In the season 1 finale of The Exorcist, “Chapter 10: Three Rooms,” Tomas tries to save the Rances but winds up fighting for his own soul, Marcus is reunited with an old friend, and the enemies of the Pope move forward with their insidious plan.
Father Tomas arrives at the Rance household just as Angela/Pazuzu is torturing Casey. In true hero style, he demands Pazuzu step away from the family, but it’s not going to be that easy. Pazuzu informs Tomas that integration has occurred, and there is no Angela left to save. Tomas doesn’t believe it and tries to wage battle, but is rendered unconscious and useless by Pazuzu with a wave of Angela’s hand.
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Tomas Faces His Past Transgressions
Tomas finds himself in his childhood home, and he’s not alone — Marcus is with him. Only, he’s not really Marcus. It’s just another evil manifestation that warns Tomas that integration is permanent and Pazuzu can’t be beaten. Marcus tells Tomas he lost Casey, the love of his life, and he betrayed everything he held dear for nothing.
The Marcus in Tomas’ brain reveals that Tomas lied about his grandmother wanting him to become the first Mexican Pope. The woman was dying and she wanted him by her side, but Tomas couldn’t do it. And then Tomas is confronted with the image of his dead grandmother, heartbroken that Tomas didn’t return home to tend to her when she was ill. It seems she didn’t go weekly either. It took weeks, or maybe the grisly picture is a lie the demon is telling. But either way, Tomas envisions his grandmother as a rotted corpse, covered in bedsores, whose face was eaten away by cats.
Fighting for Their Souls
Pazuzu tries to explain to Henry, Kat and Casey that killing them would be inconvenient, among other things, and Henry swears he’ll kill the demon. Kat warns Pazuzu that Marcus will come for it, provoking the demon by reminding Pazuzu that he had been bested by a 12-year-old Regan before.
Speaking of Regan/Angela, there is a piece of her still holding out against the demon. There’s a bit of her hiding away in what manifests as a small bedroom in her mind. Pazuzu threatens to kill her entire family if Angela doesn’t let him in.
Marcus is being held prisoner by Brother Simon and discovers that Father Bennett is alive after all. Simon is excited to have Rome’s greatest living exorcist and the special security liaison to the Vatican itself in his clutches. He offers them the choice of integration and wealth and power beyond their wildest dreams, or they can die. Simon uses a large knife to slit a sizable gash in both mens’ forearms and warns them that the clock is ticking.
Brother Simon tries to entice Marcus to take the deal by reminding him of how the church has turned him into a killer, wringing everything worthwhile out of him and then excommunicating him. But Marcus’ faith is unwavering. He tells Simon he’s more than willing to die for God.
Simon moves forward with the ash ceremony because time is running out, and he’s got a Pope to kill, but someone isn’t happy with the arrangement. Maria Walters expects payment for everything she’s done, and she’s laid a claim to those ashes. But Brother Simon reiterates Pazuzu’s thoughts on the matter, telling Maria that she’s basically not worthy. She’s just an ox, nothing more. She doesn’t get a seat at the farmer’s table.
As the ashes hover above Marcus and Bennett, Marcus decides to provoke Maria. He equates her to Renfield (Dracula’s hapless minion) and reminds her that Dracula killed Renfield at the end of the book. She’s just waiting on the bench for a call that will never come. Marcus accuses her of being too afraid to take what is rightfully hers.
Maria is easy enough to manipulate, and she begs the demon to take her, sparing him and Bennett from integration. Maria gets what she wants, but her future looks bleak as she begins to foam at the mouth.
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What? No Pope Mobile…
As Tomas lays in a useless heap, fighting his inner demons (literally), Pazuzu tortures Henry, Kat and Casey in an effort to lure Angela out.
Pazuzu has given Tomas an out by placing a knife in his hand and promising that the only way he can wake up is to use it. He slowly raises it to his throat, but at the last moment, he has an epiphany — suicide is a mortal sin, and he’s not about to have his soul condemned to hell. He admits that he’s sinned; he’s lied to those around him. He admits to the demon that he has love, faith and hope. These things aren’t weaknesses; they make him what he is — an exorcist.
Casey makes a plea to Angela to fight, no matter how hard it is and how much it hurts. Pazuzu begins to torture her, but Tomas awakens to do battle once more. He whips out a cross and uses the power of Christ to compel Pazuzu clean across the Rance living room.
As the battle between good and evil commences, Kat, Henry and Casey start to make their escape, but Casey has a change of heart. She can’t abandon her mother now. Henry, Casey and Kat all begin to pray, offering Tomas and Angela some much-needed back-up.
The parade has started, and thousands of people line the streets of Chicago, hoping to catch a glimpse of Pope Sebastian. Marcus has made his escape but is struggling from blood loss to even stay on his feet.
The Pope’s car stops, and those who conspire against His Holiness make their move. A high-pitched noise incapacitates the crowd. Brother Simon approaches the vehicle, places his hand on the window and tells the Pope that “Morningstar sends his greetings,” but Marcus arrives and slits Simon’s throat with his cross. In spite of promises that someone would take his place, nobody does and the Pope is spared.
Angela opens the door to find the Salesman waiting, and she beats him to a bloody pulp. She leaves him in a heap on the floor in that room, begging her not to leave him and regains control of her body and soul.
The Battle Rages On
Marcus says goodbye to Casey. She questions if he keeps in contact with the people he’s helped, and he says he tried. Casey wants to know if they got better, and Marcus doesn’t lie. He admits that some of them stay in pain forever because they don’t think anyone else will believe them or understand what they went through. He advises Casey to remind herself every day that she’s still here and will be every day from now on. Casey doubts her strength, but Marcus says that in his 40 years as an exorcist, he’s never encountered anyone who fought harder and longer than Casey.
Like a young Regan in the movie, Casey gives the priest a hug and goes to be with her family. It appears that the Rances are leaving Chicago after all.
Marcus and Bennett also say their farewells, with Bennett promising to be in touch and warning Marcus to stay out of trouble. Tomas wants Marcus to remain in Chicago to teach him more about exorcism. Marcus warns Tomas that being an exorcist means constantly being hunted down. The demons they go after will eventually strip them of everything they hold dear, leaving them to die alone in a room somewhere.
Tomas swears he knows the costs, but it’s worth it. When Pazuzu died, Tomas saw the face of God. He doesn’t know why, but God chose him.
It looks as if this clerical Butch and Sundance will have their work cut out for them. The plan to kill Sebastian may have gone bust, but Maria Walters — now in possession of what she’s longed for — has plans that stretch beyond murdering a Pope. She meets with Jaffey and says they won’t make the same mistakes as Simon, and Sebastian wasn’t the finish line.
Was the season 1 finale anti-climactic? Do you think the Rances are finally free? Was the TV adaptation of The Exorcist a hit or a miss? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
