Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2385

On the OUTLANDER Finale, Claire’s Life Took Another Dramatic Turn

It’s about to get all spoilery up in here, sassenachs. If you haven’t watched the season two finale of Outlander, “Dragonfly in Amber,” avert your eyes now and do not travel through the stones.

The Battle of Culloden is nigh, and though Claire and Jamie have tried a number of desperate moves over the course of the second season of Outlander to prevent the fateful fight, nothing has worked. In the season two finale, they took one last swing–another hail Mary of sorts–with disastrous results leading directly to the opening events in the 90-minute “Dragonfly in Amber.” Those events were set in 1968. Wait, what?

For the sake of less timey wimey wibbly wobbly-ness, I’m going to recap the episode by time period. The story jumped back and forth between 1968 and 1746 like a billiards ball bouncing back and forth across a pool table. The editing worked exceptionally well for the story, pushing the dramatic tension and heightening emotions. However, that’s not going to translate so well as we look back…

So, 1746. Claire came up with a “screw it all” solution and offered to poison Prince Charles. With him eliminated, the battle wouldn’t happen and the Jacobite rebellion would be over. The range of feelings that played across Jamie’s face are a testament to Sam Heughan’s acting abilities. Jamie was initially shocked–as if someone had punched him in the gut–but you could see him coming to terms with the idea. But as they were ironing out the details, Dougal overheard them. Mad, irrational, emotional, devoted to the cause Dougal. Yeah, it didn’t end so well.

By not so well, I mean Claire and Jamie killed Dougal. Dougal was a wild card, yes, but he was also Jamie’s family. His loss hurt. It got worse when Rupert walked in on the scene and looked at his former friend Jamie with utter disgust and coldness. It was a lesson in how fast things can change. And change they did. Jamie asked Rupert for two hours, and Rupert agreed to wait to turn him in.

Leave it to Jamie to remain practical in such an intense situation. He didn’t despair or lose his head; he took care of business. It was like he had a “in case I’m about to die” checklist running in his head. He had a deed transfer drafted for Lallybroch–dated before Jamie was branded a traitor, so the legality wasn’t an issue–and tasked Fergus with delivering it to his sister Jenny. He left instructions with Murtagh to lead their men away from Culloden. Finally, he took Claire to Craigh na Dun.

He knew Claire had become pregnant again and wanted to send her back through the stones to keep her safe. Because of murdering Dougal, Jamie’s neck was set to have a rope around it. He was either going to die by hanging or in the Battle of Culloden, and either way, he didn’t want Claire to stay. Was it a necessary choice aside from the interesting effects on the story? It’s something I’ve considered again and again. It’s the safest and most secure decision for Claire and her unborn child, and from Jamie’s perspective, that makes it the only course of action.

Their parting was as painful as you’d expect. They’ve found such love in each other in their brief years together–as Claire later tells her and Jamie’s child, Jamie was the love of her life. Heughan and Caitriona Balfe executed the scene beautifully. They didn’t have to break down in sobs to illustrate the sadness. They did it with impassioned looks, gripped hands, and some tears.

So, Claire traveled back. We meet her again in 1968, 20 years later. Claire and her grown daughter, Brianna, are in Scotland. It marked Claire’s first trip back there since the ’40s. They were there to attend the wake of Reverend Wakefield, a colleague of Frank’s we met in season one. The Reverend’s adopted son Roger took an instant liking to Brianna, and rather than a quick one-night trip to Scotland, Brianna and Claire (now Dr. Claire Randall) stayed. This is a good place for me to point out the elegance of the older makeup look they chose for Claire. I don’t know how realistic her appearance is for a 50 year-old, but she does look like she’s aged.

Brianna and Claire’s relationship doesn’t seem bad, but it’s obviously strained. Brianna made a remark to Roger about how her mother lived in another world; she also seemed a little bitter towards Claire for not loving Frank. We don’t know what Frank and Claire’s marriage was like after Claire returned, but at the very least, they had some kilt-shaped baggage to sort through and it’s not exactly the kind of problem Claire could put on the table at counseling. “What’s the problem, Mrs. Randall, don’t you love your husband?” “I do, but there was this man in 1746 I loved more…” She would have been put into an institution.

All of their history is swirling under the surface when Brianna and Roger sort through the Reverend’s paperwork to find information on an “incident” with her parents Brianna had heard about. As she learns Claire went missing for three years, Claire visits familiar places–Lallybroch and the memorial at Culloden, where she assumed Jamie had died, and Frank–who is now deceased–had made her promise to make no mention of Jamie. Frank didn’t want Claire searching through history for him; he wanted her to let Jamie go. So, believing Culloden to be Jamie’s final resting place, she sat down to tell him all about Brianna and to say a word she didn’t say when she came back through the stones in 1746: Goodbye. The scene is one of many tear-inducing points in “Dragonfly in Amber.”

In a turn of events that was not at all surprising even if you haven’t read the Outlander books, Claire tries to tell Brianna the truth about her biological father Jamie Fraser. Brianna had none of it, as you can imagine. She believed her mother to be delusional. Roger, however, was more open-minded. Maybe it’s something about his Scottish background. I think they have more folklore and legend than we do in America. Or maybe he just wants an adventure.

Regardless, let’s pause for a moment to discuss casting. Richard Rankin is spot on as Roger. He captures the character’s charm and slight goofiness. He looked so uncomfortable when Brianna insisted he stay to listen to Claire’s explanation about Jamie. I felt fidgety on his behalf. Sophie Skelton has room to grow as Brianna. The character is somewhat naive so maybe that’s part of her awkwardness in the role, but I’m not entirely sold on Skelton. Not yet.

Brianna doesn’t necessarily believe her mother, but she does come around enough to ask questions about Jamie. The excitement on Claire’s face over getting to tell her daughter about Jamie is sweet. But before Claire got too far into the story, she stumbled upon a way to prove the whole time traveling through a stone business. It came through Gillian Edgars, a.k.a. Geillis Duncan.

Remember, Geillis was a time traveler too and she left in 1968. Claire and Brianna happened to be in town the night Geillis was departing to go to the 18th century. Geillis’ reason for making the jump was because she wanted to further the cause for Bonnie Prince Charlie–which adds another layer to her relationship with Dougal, a Jacobite through and through. Oh, PS: Roger Wakefield is actually a MacKenzie and Geillis and Dougal’s illegitimate child is his ancestor. Small world, eh?

Thanks to some stolen notebooks, Claire has seen Geillis’ research and knows Geillis believed a human sacrifice was required to pass the stones. Since Geillis conveniently hinted at her plans to Brianna and Roger, Claire took them to Craigh na Dun to try to warn Geillis about keeping a low profile in Scotland. She couldn’t stop Geillis from going through the stones because it would have screwed with Roger’s history. However, they arrived a touch too late. Geillis burned her husband and jumped into the stone and disappeared. On the upshot, Brianna has no doubt about her mother’s story now.

With Claire’s time traveling confirmed, Roger decides to share an important tidbit he disocvered. His research shows Jamie escaped the Battle of Culloden. That was all Claire needed to know. She’s going to go back to the 18th century.

If you haven’t read the books, what was your reaction to the jump to the future? Did you suspect who Brianna was? If you have read Diana Gabaldon’s source material, what did you think of the editing? Discuss all the things in the comments or come chat with me on Twitter.

Images: Starz

The GAMBIT Movie May Shoot in Spring 2017

Despite several delays, the Gambit movie may finally be on track to begin production…just not within the immediate future. At least according to X-Men producer Simon Kinberg.

Via Comic Book Resources, The Hashtag Show caught up with Kinberg at the Saturn Awards, and he was forthcoming about what’s currently happening with Gambit. “We have a great script on that and hope to shoot that movie at the beginning of spring of next year,” said Kinberg. Earlier in the year, Kinberg noted that the most recent setback for the film was born out of a desire to get the script right.

As far as we know, Doug Liman remains attached to direct Gambit, although he has currently stepped aside to helm Mena, a crime drama starring Tom Cruise. Channing Tatum will play the Cajun card-tosser, but it’s unclear if Léa Seydoux is still slated to portray Bella Donna Boudreaux, Gambit’s first love. Some previous reports have suggested that Liman wanted to recast the film, aside from the title character.

Even among the X-Men, Gambit’s origin stands out as one of the more convoluted backstories, and it would take a considerable amount of effort to streamline it for the big screen. The presence of Bella Donna in the last iteration of the script suggests that at least some elements from the comic version will remain in the story.

Gambit doesn’t currently have an official release date, but Fox has mapped out two dates for its X-Men related films in 2018: March 2 and June 29. It’s possible that Gambit could be placed on one of those dates.

Are you still excited about the Gambit film? Pick a card, and let us know what you’re thinking the comment section below!

Image: Marvel Comics

A WALKING DEAD Trailer With DEADPOOL Audio Makes the Apocalypse Fun (NSFW)

The Walking Dead and Deadpool, despite both using the d-word and being based on comics, run on the opposite ends of the pop culture train. Walking Dead is the super-serious drama set in the worst possible scenario imaginable. Deadpool does anything BUT take itself seriously. Individually, both do their jobs very well. What would happen if you combined the two? Thanks to a fellow named AFK Anthony, we now have the answer.

Posted on YouTube July 7, Anthony’s mash-up takes clips from The Walking Dead and the audio from the red band Deadpool trailer to make something pretty cool. Normally, Rick Grimes and his crew spend every day trying to survive hopeless situation after hopeless situation. Add in some Salt-N-Pepa, DMX, and Ryan Reynolds, and you have a whole different story. Yes, they are still living in the zombie apocalypse, and yes, they all could die at any given moment. That doesn’t mean that can’t have a little fun doing it.

I like how the trailer is mixed: it takes some of the quieter moments from the show and makes them funny, and takes the badass moments to make them even more so. I also kind of wish the Walking Dead would hire Deadpool’s foley artist to do the sound effects. Deadpool punches definitely have a little more “oomph” to them. Also more “squish.”

You can check out more of AFK Anthony’s videos on his YouTube channel here.

So what do you think? Would the Walking Dead improve with a little more goofiness throughout? Or has Deadpool finally reached his full saturation point? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

Image: AMC

TEEN TITANS GO! Exclusive Pop! Funkos Are Coming to SDCC

One of the defining characteristics of any super-fan at a convention these days is the lengths they’ll go in order to pay homage to their favorite characters. In a lot of wonderful instances, this results in some amazing cosplay creations that are truly a sight to see. Whether it was deliberate or a bit of serendipity, these new Teen Titans Go! Funko Pops, depicting the time they crossplayed as other members of the DC universe, are arriving just in time for SDCC exclusives.

The trio of 3.75 inch tall Toys”R”Us exclusive Pop! vinyls are some of the coolest unintentional cosplay figures we’ve seen. With Robin dressed as Batman, Starfire dressed as the Flash, and Raven bringing her bad-ass cred even higher dressed as Wonder Woman, these are undoubtedly going to fly off the shelves at San Diego Comic Con. We say “unintentional” cosplay as these figures actually depict the characters from a Teen Titans Go! story-line that, as luck would have it, you can watch a clip from thanks to Cartoon Network’s YouTube Channel:

Although clearly marketed toward children, the show makes an incredible amount of tongue-in-cheek jokes toward the classic DC canon. And jokes they are aplenty in the clip from Cyborg introducing everyone à la the old-school Super Friends voice, to the mention of his own JL membership, and the obvious troubles you’d run into trying to pilot an invisible jet.

As if we needed additional reasons to be excited about SDCC, these Funko Pops certainly count as three more things to look forward to. Our one hope is that Funko makes the other two Titans dressed as DC heavy-hitters, because who wouldn’t want Beast Boy dressed as Martian Manhunter?

What do you think of these Comic-Con exclusives? What others are you looking forward to? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Images: Toys”R”Us 

Facebook Announces App Where Messages Can “Self-Destruct”

“This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds” isn’t just a quote from Mission Impossible anymore. Facebook, in recognizing the need for safe and secure communication, has just announced a “Secret Conversations” messaging app that will function much like the film’s fleeting messages (though with less combustion).

“Providing more ways for people to safely share is an important part of making the world more open and connected,” said Facebook’s head of Messenger, David Marcus, in a statement. “Whether you’re asking a doctor for medical advice, sending sensitive account information to your spouse, or even your Social Security Number, it’s important to have options available for sharing these kinds of very sensitive messages.”

We live in an age where millions of people’s credit card information can be stolen in one fell swoop and private email servers can be used in criminal investigations. As such, encryption services are at a premium, and digital privacy has never been more highly valued. Facebook is expounding on Snapchat’s model of the ephemeral message in order to address those growing concerns—rather than just serve as a platform for face swaps and dubious screenshots.

With the Secret Conversations feature, a user will be able to send encrypted information and determine how long it remains viewable—anywhere from five seconds to six hours—before it ‘self-destructs.’ The optional feature, as Adweek reports, is in somewhat of a beta phase where Marcus and his team hope to gather feedback before making it more “broadly available” later this summer. Check out the accompanying video for a full demonstration.

What do you think of the news? A useful addition? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Facebook/Paramount

Here’s What Not To Miss At SDCC 2016, Day Three

Saturday is traditionally the biggest day of the San Diego Comic-Con, and this year’s Comic-Con will be no exception. The programming schedule for Saturday, July 23 has been released, and the movie studios are coming back to Hall H in force! Warner Bros. and Marvel will both have lengthy panels, which are currently light on details.

11:30am | Warner Bros. Pictures
2:00pm | Star Trek
3:15pm | Aliens : 30th Anniversary
4:30pm | Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass
5:30pm | Marvel Studios
7:00pm | Kevin Smith

Warner Bros. has no officially listed guests for its panel, but given that Suicide Squad is coming out next month, we’ll probably see some of the cast members at SDCC. Justice League is currently filming, and this would be the natural time to steal the spotlight of the con by debuting the first footage from the film or even bringing the entire cast together on stage for the first time.

If there are any major announcements about the new Star Trek series on CBS All-Access, they will probably occur during the Bryan Fuller moderated panel in Hall H. That event will have stars from all five live-action Star Trek series, including William Shatner, Scott Bakula, Michael Dorn, Jeri Ryan, and Brent Spiner. Dorn is pulling double duty as the only representative of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s cast and for his seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation alongside Spiner.

The Aliens 30th anniversary panel has a dream lineup that includes cast members Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton , Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, and Paul Reiser appearing with James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. “Game over, man!” Entertainment Weekly’s “Women Who Kick Ass” also has an impressive panel with Morena Baccarin (Gotham), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman).

Like Warner Bros., Marvel isn’t tipping their hand about their movie panel. However, Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 are definitely going to be represented there, and we may even catch a glimpse of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok. Kevin Smith is closing out Saturday’s Hall H schedule with his popular spotlight panel.

For the last two years, the DC superhero TV dramas had their own massive panel in Hall H on Saturday evening. This year is breaking that tradition, but there is going to be a slate of four panels in a row in Ballroom 20 starting at 3:30pm with Supergirl, which will be followed by DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, and Arrow, all of which will get at least 45 minutes with the cast and creative team of each show as well as footage from the new seasons. Since there is a crossover planned between all four shows, we’d be surprised if the respective casts don’t share the stage at some point as they tease that event. This would also be the ideal time to introduce former Teen Wolf star Tyler Hoechlin as TV’s new Superman.

Outside of Ballroom 20 and Hall H, our two most anticipated Saturday TV panels are Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency at 4pm in Room 6BCF and Ash vs. Evil Dead at 6:45pm in Room 6A. Screenwriter Max Landis will be appearing alongside Elijah Wood, Samuel Barnett, and Hannah Marks at the Dirk Gently panel, while the groovy one himself, Bruce Campbell will be back for Ash vs. Evil Dead’s presentation with Lucy Lawless, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Ted Raimi, and TV icon Lee Majors! And there’s even better news for fans of the show. The second season of Ash vs. Evil Dead will have its world premiere at 10pm in Room 6DE.

In the comic book world, we’re very interested in “DC: New Crossover Classics” at 10:00am in Room 6DE, which will explore some of DC’s latest crossover comics including Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man/ThunderCats, and Gotham Academy/Lumberjanes. This also seems like the ideal stage to announce a new crossover or two. At 1:45pm Stan Lee will have a spotlight panel in Room 6A. Not to be a downer, but if you’re a fan of comic book history, you owe it to yourself to see Stan Lee in person while you still can, as he is one of the few remaining living legends in comics. At 8pm in Room 25ABC, several comic creators will pay tribute to the recently deceased Darwyn Cooke. Jimmy Palmiotti will moderate that panel, which includes Mike Allred, Scott Dunbier, Cully Hamner, Frank Tieri, and Bruce Timm.

Just because it’s Saturday doesn’t mean that Team Nerdist is sitting this one out! If you head over to the Horton Grand Theatre at 4pm, you can catch Jessica Chobot for a special Nerdist News Live panel. Our sister site Geek & Sundry’s Critical Role will also have a panel at 7:30pm in Room 24ABC with Matthew Mercer and other members of the cast.

Finally, fans will have the chance to welcome Mystery Science Theater 3000 back at 8:30pm in Room 24ABC as series creator Joel Hodgson, Felicia Day, and others from the revival series offer up a taste of what’s coming in season 11!

You can check out the entire schedule here.

Which Saturday Comic-Con panels are you most excited about? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Ray Winstone Will Get Cuddly as He Joins THE WOMBLES

The Wombles is a British children’s television series that was broadcast in both 1973 and 1996. Based on books by Elisabeth Beresford, these pointy-noised creatures from Wimbledon Common got into adventures while singing songs and teaching kids about the environment. It was a mixture of stop-motion animation and people in costumes. If there were a UK version of Sid and Marty Kroft’s Banana Splits, this would be the closest thing to it (minus all the psychedelics). Seriously, watch the video above of the original theme song.

Since 2015, series creator Mike Batt has tried to get a CGI reboot of the program onto the air. In a report from the Guardian, it sounds like Batt is much closer to making the show a reality with the addition of a new cast member.

Ray Winstone (Beowulf, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) has signed on to voice Tobermory. He joins original cast member Benard Cribbens as Great Uncle Bulgaria. Cribbens did the voices for all the Wombles characters during the original runs of the series.

While speaking at the Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield, Batt spoke about the difference between children’s programming today and in the past. While he admits that shows need able to hold kid’s attention at a faster speed, there is still a role for slower paced shows, ““I believe you can hold the attention of the child – I don’t just believe it, I know it – with laughter, quality, and music. Because children really, really know about quality.”

Even though the program has yet to find a permanent home, the addition of Winstone will add a little fuel to the fire.

So what do you think? Will you check out the Wombles reboot if it’s available where you are? Do you think they were there to cheer Serena Willams on to her 22nd Grand Slam? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

Images: BBC2, Lucasfilm

This Wall-Crawling THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE Face Will Haunt Your Dreams

A lot of us–or our younger siblings–grew up watching Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas was the friendly, blue train that spoke with a British accent (unless George Carlin or Alec Baldwin were narrating) and had a surprising amount of adventures for a sentient train car only able to travel on a set of train tracks. Despite the potentially bizarre setting, most of us have only fond memories of the Thomas. Well, I’m sorry to say that is all about to change.

As The Laughing Squid reports, a Japanese sculptor named Y_NAKAJIMA has decided to take something good and pure and turn it into a sort of nightmarish ghoul of despair. Instead of a friendly, blue, British train, this sculptor removed Thomas’ face from its train body (which, when you look at it by itself is pretty damn creepy already), gave it a motor from a remote control car, and GLOWING GREEN EYES to create something that may be reminiscent to some of you who experienced Thomas the Tank Engine-infused fever dreams after bingeing when you were home sick from school. What’s more, the particular RC car engine that is used for this wierdo face creature comes from a toy called an Aero Spider, which has the capability to drive on walls and the ceiling. Because why wouldn’t you want a glowing-eyed train face zipping about in places you can’t reach?

The video that Y Nakajima took of the hell spawn zipping around on walls and the ceiling with its sinister green eyes aglow–complete with unsettling and overly peppy music–is going to be haunting my dreams for a long time. To pull from the wisdom of Jeff Goldblum, “You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could that you didn’t stop to think if you should.”

Did you watch Thomas the Tank Engine as a kid? Would you get a creepy Thomas face for your home, or do you think its too creepy? Tell me what you think in the comments!

Image credit: Y Nakajima/YouTube

The Tribute GAME OF THRONES’ Tyrion Lannister Deserves is Here

Warning: If you go ranging beyond this wall you’ll find Game of Thrones spoilers.

Tyrion Lannister might be known by the derisive moniker of The Imp, but few have stood as tall and have lived as full a life in the Seven Kingdoms—and well beyond its Narrow Sea—on HBO‘s Game of Thrones quite like he has. From saving King’s Landing against the invasion of Stannis and his army, to dealing with the hatred of his sister and his father (whom he killed), to being falsely accused and convicted of murdering his nephew the king, Tyrion’s journey has been one of the most compelling, rewarding, and also haunting, of the entire show.

It’s hard to capture everything he has dealt with in six seasons, but this new tribute video to him from Garo Studios pays proper homage to one of our favorites, a man who more than makes up for what he lacks in physical stature with both wisdom and wit, as well as a compassion we don’t always expect from a Lannister—though we do expect it from some Targaryens…

It also helps that the new Hand of the Queen is played to perfection by Peter Dinklage, in a performance that makes him an Emmy favorite year-after-year.

If this video has a familiar feel to it that’s because it was just last week we brought you Garo Studio’s tribute video to the life and death (and second life) of Jon Snow, a man who has many things in common with Tyrion. In fact, they might have a lot more in common, though if that is true neither of them know it.

These videos are very beautifully made, and if you’re like me and love this show and these characters you probably find yourself getting a little verklempt watching them. But that’s fine, because unlike so many other great characters at least they aren’t in memoriam tributes.

Yet.

What’s your favorite Tyrion plot line? What about a favorite line of his? Talk all things Tyrion with us in the comments below.

Images: HBO

OUTCAST’s “The Road Before Us” Set Course for Something Bigger (Review)

“You’re the key. We need your light.”

-the possessed Sherry to Kyle

Thus far, Outcast has primarily focused on the personal story of Kyle Barnes and his attempts at securing a normal life—one in which he ultimately reconnects with his wife and daughter. While this week saw the show’s biggest commitment to that plot, “The Road Before Us” also took steps towards framing the much larger story to come.

The mysterious “Merge,” which was mentioned in the first episode, was a major focus this week, and it was imbued with a sense of importance far greater than the possession of any single person. While Reverend Anderson is facing the complete and utter failure of his own exorcisms of individuals, and Kyle is seeking out information he can use for his own personal plight rather than out of concern for the afflicted, the demonic forces of Rome, West Virginia are committed to something much larger.

What that “something” is still isn’t clear, but it’s far more interesting than just some easily understood invasion of evil over-running mankind. The demons, who seem to have distinct personalities themselves, are taking over these bodies, but out of necessity and at some risk to themselves. After hearing “Mildred” talk about how she/it has been buying little knick-knacks (just like as the person she possessed), and after she made fun of “Sidney’s” clothing choices, the two had an exchange that showed this “Merge” might be a survival tactic as much as anything.

“I won’t survive ’til The Merge.”

“You took your chances, my dear, just like all of us.”

This raises lots of great questions, well beyond just whatever The Merge itself is. Are these demons trying to escape hell? Do they die if their host body dies? Do they have choices in who they end up inside of? How much do they control the soul they overtook, and how much does it control them? What is the cost of not being a part if it? Outcast has turned out not just to be a great horror show, buy also a great mystery series, which is what makes it so good week to week.

Then of course, there is the issue of that—for lack of a better term—spirit-draining kiss (shout out to Dementors everywhere!). Mildred attempted to do it to Sidney, in what seemed like a desperate try to escape her frail old body for his younger one, and then Sherry tried to do the same to Kyle. Like other demons, she had no problem explaining to Kyle how important he is to everything, saying that they need his “light,” a word that stands out since it describes a man who lives in darkness.

It also makes Sidney’s threats to deal with Kyle seem less about killing him and more about stopping him via other means. So although Allison is truly free of her demon (though the show did a great job not revealing that to us until the end, making a small scraper as terrifying as a giant axe), can anyone close to Kyle be considered safe? Is this why the people around him keep being possessed, to push him further and further away from his humanity? Or from God (which he already rejects and doubts)? Or simply to make him give up?

And all of that doesn’t include the ongoing investigation by Chief Giles (has Reg E. Cathey ever been bad in anything?) of the bloody, burned-down trailer of his firefighter friend. A mystery that somehow, strangely, got cloudier when it turned out someone wasn’t dead.

Eventually, all of these stories are going to merge (had to do it), and we’ll start to get some answers beyond just the vague responses of demons to Kyle, but I’m in no rush. The mystery of all of it is a big part of what makes this show as creepy and compelling as it is. “The Road Before Us” is only getting better the more questions it raises.

Images: Cinemax