Mark Wahlberg stars in ‘Patriots Day’ (Photo (c) 2016 CBS Films and Lionsgate Films)
The new trailer for CBS Films’ Patriots Day features Mark Wahlberg as well as a few of the real people affected by the horrific Boston Marathon bombing. Peter Berg co-wrote and directs the dramatic film which delves into the investigation and search for the terrorists who killed innocent Americans during the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon. Mark Wahlberg leads the cast which includes Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons, John Goodman, and Michelle Monaghan. Patriots Day will open in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 21, 2016. A wider release of the R-rated action drama is planned for January 13, 2017.
Berg, Matt Cook, and Joshua Zetumer wrote the screenplay from a story by Berg, Cook, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film’s score. Wahlberg, Scott Stuber, Hutch Parker, Dylan Clark, Stephen Levinson, Dorothy Aufiero and Michael Radutzky served as producers.
The Plot: In the aftermath of an unspeakable attack, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) joins courageous survivors, first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the bombers before they strike again. Weaving together the stories of Special Agent Richard Deslauriers (Kevin Bacon), Police Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman), Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (J.K. Simmons) and nurse Carol Saunders (Michelle Monaghan) this visceral and unflinching chronicle captures the suspense of one of the most sophisticated manhunts in law enforcement history and celebrates the strength of the people of Boston.
KISS with Sundance Head on ‘The Voice’ (Photo by Tyler Golden/NBC)
NBC’s The Voice crowned Sundance Head the season 11 winner on December 13, 2016, giving coach Blake Shelton yet another win. Head was the final Country artist left standing among the final four, and he credits much of his success on the show to his wife, coach Blake Shelton, and making the correct song choices. Sundance Head even had the chance to honor his father by performing his dad’s hit song, “Treat Her Right,” with Blake Shelton during the finale. And to cap off his time on The Voice, Head had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform with Kiss, something that meant the world to the Country artist and which he ranks as one of top five best experiences of his life.
Sundance Head won The Voice and then immediately set out on a publicity tour with interviews set up across the country. He also took the time to participate in a conference call in which he chatted about his experience on The Voice, his favorite memories of working with Blake, and which of the performances delivered by his fellow competitors blew him away.
Sundance Head Interview:
Were there any songs you would have liked to cover during the show that you didn’t get to do?
Sundance Head: “I wanted to cover ‘Georgia on My Mind’ and I had been asking if I could do it for about three weeks leading up to the finale. I was just never able to do it, but it’s one of my favorite songs of all time. I really wanted to have the opportunity to do it on the show.”
What’s the best piece of advice Blake Shelton gave you while you were on The Voice?
Sundance Head: “For me it was just to believe in my own abilities and my own talent and trust what got me on to the show to begin with. And to also, you know, take each song and try to connect with an audience and to try to connect with the lyric as much as possible when covering a song. I tried to do that the whole time.”
You’ve said you felt like you were able to handle The Voice better than American Idol because you are older and more mature. What specifically do you think you handled better on The Voice than you would have on American Idol nine years ago?
Sundance Head: “Well, first of all I didn’t really have an identity as an artist even to myself. So, that was the first major problem with the whole thing. And secondly, I didn’t realize how important it was to pick a genre of music or a style of music and really to try to target a fan base and try to continually target that fan base. On Idol, I was all over the place and really none of it was any good. And, I took a lot of lessons. I learned from that and tried to apply them to my life going forward.
I mean, the list for me we could talk about that all night long and it’d be a very lengthy interview. Maybe one of these days we can get into that, but there’s just so many things I did wrong on that show. As a person, I wasn’t a very good person to begin with so I was selfish about a lot of things. You know, I’ve said before if I could meet myself again I’d probably punch myself in the mouth. So not a very good dude, you know? But, thankfully, I’ve had a reprisal and I get a second shot and hopefully I can do things right this time.”
Was there ever a week where you thought you might be going home?
Sundance Head: “Well, I didn’t feel like I had a very strong performance on ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color,’ to be honest with you. When I went out to perform that song, my guitar was out of key in the beginning. So, I wasn’t sure what key I needed to start in. And if you listen back to the actual performance, you can hear that something is wrong in the beginning. Luckily for me, Paul the bandleader bailed me out of there and gave me the right note on his piano when he wasn’t even supposed to be playing. They’re such professionals and I’m sure it’s happened before. He immediately recognized what was going on and bailed me out. But it certainly was embarrassing for me and a moment that I would never like to have to go through again.
What I did also learn, the most important part of that lesson for me was when a show has a guitar tech and they bring you your guitar and you’re going to go on stage, it’s in tune. You don’t have to check it to make sure it’s in tune, and that was my mistake. I wanted to make sure it was in tune so I tried to double check it. And Jason Warrior was absolutely killing everybody in there on stage, so my tuner wouldn’t pick up anything and I had already detoured, and so I was just completely a mess. So that was the week I thought that was it for me, really.”
How did you feel when you were told you were going to be singing with Kiss and then what was it like to actually take the stage with them?
Sundance Head: “I really was blown away that they agreed to do it and even the fact that I was going to have the opportunity really was amazing. My brother took me to see them before he died, a month before. I rode his shoulders for the whole concert, so I’ve always had a really strong emotional bond with Kiss, their music, and so I couldn’t believe it.
And then when we ran through rehearsals I was missing everything up. I was dropping lyrics and I know all of their songs and every lyric to it. I mean, I could be the lead singer if I had to. But the minute when we were standing there I just was so amazed that it was actually happening, I didn’t really know where I was. The rehearsal was like one of the most intense things that ever happened to me. It was like the first time I had ever been alone with a girl in a bedroom as a teenager. I really just had no idea what to do and I was just so overthrown with emotions and it just was such a wreck. Luckily, Paul (Stanley) and Gene (Simmons) were such sweet guys that they really talked to me and tried to calm me down and tell me, ‘Hey man, you know, we’re just dudes like you, man, and it’s our honor to be up here with you. Just relax and take it easy.’ And so I was able to take their advice when the real performance went down. And still, I even got choked up a little bit. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to actually sing because I was actually crying. But I don’t think anybody could see that.
I was standing underneath the drum riser when the intro started, when they kicked into ‘Detroit Rock City’ I felt the risers moving. And the moment was so huge for me that I just for a second thought I can’t possibly go out there. But I knew I absolutely had to, so I did it somehow. But that, besides marrying my wife and having three children, that’s probably the fifth most important thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life. Even more important than winning The Voice, I think, was just having an opportunity to play with Kiss on stage. As ridiculous as that sounds, that’s how much it meant to me.
I know that’s an experience that no matter what happens, if I go on to actually be famous or I don’t do anything else for the rest of my life, that’s a moment in my life that I will never be able to have again. And I know that. It was such a thrill ad I’m just so thankful to NBC and The Voice that they allowed me that opportunity, and I’m so thankful that Kiss would agree to do that.”
Can you talk about deciding to sing your dad’s song along with Blake? Was that a complete surprise to your father?
Sundance Head: “That is true. I wanted to surprise him. I mean, he had caught wind of something because he was kind of poking around. He was asking what’s going on and other stuff, and so he knew something was up but he didn’t know really what was going to go down. I was just so thankful that Blake would allow me to do that. I mean, he wanted to do a duet song. They didn’t know what song that we wanted to do together. They pitched a couple of songs to me. I had emailed Blake and said, ‘Hey buddy, what do you think about doing ‘Treat Her Right,’ my dad’s song on the show as a duet?’
He emailed right back (and) his reply was, ‘Let’s do it.’ I was just so excited to have the opportunity to bring my dad’s joy on a national stage like that because he’s been doing music his whole life. That’s all he’s done is bring happiness to people and joy through music. I know for me, personally, he’s been such a wonderful father and he’s given me so many talents and told me so many things. It’s like having a mentor every day that you can ask questions to and live with. I know that I’ve been so blessed to have that opportunity. And I just was so thrilled to be able to bring him a little excitement.”
It must have been gratifying to bring that song back to a huge audience, some of whom may have never heard the song before.
Sundance Head: “Yes. I was really gratified about that. I mean, I still think that’s one of the greatest songs ever. It’s just a simple tune but it’s got so much rock ‘n roll in it and so much attitude – you know, the hey heys in the chorus and the screaming he did in the song. To me it was just one of the most iconic songs from the ’60s I think. Of course, I have a biased opinion obviously.
I have him to thank for a lot of the talents that I have. He was much older than all of the other parents whenever I was growing up and he had been through a lot more, and so he was always the cool dad. He would treat me and my friends with a lot of respect like we were just his buddies. He introduced us to a lot of music that we probably would have never even heard that were maybe outdated for our generation or something of that nature. But, really, we were fortunate to have him in our life to show us the records that he had and to spend the time to talk about what he liked about certain artists and why he thought their music was popular. I certainly remember all of those conversations and try to use them every day when I have the opportunity.”
Did you write “Darlin’ Don’t Go” for The Voice or was that written before the show?
Sundance Head: “No, I wrote that before The Voice. That song is on the record we just released earlier this summer before I went on the show. It’s from the record titled Soul Country which was going to be our breakout record to the Texas music scene. And, it was. We were nominated for song of the year with ‘Darlin’ Don’t Go,’ and I got nominated for New Male Vocalist and New Entertainer of the Year. I guess I couldn’t go to the music awards and I couldn’t really promote it because I was on the show. So I just kind of let things just kind of slide by but I was just thrilled that it was recognized by the people back in Texas that I admired and that I was working so hard to get their attention.
But, there’s a couple of songs on that Soul Country record that I wrote for Misty. One of them is a single that I have out now back in Texas called ’13 Years’ which was about our wedding anniversary. She’s such an inspiration to me; I can’t say it enough. I mean, she really is everything to me. And any success that I have, people need to understand that I’m really probably not even part of it. It’s mostly just because she believed in me that much that she pressed me and gave me the strength that it takes to go out and do it. I mean, I can tell you one thing. If Misty could sing, she would have already taken over the world. I can promise you that. That’s the kind of ambition that she has. Sometimes I wonder why she even, you know, married me to begin with, really, so I’m just thankful that’s all.”
What was your favorite performance from a contestant on another team?
Sundance Head: “Oh man, that’s easy. Man, that has to be Wé on the finale when she did that Broadway tune. I saw her do that in rehearsal – ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade,’ I believe is the name of it. When I saw that in rehearsal, I mean I’ve got to tell you I’ve never seen anything like that. And, she’s only 16 or 17 years old! I could tell you right now I was completely blown away. She’s going to be famous. If there’s anything that we’re getting from this interview today, please make sure that you guys remember when I tell you that Wé McDonald is going to be famous. That’s the bottom line. Her talent… I mean, just to be able to remember those lyrics – it was like three or four pages of lyrics. There was seven different tempo changes in that song. She delivered it like a master, like she had been doing it for 20 or 30 years. It was effortless to her and you can see the love for music on her face. I mean, she sang through her teeth while she was smiling. It’s like she’s a freaking seasoned pro, you know? She’s a killer and that’s why I really thought that she was going to beat me. I would have not felt sad one minute. She definitely deserves to be in the limelight and she will be, no doubt about it.”
It looked like you and Blake Shelton had a really good relationship. What was your favorite moment with Blake?
Sundance Head: “Well, I had many favorite moments with Blake and most of them were off camera and probably the conversations were very candid. So, I mean, he’s a really sweet guy. He’s a very big-time joker. He tells a lot of bad dirty jokes that really aren’t funny. His sense of humor is just very different. A lot of times he says things just to make himself laugh, I think. I really do. Like, I’m sure Blake could just make himself laugh all day if he was alone somewhere by just speaking to himself in the mirror. That’s the kind of guy he is.
He’s a very, very, very sweet dude, very laid-back guy. I would probably say my favorite, absolute favorite moment probably for me is whenever he came to my side up there during that press conference at the end and was asking the record label to absolutely do what they could to make sure that they held up their end of the bargain. I thought that was very admirable. That’s something that he certainly didn’t need to do. It just reaffirmed everything that I had believed all along, which is this guy is a badass. He deserves to be people’s champion because he is the people’s champion.
And for me, and nothing against the other coaches and they’re all very nice, but I think Blake is pretty much the whole show. I mean, everything hinges around him and just what a cool guy he is and how likable that he is. It’s very entertaining to me to look at him when he does these skits and does all these things to make him not necessarily come off as the smartest guy all of the time, which he absolutely is the smartest guy all of the time. In fact, it’s all of us that’s getting played mostly, you know?
But he’s got it figured out, man. He’s just a great character and he knows that. He knows when to turn it on and went to turn it off. I’m just really proud that I was able to build a relationship with Blake that I know that we’re going to have throughout this whole thing and probably for the rest of my life. You know, after I won we had a press conference. I was whisked off with my family and Blake went his direction, and that could have very well been the end of everything. I may have never spoken to him again. But Blake texted me later that night and said, ‘Hey Sundance, here’s my phone number. Store me on your phone. Make sure you call me if there’s anything you ever need.’ And just to let you know, that’s the kind of guy Blake is every day. I’m sure I’m not the only person that feels like he’s reached out to me, both as a mentor but also as a friend.”
Showtime officially confirmed Shameless will return for an eighth season. The critically acclaimed series will begin production on season eight in 2017, with the upcoming season set to be comprised of 12 new one-hour episodes. Shameless wrapped up its seventh season on December 18, 2016 and now it appears that after Emmy Rossum completed her contract negotiations, the Gallaghers will definitely return for at least one more season.
Shameless is Showtime’s most successful comedy series and its seventh season was the show’s highest-rated, according to the network. Paul Abbott created the series and John Wells developed it for U.S. television, with Wells, Nancy M. Pimental, Christopher Chulack, Krista Vernoff, Etan Frankel and Sheila Callaghan executive producing the series’ just completed season seven. Bonanza Productions, John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television produce Shameless.
The Shameless cast is led by Emmy winner William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher and Golden Globe nominee Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallegher. The cast also includes Jeremy Allen White (‘Lip’), Ethan Cutkosky (‘Carl’), Shanola Hampton (‘Veronica’), Steve Howey (‘Kevin’), Emma Kenney (‘Debbie’), Cameron Monaghan (‘Ian’), and Isidora Goreshter (‘Svetlana’). Noel Fisher, Chloe Webb, Sharon Lawrence, Tate Ellington, Ruby Modine, Arden Myrin, June Squibb, Alicia Coppola and Pasha Lychnikoff were recurring guest stars in season seven.
Where We Left Season 7: As season seven of Shameless came to an end, the Gallaghers dealt with the loss of one of their own, and grappled with mixed feelings about their grief. Fiona (Rossum) had to once again care for Frank (Macy) in his time of need, while Frank had a new scheme in mind.
Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment just released the final poster for the action sequel John Wick: Chapter 2 along with a brand new action-heavy official trailer. Keanu Reeves (the Matrix trilogy) reprises his role as John Wick, an assassin who was pulled out of retirement following the death of his beloved Beagle puppy – a gift from his deceased wife. The new John Wick: Chapter 2 trailer shows the action will be put front and center, and it appears there will be some pretty spectacular stunt sequences in that sequel that’ll rival the original film’s.
John Wick director Chad Stahelski returned to helm the sequel from a script by John Wick‘s writer, Derek Kolstad. The sequel’s cast includes Common, Riccardo Scamarcio, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, Bridget Moynahan, Lance Reddick, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane, in addition to Reeves. John Wick: Chapter 2 will be released in theaters on February 10, 2017.
The Plot: In this next chapter following the 2014 hit, legendary hitman John Wick [Keanu Reeves] is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers.
IMDB recently published its top 10 television shows of 2016 along with its list of the most popular actors of the year, and now they’ve released their top 10 movies of the year list. Sitting in the number one spot is a film that was slammed by critics, Suicide Squad. According to IMDB, the Warner Bros Pictures release was the most visited page on the entertainment website throughout 2016.
IMDB’s annual top 10 lists are based on actual page views by the site’s 250 million unique monthly visitors. It’s interesting to note that the top five spots on IMDB’s top 10 movies list are held by films based on comic books. Two of the top 10 are remakes of classic films and one is a film based on an incredibly popular video game.
“Movies adapted from comic books were the big winners in 2016,” said Keith Simanton, IMDb’s Senior Film Editor commenting on this year’s most popular movie pages. “Buzz for Suicide Squad, IMDb’s #1 movie of 2016 (as determined by page views), began a year earlier when the film’s Comic-Con trailer became one of IMDb’s most viewed trailers in 2015. Anticipation continued through the year with each successive online trailer release. Suicide Squad certainly wasn’t hurt by the fact that Margot Robbie, IMDb’s #1 star of 2016 (also determined by page views), was one of the leads, the crazy-like-a-fox Harley Quinn.”
The new Blade Runner movie, Blade Runner 2049, has officially cranked up the hype machine with the release of a teaser trailer/announcement video. The teaser’s just one minute 45 seconds long but it shows off the gritty look (and color palette) of the sequel as well as introduces Ryan Gosling (La La Land) as the new blade runner. Harrison Ford also shows up in the teaser trailer reprising his role as Rick Deckard who’s none too happy to see a new blade runner.
Directed by Arrival‘s Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 has the original Blade Runner‘s director Ridley Scott on board as an executive producer. Tim Gamble, Frank Giustra, Yale Badick, Val Hill, and Bill Carraro also executive produced the sci-fi sequel. In addition to Gosling and Ford, the cast includes Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto. Warner Bros Pictures and Alcon Entertainment will release Blade Runner 2049 in theaters on October 6, 2017. The original movie hit theaters on June 25, 1982 and made $33 million worldwide during its theatrical release.
The Plot: Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Watch the Blade Runner 2049 teaser trailer/announcement video:
The first teaser trailer for CBS All Access’ The Good Wife spinoff, The Good Fight, declares things will get nasty. The thirty-second teaser trailer features most of the key players involved in the spinoff, including Christine Baranski who returns as Diane Lockhart. The cast also includes Cush Jumbo as Lucca Quinn and Zach Grenier as David Lee. In addition, Game of Thrones‘ Rose Leslie plays Maia Rindell, Sarah Steel is Marissa Gold, Delroy Lindo is Robert Boseman, Paul Guilfoyle plays Henry Rindell, and Bernadette Peters has been cast as Lenore Rindell.
The series will debut on February 19, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT on CBS and CBS All Access, with the remainder of the episodes airing exclusively on CBS All Access. All episodes of The Good Wife will also be available on CBS All Access.
The Good Fight comes from The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King who serve as showrunners on the spinoff. The first episode is directed by Brooke Kennedy and co-written by the Kings and Phil Alden Robinson.
The Plot:The Good Fight picks up one year after the events of the final episode of The Good Wife. In the new series, an enormous financial scam has destroyed the reputation of a young lawyer, Maia Rindell, while simultaneously wiping out her mentor and godmother Diane Lockhart’s savings. Forced out of Lockhart & Lee, they join Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s preeminent law firms.
Felicity Jones and Diego Luna in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (Photo Credit: Walt Disney Pictures)
Disney and Lucasfilm’s standalone Star Wars movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, earned the third best domestic three-day weekend opening box office numbers of 2016. Rogue One‘s box office win pushed Disney’s other theatrical release into second place, but there’s no reason to worry about Moana‘s performance. Moana‘s worldwide box office stands at $280 million since opening on November 25, 2016 and it’s still pulling in family audiences.
Rogue One performed better than expected ($290 million worldwide), however it didn’t come close to the opening weekend numbers of Star Wars: A Force Awakens. That Star Wars film holds the title for the largest box office opening weekend at $247.9 million domestically and it pulled in $2 billion worldwide before exiting theaters. Rogue One should continue to stay at the top of the charts, even with heavy competition from Passengers, Sing, and Why Him? as well as other upcoming December releases.
The weekend’s other wide release was a disappointing one for Will Smith and New Line Cinema. Collateral Beauty rang up just $7 million over its first three days in release, which is the smallest opening for any film headlined by Smith. Critics weren’t impressed with the PG-13 drama, with RottenTomatoes showing only a 14% fresh rating. However, ticket buyers were kinder to the film, awarding it an A- grade according to Cinemascore.
Claire Danes in ‘Homeland’ season six (Photo by Jim Fiscus/SHOWTIME)
According to the official Homeland season six trailer, the transition of power in America won’t be a smooth one. The sixth season of the award-winning dramatic series finds the action returning to the U.S. and focusing on the period of time between election day and the U.S. President’s inauguration. The new trailer also sort of answers the question as to whether Quinn will be back as an important part of the team. Rupert Friend is heard but not seen in the new trailer, and showrunner Alex Gansa has said that Quinn will return as a very changed man.
Claire Danes returns as Carrie Mathison, and the cast of season six also includes Elizabeth Marvel as the new U.S. President, F. Murray Abraham, and Mandy Patinkin. Hill Harper (Limitless), Robert Knepper (Prison Break), Patrick Sabongui (The Flash), Jake Weber (Medium) and Dominic Fumusa (Nurse Jackie) are guest starring in the new season which is set to debut on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT.
The Plot: After she thwarted a terrorist attack in Berlin, season six picks up several months later and finds Carrie Mathison (Danes) living in Brooklyn, New York. She has begun working at a foundation whose efforts are to provide aid to Muslims living in the U.S. Season six will tackle the after effects of the U.S. presidential election, with the entire season taking place between election day and the inauguration. It’s a strange, transitional time in the halls of government filled with anxiety and different competing interests, where a very fragile and complex transfer of power takes place between the outgoing president and the incoming president-elect.
Fox’s The Exorcist concluded season one with an explosive episode that paid off every storyline while leaving the door open for more demonic possessions for Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) and Marcus (Ben Daniels) to exorcise. Episode 10 titled “Chapter Ten: Three Rooms” began with Henry (Alan Ruck), Kat (Brianne Howey), and Casey (Hannah Kasulka) wanting Father Tomas to help their mom. The young priest showed up at the Rance house just as Angela (Geena Davis), now integrated with Pazuzu, was choking Casey as a punishment for her family’s disobedience.
Angela lets Father Tomas know there’s no ‘Angela’ left and wants to know how far Father Tomas is willing to take this. He’s willing to do whatever is necessary, but the second he begins to pray, she knocks him out as easily as if he’s a fly buzzing around her head. She plants images in his head, making him believe he’s in back in his childhood home. Marcus joins him in the vision, warning him he’s “stepped in it this time.”
Meanwhile, citizens gather on the streets of Chicago along the parade route preparing for the Pope’s visit.
Elsewhere, Brother Simon (Francis Guinan), Maria (Kirsten Fitzgerald), and the rest of the devil’s faithful followers prepare to use the ashes on Marcus. Maria protests, saying they were meant for her, but Brother Simon doesn’t care and treats her like dirt. Simon takes the hood off of Marcus who sees his friend Father Bennett is also tied to a chair. Brother Simon addresses the kidnapped priests, proud to have grabbed the special security liaison to the Vatican and Rome’s greatest living exorcist. He tells them they can integrate of their own volition or die – it’s their choice. He slices Father Bennett’s arm and then Marcus’ so they can both feel what it’s like to be dying, telling them to decide quickly.
And now we’re back in Father Tomas’ vision, and he’s aware this isn’t real. The demon posing as Marcus warns him that integration is permanent and reminds him he’s not an actual exorcist. While Marcus and Tomas talk in the vision, back in the Rance house Angela places a large knife in Tomas’ hand (he’s obviously still passed out). In the vision, Marcus tells Tomas to wake up now or he’s going to die. Unfortunately, Tomas doesn’t know how to wake up and pull himself out of the vision. He looks down and sees the knife in his hand.
Angela happily announces the Pope will die in front of millions of viewers that very day. The world is going to change because of it, and she can’t take advantage of the new opportunities that will be presented if she kills her family. Henry tells her he’s going to kill her and Kat says Marcus will find her, reminding the thing now inside her mom that Marcus kicked its ass once before. Angela tries to slap Kat but can’t; her hand freezes before she can hurt Kat.
Inside her body, the demon has figured out Angela has hidden away part of herself. It’s the same place buried deep down inside that Regan hid when he possessed her. The conversation between Angela and Pazuzu plays out with Angela peeking out her bedroom door while Pazuzu approaches in the hallway, fingernails razor sharp and leaving scratch marks on the walls. Pazuzu calls out to Angela, but she shuts him out, warning her that if she doesn’t let him into her hiding place, he’ll torture her family.
Inside Father Tomas’ vision, Marcus calls himself the voice in the back of Tomas’ head. Marcus reminds Tomas of all the lies he’s told and that God doesn’t want him, and his family didn’t want him to be in the Vatican. Tomas sees his dead grandmother in the kitchen and watches as she suffers through the end stage of her life. He begins praying while Marcus whispers in his ear about the weeks it took his grandmother to die. Marcus says cats ate Tomas’ grandmother’s face and that everything he believed about her death as being swift and peaceful was a lie. Marcus forces Father Tomas to look at his grandmother as she gasps for air in her bed. Tomas kneels beside her and holds her hand while Marcus asks if this suffering is what God wanted.
Brother Simon watches as the blood drips out of Marcus and Father Bennett. He taunts Marcus, asking why he would die for a Church that doesn’t care about him. Maria warns Simon the parade’s about to start, but he’s caught up in reminding Marcus how the Church has constantly mistreated him over the years. He even talks about Marcus’ ex-communication and it appears Marcus might be breaking, but then he tells the story of the six blind men in the room asked to describe an elephant they’re touching. Marcus tells Brother Simon he won’t break, revealing he saw the “whole damn elephant” when he was 12 years old. He saw God and now he’s willing to die not for the Church but for Him.
Simon picks up the ashes, invokes Vocare Pulvere, and blows the ashes into the air. The group leaves but Brother Simon doesn’t allow Maria to go with them, and she’s upset because she’s the one who brought the Pope to Chicago.
Angela spins a hammer on the table, telling Regan to open the door and her family won’t be harmed. The hammer stops, pointing at Kat. Angela makes Casey pick up the hammer and tells her to hit her sister as hard as she can on the knee. If Casey doesn’t do it, Angela will tear Henry’s arms off. He screams as they’re pulled out to the side. Henry tells them he loves them as Casey begs Angela not to make her do it. Casey can’t hit her sister, so Kat grabs the hammer and hits herself on the knee, screaming out in pain from the blow. Angela/Pazuzu releases Henry’s arms while in her hidden area deep inside, Angela begs Pazuzu not to hurt her innocent family. Pazuzu tells her she can’t run, she can only open the door and give in completely.
The ashes float in the air over Marcus and Father Bennett, and the demon is whispering to Father Bennett, and he’s nearly ready to accept it. Marcus, seeing how close his friend is to giving in, taunts Maria. He says she’s been left behind on the bench, calling her Renfield (Dracula’s human servant). Maria yells at Marcus to shut up, and Marcus tells Maria she’s too afraid to take what’s hers. She falls for it and the demon enters her body as Marcus releases himself from his restraints. He and Father Bennett, while both in bad shape due to the blood loss, are able to take out the two priests who were left behind with Maria. Maria, foaming at the mouth, falls to her knees.
Over at the Rance house, Henry tends to Kat’s injury while Angela watches over the still-unconscious priest. Marcus is still trying to get Father Tomas to denounce the Church in his vision, as the knife remains clutched in Tomas’ hand. Tomas tries to wake himself up as Marcus holds Tomas’ hand, moving the knife up toward his throat. In the Rance house, Angela’s watching Father Tomas bring the knife up slowly.
The knife is at Father Tomas’ throat when Casey sees what’s happening and yells, “Wake up, Father Tomas! Wake up!” In his vision, Marcus’ eyes are now the eyes of the demon and Father Tomas hears Casey yelling off in the distance. He opens his eyes and now he’s kneeling in front of the altar at his church. He says, “Suicide is a mortal sin,” and drops the knife. Angela turns and stares at Casey as she picks up the hammer for round two.
Father Tomas admits to the demon version of Marcus that he’s sinned.
Casey tries to talk to her mom inside the demon, telling her to fight. Angela throws Casey down, telling her she’s had enough of her.
Father Tomas continues to talk to demon Marcus, admitting he wasn’t there for his grandmother and thought himself to be special. He wasn’t strong enough to deny Jessica or be honest with Angela when she asked for his help.
Angela presses her fingernail into Casey’s eye while Father Tomas tells demon Marcus he was wrong. Father Tomas says he has love, hope, and faith. These are all strengths and make him what he is: an exorcist.
Father Tomas rises from the floor as the Rance family screams at Angela to let Casey go. She senses he’s come back to the present and can’t believe it. He begins the exorcism again, holds up his crucifix, and screams, “The power of Christ compels you!” Angela is thrown back through the air and lands hard on the floor. She sits up and licks the blood off her lips, smiling.
Crashing noises and guttural moans can be heard throughout the house. Father Tomas continues the exorcism as the house begins falling apart around them. Henry helps Kat toward the door, but Casey turns around and heads back into the living room where Angela floats in the air as Father Tomas continues to pray, arm outstretched and holding up the crucifix. Angela growls and roars.
On the streets of downtown Chicago, the crowd has expanded and prepare to watch the parade. The Pope’s car approaches the crowd with two security guards in front. Marcus can be seen holding his bloody arm and stumbling toward the crowd gathered behind the barricades lining the street. He’s weak and falls to the ground.
Father Tomas continues to try and rid Angela’s body of the demon, and Angela slaps him, knocking him to the ground. She tells him he’s not a real priest as now Casey, who picked up a Bible, is also beginning to pray. Henry and Kat join her as they recite the Lord’s Prayer. The hidden part of Angela that’s inaccessible to Pazuzu hears her family praying.
Disgraced priests are on the streets watching the parade as the crowd cheers. The Pope’s car stops so he can wave at the crowd from inside, and then a loud buzzing noise makes those gathered cover their ears. Everyone (other than those in Brother Simon’s group) is affected by it, including the security detail walking in front of the Pope’s car. Eyes and ears begin to bleed.
At the Rances’ house, the family continues to pray out loud as does Father Tomas. He grabs Angela by the head and she continues to growl. We see the locked area inside of Angela where Pazuzu is now banging on the walls in anger and frustration. Angela won’t let him in but then stands up and says she’s tired of spending her life looking over her shoulder. She won’t watch him hurt her family anymore and she won’t let him win. She opens the door to the secret area and tells him to come and get her.
Meanwhile, Brother Simon approaches the side door of the Pope’s vehicle while the security personnel are still clutching their ears. One of his followers accompanies him and as he moves closer to the car door, he begins laughing. He looks in at the Pope.
Angela is now locked in an inner battle with the demon, beating him up. Her body is still struggling against Father Tomas, and Father Tomas promises her he won’t kill her. He swears he’s going to save her.
Brother Simon puts his hand on the window inches from the Pope’s face. He says, “The Morningstar sends his greetings,” and just then Marcus arrives and responds, “And I send mine!” slicing Simon’s throat with his rosary. The blood spurts everywhere, but the Pope is unharmed.
The hidden part of Angela is kicking the demon’s ass while Father Tomas is trying to save Angela’s real body. The demon speaks, saying Angela can’t do this because she’s “just a damn woman,” while Father Tomas continues the exorcism and Angela’s body lifts toward the living room ceiling.
Inner Angela has made mincemeat out of Pazuzu while Angela’s body bends in half and her family screams. Father Tomas cradles Angela’s apparently lifeless body, her face bloodied, and her eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling.
Marcus looks in at the Pope and then stumbles away as the disgraced priests turn and leave. The noise stops and the security personnel are able to stand up. They surround the Pope’s car as it pulls away.
Pazuzu grabs at Angela’s foot in the locked room, begging her not to walk away from him. She doesn’t listen, walks away, and then closes the door behind her, leaving him to scream in frustration and anger by himself. He’s now shut in in that secret part of her buried way, way deep down inside.
Angela’s eyes rid themselves of the demon’s extra pupil and close. Her family race to her side and cry over her body as Father Tomas grasps her hand.
Days later, Marcus sits next to Casey on the stairs outside the Rance house. He jokes about having to stare at her demon face for hours, telling her he prefers this version. She asks if he keeps tabs on the people he exorcised, and he says some of them. Some got better; some were in pain their whole lives because they didn’t think people would believe them. Casey asks how to get past it, and Marcus tells her she needs to remind herself it wasn’t her fault and tell herself she’s still there.
“The bastards don’t get to win,” says Marcus, and Casey worries she’s not strong enough. He tells her he’s never seen anyone fight longer or stronger, and she’s probably the strongest person he’s ever met. They hug as Henry tells her it’s time to go. Henry and Kat are by the car and it appears they’re all packed up and ready to move. Henry waves at Marcus, and Marcus sheds a tear as the Rance family drives away.
Marcus, Father Tomas, and Father Bennett meet at a restaurant, and a news report with footage from the attack on the Pope plays in the background. Marcus is surprised Father Bennett stuck around, and Father Bennett asks Marcus if he remembers that defacing a Bible is sacrilege. Marcus corrects him, saying he’s redacting not defacing it. Father Bennett leaves, but not before telling Father Tomas and Marcus to try and stay out of trouble.
Marcus and Father Tomas walk down the street, and Marcus isn’t sure what’s next for him or where he’ll wind up. Father Tomas wants Marcus to stay and train him to be an exorcist, and Marcus wants to know if Father Tomas really understands what he’s asking. He tells the young priest that sooner or later he’ll die with a demon standing over him. Father Tomas claims he knows the costs.
Elsewhere, Superintendent Jaffey (Tim Hopper) gets into the backseat of a car next to Maria.
Marcus asks why Father Tomas wants to be an exorcist and Father Tomas says that when the demon died, for just a brief moment he saw the true face of God. Marcus says that’s how they get you.
Jaffey asks Maria how she always manages to get what she wants. Maria says they’ve had a minor setback, and Jaffey reminds her Simon is dead and Pope Sebastian’s alive. Maria says Simon got greedy and Sebastian was never the finish line. They won’t make that mistake again.
Father Tomas says He chose him. He and Marcus stroll off together down the street.
The final scene of The Exorcist season one finale takes place on a beautiful fall day. Kat walks with a cane next to her sister as Henry waves from the porch. Angela’s there in a wheelchair and says she feels safe as her two daughters walk through the beautiful fall leaves.
