Okay, I think I've already tossed out most of the theories I had last week. And replaced them with new, crazier theories. There's one I'm pretty attached to already, but I'm going to wait and see if it actually lasts a week. There is one thing I'm sure of, though: Scudder's dark. Or evil. Or whatever. Because Ben thinks he is, but he's not, and Justin thinks he isn't, but he is. See now?
I swear, before the season is over, I just want one email from Knauf telling me I'm getting warm.
We open to the soothing tones of Brother Justin's radio broadcast, as he tells us that he can sense our presence. Okay, not so much "soothing" as "creeptastic." The radio in question is the one in the prison. Varlyn Stroud's in his cell, listening, when Justin hisses his name and says, "I need you." The warden fiddles with the dial as static interrupts the broadcast. When he turns back, Varlyn is standing in front of him. The warden hears Justin menace, "Release my apostle. He is a good man." The warden obediently hands over the keys to Varlyn, and then leans back as Justin adds, "He is my archangel made flesh." Varlyn slips a shiv out of his sleeve and quickly slices the warden's throat. There's surprisingly little arterial blood spray, especially compared to Ben's throat-slitting escapade last season. Do these people know they're on HBO? Justin instructs Varlyn to find Henry Scudder. As Varlyn heads for the door, we return to the broadcast, which is interestingly heretical: "The Bible tells us we were made in the glorious image of our maker; we are no less perfect than he. And yet we look to him for absolution when instead, we need only look into ourselves." The funny thing is, he still makes more sense than Janet Parshall.
Another helpful sign transitions us to St. Dymphna's Convalescent Home, in Albuquerque, NM. Blessed are the signmakers, for they shall give comfort and aid to the recapper. Inside, a nun is trying to help Ben to locate Devon Kerrigan. Ben offers to go find Kerrigan himself if she'll just give him the room number, but apparently the nun isn't too keen on letting yokels wander around her hospital unsupervised, so she tells him to have a seat and brusques off. Ben defiantly loiters about, but then hears Brother Justin's voice in the echoey distance. Ben starts up a staircase, and I get very excited because the arched ceiling looks familiar to me. I think this is the same building that turned up on The Greatest American Hero and Simon & Simon and probably a bunch of other shows around that time. It's quite distinctive.