Sunday, June 17, 2012

Hex, Season 1, Episode 5: Possession




Thelma is pensive again and steps into a room that seems to be right from the 20s – including he the awesome headmaster singing (not that well),  and Cassie and Azazeal all in period dress. It’s Cassie’s dreams she’s been spying on – and it’s interrupted when she wakes up and we see Cassie’s possessed, blood shot eyes showing she has fallen under Azazeal’s control. In case we had any doubt she’s now smoking in her room rather than sneaking off to outhouses and being all kinds of unpleasant to Thelma (not that she was exactly pleasant to her before).

We go on to have more very strong evidence that Cassie is now evil – she’s confident and a little mean to Troy (rather than mousey and meek), she dresses revealingly (sexy clothes! Surely this is proof of female evil!) and she continues to be cruel to Thelma, including sexually taunting her. And she goes to the dark and naughty club (you can tell, there are lesbians!) and does naughty things (like drink vodka!) At the club she meets up with Azazeal who she begins bantering with before discussing her mother’s mental state and whether Azazeal is responsible. We move from there to Cassie speculating whether Azazeal’s old pick line really works (Cassie, it’s Michael Fassbender, he could speak in tongues and it’d still work). She does reject him (or encourage him to work harder, anyway) which intrigues him further.

Earnest teacher Jo is meeting with awesome headmaster who is, indeed and awesome headmaster, who asks her to stay at the school over Christmas before moving on to Cassie and finding a very very very different Cassie (which he handles with aplomb because he is awesome).

Thelma also tries to question Cassie about her evening and gets Cassie throwing inappropriate flirting back. She moves on to Troy and quickly runs rings around him (the Mean Girls and Leon watch and are torn between upset and agreement). Then it’s on to earnest Jo who is also taken aback by the new and improved Cassie. New Cassie continues with a game of Truth or Dare where she ends up kissing Leon (choosing him over Troy. And yes, this is the man who sexually assaulted her several episodes ago) – making Troy leave and even spooks the Mean Girls. Cassie moves on to make out with Leon in the showers – though Thelma turns on the taps to change the water temperature (would that even work in a communal bathroom). Troy tries to catch up with her later to sort things out with Cassie, but she just shoots it down – and their relationship.


Thelma has reached the end of her rope with this and calls the Samaritans to vent – and discusses, among other things, electrocuting Cassie (which drives out possession) much to the consternation of the Samartians

But all the 1920s music comes to a head when Thelma meets Peggy – egyptologist, suffragette, lesbian (yes another lesbian – this is actually a pattern in the series – GBLT ghosts. Uh-huh) and ghost since 1923. She’s studying an ancient Egyptian tablet which she can’t translate because the name she sees is “Azazeal” which isn’t very Egyptian.

In their room Thelma starts messing with the wiring (do not try this at home kids) and Cassie continues to be new, unpleasant, Cassie. All the fuses blow – but, alas, it does not de-possess Cassie. Azazeal makes a nocturnal visit to her room for more flirting before they finally kiss.  She then gets to tell Thelma about her new love with Azazeal and how they misjudged the poor poor demon who stabbed Thelma. Thelma objects to this and Cassie implies this is all because Thelma is jealous.

More making out and near-fully clothed sex with Azazeal (curse you low light conditions!) Azazeal also starts hanging around the school and meeting Jo – and Thelma’s second electrocution trap failed due to Cassie’s magic.

Thelma and Peggy translate more of the tablet and found that Azazeal and Herath (his last true love in Egypt) became pregnant with his child, was buried alive – but their union also upset the natural order of things, causing the dead to walk – which may explain all the ghosts with it happening again.

Thelma’s third electrocution trap does work – but also catches a random bystander as well. Y’know, electrocution is so not a safe way. And Cassie is de-possessed and boring again! And regretting what she did while possessed.

Azazeal returns that night and, of course, Cassie rejects him, her mind pulling away despite his “you want me really” speech. Azazeal is not giving up




Cassie’s evil period – could that be more coded? She’s sexy and confident (evil) wears revealing clothes (evil) and drinks alcohol (evil) in a bar with lesbians! (ZOMG SO EVIL). I dislike that ANY of these are considered to be useful tools to show Cassie as the evil corrupted bad girl.

About the only thing she does that is actually evil is torment Thelma with more flirting despite not being interested – which, frankly, she did before being possessed as well. Only now the behaviour is “justified” by the possession, can we not do this please? This show is, more and more, proving the point that inclusion alone isn’t a good thing – the treatment of Thelma is extremely shoddy.  On top of that I am beyond not happy with her flirting and making out with Leon. Yes, if you must, make her go with another guy to make Troy jealous because she is possessed and is just “so evil” now (honestly, this is the mildest demonic possession ever, no spinning heads, no green goo, not even minor law breaking!) but not with the guy who sexually assaulted her!

And while we’re on the subject – Cassie only slept with Azazeal because of the possession – as is obvious, she wouldn’t and won’t sleep with him without it.  That is rape – magic may be the date rape drug but it’s still rape and not overtly labelled as such.

More on the ghost front – Thelma can use a phone and talk to people at the other end.

Ok I didn’t much follow the relationship between Cassie and Troy because there was zero chemistry – and now between Cassie and Azazeal? From him I can feel it, from Cassie? It falls flat. Which is very frustrating