In the streaming era, it’s impossible to keep up with all the new content arriving every week, from movies and TV to EPs and albums. Despite the amazing storytelling, acting, editing and special effects that go into the making of many projects, a lack of viewership can lead to an early cancelation. This was the case for CBS-turned-Paramount+’s Evil, which comes from the minds of The Good Wife creators Michelle and Robert King. It follows Katja Herbers, Mike Colter and Aasif Mandvi as Kristen Bouchard, David Acosta and Ben Shakir respectively; the trio was commissioned by the Catholic Church to investigate possible supernatural occurrences and exorcisms as “the assessors.”
In season one, our three protagonists uncovered a plan to bring “the ultimate evil” to New York City, spearheaded by “corrupt freak” (as Slate puts it) Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson). The same outlet also describes Evil as “the best slept-on series out there,” which is why its cancelation in early 2024 came as such a shock to audiences. Just a few months after the news broke, the first two seasons of the King’s project landed on Netflix, attracting many positive reviews. Kristen, David and Ben have been on plenty of wild adventures since the show debuted in 2019. Now, our Evil ending explained summary is here to help you better understand the final episode.
‘Evil’ Ending Explained: What Was the 60’s Plan?
In the penultimate episode of Evil, titled “Fear of the Unholy,” we see David officiate the last mass in St. Joseph’s Church. Father Ignatius (Wallace Shawn) confirmed that the building will be closed and desanctified as the assessor program is terminated. With more free time on their hands, Kristen and Ben move on to working in their respective chosen fields, meanwhile, David is areassigned to Rome. There, he learns the Friends of the Vatican plan to conquer the 60 Demonic Houses, putting at least one of his former colleagues in danger.
The final episode (for now, at least), is fittingly called “Fear of the End.” On-screen, Father De Vita informs David of The 60’s upcoming visit. “The 60 have never been gathered in one place, and it will never happen again in our lifetime,” the priest speculates. Their meeting “involves a black mass, and sacrificing a young woman, so we have to stop it,” De Vita adds. Hence, a plan is born that begins with a ruse to lure The Entity (basically the Catholic Church’s CIA) into an offensive position to hopefully eliminate them. Amid all the action, Father Acosta is able to save Father Giovanni’s life, but the upper echelon of the Holy Roman force is destroyed during a faux ritual in a desanctified church.
As you might recall from season one, the assessors uncovered a manuscript with 60 symbols, or sigils, while tracking down their mysterious target. Each of these symbols represents a different demonic house, leading The Entity to believe that The 60 were gathering in person to perform a ritual. Instead, they connected over a Zoom-like platform, allowing them to take advantage of mind science. “There are 60 families, and 60 regions of the brain connected to the thalamus, which relays all sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex. The 60 Demonic Families can download perdition from the cloud, and keep it all in its ever-growing family,” Den of Geeks explains.
What Happened to Leland in the Cabinet?
Meanwhile, Kristen’s four children are exploring the future using Virtual Reality headsets; much to their dismay, things are growing more bleak by the second. The girls experience chilling nightmare scenarios while using the technology, only for them to be interrupted by an ad to download the full experience for $7.99/month from DF — a mysterious corporation with a diversified portfolio. Executives are satanic beings bent on fostering unrest among humans, including Leland who was previously the CEO. In a twist of fate earlier on in Evil, however, he was usurped by Kristen’s mother, Sheryl as DF let him go for allegedly baptizing her baby.
Leland’s plan to ascend among the ranks began at RMS Fertility, where Kristen previously underwent IVF treatment. The organization plays a crucial role in keeping The 60 Demonic Families going, which is why it raised so many eyebrows when it lost Kristen’s unfertilized egg. After losing his job, Leland made a final attempt to climb back to the top using a Poison Pill, which only worked until he found himself locked in an ornate and sanctified crate first introduced in S2 E7. The cabinet has been watched over by Monks since 1930, imprisoning “a demon that wants to destroy the world,” which sounds like the best place for someone like the disgraced Mr. Townsend.
Despite Being Canceled, Might We Still See More ‘Evil’ Episodes?
Having to wrap the story up on such short notice, the creators did their best to conclude things while still leaving open ends for a potential future comeback. As Den of Geeks reports, “The final four episodes of Evil season 4 technically constitute a ‘mini’ fifth and final season for the show per Paramount+. But the cast and crew have expressed interest in continuing the story.”
There’s certainly an opportunity for Evil to pick back up in the future based on how things leave off. While David turns down a new role in the Catholic Church, instead requesting a spot on the Rome assessment team, Ben seems eager to head back to work in an office cubicle with a six-figure salary. As Kristen joins the former working in the Vatican, her children (including the baptized antichrist, Timothy) can’t wait for a fresh start in Italy. Speaking of Kristen’s son, he plays a crucial role in the final moments of “Fear of the End” as his toothy grin leads his mother to a realization she’s not ready to share with David and Ben – she’s part demon.
There’s been evidence of this through all four seasons of Evil, and it certainly explains why RMS Fertility “misplaced” her egg. Leland’s obsession with Kristen and the Bouchard family was clear from the show’s opening courtroom scenes, even approaching her daughter, Lexis with malicious intent. Then, in season two, Sheryl taunted Leland, saying, “Do you know how many demons I dated before you?” As the Paramount+ series wraps up, the antichrist is in the Vatican, and viewers are begging any network to pick up Evil so we can find out what happens next.
