There has never quite been a show like the CBS-turned-Paramount+ dramaEvil,nor will there ever be one like it again. This supernatural horror procedural checks all the boxes you could hope for in a thriller or mystery series, bringing together psychologist Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter), and technical expert Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) asthe three work on behalf of the Catholic Churchinvestigating potential miracles, possessions, and other supernatural happenings, often unsure if there’s enough evidence for the paranormal or if it’s all mind games. But while the show becomes more serialized after its first season,one Season 2 episode stands out among the restas being one of the best representations of the show’s ultimate potential: “S Is for Silence.”
“S Is for Silence” Preys on the Characters' Darkest Fears
“S Is for Silence” opens with the team arriving at an upstate New York monastery to investigate the body of a priest who, after a year following his death, still has yet to decompose. As a result, he is being considered for sainthood, with the trio of David, Kristen, and Ben there to investigate the potential causes of his lifelike complexion. But there’s a quirk to this monastery. For about a hundred years, no living soul has spoken a word there, taking a vow of silence to keep a demon (which is trapped in a wooden box embroidered with images of the apocalypse) from escaping its bonds. It’s a fascinating concept, and it makes for some pretty hilarious moments between our heroeswho all struggle to maintain their silence (and their sanity)during their weekend abroad.
“It started with this idea of how to meet the challenges of doing a silent movie in a world where you don’t need to—like, we could have people talk all the time. I think it’s the insanity of it,” explained series co-creator, episode co-writer, and episode directorRobert KingtoldVanity Fair, noting that he’d been trying to make a silent episode of television for over a decade. “In the [writer’s] room, we all played with the idea this was going to be the worst episode of the year.” But while the folks beingEvilweren’t terribly sure if “S Is for Silence” would play as anything more than silly, they decided to give it a shot, and the results echoed the success of the likewise silentBuffy the Vampire Slayerepisode, “Hush.” But part of the reason that “Silence” works so well is thatit challenges this trio to face their own fears, temptations, and biases— as all the bestEvilepisodes do — reminding us that evil can be found in the most unexpected of places.
One such example of the masterful way in which this episode presents these challengesis through David’s attempts to quiet his mind in the monastery’s chapel. The continual tension between David’s commitment to his Catholic faith and his desire to live a “normal life” (not to mention the familiar temptations of sex addiction) is on full display here, with a specific scene involving some colorful on-screen language and suggestive images that give us some insight into his inner turmoil. While the scene itself is a clever fourth wall break, what works best about it is the way Mike Colter plays the scene (which King notes was filmed differently back when they thought the episode would air on network television instead of streaming), showing every visible cue possible of a man on the verge of mental anguish, unable to resist the tempest of his mind.
Limited Dialogue Gives This ‘Evil’ Episode a Haunting Presence
Again, it’s the episode’s fascination with limiting our heroes' dialogue that makes this work so well. Though the characters themselves, namely Kristen and Ben, struggle immensely with keeping their mouths shut (Ben notes that this is no way for a person to live, and chastises David for admiring it),it forces the audience to pay close attention to every horror they encounter. Whether it’s the buzzing sound that Ben hears underground or the potential that evil might arrive when the demon box is opened, the deafening silence forces the viewer to become enamored with the material. Yes, there are some lighthearted moments too, proving that fun can exist even in a monastery, but it’s the horror elements that signify the true heart behindEvil.
Perhaps the most notable scene in the episode, aside from David’s own prayerful conflict, is when Kristen awakes in the night to see a living skeleton close in on her. Having been set up in a room full of statues of saints, angels, and a Christ above her cot, Kristen defiantly says, “Boo!,” and that’s when the whole episode shifts. Prior to this, their case had been simple: examine the body of the dead priest and report back to the church. Butwhen Kristen utters those words, and the demon box flings itself open, all hell breaks loose. It all starts as Kristen dreams of the skeleton coming alive and moving towards her, witha spooky, Halloween-ish feverthat makes it hard to take seriously. Yet, it’s the fear plastered across Katja Herbers' face that clues us into the true terror of this vision, and, well, you’ll have to watch it for yourself.
Of course, with the demon box open, it’s not just Kristen who is haunted. It seems as if the whole monastery is under attack, with monks and nuns being inflicted with sores and other horrible marks on their bodies (Alexandra Socha’s Sister Fenna is shown to have stigmata-like marks across her body). While Ben finds a natural cause for all of this (citing an incest this author didn’t even know existed), there seems to be something more sinister going on beneath the surface. After all,natural phenomena don’t preclude a supernatural or unseen cause. Even in the biblical Book of Job, Satan uses everything from natural disasters and invading armies to sickness to attack the titular hero, making us wonder how much of what we see in “S Is for Silence” is really natural causes or a cosmic unraveling. That’s the beauty ofEvil, of course,it offers us plenty of possibilities to choose from.
“S Is for Silence” Was Filmed at a Real-Life Monastery
Another reason this episode is so grand is becauseit was shot entirely on location at a real-life, still-active monastery. St. Josaphat’s Monastery in Long Island, to be exact. “If anything, we had to play down how pretty it was because what we treated as the front of the monastery was actually the back, this four-story or three-story part of it,” King explained. In many ways, and certainly unlike most episodes ofEvil, the location is a character in itself. With beautiful outdoor architecture that looks as if from another time to the hallowed halls the team wander through, “S Is for Silence” couldn’t have picked a better place to set an episode ofEvil. By taking our heroes out of their usual habitations and stripping the series down fromMichael Emersonandthe Bouchard girlsto these three in particular, it sets this (mostly) silent hour apart as something truly special.
“The silence is about the scares,” King further noted toVanity Fair, emphasizing the fact that “Silence” was never meant to be a stunt or a gimmick. St. Josaphat’s Monastery only adds to those scares, withwide-open spaces and plenty of dark corners with only natural candlelight to see in the dark, eerily reminiscent of something you might see out ofThe Nun. Of course, there’s no demonic nun wandering around terrorizing those inside, but there is a particularly grim presence felt throughout the episode, one that challenges our own notions of what’s real and what’s just fantasy.
‘Evil’ Co-Creator Robert King Says This Plot Point Would Have Returned in Season 5
“You saw a little of it in the first two episodes.”
This Rare Entirely Standalone Episode Offers the Best of ‘Evil’
The longerEvilcontinued, the less one could simply jump on board without having ever watched an episode before. Of course, the move from CBS to Paramount+ likely contributed to the shift to serialization, as did the success of the show’s second season which was a wise blend of both. But “S Is for Silence” is truly standalone in a way most episodes are not.Everything we need to know (and all that we love) about these characters is on display here, from David’s working toward the priesthood to Kristen’s personal conflicts with her Catholic upbringing to Ben’s need for a secular and “rational” explanation. Everything that makesEvilgreat is covered in “S Is for Silence,” and it’s truly an hour worth revisiting.
WithEvilnow atan official end with the 2024 release of Season 4—having been canceled before its time— it’s fun to return to older episodes of the show where everything seemed, well, simpler. WhileEvilmight not always be a perfect series,“S Is for Silence” is a near-perfect episodethat has everything from horror and mystery to philosophical and psychological questions about the nature of evil, and how God may fit into all of it. Admittedly, there are a lot more questions asked here than answers given, but that’s why we always keep watching. If there’s one episode ofEvilyou ought to revisit in honor of the fourth and final season, it’s this one.
“Evil,” the 2019 TV series from creators Robert and Michelle King, is a gripping exploration of the intersection between science and the supernatural. The series stars Katja Herbers as Dr. Kristen Bouchard, a forensic psychologist drawn into a world of dark mysteries and unexplained phenomena. Alongside priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter) and tech expert Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), Kristen is tasked with investigating a series of bizarre cases for the Catholic Church, including demonic possessions, hauntings, and miracles.
Evilis available for streaming on Paramount+.
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