(kettle whistling)
KORECKI: His Eminence said you had quite the turnaround.
LELAND: I sure did, and as I wrote to him,
I'd like to offer my services.
Yes. I'll hear you out, but I question the need
for another therapist on the payroll.
No, no. This would be a volunteer position.
Ah, ah...
-(chuckles) -Sister. Sister.
I am so sorry.
I've been baptized.
(chuckles)
Okay. Okay.
Uh... as I wrote,
um, out of gratitude.
I'm not suggesting that you would replace Ms. Bouchard.
No. Although she is not a believer.
Well, exactly what we need, an impartial observer.
What I would hope to provide would be kinship,
radical empathy.
I'm in the unique position
to counsel the spiritually afflicted.
I can look them in the eye
and tell them, "I know exactly what you're going through."
Thank you. Sister, thank you.
(keys jingling)
DAVID: When Adam sinned,
human nature was transformed,
and thus, all of mankind inherited original sin.
You don't think they'll ask why I want to be a priest?
This isn't a cruise director interview.
This determines whether you'll be ordained or not.
It's a given you want to be a priest.
Or is it?
Sister, when did you take your vows?
When I was 19. Why?
And you never wanted a family or children?
This isn't helpful.
Sister, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing.
To spend my whole life without a wife?
Without children?
To be alone?
Are you alone?
No.
I didn't want children.
But?
There was a man who fell in love with me,
but he...
Look, David, I have a gift, like you have a gift.
A door has been opened up to us,
and it comes with some responsibility.
But when you're in Plato's cave,
and you break the restraints and you turn to the light,
you can't go back.
What if... I want to go back?
(keys jingle)
Leland Townsend is pressuring the monsignor
into giving him a permanent position at the Church,
-counseling the possessed. -(scoffs)
That'll never happen.
Of course it will.
If you're having doubts, David, go satisfy them,
because the war is beginning.
-So, we'd be reporting to Leland? -No, no.
Like I said, he would sign paperwork.
Paperwork that would fend off future lawsuits.
-It comes down to liability. -Everything comes down to liability.
-What happened to God? -Look, this is all happening so fast.
Give me a few days just to catch my breath, David.
Now, don't you have
an ordination review to prepare for?
KURT: Come in.
-Oh, thanks for coming in, Kristen, I'm just... -I wanted to call you, um...
-Sorry. -No, um, please just let me go first.
-No, no. You don't have to... -I want to. I want to, Kurt.
Just, uh... a therapeutic apology.
The last time I was in here, I was, um...
The drugs and everything were playing havoc
with my perceptions, and I blamed you for things
that obviously were not true.
And I apologize.
Thank you.
You do seem...
-calmer. -(chuckles)
No more hallucinations.
-Really? -Yeah, for the last four days.
What happened?
A greater respect for the placebo effect.
Hmm. Well, now, that alone can't do all the work.
I know, and I want to come back here.
Good. Next Thursday?
Yes.
In the meantime, if you don't mind,
-I need to refer someone to you. -Refer?
A friend of mine has asked to meet you.
All right.
My wife passed away a year ago.
Uh, ischemic heart disease.
She was only 44.
It was, uh...
-I'm so sorry. -(inhales sharply)
Uh... in the last month, Nathan has been sensing
a presence in his house.
He thinks his grief has opened a door to...
something.
I told Nate about your work.
He wants to see if you can help.
Well, my work is tied to, uh...
-the religious stuff. -Well, look, to be honest,
I'm Catholic, but I'm not that religious.
Neither is Kristen.
NATHAN: I don't believe in ghosts
or things that go bump in the night,
but...
there's something going on in my house.
Something I've seen.
What?
A shape.
A shadow of a man.
I've caught glimpses of it
in a mirror behind me, or a window reflection.
This went on for weeks.
And then, all of a sudden,
it seemed like it wasn't interested in me anymore.
I started seeing it near my son,
Elijah.
It's going after him now.
What do you mean, "going after him"?
There was an accident. Elijah broke his arm.
NATHAN: It wasn't an accident.
There is something in my house, and it is targeting my son.
♪ ♪
Well, it could be demonic infestation
or could be nothing.
KRISTEN: Yeah.
He wants me to drop by tonight.
Why night?
Well, that's apparently when this entity appears.
Well, demonic entities aren't just like haunted house ghosts.
They don't just wait for nightfall.
I know, um...
I'll probably just go by myself.
-No, I'll go, too. -You don't have to.
I don't mean to drag you into it. It's...
Kristen, just give me the address
-and the time. -All right.
Thanks, David.
I knew you wouldn't be able to resist.
(David chuckles)
Ah... just a friendly visit.
When's ordination?
Next week.
Ah. The countdown.
You want to find out if there's something better?
No. Just talking.
Well, let me do my song and dance.
-MAN: Morning, Reverend. -(chuckles)
The Catholic Church has some good points,
but they're not worth the loss of freedom.
You go where they say, do what they want.
While here...
(busy chatter)
This is my church.
That's our youth fellowship,
rehearsing for their theater night.
Our literacy station.
It can get a little noisy.
Volunteers try to assist people who need it
with job application, school essays.
We're just getting ready for a BLM march downtown.
How long would it take to get that authorized
through the archdiocese?
They'd still be arguing liability
by the time we're out on the streets, protesting.
So, you leave the Church instead of trying to change it?
2,000 years is a lot to try to change.
Does it bother you that you'll never be Pope?
(laughs)
I don't want to be the Pope.
And I'm not so sure that's true.
Italians will never allow a Black Pope, come on.
I'm made in God's image, not the Pope's.
God's not the one that we see on TV.
There'd be a place here for you, if you wanted.
You'd be a major force.
Think about it.
-(insects trilling) -(wind whistling)
(rattling)
(rattling continues)
-What are you looking for? Oh!
(chuckles)
-Oh, sorry. -Yeah.
What's that for?
Oh, well, uh...
People sometimes think they see something,
but they're actually reacting to sounds.
So I listen for the sounds of a house settling.
-Got it. -Yeah.
I already told David this,
but I'm thinking of following you guys around,
writing a book about it.
-Why? -(chuckles): Because your work is fascinating.
-What did David say? -No.
Yeah.
He's probably worried that you're gonna make us
-look like a cartoon. -No, I-I wouldn't do that.
-I would be respectful. I... -Sorry. I...
(shushes)
ELIJAH: I got pushed.
-DAVID: By whom? -I don't know.
I wasn't home when it happened, but he was alone in the house,
and he said it felt like someone pushed him.
(scratching)
-Does it itch? -It's something else.
What?
It feels like bugs are crawling underneath.
And when I try to scratch it, it feels like they're biting.
When does it come off?
Three weeks. Then they'll "assess."
What's that?
Uh, water damage from the rain.
What's above there?
The attic.
-Oh! -Oh, my gosh!
-Oh... sorry. I should've warned you. -Are you okay?
-Eh... -Want me to go up?
No, no, I'm fine. I'm fine.
(groans)
-(groans) -DAVID: What?
Ah... nothing. Just the smell.
Sorry. All of Terri's things are stored up there
-and I can't... Nobody goes up to clean. -Mm.
KRISTEN: You don't want us to come up there and help you, do you?
(chuckles) No, I'm fine.
(groans)
Oh, man.
(groans): Man. Okay.
I'm gonna make this fast.
Uh... Okay, the bedroom is...
KRISTEN: What?
Nothing.
I'm just talking to myself.
-Another thing about a book is -(gasps) Oh.
it could convert people.
You mind holding this?
No. Have you ever been to Bali?
A lot of belief in medicine and spirits there.
They-they take it all as one.
(groans) The smell.
Yeah, something died up here.
Here's something.
DAVID: There's the water damage.
♪ ♪
-Need some help? -No, I got it.
-Boo! -Ah! (sighs)
I forget sometimes that we're working with a 12-year-old.
KRISTEN: Oh, my God.
What is that smell?
-Yeah. -I don't know,
but it's not rain damage.
DAVID: It looks like rust.
(keys jingling)
I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't open it.
Why not?
KRISTEN: What is it?
DAVID: I don't know.
A mummy?
BEN: In Bubble Wrap?
If I had a mummy, I'd wrap it in Bubble Wrap.
♪ ♪
Thank you so much for doing this, Lynn.
He's a very sweet boy.
We're biased, of course.
TRAVIS: Well, he's a little bit shy at first.
But we're sure he won't give you any trouble.
Call us if he does.
All the emergency numbers are on the fridge.
-I'm sure we'll be great. -WHITNEY: I'm sure, too.
Sebi?
Want to come say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy?
TRAVIS: Oh, um, bedtime is at 8:30.
And we should be home around 9:00.
-Sounds good. -Okay.
You're gonna listen to Lynn tonight, yeah?
All right.
Bye.
Bye. We'll see you two later.
-Bye, guys. -(chuckles): Bye.
-(door opens) -Come on.
(door closes)
So, what should we do? Any ideas?
Is there a game you want to play?
I don't pick the games.
My friend does.
Your friend always decides what games you're gonna play?
Yeah.
-And you never get any say? -He says I have to listen to him
'cause he's older than me.
Well, we're friends now.
So, what about Jenga?
Hide-and-go-seek?
-Okay. -(laughs)
You hide and I'll find you.
-Count of ten? -Close your eyes.
(chuckles): Okay.
One... two...
three... four...
five...
six...
(chuckles): seven...
eight...
nine... ten! Ready or not, here I come.
Sebi isn't here?
I'll have to keep looking.
Wow.
I can't find him anywhere.
♪ ♪
(chuckles softly)
Why aren't you hiding?
Sebi?
What are you doing?
(rocking chair creaks)
Come on, Sebi.
Let's go play.
My friend said I couldn't.
That's your friend?
-The doll? -He told me not to move,
so I can't play.
I'm really sorry.
It's okay if you want to play something else.
-You can tell me. -No.
I like hide-and-seek.
But I have to do what he says,
'cause he just seems small, but he's actually big.
♪ ♪
(chair creaks)
It was my wife's, but she'd sworn she'd gotten rid of it.
Why did she get rid of it?
She bought it at some flea market a decade ago,
and the guy she got it from told her some...
bizarre story about rules for care.
She thought it was funny,
-but it always creeped me out. -KURT: What are the rules?
NATHAN: If you don't do what Eddie wants, he hurts you.
-Eddie? -That's its name.
KRISTEN: And how are you supposed to know what it wants?
NATHAN: Well, she told me she'd thrown it away.
Maybe it told her not to.
I should check this chemical for toxicity.
You mind if I take the doll?
Please.
(door closes)
-(footsteps ascending stairs) -(Lynn groans)
KRISTEN: How was babysitting?
Fine.
I'm going to bed, Mom.
Okay.
(dog barking in distance)
You okay?
Yeah.
(indistinct chatter)
Okay, everybody out now.
Remember, which is more important?
-(car approaching) -Being smart or...
-GIRLS: Being funny! -SHERYL: Right, exactly.
Now go get a marginal education.
-GIRLS: Bye, Grandma! -(chuckles): Goodbye.
-Bye, Grandma, I love you! -Bye. Love you.
-(overlapping goodbyes) -Bye, mwah. Kisses!
SHERYL: Goodb-- Goodbye!
G-Go. Okay.
Come on.
-(chuckles) Hey. -Hey.
-You have a kid here? -No.
-I followed you. -You did?
-That's sinister. -What are your plans? I need your help.
With?
There's a game I'd like to play, if you're up for it.
Depends. What is it?
I ask you to do two things.
If you do them, I give you one thing.
Okay, I do two things, you do one thing?
That does not seem fair.
But the one thing I do for you is invaluable.
Invaluable is subjective, right?
(chuckles): No, it's really not.
(both laughing)
So, what are the two things that I do for you?
Well, that's the game.
You don't know.
Don't you hate every street you walk down,
every corner you turn, you know what'll be there?
This time, you won't.
(elevator bell dings)
Are these your offices?
I don't do permanent offices.
-I float. -Oh, I didn't know you can do that.
Oh, I can do a lot of things that might surprise you.
Oh.
I need you to put these on for the meeting.
Oh, so there's a meeting?
-There is. -Mm-hmm.
-Solve this. -(scoffs) When?
Now, for the whole meeting.
Last thing:
there's another man inside that room.
His name is Asa. He does not exist.
The only thing you care about is that puzzle, solving it,
until you hear me say the word "daffodil."
And then, I want you to go to him,
count to three, and slap him across the face.
(chuckles): You aren't serious?
Am I not?
Edward, there you are!
EDWARD: Asa, how are the kids?
(scoffs)
Can I call my own children annoying?
(both laugh)
-Maybe go with cute. -(laughs)
Uh, Asa Linder.
Shall we start?
Uh, yeah.
You remember Jim, Tom and Jerry.
EDWARD: Ah, yes. The three wise men.
(chuckles)
Okay, Ed. We're all ears.
Thank you.
You will need to transfer the fleet out of the LLC's name.
-And the apartments. -ASA: I'm sorry?
Once a business has been dissolved,
you have to transfer any assets
-out of the LLC's name back to... -Wait, wait.
I thought we were finding solutions.
Asa, your firm provides too many services to cut a profit.
You want to be an "all things to all people" company,
and you are not.
ASA: I've spent the last 15 years building this place.
And that's part of the problem. 15 years, that's too long.
I've paid you millions of dollars to find a path forward.
My grandmother used to say:
"If you woke up a daffodil and want to be a rose,
then it's gonna be a long day."
Here is your problem, Asa.
You are a daffodil.
Sheryl, do you need something?
(others gasp)
Oh, my God.
Nice seeing you, Asa.
(others murmuring)
(elevator bell dings)
You were amazing.
Yeah.
(alarm ringing)
(whispering indistinctly)
Yeah.
♪ ♪
(sighs)
(doorbell rings)
Hi, uh, we're Whitney and Travis Festa.
Lynn babysat our Sebi.
Oh, yeah, hi. Nice to meet you.
We're sorry to just stop by.
Um, the thing is, um, Sebi's favorite doll is missing.
And he's quite, um... He's emotionally attached.
He can't sleep without it.
We're really worried about disrupting his routine.
Sure, yeah. That's understandable.
So, um, we hate to ask this, but,
um, is there any chance Lynn has his doll?
TRAVIS: We're not trying to suggest that she took it.
Maybe just...
uh, she accidentally put it in her bag.
I don't see how she could've done that.
(dog barking in distance)
Um...
Could you ask your daughter?
Please?
-We'd really appreciate it. -Sure.
I'll-I'll ask and I'll give you a call.
Could you find out right now?
No, she's asleep.
I'll call you. Good night.
Hey.
I don't want you to babysit for them anymore.
I have their doll in my bag,
but I didn't steal it.
-Then why do you have it? -I don't know.
I think Sebi put it in my bag. I think he's scared of it.
Okay, um...
Well, his parents want it back.
So why don't you grab it, and I'll explain it was a mistake.
-Okay. Cool. -Okay.
(passing train clacking)
Where is it? Who went in my bag?
-What happened? -What's your problem?
-Laura, what did you do? -There was a doll in my backpack,
and now it's gone.
You're always touching my stuff.
-(overlapping shouting) -LYNN: Was it you?
(all shouting)
-Hey! -(shouting stops)
Let's all get a grip. What's going on?
I think Lexis stole it.
-No, she didn't. -I don't even know
-what you're talking about! -Okay, it must be somewhere.
Let's just all look. Everyone take a room.
-I got this room. -I call the kitchen.
-No, I'm-I'm staying here. -Move out of my way.
Yeah, just blame it on me. Right.
What is it? What's on your mind?
Does it ever bother you that you'll never be Pope?
(Andrea laughs)
No.
Does it ever bother you that you might?
(laughs) No.
Sister, that man that fell in love with you,
do you ever regret not going off with him?
That man. Hmm.
He became a top real estate agent in Philadelphia.
He married. He had three kids.
And then, on August 18, 2008, he went into a Wendy's,
bought a cheeseburger, went back to his car,
ate it... and shot himself.
Why?
Because his wife was divorcing him.
Because his kids wouldn't talk to him.
Because he was alone.
I'm sorry.
So when you ask me, as a nun, if I'm ever alone,
no, I'm not.
I'm never that alone.
I know why I'm alive, and it's not to sell real estate.
It's warfare at its highest level.
And that's why you're alive, David.
Who's been in your ear?
No one.
Bull.
Whoever is asking you these questions,
you ask them this:
how do they contend with evil?
Do they believe in the demonic?
And if they don't, why listen to them?
I just want a normal life.
Too bad. You can't.
This man had my photo and my number in his wallet.
That's why the police called me to the Wendy's.
(sighs) And that is the saddest part of this.
He didn't have the number for his wife.
He didn't have the number for his kids.
He had the number of a nun he hadn't seen in 30 years.
You're not alone, David.
That's the good news and the bad news.
God is here.
And the Devil is, too.
DAVID: Why did you leave the Church?
Are you getting serious about leaving?
I just want to know.
I didn't leave the Church. I left the priesthood.
Why?
Stopped believing in it.
The scandals?
Of course.
Child rape has that effect on me.
-And not the fact that you met a nun you wanted to marry? -(laughs)
You googled me?
Look, did I leave the Church because I fell in love?
Sure.
But I'm here, at my church, doing God's work,
and I think you should join me.
Part of my role with the Church is assisting with exorcisms.
Helping people who are under spiritual attack.
How do you deal with that here?
People here are under spiritual attack,
but it's from redlinings, from student loans,
from police shootings.
-And the evil of the satanic? -Ah...
The hocus-pocus stuff?
Look, I love the Church.
I love its robes, its incense, its chants.
But I'm in the 21st century.
I don't believe in a Devil with spiked horns and a tail.
I believe in the devil of the burning cross
and the corrupt cop.
Then why believe in God?
-What do you mean? -It's the 21st century.
Why believe in the God of miracles and answered prayers?
You think I need to believe in the Devil to believe in God?
I think you need to believe in...
what you call hocus-pocus.
God is as much hocus-pocus as the Devil.
I have a question for you.
Look at the people in your church who handle exorcisms.
Watch them.
In my experience, they are all show-offs.
Not you.
But look at the other exorcists. They're all performative.
They're all into showing off their spiritual warfare.
-(phone vibrates) -That's not biblical.
That's comic book Christianity.
Stay. Come on, help me get this protest started.
No, they need me.
They pretend they need you, but they don't, really.
A 15-year-old just tried to saw his arm off
because his house is demonically infested.
NATHAN: I hoped the doll being out of the house
would solve the problem.
But the shadow came back, here last night, in this room.
-Is Elijah all right? -He felt bugs crawling
under his cast, so he took this knife, and...
carved the cast off.
Oh, my God.
I'm gonna turn off the light.
-DAVID: Why? -Ultraviolet.
I found a toxic chemical called ABS in the doll.
This will help me find traces of it.
How is he? Is he still in the hospital?
Overnight.
He damaged his arm in the process, had to have surgery.
BEN: Uh, guys.
What is this?
♪ ♪
What?
KRISTEN: I believe Nathan Katsaris and Elijah are suffering
from a possible panic disorder.
It's a very common stress reaction for widowers.
That speaks to his mental state.
But these shapes on the wall?
-Ben? -Well, possible thermal bridging.
It's all about the way heat moves through a space.
If indoor humidity is high and ventilation is poor,
then dust particles can clump together.
But into these shapes?
Well, if the previous owners had Halloween decorations
on the wall, for example.
-David? -I don't know.
His family thinks it's demonic infestation.
Okay, then I'll dispatch Gregory.
Shouldn't Father Amara handle this one?
No. For an infestation, you don't need a priest.
We have a trained layman
who specializes in clearing houses of demonic entities.
Gregory can do it.
(sighs)
I am Gregory.
I am here to deal with your infestation.
I know.
(sighs): Yeah.
Let's get one thing straight.
You lie to me about anything I ask tonight,
-I'm out the door. -He has no reason to lie.
It's imperative that I get
an accurate sense of the moral standing of this family.
You know why there's no infestations
in abandoned houses?
Because there's no one there to notice them?
Because evil only attacks
where there's a soul that's vulnerable.
That's not in the catechism.
It's in the catechism of Gregory Beale,
born out of 11 years scouring evil from places like this one.
(quietly): You look pissed.
Every time I defend the Church, I meet someone like that.
(growls)
♪ ♪
(whispering): It was you.
(whispering): I'm gonna give it back.
I just want to play with it first.
Let me see it.
-Let me. -No, I'm opening it.
-Then do it faster. -Just wait.
That's Grandma's doll.
What?
-That's Grandma's. -No, it's not. It's Lynn's.
Then Lynn took it from Grandma.
What are you doing?
Lexis, come back.
-Lexis, give it back. -(dogs barking in distance)
It's not Lynn's.
Grandma? Grandma?
Grandma's not here.
This is where she keeps it.
What does she do with it? Why does she have a doll?
She asks for things.
Like what?
(sighs)
Lexis, don't.
Why not?
Because don't.
(rattling)
(shushing)
(whispers): You're just trying to scare me.
-(shushing) -(rattling)
♪ ♪
-(train horn blowing) -(both screaming)
(screaming)
-(quiet chatter) -(jazz playing faintly)
Mmm!
I only want to eat this for the rest of my life.
(laughs)
It's like a flower, isn't it?
-Mm-hmm. -The way they arranged it?
It looks like a daffodil.
(clears throat)
(fire whooshing)
May I help you?
(chuckles): No need to be formal, Charles.
-What are you-- -I got tested like you suggested.
There you go.
I don't know this woman.
Uh, oh, are you the wife?
'Cause there's nothing to worry about.
It's all, it's all good.
(chuckles softly)
I'm gonna need everyone, except David,
to stand as far away as possible while we do this.
It's for your own safety.
(breathes deeply)
Ah... Zepar.
My old adversary.
-(grunting) -(chuckles softly)
Gamigin.
(grunting, groaning)
(grunts)
(speaking Latin)
(grunting, straining)
-No. -What, this... this will
-popularize what you're doing. -No.
It'll make it look ridiculous.
Don't.
(panting)
This dwelling is now yours.
Thank you.
GREGORY (on recording): Zepar.
My old adversary.
(grunting)
(phone beeps)
Hello?
Boop.
-Kurt? -(gasps)
Are you okay?
What's going on?
Nothing.
I, uh...
(clears throat) Never mind.
-(sighs) -Hold on.
You got something on your nose.
(footsteps departing)
(train horn blowing)
-Two tasks. -Yep.
Now it's your turn.
My turn for?
For the one priceless and one-of-a-kind thing
-that you owe me? Remember? -Oh.
Let's go.
You have already received it.
You learned the greatest lesson of all.
Your inner strength.
(grunts, coughs)
No, I was joking. I was joking.
Stay, stay, stay. Ooh, that hurt.
What are you doing for me?
(whispers): Better be good.
You have graduated.
This is the head of my great-grandfather.
Our family always wanted to keep
a piece of our patriarch close to us.
This heirloom has been passed down through generations.
And now you are my successor.
This is your sigil.
♪ ♪
I want the doll back.
Why?
I didn't tell you everything.
When my wife was alive, she would give Eddie little gifts
to keep him happy.
She'd laugh it off, but she was superstitious about it.
I know it sounds weird, but maybe I need to do the same.
Did something happen?
I saw the shadow again last night.
The exorcism didn't work.
Giving to the doll isn't gonna do anything.
-Do you know that? -BEN: He doesn't.
-But I do. -Well, it couldn't hurt.
And for years my wife gave to the doll, nothing happened.
I convinced her to stop.
I bundled the doll into the attic,
and a month later, my wife dies of heart disease.
Well, that was odd.
You seem more thrown than usual.
(sighs)
I've been really struggling this last week.
-About your ordination? -Yes.
I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing.
David. (sighs)
You and I have been talking for a year now
about everything from God to death
to how to be,
and you inspire me.
I-I don't agree with you.
-(chuckles) -But I...
I know you want to be good.
There's so few people who want to be good.
I'm worried what'll happen if you turn away.
I know I'm a hypocrite for saying that,
but I think...
I think you offer balance.
There are all these bad people,
and I think you offer balance to them.
I will confess, I...
(laughs): I like our time together.
But what's more important,
I realized, is...
is you being this: a priest.
Different.
You ever wonder what it'd be like
if things had happened differently?
If I met you before all this,
what we'd say to each other?
You know I do.
Would we be in love?
♪ ♪
Go get ordained.
(door opens)
♪ ♪
(passing train clacking)
Hello, Ed.
♪ ♪
(sighs)
The Father.
The Son.
(sighs)
The Holy Ghost.
(takes deep breath)
I'm ready. Use me.
(takes deep breath)
♪ ♪
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org
♪ ♪
(screams)
Sous-titres : Aurélie Labrosse pour Libra Films - Videaudi .