Chapter One: And Let My Cry Come Unto Thee

Chapter One: And Let My Cry Come Unto Thee
Season 1, Episode 1
Air date	September 23, 2016
Written by	Jeremy Slater
Directed by	Rupert Wyatt
Episode guide
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Chapter One: And Let My Cry Come Unto Thee is the pilot episode of The Exorcist television series. It was written by Jeremy Slater and directed by Rupert Wyatt. It premiered on September 23, 2016.

Basic plot summary

"Something is wrong in the Rance household. Angela Rance suspects demonic possession and enlists the help of two priests: the progressive, but naïve, Father Tomas Ortega and the broken holy warrior, Father Marcus Keane. Together, they will be drawn into a nightmare beyond imagining."

Detailed plot synopsis

Father Marcus is seen walking down a street at night. Dogs are barking ferociously while screams and cries for help are heard. It cuts to daytime Chicago where Father Tomas is performing Sunday Mass that the Rances are seen attending. Luis, Tomas's nephew, knows exactly what Tomas is going to say at the Mass. Tomas says that it's okay to ask questions. He then thanks the people for coming and a strange man is seen across the street. Katherine just got her cast off last week. The strange man crosses the street. Angela tells Tomas that Henry has good days and bad days. The strange man disappears.

The Rances go home and Katherine/Kat refuses to leave her room. Meanwhile, Father Tomas got a letter from Jessica Ridmark, who is married. Tomas's sister, Olivia, comes to pick up her son and Tomas's nephew, Luis. In Mexico City, Father Bennett is seen talking to Father Marcus. No one has heard from Marcus in 26 days. Bennett is there because Father Marcus disobeyed an order. Marcus is performing an exorcism on a young boy named Gabriel. Father Bennett wants to take Gabriel to a hospital, but Marcus points a gun at Bennett and says that he will shoot "without hesitation". Marcus tells Gabriel a story about a cat who was made of cloth and had upside-down eyes. Father Tomas is seen watching Father Marcus performing the exorcism. He then wakes up to find out that it's a dream.

Somebody tells Angela to spend time with her family. She hears noises coming from the wall. Casey checks on Kat and tries to get her to leave her room. Construction is being done on St. Anthony's Church, the church where Father Tomas works. Mrs. Finley plays the organ. A lady named Helena arrives to make a confession. Tomas goes into the basement to check the power. Angela goes down into the basement and asks to speak to Tomas. She tells him that Katherine is back from college after taking a break due to a car accident that killed her friend, Julia. She knows that it's not depression. Furniture has been moving. There are voices inside the walls. Angela suspects that there is something inside the house; that a demon is going after her daughter. Tomas doesn't believe that demons are real, that they are just metaphors. Angela tells him that she can feel a presence. A crow then crashes into the window.

Father Tomas takes a train and thinks of Marcus and the exorcism again. Kat tells Tomas that she is okay. She laughs when Tomas tells her that Angela thinks there is a demon. Kat thinks Angela is looking for someone to blame and insists that she is losing her mind. Tomas has dinner with the Rance family. Kat also has dinner with them and misbehaves. Henry has memory problems. Tomas tells a story that suggests that a part of the brain is always aware. Henry tells Tomas that Father Marcus is at St. Aquinas, just off Hwy 41. Tomas researches exorcisms and comes across an article about the events in Georgetown, with a picture of the steps. That night, he dreams about Father Marcus again and sees Gabriel dying.

Father Tomas drives to St. Aquinas. He meets Brother Simon who knows the name of every priest in the area and knows that Father Tomas is from St. Anthony's Church. He calls Tomas "The Rising Star". Brother Simon tells Tomas to ask "What now, God?" Tomas sees a man entering St. Aquinas and decides to follow. He meets Father Marcus and asks him about demonic possession and exorcisms. Tomas says that a girl in his parish might be possessed and he tells Father Marcus about the dreams he's been having. It is revealed that the dreams are real and the exorcism occurred 18 months ago in Mexico City. Marcus tells Tomas that he is being manipulated and he suggests he go home. Marcus also says that he should be afraid. Tomas recites the prayer from the exorcism before leaving the room.

Father Tomas shows up at the Rance household and asks Angela if she believes in God. She says she likes the idea of God and wants to believe that good things happen for a reason. Tomas reveals that he was born down the street in Chicago. He went to Mexico to live with his grandmother after his parents separated and Olivia stayed there. He thought he didn't belong there. He said God told him to help the Rances. A strange noise is then heard upstairs. The ladder to the attic suddenly opens. Tomas investigates. A rat runs across the attic floor and then is killed by the demon. Casey, possessed, chases after Tomas until Angela shows up. Casey becomes normal and then says that Tomas killed the rat. She suggests getting traps. Casey looks out the window at Tomas, who is seen walking down the street, along with a clip of Marcus dressed in a cassock, while "Tubular Bells" plays in the background.

Guest Stars

• Camille Guaty as Olivia
• Francis Guinan as Brother Simon
• Alan Metoskie as Homeless Man
• Matthew Velasquez as Luis
• Isaac Linares as Gabriel
• Ana Maria Alvarez as Helena
• Ann Whitney as Mrs. Finley
• Melissa Russell as Tara
• Christopher Meister as Construction Worker

Trivia

• The title of this episode comes from Psalm 102:1, "A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee." This prayer is a cry for help and is used as part of an Exorcism ritual. The prayer also appears in The Exorcist and its film adaptation.
• This episode contains several references to the original film:
  • The screen title.
  • The opening scene of Father Marcus' arrival pays homage to the iconic scene of Father Merrin's arrival to the MacNeil household.
  • The famous head-spinning scene is referenced. While Regan managed to survive her possession, it ultimately kills the possessed child, Gabriel.
  • Father Tomas investigates the attic and is haunted similarly to Chris in the movie.
  • The famous staircase appears in Father Tomas' research, which reveals the series takes place after the events depicted in both the original novel and film.
  • The "Theme from The Exorcist" ("Tubular Bells") is performed at the end of the episode.
• When Father Tomas is researching exorcisms on-line, real-life pictures of Anneliese Michel are seen. Michel was a German girl who famously underwent Catholic exorcism rites in 1975 and died the next year, in 1976. Her story inspired the 2006 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
• This episode does not feature the opening sequence and original theme.
• The opening exorcism is likely a reference to the story that inspired William Peter Blatty to write The Exorcist. In ther late 1940s, priests of the Roman Catholic Church performed a series of exorcisms on an 14-year-old anonymous boy, documented under the pseudonym "Roland Doe" or "Robbie Mannheim".
• According to Hannah Kasulka, when she and Brianne Howey were in the hotel to film the pilot, their elevator would at times suddenly stop in the 13th floor, even if they did not press any button, nor anyone would get in.

Gallery

Brother Simon

Gabriel

Helena

Letter from Jessica, revealing that her last name is Ridmark

Luis, Tomas' nephew

Mrs. Finley

Olivia, Tomas' sister

Red, the Homeless Man

The Steps