Warning: This post contains spoilers for Evil's season 4 finale

Summary

• Evil's series finale left some questions unanswered while introducing new mysteries like Gray.
• Leland Townsend received his well-deserved comeuppance in a powerful ending.
• The episode struck a balance between closure and teasing continuation, sticking to the series' strengths.

Evil has just aired its final episode ever. I’m still in denial about it. This series has been one of the best TV has had to offer in recent years. The writing has always been sharp and even witty, and creators Michelle and Robert King (who also directed the season 4 finale) have been able to balance religion, science, and the just plain weird and mysterious. Evil’s series finale followed in the same vein as other episodes; it answered some questions and left others open, and even introduced new ones like the elusive Gray.

For a show that enjoyed teasing us most of all, the ending was less final than I imagined it would be, which is par for the course considering Kristen (Katja Herbers), David (Mike Colter), and Ben (Aasif Mandvi) discuss how they influenced each other over the years was powerful enough.

Evil gave us the 60 and brought back the map, cleverly linking it to the brain. Evil wasn’t necessarily defeated, but our favorite assessors threw a wrench in the plans, even sending Leland away for good to the silent monastery. All told, Evil’s series finale was more of a see you later, which is nice. It can carry on in some way, even if it’s offscreen. What the show leaves us with is that evil is still everywhere, and, like everything, must stay updated if it wants to maintain its power and influence. That goes for the Catholic Church, too.

Leland Townsend’s Evil Ending Is What He Deserved

Leland received his punishment at long last

Whether David, Kristen and Ben were trying to solve the mystery of the singing teenagers or assisting with an exorcism, Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson) was the pesky thorn in their sides. From the start this man has been working to make Kristen’s life miserable, and he’s been insufferable at every turn thanks to Emerson’s portrayal — he made it so easy to despise Leland. The series finale, aptly titled “Fear of the End,” gave Leland his comeuppance.

It almost felt like we were back where Evil first started, with Leland coming after Kristen, but it also had very LeRoux vibes, too, especially with Kristen calling the police to report Leland while he smiles and continues talking. Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed her for killing him, but it was quite emotional to see David and Ben stop her from going through with it. It signaled Kristen was no longer alone; these were men she trusted and who had been and would continue to be there for her.

After trying to protect her daughters for years from Leland, the fact that David and Ben were there for her, alleviating the stress and pressure she’d been carrying for so long, was perfect. It was a phenomenal way to close out that story and sending Leland to the silent monastery was just icing on the cake. I’m sad Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) has to be there, but I’m sure the trio will sleep better at night knowing she’ll be watching him to make sure he doesn’t escape.

Even if we never again get to see these characters, Evil signed off on a high note with its creativity still intact.

And it’s a place without cell phones, Wi-Fi, and talking — it’s a kind of hell on Earth for Leland. He can’t influence anyone there or terrorize people anymore. His reign is officially over, and DF will have to go on without him despite all the work he’s done for them. And, if Evil ever gets picked up by another network or streaming service, the fact he isn’t dead means he can come back somehow, though I shudder to think about that. It’s a satisfying ending for a great villain.

The Resolution Of The 60 Was A Bit Underwhelming

On a personal, character-driven level, “Fear of the End” was a perfect series finale. When it came to the story of the 60, however, it was a bit underwhelming. Perhaps it’s because Denis O'Hare’s Father Giovanni De Vita and John Carroll Lynch’s Henry Stick were introduced too late in Evil season 4 to fully make an impact. They’re both mysterious figures who arrived just when things were beginning to shift towards something that has been teased for a while. Henry was a scary-looking character whose arrival needed more development, especially considering how high he seemingly was on the evil chain.

It’s not that the inclusion of the 60 wasn’t interesting, and the idea that the evil coming to New York was actually the Entity was a nice twist. The map of the 60 linking to the areas of the brain was riveting. It just didn’t have enough time to breathe as a subplot. It would have been cool to see how Ben’s own brain, having been affected by the particle accelerator, might have factored in (if at all), but even that storyline seems to have been dropped for time.

It’s been a wild and memorable ride and, all things considered, Evil managed to go out on top, even if it was taken from us before its time.

Did Ben leaving his job as an assessor stop the jinn from appearing to him? The last time we saw the jinn it was grabbing Ben’s head. Was that the end of it? Ben was starting to give up trying to explain everything going on within a logical framework, and maybe that drove him to stop searching for answers. Clearly, I wanted more from this storyline, but I also respect the Kings’ decision to keep the season 4 finale episodic instead of turning it into a two-hour movie just so they could answer all my questions.

Evil’s Series Finale Sticks The Landing Overall

Most series finales try to wrap up as much as possible before concluding, but Evil didn’t try to do too much before g off. It sticks to what it does best — delivering meaningful, heartfelt, and thought-provoking storytelling that isn’t overly keen to check off every single box. To that end, the series finale sticks to what it’s good at and succeeds. At the core of the episode is the relationship between David, Kristen, and Ben, and I was quite stunned by how much these characters have come to mean to me over the years.

They’re rich, well-rounded people who have been through a lot and come out the other side. Their reminiscing about the cases and what they’ve come to be to each other really captured the essence of the series. The stories may have gotten more weird — and more fun — but that only strengthened their bond. I appreciated that the important stuff was taken care of, like what came next for the trio, while also keeping the door open for more. Even if we never again get to see these characters, Evil signed off on a high note with its creativity still intact.

The callback to previous episodes, and even bringing back the VR goggles for one last go-around, was excellent. And though sweet, happy Timothy being the Antichrist was a subplot I thought was taken care of thanks to Sheryl (Christine Lahti), RIP, baptizing him, Evil still managed to surprise me by having Kristen see him as demonic. Whether he actually is or not is another question entirely — Kristen could be hallucinating again, after all — but it keeps us on our toes while revealing there’s still more to the story.

On that note, Evil’s final episode works as a standalone that teases continuation and one that offers some semblance of closure. It offered plenty of food for thought as well. All I really know is that when the credits rolled, I was sad it was over for us as an audience, and disappointed that it ended way too soon. It’s been a wild and memorable ride and, all things considered, Evil managed to go out on top, even if it was taken from us before its time.

All episodes of Evil season 4 are now available to stream on Paramount+.