Casey’s almost completely gone as the demon has taken control over her body in Fox’s The Exorcist season one episode eight. Airing November 18, 2016, episode eight begins with an angry Angela (Geena Davis) slapping Marcus (Ben Daniels). She’s upset, and rightfully so, that she wasn’t told Casey (Hannah Kasulka) had been found.
Henry (Alan Ruck), Kat (Brianne Howey), and Chris (Sharon Gless) barge in and the demon says, “Mother MacNeil? Someone got old.” They can’t believe Casey’s condition as her skin has blackened and her eyes are a horrifying brownish red.
Kat is tricked into believing she’s talking to her sister and then the demon tells her she’s a terrible driver. They try to convince Kat to walk away and finally Henry is able to do it, so the demon turns its attention to Casey’s father. The demon tells Henry it was responsible for making the scaffolding fall, causing his injury. For its next act, it tosses Kat and Henry into the wall.
Angela yells at the demon to get the hell out of her daughter, so the demon taunts Angela with Casey’s current location. She’s in hell nailed to the floor in a room without windows. She’ll be alone forever, but she’ll know her mother put her there. The family’s sent from the room as Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) and Marcus continue the exorcism. Henry’s upset they’re not allowed to stay and observe, and Chris tells Henry that listening to it happen from another room is the hardest part. Angela wants Henry and Kat to go home and pack, telling them she’ll stay and see it through. Once it’s over, they won’t be able to stay home because of all the police and media attention. They need to be able to flee as soon as Casey’s back.
Chris, Kat, and Henry have to walk through a wall of photographers and reporters to get to the car. Mother Bernadette (Deanna Dunagan) steps outside to tell the reporters to leave because they’re trespassing. The police aren’t going to help Mother Bernadette clear the area because the reporters are on the sidewalk. A detective wants to come inside and see if Casey’s in there, but Mother won’t allow it without a warrant.
The tour guides/experts on weird happenings around Chicago help bandage Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan) and make an anonymous call to the police reporting a dozen human remains in the boiler room of Tattersal Landscaping.
Marcus and Father Tomas continue the exorcism with Mother Bernadette’s help. Father Tomas wants to bring in Angela to try and reach Casey, but Marcus won’t allow it. A fistfight breaks out between the two men as the demon smiles. Marcus notices the smile and tells Father Tomas the demon’s worming its way into their brains. It growls/snarls/laughs at them.
Outside the room, Angela announces to Father Tomas and Marcus she’s ready. Marcus warns her again about what’s in store, and Angela says she knows the demon better than anyone. Marcus makes her promise to run if she feels the slightest twinge. When they re-enter the room, items fall from the wall as Casey says, “Hello, mommy.” She wants to know why her mom gave up on her and Marcus tells Angela to keep it talking. It looks at Father Tomas and he grimaces in pain.
Angela tries to get through to Casey by talking about what happened in her childhood. The demon says disgusting things about how she stretched Regan out as a kid. She even talks about Angela’s abortion before she had Casey and Kat. Angela continues on and tells her daughter she’s strong. Father Tomas and Marcus stick with the exorcism script. Together, they all say, “I forgive you, fallen angel.”
A news report comes on announcing corpses were discovered at Tattersal. Father Bishop tells one of the higher-ups in the papal entourage that Tattersal is connected to the group funding the Pope’s visit.
Kat, Henry, and Chris pack as quickly as possible. Henry says they’re going to move to Canada and Kat wonders if people will just forget about Casey killing two people. Chris offers her house, but Henry thinks they’ll find her there. Kat declares she’s not going back to school and won’t be convinced otherwise.
Marcus, Father Tomas, and Mother Bernadette circle Casey, continuing the exorcism. Angela stares at Casey, making eye contact with the demon as she reads out loud from the Bible. Angela hears the demon’s voice in her head and the demon wants to play a game just with her.
And here comes the creepiest game imaginable… Angela’s transported back in time to when Regan was playing with a Ouija board in the basement. Angela sits at the table next to her younger self as Regan talks to the demon through the Ouija board. It spells out Captain Howdy and Regan asks if her mom will get married again. We now see the demon with a red bird on his shoulder and he talks directly to Angela. She remembers he was the photographer at the zoo when he was six and asks why he’s making her watch this. He tells her it’s a stroll down memory lane.
As he leans over the young Regan who looks to be in a trance, she drools. He asks Angela if she remembers how she felt when she was that young. In response she asks why he chose her, and he says she was chosen because she was under his foot. She’s not special and neither was Christ, according to the demon. Angela tells the demon to leave her family alone, but he claims he’s doing this because she doesn’t get to just walk away. He licks her face and tells her he misses her taste. Chris MacNeil comes down the stairs and asks Regan where she got the Ouija board, and then tells Regan she’s going to be a director. They happily walk up the stairs together.
Father Tomas and Marcus continue their work, and Casey’s body slams up and down repeatedly as they continue praying over her. They give Casey her Last Rites and the demon tells Angela the show is over. She stops the demon from twisting Casey’s head around and Marcus and Father Tomas recite the Last Rites. Marcus, Father Tomas, and Mother Bernadette are sent flying across the room as Casey’s body breaks free of its restraints and flies upward off the table, flailing around uncontrollably. She slams back to the table and Casey says, “Mom?” Angela runs to her daughter and hugs her. Marcus and Father Tomas look exhausted but pleased.
An ambulance arrives to take Casey to the hospital as Father Tomas and Angela carry her out through the reporters. After the ambulance pulls away, the reporters are anxious to speak with Mother Bernadette, but she simply shakes her head.
Police break into the building where the person behind the plot to kill the Pope is supposedly holed up. They find him but he kills himself rather than be taken in. Weapons and plans are scattered throughout his room.
The family gathers around Casey’s bed at the hospital and the police tell Henry they need to speak with her as soon as she’s awake. Henry says the police will have to go through their lawyer before speaking with Casey. Kat wants to know if Casey will be okay, and Henry wants Kat to consider moving to her grandmother’s house. They both think it’s weird that Angela’s mom is a movie star, and maybe Chris has connections that can help Kat.
Marcus and Father Tomas are listening to music at a bar and relaxing, and Tomas even tells a joke. They’re back to being friends and Father Tomas wants to know if it’s really over. Marcus tells him he could be an exorcist if he wants to, joking that he would get to see the world. They make a toast to Casey Rance and to standing in the doorway and pushing back the night. Father Tomas checks his watch and says he has to go, but Marcus wants him to stay and close the bar down with him. Father Tomas can’t and says goodbye, leaving as Marcus makes eye contact with a handsome man across the bar. He doesn’t get to act on the flirtation as a breaking news report reveals police discovered a plot to assassinate the pope.
The papal entourage travel by car and Father Bennett says that even now there are still people faithful to the Church in the city, despite what’s going on. He’s asked the names of the faithful, suspicious of the question. Before he can answer, they place a plastic bag over his head and suffocate him.
Jessica (Mouzam Makkar) meets Father Tomas at the church but she’s not alone. Her husband, Jim, is with her and he knows the two are sleeping together. He wants to know how many times they slept together and Jim tells Father Tomas he’s hiding behind the white collar. Tomas removes the collar and wants to know if Jim wants to hit him. He doesn’t but says he’ll call Tomas’ superior to tell him the priest committed adultery. Jim leaves and Jessica apologizes, saying she’ll take care of this mess.
The news reports additional information on the Pope’s assassin, John Harplin, and Marcus recognizes him as a guy who lived under a tarp. How could he afford the supplies? He couldn’t, and Marcus knows this isn’t over.
Back at the Rance house, Angela and Chris talk while Angela packs up. Angela thinks it’s crazy to walk away from her life for the second time, and Angela’s aggressively mean to her mom. Angela says she will forget everything her mother ever said to her and then uses the nickname her mom called her as a child. Chris realizes there’s something wrong, but it’s too late. Angela twists her mother’s head backward and lets her fall down the stairs. The demon is back inside Angela!
