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APPARITIONS |
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Series Overview Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 
Father Jacob - Martin Shaw Monsignor Vincenzo - Luigi Diberti 
OTHER DEVILISH DRAMAS American Gothic Point Pleasant Revelations The Stand Millennium 
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SERIES OVERVIEWFather Jacob is one of the Catholic church's last remaining exorcists. In fact, he is up for the job of chief exorcist when the present holder of the title dies. This does not make him popular to either the demons or to his superiors who are trying to forge a more modern view of religion. The demons, though, are real and they are after Father Jacob and will use any of his friends to get to him. APPARITIONS is a six part supernatural drama from the BBC and the pen of Joe Ahearne (ULTRAVIOLET), starring Martin Shaw. Whilst there are certain surface similarities with the recent american REVELATIONS, this is not about an unbeliever being forced to re-examine what he knows to be true, but rather a true believer who finds his faith tested in every possible way. It's not for the faint-hearted either as people get skinned alive, burned alive, poisoned, mutilated, sweat and weep blood and generally have a bad time of it. This isn't gratuitous, but it isn't shied away from either. Martin Shaw holds all this together with a strong central performance, but he is supported by some fine, understated supporting performances as well. They are given good dialogue by Joe Ahearne and make the most of it. The plots are also less obvious than they might have been. APPARITIONS may not be the definitive religious/supernatural tale (it's not quite original enough for that), but it is an extremely good one thorughout. Top EPISODE 1- First transmitted 13th November 2008Father Jacob has the job of trying to make a case for the canonisation of new saints. His current subject is Mother Theresa of Calcutta. At the same time, Monsignor Vincenzo, the vatican's head exorcist, wants him to prepare himself to take his place, warning that the demons fear Jacob for reasons they will not reveal. Father Jacob is far from convinced, as is his assistant Sister Anne. When 9 year-old Donna walks into his life, however, claiming that her father is possessed, Father Jacob determines to investigate, even though he does not believe. At least not initially. Then there are signs that all is not well with the father and the case may have more to do with his troubled protege than either would like to admit. APPARITIONS is a new supernatural thriller from the BBC, but there isn't that much new about it. A reluctant exorcist, troubled prospective priest questioning his faith because of his sexuality, demons targeting the priests through innocent young girls, Vatican disbelief in traditional demons and exorcisms... These are all ideas and themes that have cropped up in any number of films and tv shows, so do we really need another? Well, whether we need it or not, APPARITIONS is here and this opening episode promises a very great deal indeed. Writer Joe Ahearne has woven a very tight plot that starts with the shadow of Mother Theresa and then works its way around full circle to come back to her in a very satisfying manner, bringing in leprosy, homosexuality and the death of Princes Diana along the way. The mystery of whether or not the father is possessed and the political machinations and difficult position into which Father Jacob is placed with the police and social services are all extremely well handled. Plotting, though, is only part of it. The characterisation here is at the heart of the success of the opening story. Martin Shaw manages to bring depth to his priest, taking him far from the caricatures that he might have been, making him very likeable, determined and intelligent, but also very real. He is ably supported by Elyes Gabel as Vimal, the conflicted priest whose cure of leprosy may not be quite a miraculous as it appears. Even Sister Anne, Father Jacob's assistant who wants to take faith on her own limited terms is no mere cypher. There were enough hard moments in the plot (a graphic skinning moment for one) to make the BBC offer a 'scenes which some may find disturbing' warning before transmission, but the shocks are there in support of the story, not for their own sake. The threat must be real and brutal. APPARITIONS may not be the most original drama ever to appear on the BBC, but it is an extremely competent and promising one. Written by Joe AhearneDirected by Joe Ahearne Top EPISODE 2- First transmitted 20th November 2008Following the death of his protege, Father Jacob goes in search of the man who killed him in the hope of being able to exorcise the demon possessing him. This demon, though, has his sights set on exorcising the priest and is willing to kill everyone that is important to him in order to do so. Nobody is safe. Following the strong opener, the series settles down a bit here. The plot is more straight forward without the mystery premise of the first episode, it being a straight good against evil challenge. That allows it to focus on Father Jacob a bit more and the challenge to his faith. Martin Shaw continues to impress as he is given more to do here with the loss of those he loves and the uncertainty that begins to set in on a character whose pride in the strength of his faith might be his downfall. He's a strong anchor and he has to be because none of the other characters really get a look in. The skinned corpse of Father Jacob's protege is shown in the harsh glare of the autopsy room and is a strong image, but there is very little gore beyond that. This is an exercise in spookiness and whilst the scene with the flies in the church is all too AMITYVILLE HORROR, the uses to which Vimal's skin are put are creepy enough and the final confrontation with the demon is both exciting and seriously otherworldly as it rises up from the ground when it ought to be dead. The allusions to concentration camps and the war are interesting and give the story some depth, but the final revelation of the Monsignor's truth is a shock tactic that makes less sense than it ought. Written by Joe AhearneDirected by Joe Ahearne Top EPISODE 3- First transmitted 27th November 2008Whilst the killer of vimal remains in the care of Father Jacob, the priest gets called into a case in a prison where a serial rapist appears to be possessed, but whether by demon or saint remains unsure. The faith of a new young priest is tested and Father Jacob's new assistant turns out to be spying for those within the Church who wish to get rid of her employer. Prisoners sweating blood, slicing open throats and then healing those they have maimed, messages written in aramaic by a man who doesn't speak anything other than english. This is another excellent drama that plays with the concepts at the core of the show by muddying the waters of the possession to make it unclear as to which side the possessed man is playing for. It is another clever idea, although not as intense as the previous two instalments even though it contains more blood. Martin Shaw's Father Jacob is more assured this time around, almost to the point of arrogance at times, but the rest of the performances are nicely nuanced and it is fun to see the battle between the views of Father Jacob and his new, acerbic assistant. It does go a bit astray towards the end when the serial killer suddenly turns up in an unusual location in order to have vengeance served. It sets up a nicely tense finale, but makes less sense than perhaps it ought to. Written by Joe AhearneDirected by John Strickland Top EPISODE 4- First transmitted 4th December 2008When an 80 year old woman is admitted to an abortion clinic in the late stages of pregnancy with only Father Jacob's contact details to identify her, he is called in to learn that the foetus has apparently demonic powers and will not allow itself to be aborted. Then a young girl is admitted with the same situation and Father Jacob begins to believe that he is dealing with an attempt to bring the antichrist into the world and that the demons are relying on the fact that he will not exorcise the souls of the unborn. Another fascinating situation this. Apart from the background of the catholic church's position on abortion, the addition of the disability rights aspect is gives it a further depth and thought-provoking layer. There is also the inherent creepiness of an 80 year old pregnant woman and we have a blood-weeping blind demon that can walk on water as well to up the supernatural factor. The only concern about the plotting concerns why, if it was a real plot to bring the antichrist into being, the demons would go out of their way to involve Father Jacob. The minor characters (woman's right/anti-church clinic manager, believing nurse, disabled pro-birth protestor, demon of the week etc) are all well-realised, some with only limited screen time and the performances are excellent throughout. As well as the episode's main story, the ongoing story arc of Vimal's killer being tormented by the demons trying to bring him back into the fold continues nicely. APPARITIONS continues to grow from week to week. Written by Joe AhearneDirected by John Strickland Top EPISODE 5- First transmitted 11th December 2008Michael, the killer of Vimal, has been living in the Seminary since he was exorcised and has been battling with the demons since then. Father Jacob comes into contact with a Bosnian family who pray at the local mosque, but whose youngest son is seeing the Virgin Mary and sweating blood. There is a link back to a past atrocity that might reveal how Michael first came possessed and the demons have laid a trap for Father Jacob's very soul. With this episode, APPARITIONS leaps up into the unmissable category. The story starts off normally enough, the PC correctness of the catholic church and mosque getting on so well is a bit cloying at times and the plot seems a little far-fetched as the threads come together, but then the final third comes together with a series of shocks that leave it on a shattering cliffhanger. This is the bringing together of the main story arc, that is to say Michael's story, in preparation for the finale and as such concentrates on the main characters, although the new ones are brought into the story quite neatly (as we have come to expect from Joe Ahearne's detailed plotting). The concentration on that one story means that there are fewer distractions, no extraneous messages to be made (other than religions can get on) and the time for the main cast to do their thing. That's where the show excels this time around. Martin Shaw's performance in the face of carrying out the black prayer is excellent and the rest of the cast give sterling support. But it's that ending that stays with you. Written by Joe AhearneDirected by Joe Ahearne Top EPISODE 6- First transmitted 18th December 2008Having given in to the demons, Michael is now appearing to Father Jacob, preventing him from praying or carrying out the rituals of the church. The authorities set a psychiatrist onto him to help him solve his problems, but since she doesn't believe in demons then she is unlikely to succeed. Father Jacob needs an exorcist, but he cannot ask those he loves because the deomns have promised a terrible death, just like Vimal's. Time is running out, for the demons are planning a sacrifice that will release all of their number from hell. APPARITIONS comes to an end that is suitably biblical, but also a bit messy. There are two stories vying for attention and neither quite gels with the other. The first is Father Jacob's search for exorcism, hampered by the knowledge that whoever tries to carry it out will come under the wrath of the demons. His solution to this is satisfyingly surprising. The second story is that of the 'sacrifice' planned by the demons on the anniversary of the date of the shooting of Pope John Paul II. This is very nicely plotted in its own right, but doesn't quite sit with the rest. Then there are the new characters introduced for this episode. The psychiatrist is yet another unbeliever having to be won over. For a while it's unsure as to whether she is on the side of the demons, but she is annoying more than anything else. Then there is Cheri Lunghi, who messes up the whole demon plot by appearing to Father Jacob to tempt him in advance of the assassination attempt. Surely the demons could have sent someone else rather than jeopardise the all important plan? Even so, everything is well-acted and the main characters have grown on us. We hope that this is not the last we see of Father Jacob. But it's that ending that stays with you. Written by Joe AhearneDirected by Joe Ahearne Top |
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