‘The Exorcist’ Season Two Promises a Demonic Island Adventure

Alex Aronson

Leaving behind the Rance family of season one, Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) and Marcus Keane (Ben Daniels) hit the road for “The Exorcist” season two. Serving as a soft reboot, the series is taking a divisive turn by focusing on an entirely new exorcism story – with the holy and unconventional priestly duo carrying over for a new mission. It’s like a darker version of “Scooby-Doo.” The gang is all back, and they are ready to jump on another supernatural-possession mystery.

Season one served up a shocking twist when it was revealed that the mother, played by Geena Davis, was, in fact, the little girl, Regan, from the original 1973 film. The unexpected turn was a decent nod to the original. But now the show must carry itself on its own as it is no longer a tale centered on the original victim and more so a story about the exorcists themselves.

The next chapter of the show doesn’t waste anytime getting started. Driving down a dusty country road, Tomas is haunted by visions that prevail to be as damaging as his regretful (?) life choices. But he hasn’t much time to stay inside his own head as bullets quickly skim the car. Sitting in the truck’s bed is Marcus. Only he is not alone. He is sitting atop a possessed woman – Cindy. Behind the wheel of the bullet happy truck swiftly chasing after them is her pissed off husband. The chase leads them into an empty barn where the rituals continue.

Clearly still affected by the events in season one, Tomas starts to think that there could be an alternative demon-exit method other than the “ritual and repetition” Marcus swears by. Their attempt to help Cindy proves to be unsuccessful, albeit introspective.

Country escapades aside, the true interest of the season appears to derive from a small island off of the coast of Washington. Nachburn, as it is known, has a history of its own surrounding a legendary witch who killed children, leaving their bodies to rot in a well. At least, that’s the local myth the kids like to tell one another. Located on the atmospherically gloomy and eerie island is a foster home of at risk kids run by Andy (John Cho). It is evident as soon as he appears on screen that he genuinely cares for the children inside the home.

But just as soon as the family-like until settles down for the night, Andy notices one of the kids, Caleb, has gone missing. The entire house mobilizes into the dense woods, where Andy finds Caleb atop a well… but not before he notices a strange cocoon slithery maggots. Unbeknownst to poor Andy (he is such a nice soul, and the viewer will already have much empathy for the guy), Caleb’s eyes cloud over. There is something evil taking over the boy, and thus, the cycle has started again.

The pacing is as pressing as it is quick, and the special effects are on par with Hollywood’s horror finest. The Friday night timeslot appropriately fits adventurous horror tone. It appears that the show has actually found a nice groove for itself.

While the first season of Fox’s “The Exorcist” wasn’t a runaway hit in the ratings, the core audience remained dedicated nonetheless. Tempting the network to give the show a second chance, it appears that fans of the show will most likely delve into the enriching new story.

“The Exorcist” returns for season 2 Sept. 29 and airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.