By Blood
Episode 7 of Devil in Ohio begins with Mae pricking her finger. “By blood we are broken” She begins, sliding her bloodied index down the bark outside. She pleads with the Granter of Wishers, Chenor, to let her stay with Suzanne, as her shrine continues to grow. However, this wish appears to come crashing down when she’s called over by Suzanne who has big news. Mae has been given a scholarship opportunity to leave and head to Fernwell in Vermont. She won’t be coming back to see Suzanne and she’ll be out of their lives. Although she’s leaving soon, Mae is still allowed to attend the Harvest Dance. At Dani’s big show, Mae takes a family photo of everyone and puts on a brave face. She also decides to wear Suzanne’s dress for the Harvest dance. As for Helen, she’s had second thoughts about how she feels and decides to break up with Teddy. She doesn’t really have feelings for him and is still trying to figure out what she really wants. Not only that but Helen also has a paid internship on the horizon too and when Suzanne finds out, she’s delighted and supports her daughter. Helen points out she hasn’t been around lately thanks to Mae’s presence, but Suzanne promises she’s always there for her, giving her daughter a big hug. Meanwhile, it turns out James has been lying to Lopez and he’s definitely hiding something. Sherriff Wilkins is actually tailing him though, making the subject of this cult and Mae all the more difficult to resolve. Peter swallows his pride and decides to tackle an apartment complex and oversee it. It’s a step down but it’s at least something to get him back on his feet. Lopez heads over to see Suzanne and informs her that he’s been looking through cold cases and appears have a lead. He’s discovered a cold case involving Enoch with a fire over at a squat house near the Amon County Line. Interestingly, this actually coincides with the dates Mae mentioned. It was November 9th during the full moon. Suzanne has pulled some files and matched it up to James Dressler. This priest is the survivor from the fire and clearly lied to Lopez. In order to get answers, the pair decide to team up together and go and talk to him. That night, Mae heads out in Suzanne’s Harvest Dance dress and ends up going with Teddy as her date, much to the shock of Helen. Unfortunately another low blow comes from Peter, who finds out to his horror that his extension was never actually authorized and he’s being investigated for fraud. Suzanne shows up and questions James about Enoch. When he tries to hurry through the back, Lopez is waiting for him. Finally, we get some answers. It turns out James was a “Lightbearer”, someone who set fires from fuel rendered from their pigs. The ritual went by the name of “Serving Our Lord” but it’s basically petty arson and crime disguised as faith. The A is actually a mark or symbol to indicate something that needs to be destroyed. This explains why Mae was so adamant to take off the A from the back of Suzanne’s car. Now, it would appear that Wilkins actually started the fire and left him for dead. He awoke in the hospital with severe burns but he managed to get away. It was a miracle he survived and as he woke up in hospital, they started calling him James so he adopted that name. Mae’s pentagram is something that Malachi marked intentionally and as it’s her own daughter, it shows the community is desperate. To become the “Wife of the First Prophet” means that she’s marked for death. If we’re following the Mary Dodd story (which we are), she’s going to be burned alive. They align their rituals with the full moon, which happens to be this very night. That means Mae is in danger at the Harvest dance. Suzanne races back, while Mae Dodd ends up winning Harvest Queen. Unfortunately, when she’s handed white roses it triggers memories from the past and she runs away. As for Suzanne, she’s rammed on the road by a white van. She’s cut but still alive, thankfully. She’s seen to by officers who arrive at the scene but she hurriedly heads off to try and save Mae before she’s taken. Unfortunately, Mae has already gone by the time she shows up so she chooses to leave Jules stranded. As for Peter, he’s questioned at the station about the fire, until Lopez arrives and saves the day, pointing out about the accelerant being used is animal-based. Peter is free to go but that’s not the last of what’s happening. With Mae on the run, the girls confused and scared, not to mention the Dodd family ready to make their sacrifice, it all comes down to this final chapter.
The Episode Review
Learning more about what happened with Mae and her part to play in all this is certainly a welcome inclusion. This whole Mary story finally comes to a head and shockingly, she’s on-course to being burned alive as a sacrifice, presumably for better crops and salvation of Amon Town. Suzanne’s stake in all this stems from her own abusive past, as we know, but in doing so she’s also been neglecting her own daughters. Poor Dani has had the short end of the stick here and given she’s a foster kid herself, she’s been side-lined for most of this season. I mean, this episode she spends the whole second half asleep on a chair in the police station! Either way though, everything leads to a dramatic conclusion to come, with big question marks over what direction this one is likely to take. Will Mae be saved from the cult? We’ll have to wait and see!
