Tag: horror

Helstrom Season 1 Episode 10: Hell Storm Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep10 Daimon:Basar Lifts Crow

In episode 10, Sister Gabriella turns to the Church and The Blood to help her out of her rather large predicament. Victoria and Ana find that Daimon/Basar has been moved to a new part of the hospital. Henry stays with Louise during the aftermath of their battle with the demons. And Chris discovers that his duties as Keeper demon aren’t finished yet.

This episode is the season, and probably the series, finale. While the Helstrom family never quite manages to get the entire extended family together in one place for the reunion that The Blood has dreaded for 20 years, it does end with a cameo that teases how great the next set of episodes could be. This season was low budget and treated like Marvel’s red-headed stepchild, but I love it for its heart and story. Whether it gets a 2nd season or not, I hope more people discover how good it is.

Recap

We start with a flashback to 20 years ago. Young Daimon rides his bike out onto a very tall bridge over a river. He climbs over the guardrail and holds on, looking down at the water as he remembers the last argument his family had, when his dad was kidnapping Ana. This is the suicide attempt Basar told Ana about.

When Daimon’s done replaying the memory, he jumps. His fall is mysteriously broken a couple of feet above the water. He hovers there for a moment and hears his father’s voice say, “You’ll always be my son.” Then he drops the rest of the way into the river.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 9: Vessels Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep9 Gabriella & Daimon Wake Up

In episode 9, the gang reunites to deal with some unusual circumstances. Basar’s demon mouth is still in Daimon, so he’s had a bit of a personality change. Ana, Louise and Victoria lock him up in Victoria’s old room while they work on a solution. Gabriella is held captive by Raum and Mother, with Mother is masquerading as Daimon. Chris and Derrick bond over painting a room blood red, but Keeper demon interrupts with an urgent message for Chris. Taker finally arrives in Portland and wants to whisk Louise away to Mexico. She’s busy coping with several demons and chemo.

There’s some knife play and sparks and an exorcism or two. Plus a fierce competition for cutest couple.

Recap

Gabriella wakes up half naked in a strange bed with Daimon. On the surface, it’s not the worst thing that could happen to her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember anything that’s happened since she got that terrible headache after kissing him. Thankfully, he’s not the type to roofie her before he got in the shower.

The really bad news is, they’re both suffering from demon possession hangovers and they were both demon raped last night.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 8: Underneath Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep8 Daimon & Gabriella Shiny Happy People

In episode 8, Daimon and Gabriella visit the Helstrom family home to find the missing piece of the knife. While there, Daimon relives old memories and The Blood make a nuisance of themselves. Ana and Louise have a heart to heart, then decide to do a little demon hunting together. Mother organizes her plans to relocate herself and Basar into new hosts.

Both Daimon and Ana confront their childhood trauma as they confront their enemies and come out stronger afterward. Unfortunately, their enemies are growing stronger as well.

Recap

As Daimon and Gabriella arrive home after the attack by The Blood, he calls Ana to warn her she’s in danger. Gabriella wants Daimon to go to the police, but he doesn’t think they’d take his side in the dispute. Once they’re inside, she insists on examining the bullet wound in his shoulder, which is already healing.

Gabriella assures Daimon that he acted on reflex, so what happened wasn’t his fault. Daimon thinks he still deserves to be punished, maybe put down, for losing control. Gabriella argues he acted in self defense after The Blood shot him and attacked him, so what he did was justified.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 7: Scars Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep6 Daimon & Louise in Office

In episode 7, Daimon and Ana deal with the realization that they sacrificed their mother to get rid of Spivey, but he wasn’t their father. As they fall into old patterns of blame and withdrawal, Ana returns to San Francisco with Chris, while Daimon sinks further into depression and isolation. Both Helstroms lash out at those closest to them. Gabriella, Chris and Louise try to talk them down. Taker is held hostage by the Blood, who blame him and the Helstroms for the attack on their hotel.

The Blood share Daimon’s talent for having terrible instincts.

Recap

Twenty years ago, Ana had just come back from her time on the run with her father. She sits in an observation room, fiddling with her butterfly bracelet, while Louise and Henry discuss her future as they watch her from behind a one-way mirror. Louise reports that a psychologist observed Ana exhibited “low affect, limited empathic response and sometimes a manner that’s just plain unnerving.”

Henry notes that what she’s been through would mess anyone up. Louise says that Daimon had night terrors for two months. She’s afraid that too much exposure to Ana would cause him to regress. And, Ana did something to one of the nurses that made her faint and feel like she was dying. Henry recognizes that Ana has a supernatural power. Louise sees it as evil.

Daimon must not have revealed his own evil powers to her yet.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 6: Leviathan Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep6 Chris & Ana Snack in Hospital

In episode 6, Ana spends time with Victoria and Chris at the hospital while Daimon and Gabriella make their way back to St Teresa’s. The horror hotel demons make life difficult for everyone. Spivey visits his human host’s home and family.

Recap

Mrs Spivey locks her children in a room so they’re safe and don’t witness whatever is about to happen between her and her husband. Former Nurse, now Demon Spivey has returned home for the first time since his possession and his wife is frightened and confused. While he’s been gone, she’s been questioned by the authorities and didn’t know what to tell them. As he searches in a desk for something, she begs him to explain what’s going on with him.

He doesn’t answer her questions. He finds his St Teresa’s hospital security badge and attaches it to the scrubs he’s wearing, then strides toward his wife. Roughly, he pulls her toward him as if he’s going to kiss her. Instead, he bites her lip, hard, while she screams.

This is the 3rd demon who’s bitten someone. I stand by my theory that biting can be used to mark someone for possession the way a slash can.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 5: Committed Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep5 Victoria Gets Committed

Now that we’ve explored the basics of the Helstrom universe, it’s time for Victoria’s episode! In episode 5, we go inside Mama Helstrom’s head. While we’re there, we meet the real Kthara and learn more about the Helstrom siblings childhood. Out in the real world, Ana and Daimon search for Chris and Keeper, with Taker refereeing the inevitable arguments. Gabriella begins counseling a new patient who’s recovering from possession, while Louise tries to keep Victoria’s physical condition stable.

Recap

In a flashback to 20 years ago, Victoria sits at a writing desk in the disheveled Helstrom family home, obsessively writing in her journal.

“Today’s the day. She’s coming back. I can feel it. Everything will be ready. But different from before. Not like last time. Nothing like last time. She’ll be safe now.”

In a giant scrawl, she’s written, “Kill Me” and “Get Out Of My Head”.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 4: Containment Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep4 Ana & Daimon with Magoth

Episode 4 finds the dream team of Daimon, Ana, Henry, Louise and Gabriella assembling for a strategy meeting at Daimon’s house. Then Daimon and Ana go to San Francisco to pick up the Keeper skull, Henry and Gabriella get to know each other better and Louise learns some of Mother’s secrets.

Chris takes a walk in the park. And then in some underground tunnels. With his skull friend and a bottle of wine. It’s FINE.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 3: The One Who Got Away Recap

~ Metacrone

Helstrom S1Ep3 Daimon & Ana Question Mother

In episode 3, Victoria becomes more lucid than she’s been in years, which causes Daimon and Ana to work more closely together. With Gabriella’s help, they search for their father’s final victim, who they learn may have survived his attack. Taker and Louise spend some long overdue time together. Louise shares a secret with him that she hasn’t told anyone.

Recap

We begin with a pile of dead bodies in a college frat house. The thing that Spivey has become has been snacking. His final victim is begging to be spared, promising that his parents will pay a hefty ransom.

As if the demons couldn’t just possess his parents and take the money on their own.

When Spivey is done eating, he sits in a throne chair and waits as the lone survivor pushes his way out from under the pile. Once free, the newly possessed man says that Helstrom the Traitor has been warned that they’re coming. Spivey tells his minion that he wants a specific woman brought to him.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 2: Viaticum Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

Helstrom S1Ep2 Ana in Hospital Hall

In episode 2, the Helstrom siblings begin to hash out their long standing differences, with Hastings as mediator. Ana spends some quality time with Mother while Chris and the Keeper skull get to know each other. Daimon performs an exorcism after a demon causes a fatal car accident. Gabriella and Daimon work together with new understanding. Taker meets with the leader of a mysterious group that’s hostile to the Helstroms.

Maybe we need to keep an eye on Taker.

Recap

Twenty years ago, Young Ana sat in the car listening to the Cranberries “Ode to My Family” while her father dragged the body of one of his victims from the trunk of the car to the hole he’d dug for her burial. Anna was facing the other way, but she could see what he was doing in the car’s side view mirror.

Yesterday, in San Francisco, she glimpsed a man dragging a checked blanket down an alley. It reminded her of her father and the checked blanket the body was wrapped in. She was on the phone with Yen at the time, who said the client gets to have a say in their business because he has money and now his “incredibly pretentious installation on ‘trans-generational trauma’ will be a week late…”

She hangs up on Yen because she gets a call from Taker, who asks when she last spoke to her mother. He tells her that the bodies in the crypt were from St Teresa’s Hospital. Ana is standing in front of a floral display. The flowers all instantaneously shrivel and die.

Speaking of transgenerational trauma, Ana’s triggers are coming at her fast and furious this week.

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Helstrom Season 1 Episode 1: Mother’s Little Helpers Recap

~ Metacrone

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Review of Entire Season HERE

It was a dark and stormy night…

Okay, it’s Portland, so that’s not a unique situation. We’re starting this show by staring straight up at the exterior of an imposing stone hospital during a thunderstorm, so someone’s brushed up on their horror tropes. This is the Saint Teresa Center for Mental Health, an honest to goodness mental asylum where a demon lives in a woman who lives in an empty padded cell that’s basically a vault, like it’s 1920 instead of 2020. As soon as the Trump era is over and we have some standards again, someone should report this place.

TV World does love an outdated mental ward. For the sake of telling a dramatic story, let’s pretend that isn’t offensive. To some extent, this show mirrors the look and feel of the Netflix MCU’s gritty, worn, slightly retro style, even though it takes place on the West Coast rather than NYC. Theoretically, Helstrom is not in that universe, but I caught a few visual references. Others caught newspaper references to the wider MCU.

Thematically, Helstrom also follows in the footsteps of the Netflix MCU by examining the Helstrom family’s trauma, loss, mental illness and ongoing recovery, but also, more subtly, focusing on the complicated nature of privilege. As opposed to the MCU’s broad methods, Helstrom uses subtle, quiet methods to show how characters who were born with their powers, but are passing as humans, can inadvertently use them to take advantage of others, regardless of their intentions. There are no Tony Starks here.

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