Original subtitles

For I have sinned.

It's been six months since my last confession.

These are my sins.

I hit my wife.

Why?

I was frustrated.

My job wasn't going well.

What should I do?

Do you promise not to repeat this offense against God and your wife?

I do.

then please repeat the act of contrition.

Okay.

How did Tom do? I think he should have offered more.

You have a wife, Peter, and he's being asked if he won't repeat the act.

What should the priest do, then? Withhold absolution?

No, but he should suggest counseling at the very least. What if the confessor

refuses to go to counseling?

Would you withhold absolution? Of course not.

Why not? Because it's up to the individual to change his behavior. But

behavior won't change unless you give him the tools.

What is the purpose of confession?

Isn't penance one of those tools?

And prayer? But I would think counseling is a third.

He did ask, what should I do? As long as there is contrition and confession, the

priest's duty is to provide penance and absolution on God's behalf.

Even if the husband continues to beat the wife? The sacrament is not an act of

social justice.

Forgiveness comes from God, not you.

Not the city of New York.

That was getting tense.

I have a friendly disagreement.

Well, let him win. I won't be able to keep this an assessor if you fail this

year. Am I failing?

You've been tardy. There's a reason for that. You assured me you could do both,

assess and be a student. Has that changed?

No. Good. Then this is an odd case.

A parishioner who thinks her husband is possessed.

How is that? Possessed by an angel.

Thank you for seeing me.

I know this is really weird.

The assessors deal with weird all the time, Ashley. Her husband, Raymond, is

to us. He's been attending Mass for... Six months.

He loves St. Joseph's.

It's just... He's changed.

He's been hearing something.

What?

A voice.

He said it's the Archangel Michael, and he's been giving Raymond instructions.

What instructions?

At first, it was just working at the food kitchen, giving clothes to the

things like that.

But now, he told Raymond to leave his

job.

He wants him to give away everything so we have nothing.

And I'm two months away.

I understand charity, but he wants to sell our house and give the money to the

poor, and I don't know what to do.

We'll have to live out of our car.

You want us to prove there is no angel? Well, not prove, but make clear he's not

hearing from one.

An angel doesn't want him to starve his wife and baby.

Well, didn't Jesus say sell everything and give it to the poor?

Jesus said it to a rich man.

Does it matter?

Jesus doesn't want them to starve, and they will.

I need you to talk to him, David. New converts tend to be overzealous, and you

should investigate whether there are any psychological issues there.

All right. Oh, and I need you to make a call.

To?

Leland Townsend.

Just say which one tastes the best.

Oh, I have to get this. Which one, Lee?

Oh, I don't care about that one.

Buttercream, it might not hold up in summer weather.

Then why in the hell did you make buttercream an option?

Go take your call, beast.

Hello,

David.

How are we?

Good, Leland. I want to get back to you about your exorcism this Friday. Oh,

good. I'm so looking forward to it. I hope you'll be there.

Actually, neither of us will.

We have to delay it a month.

Why? Our exorcist's father, Mara, is at a conference at the Vatican. Then

there's a bit of a backlog when he gets back.

This is happening, David. You can't stop it. Why would I want to?

I can't wait to see you rolling around on the floor.

I'll be sending you some spiritual exercises to prepare yourself.

Don't thank me.

Lee?

What do you think about a groom's cape?

Yes!

Well, let me think, Trish.

Everything all right, love?

Yeah. Could we talk for a minute, bugbear?

Of course, honey bunny.

Excuse us.

Are you okay, babe? It's just taking too long. No, I'm good. I just have one

suggestion. What? The chocolate cake?

The wedding. We're done.

Okay. I can handle this. Go home. No, no.

We're done.

We're not getting married.

I've been using you to get to your daughter, to hurt her. Well, now she's

so I don't need you.

You should cry now. I think that'd be appropriate.

Because I want you to know that I've hated every second of this.

Every DJ we listened to, every place setting, every invitation. Well, now

over. And I want you to take your dried up little ovaries and drag them back

under the rock you came from.

Hello, Mr. Strand.

Mr. Strand.

I'm David.

This is Kristen and Ben.

Can we talk for a moment, Raymond?

Maybe you should come down from there. You're going to break your neck on

Good point.

You know why we're here, Raymond?

Your wife is worried you're giving all your money away.

Are you alright, Raymond?

Are you hearing something?

Not now, no.

He says that I'm the Lord's instrument, that he can't leave until we complete

our work.

What work is that?

The second Bible.

It's not what we expected. It's not some overzealous parishioner.

It's either a psychological breakdown or a demonic obsession.

Why demonic and not angelic? He's being haunted.

Angels don't haunt. Sure they do.

When?

Angels destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. They turned Lot's wife into a pillar of

salt for looking back.

They killed the Assyrian army. At God's behest, in defense of the righteous. Are

you going somewhere with this? Angels are not cherubs.

Angels terrify everyone in the Bible. I thought you didn't believe it. Well, I

don't, but I remember my catechism. Look, if he's hearing angels or a devil,

doesn't matter.

He's having a psychotic break. Well, then I suggest you three complete a full

evaluation, and if this isn't psychological, David, determine if this

angelic source or a demonic one.

Hey, are we okay?

We? I think we are.

Is there anything I can do? No, I'm good.

I just worry for her, that's all.

And you have no idea why she's acting this way?

She's probably just missing her husband.

I don't know.

I just have this feeling something's wrong.

She's having an off day.

We all have off days.

Okay, I gotta call you back.

What'd you say, don't worry?

I say don't worry.

Are you the

archangel?

Get up.

You're hogging the floor.

Next time, fall over there on the bed.

You'll make my life easier.

How long have I been out?

Don't use pain.

You'll kill yourself and it won't get you anywhere.

There was a sister that came through here with a mop.

Which sister?

I don't know. I don't know names.

If it was Sister Andrea, she's down there.

What do you want?

You said don't use pain to get anywhere.

What did you mean?

Are you saying don't use pain to talk to God?

Is that what you were doing?

I was trying. You want to talk to God, pray.

Billions of people do it every day.

What you were trying to do was force God to talk to you.

I had a vision of the devil embracing a friend.

But every time I try to return to that vision, I can't hold it. Why do you

It's a friend struggling with some kind of diabolical influence.

You have a phone?

Do I have a phone?

Yeah.

Unlock it.

This app, it's a metronome.

Use it. What are you... In what way? Don't do anything tonight. You're too

up. Tomorrow, start the metronome. Focus on it. Let it sync up with your heart.

And stop hurting yourself.

Pain is for Taurus.

You look nice. Thank you. You wanted to talk?

I did.

I would love it if you could explain exactly to me why you couldn't keep your

fucking mouth shut.

Excuse me?

You told Kristen about my hiding place. I keep a little piece of red thread

there, so I'm warned if someone opens it, it's been opened. What are you

about? Oh, I know you, Cheryl. You're a walking ball of neediness. When you

crawl back to your daughter on your hands and knees, don't even think about

breathing another word about what's gone on between you and me, or I will come

for you, you bitch.

Shut up!

Pardon me, you little freak.

Don't you dare call me bitch.

I know where all your skeletons are buried. Your hands are a lot dirtier

mine. And you have way more to lose than I do, so don't you dare hurt me.

You don't know what you're dealing with.

Come on. I'm not some wilting wedding planner.

Do you know how many demons I dated before you?

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two months since my last

confession.

These are my sins.

Cocaine. I take it. I sell it.

My wife, too. But I'm bringing in 15 mil every month. Can I get a real

confession? Please. How is that not a real confession? It's the plot line to

Scarface.

Are we keeping you, Mr. Acosta?

I'm sorry, Father. It's Bishop Marks.

What happened?

He was driving home when he saw a car that had turned over and was on fire.

Is he all right? Yeah, doctors are looking at him now. He thinks the

Michael is working through him.

Hey, Anya.

Christian, hey, what are you doing here?

I'm working with the Strand family.

How is he?

Delirious, I guess. You never know, he lifted a car today.

Got a family of four out, and the weird thing is there's not a scrape on him.

Oh, don't worry, you guys, I got this.

Must be the adrenaline, right?

I guess. He claims he didn't feel the flames at all. He leapt over a highway

divider, reached into a burning car, then lifted it to save four strangers.

So, hey, um, Mira said you're, um, working with a hot priest. That sounds

Mira.

Oh, and hey, maybe sometime you could help me with that LaRue killing?

Uh, are you on that?

Yeah, Mira handed it off to me. She's afraid she was too close.

Mira thought it was LaRue's wife, but she has an alibi, and she was at a

group. Good alibi, huh?

Not bad.

And we're not sure that she would have had enough time to get to LaRue and back

anyway.

Right.

And what do you need from me? Oh, just background. It'll be painless, I

All right. Sure. Yeah.

I'll give you a call.

Please.

What does that mean?

Are you alright?

He left me.

He skidded to a halt and left me in the middle of traffic.

He needed to save those strangers.

It's good, I guess, but shouldn't he care about his family too?

So the Archangel told you to save them? No.

He acted through me.

Raymond, yesterday you mentioned the second bowl.

What is that?

You saw him, too.

I... What did I see?

Michael.

I heard your cop friend talking.

Are you in trouble?

My middle name is trouble.

What are you talking about?

What?

Hey, I'm not talking to you, love. You're dumb.

Oh, Cheryl.

You are adorable.

Blood.

Is there any history of bipolar disorder in your family?

Raymond, did you hear the question?

I did.

Do you have an answer?

I do.

No. How about seizures?

Any history?

Before the visits from the angel, had you ever seen or heard anything that

others could not?

If you're asking Raymond, his answer is no. So you're not Raymond anymore?

You're Michael?

What is that?

Mark behind your ear, what is that?

Nothing. No, it's right there.

A little square that hasn't been tanned.

In your day job, do you wear something there?

Are you the angel that wrestled with Jacob, son of Isaac, grandson of

No.

Michael is a general of the Lord's army.

The second bowl.

Is it a plague? In time, I will blow the final trumpet.

The signal for all the bowls to be poured out so the face of God will be

revealed.

And if there are ten righteous people in this world... Your question is

irrelevant. God didn't think so.

Abraham asked God.

He said he would not destroy Sodom if there were ten righteous.

And there were not.

You guys see that little patch mark behind his ear?

Yeah. So Raymond works as a crane operator on skyscrapers.

And sometimes the workers use scopolamine patches to overcome vertigo.

patches prevent nausea, but they're supposed to be removed every three days.

if they're not?

Then you could wind up with an accidental scopolamine overdose.

Now, it doesn't kill you, but can lead to memory loss and hallucinations.

Is there any way we can find out? Sure. If he's not heading into work, then the

toxicity of the patch will leave his body in a few days.

Wait, you startled me. I thought you'd be in your office. Oh, I'm just getting

some work done in here.

Do you want to come in? No, no, no, that's all right. I just had a few

questions.

What's up?

Raymond Strand.

When you spoke to him yesterday, did he...

Say anything more about the accident or saving the family?

Like? We talked to a few more eyewitnesses, reviewed the street cam

there was something weird.

What? After he rescued the first three people in the car, the husband, the

and the 10 -year -old daughter, there was one person left, the wife's brother.

According to the video, Raymond just stood there holding the car up, and he

didn't do anything.

Who didn't do anything?

Raymond. He just stood there and watched this guy burn.

But he saved him. After a minute, this guy was screaming. His flesh was on

and Raymond let him burn for a full minute.

Then he saved him.

Wow.

She's sure? There's surveillance video. Could the fire have been keeping Raymond

back? Not according to the video. He was holding the car up, letting the guy

burn. I'm just saying, this could be more than delusions.

His psychosis could be dangerous.

What an incredible feat yesterday, saving that family.

Why'd you let the guy burn in the car?

What guy?

The one you saved last.

Kevin Blackstone, the uncle.

He survived.

Yeah, but barely.

I did what was required.

Could you explain?

He had an affliction of the spirit which offended God. I was called to remove

it.

So, God told you to let him burn? God allowed him to experience a moment of

torment of hellfire so that he might renounce his sins and save his soul.

What were his sins?

He was often trusted with watching his young niece.

He violated her.

I received my instructions from the Most High.

The offender did not perish, nor will he.

And with his injuries, he will be unable to commit any such depravity with her

again.

That's God's will.

So, what do we do?

It's dangerous.

David?

St. Augustine advocated for just war.

That there are instances when war may be necessary and right. In a situation

where violence can stop a dire wrong, choosing peacefulness could be

a sin. Are you defending what he did? No. I'm just saying God's logic isn't

ours.

And that little girl was being molested. We don't know that.

All we have is his word. And if we did know that, what would you do? I wouldn't

burn him.

I would turn him over to the cops. Do you think there can be a just war?

I do.

Because of St. Thomas Aquinas?

And Hitler.

I think there's evil in the world and it should be confronted.

You think there could be just murder?

You said violence is justified if it confronts evil and stops a

grave or wrong.

If someone's threatening to kill you or your family, is it right to

stop them?

As long as it's proportional.

Is killing proportional?

Only if it's the only way to stop a killer.

Anything beyond that is murder.

Why?

Come in.

There's an Ashley Strand here for you. OK. Be right there. No, not you.

You.

Mrs. Strand.

Are you all right? No.

No, I'm not.

I can't handle this anymore.

Raymond or Michael or whoever the hell he is.

I'm thinking about leaving.

But I don't know how he's going to react.

Did something happen?

I mean, something else?

He's insisting that we live biblically.

But that mostly affects me.

He doesn't want me to go back to work. And we need the money.

He threw away all my makeup and some of my clothes. And he just keeps issuing

all these orders and expecting me to obey. Because, word of God,

I'm not staying in a marriage where I have no say.

But if I leave, I'm worried it'll push him over the edge.

Okay.

I'll get you the number of a women's center for new moms.

They can help you while you figure things out.

Where did you get that blood you used on my wall?

It tasted like yours.

I've missed that.

What do you want?

Can I come in?

Cheryl. I was wrong. It was the wedding. It was making me crazy.

I want you back.

No.

The other day, you were reminded of exactly how much I've got on you, and

you want to neutralize me.

Nope. Not happening.

Raymond is suffering from psychosis. He was on a medication for vertigo, which

can cause visual and auditory hallucinations. Most likely combined

depression and anxiety. The personality changes we saw are certainly in line

with those of a psychotic break.

And I will say his wife approached me about leaving him.

David, do you want to chime in?

Well... I'd advise against an exorcism. Because you don't think it's a demon?

I'm not entirely sure.

It could be an angelic figure.

But it's not a theology that I understand.

I do worry that a separation from his wife could cause him some distress.

All right. I'd like to meet Raymond myself.

Meanwhile, David, can we talk with you for a second?

David, Father John and I have been discussing you.

The felons and felons. I appreciate that your extracurricular activities for the

church are essential and that you're learning through the practical

of your faith.

But the theological and the practical are not contradictory, and you must

the former to excel at the latter. That's why I've asked Father K to allow

to pass the class with a practicum.

What is that? A parishioner has asked that you hear his confession.

We've explained that until you're ordained, this confession will not come

reconciliation. But he believes he has wronged you.

Leland Townsend.

Yes.

The door is open.

Yeah, that's not creepy at all.

Hello?

Hello?

Ashley?

Raymond?

Michael? Ashley?

We're here to check on you.

Raymond, are you all right?

Where's Ashley?

Did she leave?

Ashley?

Hello?

Where is she, Raymond?

Michael, where is she?

What's that?

She turned back.

Ashley turned back instead of trusting in the Lord.

Like Lot's wife.

What's wrong?

Do I have food in my teeth?

Who are you?

Leland Townsend. Nice to meet you.

Do you smell?

Well, that is impolite.

Sorry.

I'm not used to having my hygiene questioned.

Sister.

Ah, David, there you are.

Let's get started.

I can take care of this. I think I should stay.

No, this is a confession, sister.

Don't you know?

Nuns are irrelevant here. Go off and pray.

Go.

Go.

Fly away home.

I'm fine.

Well, here we are.

Two students of Christ.

This is going to be fun, don't you think?

Don't the confessor and the priest sit side by side in the booth? We don't have

the booth for cover. Better we not see each other.

You have to start.

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. Believe it or not, I have come prepared.

Oh, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee. And I

detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and fear the pains of

hell.

How was that?

Continue.

Should I go chronologically?

Do whatever you want. Well, it's my first time. I think I'll go whole hog.

not?

Let's see. My earliest memories of sin.

When I was five, I stole a classmate's lunch. He cried. I said nothing.

When I was nine, I cheated on a spelling quiz.

When I was 12, I masturbated for the first time. Are you truly sorry for

sins? Wait, wait. I want to talk about masturbation more.

Oh, but I guess that's something you priests can't do, right?

Are these your sins?

Not all.

There is one that weighs upon my heart the most. This is the one I really hope

God can forgive me for.

I met a woman a few years ago. She was gorgeous.

Had a real body on her. And I was instantly smitten.

But she was already seeing someone else.

Someone who was of the black.

Persuasion. So I admired her from afar.

I think that's lust and envy.

Ha! A twofer.

Then I found a way to insinuate myself into her life.

I don't think she ever realized this, but I knew where she worked.

I would stand across the street every day to get a glimpse of her.

I still think of her often.

I once...

looked up the meaning of her name.

Julia.

It means soft -haired, youthful, and she was all of that.

Then a time came when I was standing across the street, waiting to see her,

she didn't appear.

This went on for a couple of months, and I thought, maybe she's moved.

But then I found out.

She'd gotten sick.

Very sick.

The last time I saw Julia, she was in a bad way, frail, the mere shell

of her former self, really.

And she needed care around the clock.

She was so worried that she had become a burden to those around her, the people

that cared for her, the people she loved. And I looked into her beautiful

and I assured her that she absolutely was a burden.

and that the best thing to do would be to free the ones she loved of her

presence.

Well, she took my advice, and then she was gone.

Wow, that is powerful.

I feel so much better, so free.

Who knew?

What's next, David?

David, my pennant.

Are you contrite?

Contrite as the day is long.

Then this is your penance.

Five Hail Marys.

And two Our Fathers.

What?

That's it?

Yes. God forgives you.

Okay.

I'll help you.