Review: Evil – I is for IRS s02e11

After the flood gates opened recently, Evil has no qualms about being as bonkers as it wants.  Episode 11 of season 2, ‘I is for IRS’ certainly doesn’t pull any punches.  *Warning! Spoilers Ahead!*

Last time out Cheryl (Christine Lahti) appeared to be in some trouble, only to emerge from Leland’s (Michael Emerson) apartment somewhat giddy at the end.  This manic turn around continues to develop, with her getting infusions of a mysterious substance from Leland’s hidden stockpile.  After a period of being against him, she is now firmly back in his orbit, even if it is in a more transactional manner.  Quite what she is up to has been a bit of a mystery for a while, but she is certainly getting more intriguing as time goes on.

Leland for his part is really putting himself through the ringer, as he endures his exorcism.  This whole plot line has been an interesting one, with him clearly playing an angle, but to an unknown end.  That angle, while providing a sinister mystery, has also toyed with David (Mike Colter), driving him to distraction.  Now though he really gives him something to think about as Leland starts speaking in multiple accents and voices.  This also takes Kristen (Katja Herbers) aback, although in his presence her problems are bigger than Leland alone.

Kristen’s increasingly fragile mental and moral state certainly comes to the fore once again and Herbers is remarkable as always, with the torture ranging from hallucinations to rampant sexual behaviour.  Luckily for her, she manages to get some second hand benefit from attending the exorcism, which totally makes an unexpected left turn.

All of the above takes place alongside what is supposedly the main plot of ‘I is for IRS’, which shows you how off the wall things have become.  In theory, their main focus is to investigate a ‘New Ministry of Satan’ for the IRS, to see if it can claim tax exempt status.  This seems to be a pretty straightforward task on the face of it, but there are still a couple of stings in the tail to come.

One if those is entirely predictable, but the other is completely of Kristen’s making.  How her actions will impact both their work and her life going forward will be intriguing, but you know it won’t be simple.  She also has a lot of fences to mend, including with psychiatrist Kurt (Kurt Fuller).  As she has spiralled out of control, he has borne the brunt of her anger at times, and here she accuses him of nefarious deeds unjustly, so his reaction will be interesting.  Similarly, how Andy (Patrick Brammell) takes any further revelations could have big repercussions.

All in all, Evil is now one big mess of crazy, but in the best possible way.  It seemingly dances all over the place, but at the same time is perfectly balanced.  Their skill in maintaining the attention to detail, and carefully crafted narrative, while also giving incredible character depth has to be applauded.  The result is a massive win for us viewers, and Evil continues to be one of the best shows around.