Sunday, September 9, 2012

Hex, Season 2, Episode 11: Hole



Teacher Jo is back (she of the wet lettuce), but not simply to teach. When she returns to her room, Malachi is waiting, half naked – they’re having sex.

And Alex, from the circle of friends, is telling lots of other students they can be special if they find their inner desire. Sounds familiar? Why, yes that would be what Mephistopheles said Malachi had to do to win hearts and minds - and Alex has Malachi’s mark on her neck.

Malachi also has his eyes set on Roxanne the shunned – and Tom who is feeling increasingly neglected by Leon, his room-mate  which Malachi exploits and builds on.

Leon and Ella are now focused on killing Malachi (at last!) but Ella is furious with Thelma – and wants to find her to ask why she warned Malachi. While looking, Ella notices Alex’s mark – and tells Leon as well as confirming that the mark means Alex belongs to Malachi, that it’s a mark of corruption. Doing some research, Ella says she’s a succubus. If you are corrupted by your deepest desire by Malachi, you become his – and Alex went from one of the gang to a leader of the clique – what she always wanted.

And it seems Alex can see and talk to Thelma now she’s a Succubus – who apparently has a job for Thelma from Malachi. As per instruction, she dips into Roxanne’s dreams to find out what she really wants – and finds Roxanne dreaming about being in a church, praying – as a nun. Roxanne’s secret, deep desire is to become a nun.

Leon and Ella spot Alex talking to Thelma – which is surprising – and Thelma talking back, which is almost more surprising. Ella follows Thelma – and sees Mia.

Later in her room she confronts Thelma with “you risked our lives for a shag”. Seriously? This from the woman who was sleeping with Malachi? She lectures and attacks Thelma for betraying them all just because Malachi blackmailed Thelma with Mia’s existence. Thank all that is holy that Thelma bites back with Ella’s having sex with Malachi – and Malachi didn’t even have to blackmail Ella to get her on side. Thelma ends with them both being under Malachi’s spell – as some kind of peace gesture which I wouldn’t have offered in her shoes. They go on to discuss killing Malachi and how Thelma and Mia will both disappear. Despite being the one to lose everything, it’s Ella who is tearful – maybe it’s meant to be moving and emotional, but after her rant I don’t feel it.

Leon follows Alex and sees her get into bed with Malachi and Jo before the door closes. But we stay with them and learn that Jo isn’t a Succubus – and has been to Hell to visit Azazeal and that Azazeal is concerned by the lack of progress (and that Mephistopheles is being punished for his intervention in helping Leon – that never was explained).


Malachi tries to work on Roxanne, appealing to her spirituality. While Thelma and Mia set up the big goodbye – and Ella leaves Leon to go to war. She goes to the shower, pulls the curtain on Malachi and stabs him.

And the blade of Orichia snaps. At least I won’t have to keep guessing how to spell it. Malachi is shocked, a little hurt – but unharmed. Ella runs back to leon and Thelma where they have a collective shitfit.

Malachi has his own hissy fit with Jo, that he’s lucky to be alive. She points out that it’s not luck – as he gains more people he becomes stronger. Ella can’t hurt him now. He wants to kill Ella, but she thinks it’d be more fun to corrupt everyone around her while she’s helpless (my, she has changed)

Which he begins to put into effect by pretending to be a ghost and meeting Mia – who then introduces “the new ghost, Malachi” to Thelma. Poor Thelma.  

Ella checks her research and discovers that the Succubi are the ones who are strengthening Malachi. To kill Malachi, they just need to destroy his succubi and weaken him. Leon is quick to point out that by “destroy” she means “kill” – she wants to kill Alex. Malachi tells Mia that the mark is actually something only special ghosts get – Mia regrets hers going away but Malachi points out it’s still there. Mia’s re-marked – and she’s overjoyed by it. Ella, walking past, also sees the mark on Mia’s neck.

Leon and Ella decide to not tell Thelma their plan to kill the succubi – because that also involves killing Mia. Leon offers to help Ella, but Ella doesn’t think he’s up to committing murder. But he insists and gets Alex – all he has to do is decapitate her, while Ella has to dig up Mia’s body.

Malachi continues his wicked plots of wickedness – Alex trying to get at Tom, he trying to get to Roxanne’s new spirituality (she meditates with him, talks of her past – and redemption and denial – not quite a win there Malachi) and him trying to get Thelma to pump Ella for information (Thelma tells him to screw himself).  Thelma has her own plan  - tell Mia everything. After all, if Malachi is going to be there for a while it’s best if Thelma destroys his chance at blackmail. Of course, Ella knows Mia isn’t going to be around for a while – but stops short of telling Thelma.

That night, Liam and Ella put their plan in action – Liam lurking in Alex’s room, peeping at her through the wardrobe door slats (yes it’s as bad as it sounds) while Ella digs up Mia’s body. Meanwhile Thelma tells Mia everything – including her being responsible for Mia’s death. Thelma and Mia are both crying, Mia calls Thelma a murderer. After much crying, Thelma hugs Mia – and Ella cuts off the head of Mia’s body. Mia disappears in a flash of light and Malachi jerks in pain.

But Leon couldn’t follow through – he couldn’t bring himself to behead Alex – so when Ella goes after Malachi, he still has a living succubus and is still protected. Worse, Alex shows up with 2 more people carrying Malachi’s mark.






Ella’s summation of Mia and Thelma’s relationship as a “shag” is not only grossly wrong – but it’s so hypocritical it makes me choke. Against the wishes of heaven, archangels and Biblical plagues she cheated on the guy she was with so she could sleep with Malachi, child of Azazeal and the very object of her holy quest to destroy – and she was derailed into his bed after about 3 days acquaintance. But that was true, Angel defying love, while Thelma’s time with Mia where they shared emotions, bonds, support and helped Mia adapt to the grave – that’s just a shag.

Ella’s lust nearly lead them to ruin. Thelma had a genuine loving relationship with a vulnerable, caring person – rather than a spawn of Satan. But Ella’s lust is the one that’s different and understandable while Thelma was just after a shag?

And on that note – the dead gay folk trope is a long and painful trope that has to die. Gay relationships have to end in pain and suffering and death. Hex takes that a step further – Lesbians die – and become ghosts. And then they get to die again!  Uh-huh.


It’s interesting to see Jo change from the wet lettuce she was into the woman she is now. On the one hand she’s completely corrupted from who she was and who she cared about. But, on the other, she’s completely resistant to Malachi’s thrall and certainly seems stronger in who she is and what she wants – but is that her asserted independence and embrace of her desires and confidence or just Azazeal’s thrall?