[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Evil Season 3 Episode 6 “The Demon of Algorithms.”]
After the latest episode of Evil — and comments from Christine Lahti about this season — we can’t help but wonder if Sheryl’s trying to kill two birds with one stone. And by two birds, we of course mean Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson) and Andy (Patrick Brammall).
It turns out we were right to wonder about that “business trip” Andy was ostensibly on in Nepal, set up by Leland and Sheryl, using Edward (Tim Matheson), and those “video chats” he had with his family. In “The Demon of Algorithm,” the case-of-the-week leads Kristen (Katja Herbers) down a rabbit hole of videos on the app VidTap (think the next TikTok, but demonic in an Evil way) about lying, cheating husbands on “business trips.” So, she reaches out to Andy, who doesn’t say much over the staticky connection, just the same ol’ “at base camp, we’re fine, I miss you all so much, I gotta go” — and he’s silent when she wishes him a happy anniversary.
After the call ends, it’s revealed why that seemed as suspicious as it did: Leland was using a deep fake of Andy. He immediately questions Sheryl about the couple’s anniversary; she tells him it’s not now but suggest it’s just the first time the met or went climbing, not a reason to think Kristen’s onto them. Still, Leland insists they “wake him,” at which point we see that they’re keeping Andy paralyzed in that room with the jars.
“You know you’re going to spend the rest of your life here, but I can make your time here pleasant or hard,” Leland says, demanding to know if it’s their anniversary with a nod since that’s the only way their prisoner can move. Andy doesn’t reply, so Leland drips water on his head, warning him that he could have it go on for years. When Leland asks the question again, it looks like Andy follows Sheryl lead: shaking his head that it’s their anniversary but nodding it was their first date.
Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+
The episode ends with Sheryl with Andy again, this time alone, trimming his nails. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt Kristen,” she tells him. There’s a cover story already in place: Edward will call, claiming Andy saved himself and three climbers in an avalanche, but his body was swept away, so it can never be recovered.
“Your daughters will think you were a great man and will aspire to emulate you. Edward is so appreciative that not only does he give your family the original $800,000, but an additional $250,000 for the kids’ education. You’re of more use to them gone than back home,” Sheryl continues. “I’ll keep you updated on how they’re doing.” And with that, she leaves him alone, to stare at the sign on the ceiling above him: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”
So what exactly is going on here? It seems that both Sheryl and Leland are trying to accomplish their separate goals by both using Andy. Leland wants to hurt and take down Kristen, now more so than ever after her daughters ousted him on the Bumblebee app and got him kicked out of the church. Meanwhile Sheryl wants Andy and Leland out of the picture. It seems she might be taking advantage of this situation to accomplish both: keeping Andy away from her daughter and using him to set up Leland to fail and possibly be taken out by Kristen (with the head shaking and nodding).
After all, as Lahti previously told TV Insider, “I’m so happy that Andy’s going to be out of her life. … You’ll see I really did take care of him in a great way.” We’ll just have to see if this is temporary or permanent.
As for when it comes to Leland, “any power [Sheryl] can have over [him] is exactly what she wants,” Lathi said. “Her ultimate goal, in my view, is to bring that guy down. The way he treated her, the way he broke up their engagement and just rejected her, I think that was the last straw in her journey towards getting revenge against men who hold her back or marginalize her. I think he’s coming down.” Something tells us everything going on with Andy is her way of putting the pieces into place for exactly that to happen.
Evil, Sundays, Paramount+