MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Damien Season 1 Episode 6 - "Temptress"

About the Show:

Damien Thorn (James Bradley) discovers that he is the Antichrist. He must confront his past and cope with the truth of who and what he is.

Stay Connected:

    

Television Network:
A&E

Genre:
Supernatural/Paranormal Drama
Horror/Suspense

Based on the film:

The Omen

Rating:

TV-14 V, L

Created by:

Glen Mazzara

Cast:

Bradley James - Damien Thorn

Barbara Hershey - Ann Rutledge

Megalyn E.K. - Simone Baptiste

Omid Abtahi - Amani Golkar

Scott Wilson - John Lyons

David Meunier - Detective Shay

Robin Weigert - Sister Greta Fraueva

   

   

See Full List of Cast on IMDB

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Watch the Full Episode

Episode : "Temptress"

Synopsis:

As Damien starts to unravel the conspiracy around him, it leads him to a beloved figure from his past and a confrontation with Rutledge.

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*My Thoughts*

Is it religious or is it a drug? I guess you can say it was both. If it wasn’t the work of Satan, then Damien wouldn’t exist. Our opening scene sends us to the hospital with Damien after his suicide attempt in the previous episode and from then on, it seems like he couldn’t be happier. He tries to continue a rational life without Rutledge in the way, things start going the way he wishes, and the strange occurrences are just orchestrated events, but the sad part is no one seemed to be on his side in the end.

Damien wakes up and leaves the hospital without any fuss but the scene was far too bloody for this episode to be peaceful; a foreshadow to the conclusion. Patients bleeding everywhere, blood being cleaned on the floor, this only seems natural for an emergency room, and the opening credits start by zooming in on a puddle of blood. Afterwards, Damien begins to take matters into his own hands by investigating Rutledge and even John Lyons. One is overly enthusiastic to be at his side and the other is far too calm at “handling” the other. He finds out he was drugged, had the 666 symbol tattooed in his hairline, and that his parents had died because of Rutledge. It was all too good to be true. Like she said in a previous episode, Damien is just trying to put the blame on someone else.

But inconsistencies popped up midway through the episode. The Omen man can’t have a fairytale ending as things turn sour. The highest point of his happiness deteriorates in front of him as more deaths occur, once by his own hands and subsequent orchestrated events. I ask again, “Does someone always have to die in an episode of Damien?” The darker and more desperate side of his personality begins to surface as Rutledge appears yet again with bodyguards to tear Damien out of his investigation and everywhere he turns is another dead end. John Lyon begins to confront Damien along with Detective Shay and his closest friends begin to distance themselves from him, making the downward slope in this episode all the steeper.

In the end, it was all but a dream. We are taken back to the very first scene of the episode but instead of seeing the ambulance rushing to the hospital, we see Damien struggling and losing his mind. Well played director; you almost had me fooled. I can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction and treatment of Damien after this episode but of course Detective Shay will be skeptical and crude in his investigation and we haven’t heard from Sister Greta Fraueva (Robin Weigert) from the Vatican in a while.

Until the next dark episode.

Watch a preview of Episode 7 - "Abattoir"

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Damien Season 1 Episode 5 - "Seven Curses"

About the Show:

Damien Thorn (James Bradley) discovers that he is the Antichrist. He must confront his past and cope with the truth of who and what he is.

Stay Connected:

    

Television Network:
A&E

Genre:
Supernatural/Paranormal Drama
Horror/Suspense

Series based on:

The Omen

Rating:

TV-14 V, L

Created by:

Glen Mazzara

Cast:

Bradley James - Damien Thorn

Barbara Hershey - Ann Rutledge

Megalyn E.K. - Simone Baptiste

Omid Abtahi - Amani Golkar

Scott Wilson - John Lyons

David Meunier - Detective Shay

Robin Weigert - Sister Greta Fraueva

   

   

See Full List of Cast on IMDB

~~~~~

Watch the Full Episode

Episode 5: "Seven Curses"

Synopsis:

Damien's surprising connection with a war veteran leads him to a very dark place.

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*My Thoughts*

Religious intensity just keeps increasing in Damien. He struggles so much to be normal and his stress only gets worse. This week’s episode doesn’t disappoint on the emotional side either. Damien starts the episode by trying to take care of post-traumatic stress disorder at a less than friendly hospital, probably due to Ann telling Detective Shay that Damien has mental instability. As the episode description says he befriends the father of the little boy he saved in earlier episodes.

The two hit it off pretty well but as per a Damien episode it certainly turns dark and real in a split second. Will every episode include a death? This week’s episode brings up topics of suicide and treatment of war veterans, making Damien much more than another horror series. Is our health system a joke or what? Despite Damien’s refusal to accept the fate this man has chosen for himself, Damien begrudgingly agrees to photograph his (possible) last moments. But why couldn’t Damien report this to the nurses or was this veteran’s conviction too strong, that it convinced him not to tell anyone.

The minor details included in the episode revolve around Amani, Simone, and Ann. The first thing to note is Ann’s particular fascination with Damien. It was revealed in a previous episode that she had a husband and a child that had died. Based upon that, it appears that her “overprotective” side or obsession with Damien is to compensate for the life that was taken from her. She must see Damien as her own child, especially since she was given the task to watch over him since he was put into Richard Thorn’s custody. Simone investigates him further and the religious significance of the happenings. And lastly, Amani, although Damien’s friend, needs time to himself and he seems to be getting very friendly with a female co-worker from the old firm Damien photographed for.

Thinking over what the war veteran was doing, should Damien kill himself as well? He mulls over the constant deaths around him, his own personality, his relationship to the few people he is close to, and then makes his decision. Damien tries to end it where it all began, his childhood home. But what Damien wants as a human being means absolutely nothing when you’re the son of the Devil. The hallucinations continue and Antichrist must not die until he has completed his purpose. The Vatican should act quickly, lest the world become an apocalyptic nightmare.

Until the next dark episode.

Watch a preview of Episode 6 - "Temptress"

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Damien Season 1 Episode 4 - " The Number of a Man"

About the Show:

Damien Thorn (James Bradley) discovers that he is the Antichrist. He must confront his past and cope with the truth of who and what he is.

Stay Connected:

    

Television Network:
A&E

Genre:
Supernatural/Paranormal Drama
Horror/Suspense

Series based on:

The Omen

Rating:

TV-14 V,L

Created by:

Glen Mazzara

Cast:

Bradley James - Damien Thorn

Barbara Hershey - Ann Rutledge

Megalyn E.K. - Simone Baptiste

Omid Abtahi - Amani Golkar

Scott Wilson - John Lyons

David Meunier - Detective Shay

Robin Weigert - Sister Greta Fraueva

   

   

See Full List of Cast on IMDB

~~~~~

Watch the Full Episode

Episode 4: "The Number of a Man"

Synopsis:

Damien's secret is out, making him the target of several conspiracies. Detective Shay (David Meunier) interrogates Damien, but Ann Rutledge (Barbara Hershey), a mysterious benefactor, intercedes.

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*My Thoughts*

No, Hershel (actor Scott Wilson, The Walking Dead) cut off his ponytail! Continuing with Damien, religious and supernatural occurrences appear in Damien’s life and those who are becoming involved, not only death but miraculous fetuses from drains, demonic apparitions, and blood dripping from symbolic orifices. The show lifts off the ground. Is Damien going to accept the Antichrist title or use it whenever it seems convenient?

This episode starts while Simone (Megalyn E.K.) is in the bathtub only to find a chicken fetus in her drain. Her part is still unknown but if Kelly (Tiffany Hines) had never met Damien, she would have had a peaceful life but people who mess with Damien never have a happy ending. Which brings us to Detective Shay (David Meunier); he hasn’t pinned any religious affiliations to Damien quite yet but from all of the unlucky events happening in his life, will he at least talk to a priest.

Detective Shay holds great animosity for Damien and only considers him to be another delinquent, asshole that he can put behind bars. Although he seems to be atheist, Damien calls Detective Shay’s bluffs and hints to embracing the supernatural protection he is given. It’s not that he wants people to continuously die, it’s for their safety; “Stay away from me.” Damien is put under stress by Detective Shay and is held at the police station for a man killing himself after seeing Damien. Damien trying to stop him is meaningless and is labeled the assailant. He really is a selfless, heroic person but was unfortunately born as the wrong… thing.

Ann Rutledge (Barbara Hershey) continues to be creepy and it doesn’t seem like she is simply an Antichrist follower but an obsessed woman, aiming to sleep her way to the apocalyptic top. Her interactions with Detective Shay teeter this thought and places even more pressure on Damien as a “troubled man since childhood.” Does Damien have anyone else to blame but himself? In the events of Troy Hendrie’s (Bruno Verdoni) death, I would say Ann wanted him dead not for Damien’s safety, and therefore could be strike for her. But should he try killing himself?

It doesn’t look like Detective Shay, Simone, or Ann are going to leave him alone and even more innocents will get caught in the demonic crossfire. On the upside, his co-worker and best friend, Amani Golkar (Amid Abtahi) might survive this. He only seems to want what’s best for Damien without the religious voodoo; trying to get him a high paying job, feeling grateful for their first meeting, and seeing Damien as an overall good person.

Until the next dark episode.