Ties That Bind: ‘The Exorcist’ Is a Horror With Heart
NB: This piece contains spoilers for the novel, original film and both seasons of “The Exorcist”. If you haven’t read the book and/or…
NB: This piece contains spoilers for the novel, original film and both seasons of “The Exorcist”. If you haven’t read the book and/or watched the movie and every episode of the series, read at your own risk.
When you hear the title “The Exorcist,” you think of priests, possession and pea soup. How could you not?
But what you also should take into consideration is its heart. In William Peter Blatty’s original novel of the same name and its two major adaptations — the William Friedkin 1973 film and the current FOX TV show — there are three major themes coursing throughout: horror, faith and love.
Parent-child relationships are a cornerstone of the novel and the film. Even if the only present Father is the Lord Almighty, His presence compliments Chris MacNeill’s role as the tenacious mother who will fight tooth and nail, burning down the world around her if it means saving her child.
Chris is a successful actress, who loves coming home to hang out with her daughter Regan, who lights up whenever Chris is around. They are all each other has when it comes down to it — Regan’s dad is barely in the picture when he can be bothered to care. When Regan starts behaving erratically, Chris is naturally concerned. As her daughter starts to deteriorate, Chris also shows signs of wear and tear. What happens to Regan is not isolated; it affects everyone in her life. The worse she gets, the deeper the effect on her mother and her mother’s assistant, Sharon Spencer, who practically lives in the Georgetown house; as well as Willie and Karl, the housekeepers.
Chris exhausts all avenues before she finally turns to Father Damien Karras. Regan is her life and she will do anything to save her. If that means exorcism, then goddammit, so be it. Father Karras may be skeptical if young Regan is possessed, but he can relate to the power of the parent-child bond. His own mother has a hold on him no one other than God can match. It’s no secret Damien is his mother’s favorite. He would do anything for this woman. It nearly kills him when she ends up in hospital and dies shortly thereafter because he wasn’t there to look after her.
As the characters visit Regan’s bedroom at different points in the narrative, once it’s clear she’s possessed (because really, at this point, what else could it be?), the demon strikes at Chris and Father Karras’ Achilles heels. It hits the targets effectively, separately driving each to the breaking point as fear grips their souls. Father Lankester Merrin, the titular exorcist, reprimands Father Karras, but also understands. Father Merrin’s compassion also is a factor. He knows the drill, but he deeply cares for the welfare of the child in that bed; even if it means sacrificing himself in order to save Regan. A belief Father Karras also holds.
Even Lieutenant William Kinderman, the cop investigating the death of Chris’ director, takes an interest in the droll Father Karras. They form a friendship in spite of everything. Kinderman develops a fascination, albeit abstractedly, with Regan in part because of the case, but also because of his new friend. His pain is evident when he sees Father Karras’ twisted body at the bottom of the stairs outside Regan’s window, where director Burke Dennings previously had landed. In the end, Kinderman finds himself at the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Father Karras’ friend, Father Joe Dyer; each leaning on the other as they navigate their grief.
“The Exorcist” TV show doubles or even triples down on this, proudly wearing its big bloody heart on its sleeve.
Father Tomas Ortega is devoted to not only his parish when we first meet him, but also his sister Olivia and nephew Luis. He’s also still connected to his now-married ex, Jessica. (Ugh. Jessica.)
Father Marcus Keane immediately pulls a gun on colleague Father Devon Bennett in Mexico City when Bennett, representing the Catholic Church, seeks to remove Marcus from a case while he’s in the middle of an exorcism. Marcus is a pit bull when it comes to those under his care. He takes his job very seriously and does it very well. However, this particular case will not end happily, sending the exorcist to a home for broken priests where he will meet the one person who will change his life: Tomas.
Their meet-cute is anything but: Tomas is nervous but determined as Marcus plays both offense and defense. Neither gives an inch, but the point goes to Tomas, who against all odds has peaked the interest of the heretofore disinterested Marcus.
From there, their relationship is spiky; the jaded Marcus and the innocent Tomas butting heads while each leaving his mark on the other, slowly forming a tenuous connection that will evolve into a bond forged in fire as Tomas joins Marcus as an exorcist.
It won’t be smooth sailing. Tomas has the gift of vision, which is what led him to Marcus in the first place. This ability also allows him to fight demons on another field altogether which could lead to his integration — from which there is no coming back — or death. Either option is as bad as the other, but it puts Marcus on edge and at odds with Tomas, who just wants to banish evil from the face of the earth like his brother in arms.
Season two ends with Marcus reluctantly yet decidedly walking away from Tomas and their partnership after killing their charge who had fought his way back just long enough to tell Marcus to pull the trigger and end his torment. Should there be a season three, this will presumably lead to a huge rift between Marcus and Tomas. Whether or not Marcus’ message from God will help salve the wound his departure created is another question that needs to be answered.
Bennett isn’t above attachments either. He mourns for the sister he left behind 22 years ago in Punia when a cardinal plucked him out of the only life he had known. He tried to find her, but by then it was too late. It’s Ana he sees while unconscious in his hospital bed at the end of season two. It’s a trick of the mind since two integrated members of the Church are there at his bedside waiting for Bennett to be ripe for integration with a demon. At this point, it’s only a matter of time.
Before any of that can happen, it becomes evident Bennett is just as much a member of the self-flagellation club as Marcus and Tomas. He blames himself for leaving his sister behind. He desperately wishes she was still here with him. It’s the biggest emotional development for the character in two years. It connects him to Marcus in a way we were never aware of, fleshing out their friendship in ways we never expected yet helping us to understand their bond.
Then there is Mouse. Introduced in the second season, she is a former novitiate who was inadvertently cast aside by Marcus after a failed exorcism saw him walk away (yes, there is a pattern), leaving her to pick up the pieces once she comes to terms with the knowledge he is not returning. Mouse continues her exorcist training, but never dons a habit. She’s funneled her anguish over the man she loved into her work, giving it all of her focus.
It is in this action that Mouse follows in Marcus’ footsteps. He once said, “… for the first time in my brief but very long life, I had a purpose. I was the gun, and the Church was the hand, and the words were true.” She now has a similar purpose. For perhaps, she hopes, in that truth she will set herself free.
The exorcists may be the focus of the series, but they are not its only source of real emotion. The families featured in both seasons of the show to date have been relatable as their interrelationships give viewers an “in” to the more supernatural and conspiracy thriller aspects of the show.
Season one introduces the Rances’. Angela, Henry and their daughters Kat and Casey are just your typical clan who happen to be undergoing a particularly trying period. Henry was hurt on the job, resulting in a brain injury from which he is still recovering. Kat was in a car accident that killed her girlfriend. Casey is possessed by the same demon that took over mom Angela all those years ago when Angela was just a girl. Like I said, typical.
The family, however, doesn’t let these trials and tribulations defeat them. They may be hovering in their separate corners when the season begins and sniping at each other to a degree, but by the end, they are fighting tooth and nail to stay together no matter what. They have each other’s backs and each is willing to sacrifice her or his life if it means the others will be safe.
Andy Kim and his chosen family of foster kids in season two are no different. They are incredibly close and are even willing to welcome new members, as when Harper is delivered by social worker Rose Cooper, an old friend of Andy’s.
Verity, Shelby, Caleb and Truck are a disparate group as you may ever meet; it’s their differences along with their shared history of tragic pasts and being shuffled from foster home to foster home that bond them. They recognize in Harper a fellow damaged survivor.
Between the kids and Andy’s own brokenheartedness over the demise of his wife Nicole, it’s a home that could easily remain shattered. It’s the innate goodness of these people and their ability to allow in the light to cast off the long shadows trying to take root that make it possible for them to rebuild after the darkness snatches away one of their own.
Marcus also is no stranger to rebuilding. After the death of young Gabriel in Mexico City, 18 months prior to when Tomas meets him, he lost his faith. When he gets back into the exorcism game, thanks to Tomas and the possession of Casey Rance, its with a fiery determinism that only hinders his progress. Marcus experiences a further setback when his collar is revoked and he’s excommunicated for Mexico City (among a litany of other instances, this just being the one that sticks).
Thanks to Bennett, the exorcist lands on the doorstep of Mother Bernadette. It’s through her Marcus learns to lose his ego and hubris when performing the ritual for exorcism, instead focusing on the possessed. There’s still a soul in there fighting the demon for control. Marcus is humbled; he embraces Mother Bernadette’s approach, willing to accept any guidance that will lead him back into God’s embrace and ensure he never loses another like he lost Gabriel.
The words Mother Bernadette spoke that changed Marcus’ worldview also can be the show’s motto for itself and its fans: “… You are forgiven. … You are redeemed. … You are loved.”
Words that Marcus would do well to heed in his own life. Instead of looking inward, he worries about Tomas: Is he truly ready for this line of work? Will his ability to interact with demons result in him losing his life or worse? How will Tomas — and their relationship — be affected by Marcus’ leaving? He also gives Tomas the moral and emotional fortitude to forge ahead on this dark and treacherous path they walk together.
Tomas also helps shape Marcus. His uninvited arrival into Marcus’ life kickstarts the older priest’s drive and curiosity. Tomas willingly walks headfirst into this line of work that is essentially the redheaded stepchild of the Church; yes it exists, but no one will acknowledge its existence unless absolutely necessary and even then there will be much debate. He knows the risks, but his duty to God and His children is too great. This is where Tomas and Marcus are two halves of the same whole; a trait they recognize in each other.
Each would sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Better to save others than themselves if it comes right down to it. This trait is not uncommon in heroes of sci-fi and horror series, where self-sacrifice can come off as narcissistic, but here it’s so embedded into the DNA of these two men that it does play as the noble deed it’s intended to be. (That doesn’t stop us from wanting to smack them and scream into their faces: “You’re too pure of heart and beautiful to die!”)
Whereas Marcus and Tomas have no problem finding the beauty in others — and in each other — they fail to fully see that Mother Bernadette’s words apply to each other. Marcus, as I previously alluded, is unable (and, perhaps, unwilling) to look inward and truly take the Mother’s words to heart. From his traumatizing childhood (he killed his abusive father) to spending his formative years as a ward of the Church and being indoctrinated into not only the faith but into the exorcist culture, Marcus has been living in the shadows his whole life. Tomas’ arrival has been the first shreds of luminescence he’s seen and willingly embraced.
Tomas wears a shroud of guilt that can’t seem to remove. He feels shame for not spending more time with his sister and nephew; his affair with Jessica; not being at his abuela’s side when she died; and Andy Kim’s death. One thing he does not feel guilty about is seeking out Marcus and standing by his side as an exorcist and as a friend. As much as Tomas believes his finding Marcus was predetermined, it’s every bit a blessing for him as for the older man. Finally he has someone who understands him, wants to protect him and respects him. The feeling is entirely mutual. Brothers in arms. Brothers in spirit.
If they only could direct the love they have for each other and invest in themselves, the underworld wouldn’t have a chance in hell.
Joanne Thornborough is pop culture junkie with a particular love for film, TV and the printed word. Find her at @cinelitchick on Twitter and Instagram.