The premiere episode of Evil: The Final Season is now streaming and we were fortunate enough to catch up with the show's central trio of Mike Colter ("David Acosta"), Katja Herbers ("Dr. Kristen Bouchard"), and Aasif Mandvi ("Ben Shakir") to talk about what's coming in this final batch of episodes and how the team is working harder than ever to combat the possible antichrist and stop a coming apocalypse?!
We get into that bombshell cliffhanger and Kristen's unique reaction to the news, how Ben deals with his new predicament, what's in store for David as he attempts to decipher his cryptic warning, and what to expect from the final batch of episodes.
New episodes will debut weekly, exclusively on Paramount+, leading up to the show's August 22 series finale.
Watch our full video interview with Mike Colter, Katja Herbers, and Aasif Mandvi below and/or keep scrolling to read the transcription. Plus, please remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: Katja, the new season picks up immediately after that bombshell cliffhanger, but Kristen has a very unique reaction to Leland's baby news. Why did you feel like that was appropriate reaction from her?
KATJA: I think, with Leland, it's sort of like a very high level chess game that she's playing, and there's some enjoyment in trying to take each other down psychologically, or, you know, in his case, also violently. And, I think she decided that the best way to deal with what situation he put her in, was to try and sort of castrate him with just throwing it back at him and just not be shocked and just go like, oh, you poor little baby, look at what you did to yourself, you're going to be in diapers, you stupid, you stupid [frick] - I don't know, can I swear? Like, I said to him, you've just [frick]ed yourself more than you know, and I congratulate him and, I pretend to not worry about this baby and think like, you know, the world is crazy enough. That's it, I'm done worrying about things. I'm living my life. I've got four beautiful children, I've got a job I love, and, you know, there's a lot of people trying to drive me crazy, and I'm not going to succumb to that, and he can go figure it out with this baby.
ROHAN: Aasif, something happens to Ben in the premiere that changes his trajectory for the season and challegnes how he thinks. What would you say about Ben's headspace throughout this season as he comes to grips with what's happening to him?
AASIF: So, Ben has this experience where, you know, the beam goes through his head, and then, he's dealing with a physical thing happening to him. It’s a physical medical condition, but it's also overlapping into a paranormal experience, and so, he doesn't know what to make of it. And what I love about it is that he is, for a guy who's completely competent, and always able to explain his way out of whatever is happening in some way, he can't. He can't with this one. And it's also happening to him physically. So, in the past, like, Ben has not been able to explain things, and he can just let it go, but in this case, he can't let it go. It lives with him 24/7, which I think is really interesting, and you start to see unraveling and the unhinging of Ben a little bit because of this, which, you know, can happen to you if you're dealing with something medical that no one can diagnose, and yet at the same time, when you start to go, oh, well, then maybe there's something else going on that I can't explain. So, I like the fact that we're leaning into that for Ben a little bit more, and he's getting pulled in that direction, more than he wants to.
ROHAN: Mike, last season you received the warning, "38 Days, Woe to Babylon." What does this phrase mean for David moving forward, especially with this baby coming and signaling the arrival of the potential antichrist or maybe even the apocalypse?
MIKE: Well, it puts a bit of pace to things, you got 38 days, you have this finite timeframe in which something is going to happen, and with the introduction of this baby, which I mean, it's so bizarre, but at the same time, it's like, I think, as I recall the way I played it, but also the way it was written and the way it was shot. I mean, that's information that is huge information for Kristen, but it's also for David. He has to, sort of like, assess what that threat is, and does it make sense and how he's a friend to Kristen and he loves her, but what does this mean? Is this baby actually the Antichrist? And what does it mean, right? And so the entities, you know, they're after it, or the baby, it's hers. He has to protect her, but he also has to do what he feels is right, and so I think this 38 day thing just adds a bit of pace to everything, and I think obviously, with the ending of the show brought a bit prematurely, we've had to tweak it a bit, but I mean, it just adds a bit of pace and urgency to what this world is and what we're dealing with.
ROHAN: The final season received four bonus episodes, which I believe you're currently filming, so what can you tease about how the last few episodes will lead to its ideal ending?
AASIF: I don't know if it's an ideal ending, but it is an ending to a certain chapter of the story, and if there is a future, you know, that's the next chapter of it. So, I think what we do very well, and what the Kings did very well was sort of close certain things, and then, there are certain things that will always be inexplicable on our show, and that's what the beauty of the show is. There are certain things that will always remain unexplained. But, I think we create a nice closure for the end of this chapter. It may be the last chapter or it may be just the first chapter of a story. So, that is yet to be determined, I guess.
The end is coming. The final season of Evil returns May 23, exclusively on Paramount+. Stream new episodes every Thursday through August 22.
Evil is a psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion. A skeptical female psychologist joins a priest-in-training and a contractor as they investigate the Church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings. Is there a logical explanation, or is something truly supernatural at work?
The series stars Katja Herbers (Kristen Bouchard), Mike Colter (David Acosta), Aasif Mandvi (Ben Shakir), Michael Emerson (Leland Townsend), and Christine Lahti (Sheryl Luria).
Evil: The Final Season is now streaming on Paramount+, with a new episode dropping every week!