationship with the various demon houses. What we do know is that this might be the biggest shock Kristen has ever experienced on the show, and the ripple effects of her discovery will certainly reverberate for seasons to come.
When does Evil Season 4 air?
Thankfully, "Evil" fans didn't have to wait too long to hear if the show will be coming back for another season. "Evil" received an early Season 4 renewal this summer after only a few episodes of Season 3 had aired. "We couldn't be more excited to be terrified by what Robert and Michelle create for season four with our outstanding cast bringing it to life," Nicole Clemens, president of original scripted series at Paramount+, told Variety.
A Season 4 premiere date has not yet been announced, but our best guess is that it will premiere next summer, as Season 2 and Season 3 both premiered in June. Michael Emerson told Bleeding Cool that the writers will likely reconvene in October, while filming won't start until November. That means we still have a while to wait until we get our next "Evil" kick, but it does give us plenty of time to come up with our own theories about what will happen next. Demon-hunting party, anyone?