Damien Episode 1.03 – The Deliverer: Recap and Review with Spoilers
Matt Molgaard
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It’s Monday evening, which means it’s time for our weekly recap and review of A&E’s “Damien.” In Episode 1.03, “The Deliverer,” the police are putting together a puzzle. The completed image is that of homicide, and the law believes that Damien may be a crucial piece of this puzzle.
Cut to Damien and Ann, who are discussing Damien’s mother. He’s pondering why he would kill his own mother to begin with. Ann ensures him that he didn’t try to kill his mother. He’s learning bits and pieces of history he could not previously remember. He’s also taking note of just how well Ann knows him. She’s been around for a long, long time.
Ann’s breaking it down, flat out telling Damien that he is going to soon realize that he’s actually the Anti-Christ, informing the man that he’s essentially being groomed for a war of biblical proportions, and Ann has been there, in the background for every step, part of a larger collective determined to protect him as he grows. For a guy being told he’s basically going to toe the line with God someday, Damien carries an impressively dismissive façade. In a strange twist, as this intimate convo comes to an end, Ann makes what appears to be a sexual advance. Damien denies her, but it brings to mind the entirety of her motivations today. And just what kind of powers would accompany the arrival of the Anti-Christ’s child?
I’m thinking this one through a bit too thoroughly.
We see Kelly’s sister, Simone, approaching a man of the cloth. She’s also noticing that there are some strange connections between Damien, Kelly and even the Devil. This one is a thinker, no doubt about it. She also sees a vision tied to a religious statue of sorts, a punctured heart pouring out blood before her. When she grabs the priest to investigate, the blood is, of course, not there to be seen.
Damien is on the move, working to learn more about himself as well as Ann Rutledge. He takes the time to consult a friend, but he’s not too supportive in Damien’s decision to pursue the woman. There’s a very real concern between both men in regards to Damien’s well-being. As an afterthought Damien gets a little bombshell: Their boss fired both of these guys. Damien’s got a bit too much on his plate to think about that one thoroughly.
We move on to see the meeting of Damien and John (played by the awesome Scott Wilson) Lyons. Their conversation isn’t heated in any way, but it doesn’t go quite as well as Damien had hoped. John warns Damien, informing him that the woman (Ann) terrifies him. It’s an interesting little encounter that quickly jumps to a conversation between John and Ann. It’s now evident that whoever this mysterious group of religious weirdos are, both Ann and John are in the mix, looking to keep Damien alive and traveling in the evil direction that he’s predestined to travel.
During this meeting John essentially tells Ann that she’s improperly tangled up in Damien’s life. He wants another man within the group to take over guiding the young man, preparing him for some apocalyptic business. You don’t need to be a genius to know that Ann doesn’t take well to this idea. They’re on opposite sides of the fence and neither is budging. For John, Ann is no longer on the case; for Ann, nothing has changed whatsoever. And that’s about the place we leave that interesting exchange…
But we pick up very quickly, as within five minutes we see Ann and the man who’s been ordered to take over for the woman outside. Ann pretends as though she’s concerned for the man, she’s giving him directions to help keep Damien safe. Or so it would seem. Rather, what she does is manipulate him until she sees an opening and then pretends to be pushed by the man on a busy street.
Damien doesn’t see precisely what happened, but he’s been sitting across the street running surveillance on Ann. When he sees her crash to the ground and scream for help, he takes flight. The poor schmuck ordered to replace Ann speeds away on foot, hoping to get himself as far from Rutledge and Damien as he can. But that plan fails when he falls on an escalator, gets his tie stuck, and, quite literally, loses his face. While all of this happens, Damien, who had been chasing the man, stops to save the life of a child who’s been knocked down and onto the tracks, a train fast approaching. It’s an important thing to see, as it reinstates our belief that there is indeed something genuinely decent still alive within our potential Anti-Christ.
A quick moment of silence occurs between Ann and John, after he learns of the escalator incident, and John knows where he stands. Taking Ann from the case is not an option. Now he looks like he gets it.
We get back to the law enforcement angle, where we see one certain detective obsessing over these cases. Once more, and rather unexpectedly, evil forces come into play and the detective is attacked by one of the evil watchdogs. He survives after putting a bullet in it, but he’s definitely injured. And he’s got the look of a man concerned that what he’s just experienced wasn’t exactly typical.
We get back to Damien’s apartment; it is evening time, and Damien looks to be trying to slow the spinning wheels within his head. Ann shows up at his door with food and smiles. She continues sharing knowledge with Damien. These moments of strange tutoring form a circular theme to the episode. Those who listen to the facts of life and pay heed may be fortunate enough to survive.
Those who don’t listen, may not be so fortunate. The episode opened up with self-discovery and open displays of power, and it comes to close in very similar fashion, Ann boiling over with excitement after Damien shows her the 666 birthmark on his scalp.
Be sure to check back next week for our thoughts on Episode 1.04, “The Number of a Man.”
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