The Exorcist S1

[kindkit]

I've now finished S1 of The Exorcist.

In the hopes of luring more people into the fandom, I've put in a couple of images :



" alt='Father Marcus in a rumpled white shirt with a purple stole draped over it' />

That's Father Marcus facing the camera, with Father Tomas facing him. I find the rumpled white shirt + purple stole + religious symbols worn almost as jewellery + his amazing, worn, joli-laid face adds up to a disturbingly hot combination.

I expect someone has already written the AU in which Marcus is actually John Constantine.



" alt='Father Marcus stands behind Father Tomas, who is in clericals, helping him put on his priest's collar' />

And here Father Marcus helps Father Tomas put on his collar. As one does. Apologies for Tomas's ridiculous grimace--he's making a funny face throughout this otherwise glorious moment because he's worried.



" alt='A similar image to the previous one, from the same scene' />

Slightly less funny face here.

"Are they always like that?" I hear you asking. Yes, they are pretty much always in each other's space and quite often looking at each other soulfully.



Okay, now comes the spoilery bits :

I pretty much think the show is awesome, and not only for the slashiness. It's an interesting case of a really trashy premise that is then elaborated on with a great deal of artistry. It's a bit like Hannibal in that sense--not on the same level, because I think Hannibal at its best is transcendent, but it's a very well-made show. The writing almost always avoids clichés and can be surprisingly fresh, even the minor characters and the baddies have depth and nuance, the acting is really first-rate, and the show as a whole feels respectful of the audience, if that makes sense. The script doesn't overexplain (the Renfield references in the season finale are a good example) and, despite the fundamentally Christian worldview, it's not dogmatic and it's willing to let moral questions be questions, unanswered.

Plus, you know, two canonically queer characters whose queerness is presented matter-of-factly, and a character of color in the lead role and one in a prominent supporting role, and a lot of women doing important things (and one of them's a fat woman! and her being fat is not the point of her character, it's just a fact!).

And of course, slashy slashy slashy. I think Marcus and Tomas are incapable of looking at each other except in a meltingly soulful way. Even when it's demon!Marcus. I hope they have more screentime together next season; they were separated quite a lot in this one. I even find myself wishing for the show to be just a little less arc-y and more episodic, because I would love to see some lighter episodes where Tomas and Marcus go around being exorcism soulmates buddies soulmates, having adventures and rescuing people.

I'm still a little uncomfortable with the Christian worldview. I'm trying to think of it as just a mythology the show is using for its own purposes, but of course Christianity isn't just any mythology; it's one with a lot of power in my culture and whose effects I consider to be often (not always) very harmful. And yet . . . I used to be a Christian and I'm still drawn to certain aspects of it, and in those moments where Tomas's or especially Marcus's faith is the focus, I find that mythology working on me quite strongly.

I'd like to see some of the specific negative effects of Christianity in general or Catholicism in particular addressed, though. Especially homophobia, because that has got to weigh on Marcus's mind a lot. I find myself a bit torn, because on the one hand I do think it's great that we have this queer hero priest and the show itself never questions his right to be all of those things. But on the the other hand, I do think the show wants to gloss over how Catholic theology and institutions oppress queer people (and women) and instead put all the blame for that on the demons. I'd like to see Marcus struggling with the church's homophobia--I think it's pretty well established that the church, in his mind, is a separate thing from God, but it must still rankle to serve (and then be excommunicated by!) an institution that rejects a fundamental part of his identity.

(And yeah, I know that official Catholic doctrine has for some years been that there's nothing wrong with being gay/bi, it's only if you actually have same-sex sex that you're a disgusting sinner. But the Catholic church has pretty consistently thrown its weight behind attempts to deny gay people basic civil rights like protection from job discrimination, so color me unconvinced.)

Anyway, I'm really hoping there's good fanfic about Marcus. As soon as I'm caught up on the show I'll go and have a look.

Comments

[tree_and_leaf]

the rumpled white shirt + purple stole +

I'm afraid that just makes me go "why the hell are you doing that?" There may be a good reason for it in canon, but it strikes me as a slightly bizarre thing to do - you only put a stole on for ritual purposes.

On the other hand, the collar fastening thing makes sense, and actually particularly if Tomas is worried, because they are a pig to put on and it only gets worse if you're stressed.

[kindkit]

The "why the hell" is that they are about to begin an exorcism. Marcus isn't wearing clericals partly because of his personality and partly because he's recently been both laicized and excommunicated.

I'm not denying that the show plays fast and loose with actual Catholic doctrine and practice, but it's not completely random.

[tree_and_leaf]

Ah, OK, that makes sense - a stole over street clothes is still a little peculiar, but it does sound like it makes sense in context for those characters. I have been thinking I should check this show out...

[kindkit]

I think it's a surprisingly good show and worth watching. It might depend on how much inaccuracy you can accept, though. I don't know much about Catholic doctrine, and much of what I do know is probably 500 years out of date, but even I have had a few moments of "wait, what?" But it's not a dealbreaker for me, and it's always possible to think of the show as happening in the universe next door, where things are a little different.

[tree_and_leaf]

Eh, I'm not massively nit-picky - no, that's a lie, I am, but inaccuracies are not necessarily a deal-breaker, particularly if there's a decent reason for them in terms of character or plot-logic, if that makes any sense.

[kindkit]

*nods* In a way, exorcism is not really the show's point. It's the premise, but it largely functions as a way to explore issues about love, trust, faith, suffering. All the big stuff. Characterization is mostly very strong, too.

[tree_and_leaf]

That does sound as if I would enjoy it (assuming I'm not too much of a wimp - I don't watch much horror).

[kindkit]

I'm a horror wimp. I don't watch horror movies at all because I don't like the gore and I don't like the torture-porn aspect that's so common. I've mostly been okay with The Exorcist, though. The gore is so theatrical that it usually doesn't affect me, if that makes sense. There have been some scenes I've found upsetting, but because of the emotional dynamics.

[tree_and_leaf]

That is useful contextual information!

[tree_and_leaf]

I mean, I know very little about the actual practice of exorcism in that sense. It does exist in Anglicanism, but its practice is pretty tightly restricted. It was relatively common for people to be worried that their house was haunted in my previous context, but fortunately I've never had to deal with anyone claiming they or a relative were possessed.

[kindkit]

I once read some of a truly terrible book series about an Anglican exorcist, in which she never actually performed an exorcism.* At least not in the ones I read.

*That wasn't why they were terrible. They were incoherently plotted and poorly characterized and homophobic and deeply right-wing in their morality despite some superficial liberalism. Nevertheless, an exorcism would have been an improvement over "Oh, something inexplicable and terrifying is happening yet again! I shall fix this by my time-tested method of doing absolutely nothing."

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh, Merrily Watkins? I tried to read the first one and bounced quite hard off it (I can't quite remember exactly why, but I remember that something about it felt really skeevy).

[halotolerant]

I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE WATCHING THIS! Yay! *bounces* *g*

I'm reading your posts about it in your writing order so I don't know what you're making of S2 yet, but I personally liked S2 so much more and I'm really glad I saw some of what it involved on tumblr so I knew that it was worth getting through S1 for (because by the last 2 or 3 episodes of S1 I was just like jeez louise how many times do we have to do the exorcise/bleed/worry about the pope thing) Marcus and Tomas have such amazing chemistry throughout, though, and looking at tweets etc the actors seem to really get on which is nice.

[kindkit]

I wish you'd mentioned it to me sooner! It's such a great show.

I don't know what you're making of S2 yet

Heh. I made a pretty long post about it yesterday, so you will not lack for my opinions! I agree that it's better than S1, which did get repetitive. I didn't mind the repetition too much because I found Marcus and Tomas so interesting, but I'm liking the more gradual S2 storytelling and the wider cast of characters. But, honestly, I would watch an entire episode of Marcus and Tomas driving and chatting, or getting drunk, or even praying together, because, yeah, chemistry.

[halotolerant]

*g* I'd really only just got started when I mentioned it before - I've been struggling to get time to watch it but I'm up to S2E4 now. And it was only when I hit S2 that I was like YES (I loved the first few eps of S1 but then it did, as I say, hit a bit of a rut for me, I really did not care much about any of the teenage girls or Geena Davis)

I would watch an entire episode of Marcus and Tomas driving and chatting, or getting drunk, or even praying together, because, yeah, chemistry
So much yes. I want a 'on the road' episode with all the best cliches - motels, shared rooms, gas station stops and arguing about snack food, winding up the locals by pretending to be a couple (I think Marcus would and I think Tomas might, actually, in solidarity and maaaaaybe because it feels kind of pleasant)

I was thinking about Tomas, actually, and how he obviously has his het love story in S1 but how he also basically fell in love with and had a long, all consuming and (until the end) unconsummated relationship with a woman who was basically unreachable. I can buy that as a backstory for conflicted impulses too (I mean I think he is attracted to women but I could believe he finds sexual attraction generally difficult to deal with)

[kindkit]

Yeah, now that I think about it, the story of Tomas's relationship with Jessica is more interesting than it seemed. When they first met they could have been together, but he took steps to make it impossible. While it was impossible, he longed for her, but then once she'd left her husband and they'd had sex together, he began to be unhappy. Maybe just guilt, but he seemed to enjoy the relationship more when it was epistolary.

Parenthetically, the writers could have done better with that story if they wanted us to care. Like given Jessica her own personality and some interests in life besides Tomas. But Watsonian-ly it makes it easier to see Jessica as someone Tomas has unconsciously chosen to fill a particular role--the Woman He Cannot Have--rather than as someone he truly, individually loves.

I could believe he finds sexual attraction generally difficult to deal with

Me too, especially since he may believe, or want to believe, that as a priest he must be called to celibacy. I think possibly he may not feel strong sexual attraction very often, so when it happens (and it shouldn't, because priest!) he doesn't cope well.

[halotolerant]

Exactly! He had a forbidden love and that very conveniently dealt with that area of his life, whilst also allowing him to sort of serve her by being emotionally available. I think with his relationship with his grandmother and sister and then Jessica, he's very keen on living up to what people need of him. Which is one reason for him to latch onto Marcus, in a sense, because Marcus needs so, so much, emotionally and otherwise and I think Tomas loves that. He wants a cause. (And yes, maybe lust as such isn't something he deals with often, so having to put that - wanting something FROM someone as well as just to give - is hard on several levels)

I do feel that the writers of S1 made Marcus and Tomas interesting but second fiddle to the Family Of Cursed Women and Whatever Pope Plot, and it's lovely in S2 that most of the characters get a lot more to them. Like the fact that Rose was in the foster system, or Peter as a scientist (not just 'a dude with a boat I guess')

I saw S2E5 which was fab, and now I'm just cross that I have to wait and that I'm almost inevitably going to be spoiled due to the week delay. But if that's the price of a genuinely good show being put out I'll pay it *g*