Fox’s The Exorcist moves closer to what’s sure to be a terrifying season one finale with the season’s penultimate episode which finds Angela Rance integrated with the demon and her family living in terror. Airing on December 9, 2016 and titled ‘162,’ the ninth episode kicks off with Chris MacNeil’s dead body being wheeled out by the coroner’s office while Angela (Geena Davis) explains to the police how she found her mom’s body at the base of the stairs. They’re skeptical about Chris’ death being just an accidental fall given the recent return of Casey who claims not to remember where she’s been.
Kat (Brianne Howey) defends her sister and Angela talks about all of the tragedies that have recently befallen her family. As she touches Superintendent Jaffey’s hand while grabbing a tissue, Angela has a flashback to Casey’s exorcism and watching the demon twist Casey’s head. She whispered, “Take me instead,” and the scene froze as the demon spoke directly to her.
Back to the present and Jaffey calls off the interview with the Rances and promises to get the news people off their lawn. Angela’s in a much better mood than she should be given that her mother just died as she announces to Kat and Henry (Alan Ruck) it’s time to go pick up Casey.
The Rance family returns home with Casey (Hannah Kasulka) and she looks as if she’s been horribly beaten. Outside their house is a makeshift memorial to Chris MacNeil as well as three growling dogs who stand completely still as they make eye contact with Angela. She smiles back before heading into the house.
Marcus (Ben Daniels) meets with Lester (Ken Marks) and Cherry Rego (Keira Naughton) about the missing Father Bennett. Lester says they need to investigate Maria Walters (Kirsten Fitzgerald), the wealthy woman funding the group arranging the Pope’s visit to Chicago. Marcus looks at a photo and recognizes Brother Simon (Francis Guinan) who’s working with Maria on fundraising. Marcus says Simon was once a counselor at a center for deviant priests, and he remembers Simon watching him. Marcus thinks Father Bennett was taken and tortured for information, which means Father Tomas and Mother Bernadette are likely in danger. He suggests the Regos get out of town immediately.
Back at the Rance house, Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) joins them for dinner and Kat leads grace prior to the meal. Angela eats during Kat’s prayer, but no one seems to notice. The family discusses their plans, and now Angela’s not sure they should leave Chicago. Father Tomas announces that his commitment has been renewed and he’s going to rededicate himself to his parish. Angela makes a toast to her family but leaves out a mention of Chris. Kat adds it, and they drink to her memory.
Father Tomas and Henry have a chat after dinner and Henry says he feels better at times but then heads back to “potato land,” as his daughter calls it. As they chat, Angela heads out saying she’s going to the hotel to work. Father Tomas reminds Henry about their conversation in which Henry told the young priest how to get in touch with Father Marcus. Henry has no idea what Father Tomas is talking about, and Father Tomas tells Henry that God spoke through him. Henry hands Father Tomas a yellow pad with the number “162” written repeatedly on a page. Henry says that after the accident, he hears low-frequency sounds like yammering in the background. Sometimes, he hears all the noise saying “162.” Father Tomas asks if the people are talking to him now, and Henry says yes but he has no idea what it means.
Lester and Cherry are taking pictures of the priests and Lester sees Brother Simon’s demon eye through the camera lens. He immediately tells his wife they have to get out of there.
Maria, Brother Simon, and Superintendent Jaffey meet to go over the parade route planned for the Pope’s visit. Brother Simon jokes, “And the pig pops out of the pig mobile!” Maria’s group has people on the inside and they’re ready to take action at the parade. Angela Rance shows up unexpectedly at the meeting, wondering where the Popes are who take advantage of their power.
Jaffey welcomes Angela – or, actually, Pazuzu – to the meeting. Brother Simon didn’t think he’d ever see Pazuzu after the demon’s run-in with Father Merrin, but now Pazuzu wants in on their plans to take on Pope Sebastian. Brother Simon protests, stating he’s planned this for six years and the honor is his alone. Pazuzu doesn’t take kindly to this and uses its powers to make everyone, including Brother Simon, kneel. Pazuzu allows Maria to remain standing, telling her she’s never been chosen because of her smell. Maria smells of desperation mixed with mediocrity, according to the demon inside Angela. Pazuzu wants to use the Pope’s visit to send a message to all of their enemies, including the nuns at the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy.
Father Tomas and Bishop Egan (Brad Armacost) discuss the Pope’s visit while walking around St. Brigid. It’s been prepared for the Pope’s visit and the interior is sparkling, with flowers adorning the end of each pew. Bishop Egan offers Father Tomas the church as its current priest is involuntarily retiring. It’s one of the city’s finest parishes, and St. Anthony’s – Father Tomas’ parish – is going to close because it’s losing money. It will be shuttered no matter what, but Father Tomas confesses he has sinned and doesn’t deserve a promotion. Shockingly, Bishop Egan knows about Tomas’ affair and can handle the problem if Father Tomas takes care of the woman.
Marcus is waiting in Father Tomas’ office, riffling through the paperwork on the Pope’s visit when Father Tomas returns from his meeting with Bishop Egan. Marcus is sorry to hear St. Anthony’s is closing and tells Father Tomas to be careful and watch his back. Father Tomas jokes that he might be able to get Marcus a good spot on the parade route, and then Marcus receives a text with a photo of Bishop Simon’s demon eye clearly visible. Marcus passes on Father Tomas’ parade route offer and leaves.
At the Rance house, Casey’s concentrating on her laptop while Kat’s looking through her clothes for something for Casey to wear. She threatens Casey with the “tickle monster,” and finally they have a heart-to-heart. Casey doesn’t want to talk, and Kat sees that she’s been looking at articles online about the paramedics who she murdered while possessed. Kat reminds her it was the demon, but Casey feels responsible. She had to watch, and the demon thought it was fun making her suffer. Kat hugs her younger sister, telling her they’ll figure it out.
Marcus arrives back at the Regos’ place and they’re both dead. He prays for them and then takes their gun and bullets.
Meanwhile at the convent, Angela arrives with a present for Mother Bernadette (Deanna Dunagan). Mother Bernadette knows Angela’s possessed, telling the demon they should have killed it when they had the chance. She calls Pazuzu a “child throwing a tantrum,” and Pazuzu kills her without lifting a hand, snapping Mother Bernadette’s neck back as three nuns walk into the room. (Pazuzu is incredibly powerful!)
Casey sits on the bed in her room which is still equipped like it was when she was possessed. The chains are still there, and the mattress is on the floor. Angela enters the bedroom and Casey asks what her mom remembers from when she was possessed. Casey says to her it felt like nothing belonged to her anymore, and Angela says that’s because he was inside her and it was so intimate. Angela continues, telling Casey she asked for it and she knows she fell in love with him and enjoyed it. She knows Casey is experiencing the loneliest feeling in the world, but they’re going through it together. Kat interrupts, and Angela keeps acting weird.
Marcus arrives at the convent and is shocked at the horrific, bloody deaths.
The wealthy are mingling with Father Tomas, Bishop Egan, and the rest of the priests at a gathering in support of the Pope’s upcoming visit. Jaffey compliments Father Tomas, and then Maria gives a toast, saying there’s no brighter light than Pope Sebastian. “May his visit bring joy and inspiration to a city that so badly needs it,” says Maria, lifting her glass to the crowd.
Meanwhile, over at the Rance house Henry asks Angela about a funeral for her mom, but Angela wants to know when the last time was they had sex. She’s definitely in the mood and aggressively asks Henry to take his pants off. She gets rough with him but then backs off, leaving Henry completely confused.
Marcus spies on the papal entourage and Bishop Simon.
Casey wakes, hearing a noise from elsewhere in the house. She finds her mom on Kat’s bed rubbing her hands down Kat’s body in the dark. Casey coughs and then enters the room, asking what’s up. Angela says she’s savoring what she has. Casey crawls into bed with her sister, claiming the couch is too lumpy to sleep.
Father Tomas is on the phone, demanding his staff come with him and that a shuttle be used to bring his parishioners to the larger church in the better neighborhood.
Bishop Simon relaxes in his hotel room, drinking, feasting, and basically indulging himself. He answers a knock at his door and upon opening it, he’s immediately attacked by Marcus. Marcus tells him to stay down and then drags him into the bathroom. He fills the bathtub, prays over it, and asks if Bishop Simon killed Father Bennett, the Regos, and the nuns. Simon claims he didn’t kill anyone, blaming their deaths on Marcus.
Father Tomas tells Jessica about his promotion and that he knows he doesn’t deserve it. Father Tomas wants to be the man God wants him to be, and Jessica realizes it’s over. She thinks they would have been so good together, but Father Tomas says he can’t give her what she deserves and wishes her a long and happy life. She doesn’t want to hear from him again because that would just make things more difficult.
Marcus pushes Bishop Simon’s head underwater and then brings him back up, asking if he killed all those people. Steam comes off Simon’s face as he confirms he killed the Regos but did not kill the nuns or Mother Bernadette. He says that was Angela Rance, and with that Marcus pushes him underwater again. Marcus knows for sure now that they’re going to kill the Pope, pushing Bishop Simon under the water for a longer amount of time. He pulls him up again, asking if the assassination will take place during the parade. Bishop Simon describes what’s going to happen and that he, a disgraced priest, will murder the Pope while the world watches. He also tells Marcus that if he kills him, another priest will take his place. Before Marcus can plunge him into the water again, two priests arrive and beat him up.
Kat sneaks into her parents’ bedroom and wakes her dad, getting him out of bed without disturbing their mom. Casey’s waiting by the front door and she tells her father Angela isn’t herself. Casey explains to Henry that the demon left her, went into Angela, and they have to leave now. Henry agrees and just then the front door slams shut as Angela comes down the stairs. “Time for a family meeting,” she says menacingly.
The Rance family is seated in the living room, and Kat asks to speak with her mom – mentioning that her mother doesn’t have three pupils. Angela, without even flinching, causes Kat to have a bloody nose while Henry draws his wife’s attention, telling Angela to fight through it. Angela reveals she’s not possessed; the demon is integrated into her because she invited him in. It’s permanent now and Casey wants to know what the demon wants. Angela/Pazuzu says what they’ve always wanted – that which is rightfully theirs. She describes the creation of demons, the evolution of humans, and how God created this earth with sensual delights that the demons can never feel. But, now they’re going to take it back.
Father Tomas and his assistant, Tara (Melissa Russell), are going through books and paperwork in preparation for the closing of his parish when Tara gets sidetracked reading from Chris MacNeil’s book, The Devil In My Daughter. He wants to know where she got the book and Tara explains she got it from Chris and thinks it was her own personal copy. But, actually, Father Tomas is asking about where she got the red feather she’s holding. Tara says it was in the book. He asks for the book and turns to page 162. Father Tomas reads, “I knew then that the demon would never rest, never stop until it has taken Regan for its own. It would keep coming for her until the end of time.” Father Tomas has finally put two and two together.
Marcus is tied up, and Brother Simon explains they offered the Pope a peek behind the curtain years ago, but he turned his back on their offer. Brother Simon is going to offer Marcus a chance to become one of them now.
Angela suggests her family should go down to the parade in the morning and wave at the Pope. Her family’s freaked out by that offer, and then more so when she says that as punishment for disobedience she’s going to have to hurt one of them…a little. Casey asks if Angela killed grandma and Angela chokes Casey (again, while doing nothing more than looking at her). Angela forces Henry to remain in place as Kat swears they’ll behave. Casey’s near death when Father Tomas shows up and tells Angela to get the hell away from the family.
