‘The Exorcist’: Who Is the Demon’s Real Host?

Warning: Do Not Read If You’re Not Caught Up on The Exorcist!

Fox’s The Exorcist TV Series returns tonight (at the time of writing this), after leaving viewers hanging with a stunning cliffhanger worthy of films like Fight Club or The Sixth Sense.

However, we now know that little Grace is not really one of Andrew Kims’ (John Cho) foster kids, but rather a supernatural entity. That makes it easy for viewers to assume that it’s Andrew (tragic backstory and all) who is the host for the latest demonic threat facing Father Tomas and Marcus Keane; however, is he? Or is he merely the demon’s current mark, with a different human host pulling the strings?

Here’s the breakdown of who The Exorcist season 2’s true demon host could be:

The Kids

Grace isn’t real, but that doesn’t clear the rest of Andrew Kim’s foster children from potentially being the host of a demonic entity – one that knows how to prey on Andrew’s weaknesses. 

Here’s the current lineup of possible hosts: 

• Verity – As one of the older and clearly more damaged children in the house, Verity has slowly developed to show more depth and compassion – like when she welcomed newcomer Harper into the house. Verity is the one who has just discovered Andrew has an imaginary friend, which could either be set up for her being one of Tomas and Marcus’ biggest allies, or total misdirection from the fact she is the real cause of Andrew’s delusions.
• Shelby – The Exorcist franchise loves twisting concepts of Christian faith into darker visions of evil, and Shelby is veritable walking Bible on the show. Given Shelby’s eagerness to believe in fantastical powers of the universe, it would be easy for a demon to appear to him and manipulate that faith. Shelby has also been present for a lot of the natural oddities (the birds and the baby calf) that have plagued the area.
• Caleb – The blind kid in the family was an early candidate for suspicion, as he’s been involved with some of the creepiest moments we’ve seen this season. The new twist will throw a lot of viewers off of Caleb’s trail, which is why he could actually turn out to be the culprit. A scene where a blind kid gains demonic eyes and sight would be truly disturbing. 
• David – The simple-minded David has been all too forgettable in the lineup of foster kid characters, which is exactly why he may turn out to be the wolf in the hen house. There have already been teases of David talking to some voice in his head – maybe it’s more than that? 
• Harper – A big fake out came with the storyline of Harper being made to seem possessed by her crazy mother, Olivia. However, maybe there was some truth in that fiction? Whatever is happening in the area, it doesn’t seem to be localized. A demon attached to Harper could have still been terrorizing Andrew’s house all this time. Andrew and the exorcists just invited it through the door. 

Rose

There’s a lot we don’t know about Rose (Li Jun Li), but there’s a lot already pre-loaded into her backstory to allow for a potential possession in disguise. 

First of all, there’s clearly a romantic history between Andrew and Rose that’s only now coming to light. That history suggests that Rose has been through some hard times of heartbreak or loss like Andrew has. Rose’s vocation in life is helping innocent children through the system of foster care, and one has to wonder what led her to that calling; is it possible that her own scars run deeper than anyone would guess? 

Finally, in the last episode (S2E4), we saw Rose seemingly preyed upon by a demonic shadow while asleep in her bed. However, this could again be intentional misdirection: what if that shadowy entity wasn’t looking to hurt Rose, but rather simply take control of her body again? 

As stated, The Exorcist loves to tint seemingly noble or righteous icons into darker reflections of themselves, and Rose would definitely qualify as one of those icons. A demon with access to hundreds of innocent and defenseless children is terrifying thought. 

Andrew

At the end of the day, the simplest explanation of a mystery is usually the correct one, so maybe what we saw in the last episode of The Exorcist is exactly what we’re going to get. 

John Cho’s Andrew is a perfect candidate for demonic possession: nobly compassionate and loving, yet also seriously scarred by deep personal pain and loss. His wife’s death has clearly damaged Andrew in some fundamental way – the sort of perfect opening that a demon like to use as a conduit into a person’s heart. 

Like Rose, Andrew’s vocation as a foster dad and caregiver makes him the perfect vessel for a demon to hide in, in order to prey upon the innocent and defenseless children that come into Andrew’s care. If Andrew is indeed possessed, it also stands to reason that he’s the type who would sacrifice himself to save the children. 

We’ll certainly know more as The Exorcist season 2 continues, airing Fridays @ 9/8c on Fox. 

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