The Ferryman – The show begins with a short film about a comet “Karon” that was visible from earth in 1784, for several weeks until it disappeared into space. The name Karon came from the Hades ferryman that transported corpses across the Styx River. Karon is believed to be a pair until one crashed to the surface. The comet crash resulted in a rare gemstone deemed Kharonite.

Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) startles awake when Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi) repeatedly pleads for help. He confusedly wakes up in his apartment in New York City. He looks in the mirror while feeling the back of his head. His teeth are covered with mold. When he vomits, he wakes up gasping for breath.  He frantically searches through his belongings and runs across the hall to borrow a phone from a neighbor (Curtis Caldwell.) He tries LMG with no luck.

Dan walks into LMG to be met by a woman who informs him, Virgil Davenport (Martin Donovan) will be with him shortly. Virgil greets Dan from a computer screen. He thanks Dan for his “excellent work.” Dan demands to know why he is back in NYC. He was treated for exhaustion and returned to your apartment. Dan denies the allegations, claiming to have been drugged and knocked out. Virgil reads Dan’s medical file that includes a psychological evaluation, blood work, and physical examination. He asks about the underground chamber, featured in the Visser tapes where Samuel (Evan Jonigkeit) was preparing for a human sacrifice. Virgil claims he was hallucinating when they found him. Dan continues to push for information about Thomas Bellows (Jay Klaitz) who was hired to digitalize tapes linked to the Visser. Virgil claims to have caught Dan on camera damaging expensive equipment. He recommends take the money and return to his life.

 

Dan screams when he walks outside the building. He returns to his apartment to find the door open and Mark Higgins (Matt McGorry) inside the closet. Mark gives him a bear hug and shows him a piece of equipment. He denies receiving a message about Bellows. Dan pulls an SD card out of his pocket. Bellows pops up on the screen, asking if someone sees it. He says it is watching him and screams, “Fu** you, Patricia, what did you get up to.” Dan admits to seeing something that wasn’t human in the Visser tapes as well. Mark says it is believed, movies capture demons and ghosts.

Mark escorts him into a room, where William Crest’s collection is displayed. He tells Dan about Evie Crest’s death and how William was obsessed with the Vos Society, a New York. The Vos family was involved in human sacrifice, dark magic, and Baldung witchcraft. They were trying to raise Kaelego, a demon from another dimension. Mark shows him a copy of the snuff film, William was obsessed with. The Vos mansion was damaged in a 1924 fire, but the snuff film survived. None of the Vos cult members was ever found. Mark shows Dan a photo of a woman from the Crest collection. Dan recognizes the woman from Anabelle Cho’s (Julia Chan) paintings.

New York City 1924 – Rose (Meg Hennessy) is at the Vos mansion for an interview. A lady takes her coat before she is permitted to see Iris Vos (Georgina Haig). Iris asks what she knows about the job offer. She says the Vos family is very rich and the position is a lady maid for Iris. Rose’s parents died on the voyage to America. Iris’s previous lady maid has not been seen for two weeks. She believes she ran off to get married. Rose is intrigued by a blue box sitting on a table. Iris authorizes her to pick it up. When she lifts the lid, a melodic tune begins to play. Iris’ father gave it to her when she was a child. Rose struggles to believe in God after the death of her family and sometimes which she didn’t survive the voyage.

Iris asks Rose how she feels about babies. She wants a baby even though her husband is dead. Rose isn’t sure how she feels about babies. Iris calls her “special,” saying you are capable of holding a whole new world inside you. Jonah Vos (Nick Podany) and Lukas Vos (Gilles Geary) arrive with a wooden shipping crate. When they look at Rose, she puts their mind at ease. Jonah pops open the crate and pushes back the shavings to expose a statue. Iris is taken aback by the statue, saying it is everything she ever dreamed of.

Rose visits Iris when she notices her necklace. Iris says it is believed to have come from a comet, the most powerful and beautiful celestial body. She tells Rose a comet holds all the secrets of the universe. A comet is expected to pass, close enough to be visible from the earth. They will celebrate the fortune the comet will bring to them.

Rose leaves her male guest to speak with a female poet, Emma Trillay (Ellen Adair). Emma is embarrassed Lukas never told Iris she would be attending the party. Emma confesses to Iris that she wanted to join her society for years. She wants to be there for the return. Iris says, “And, so you shall” before walking away. A housekeeper (Juliette Regnier) pulls Rose away from the party because it is not their business. The guests gasp when Iris removes the veil, exposing the statue. She tells her guests they are now so close. She speaks in a foreign language, calling Kaelego as Rose watches from a discrete location. A photographer takes Iris’ picture as she raises her hands in the air.

Iris and Lukas develop the photos in a darkroom. They notice something strange in the pictures. Lukas acknowledges their plan is working and he is with them. She tells him to imagine if the photos were a motion picture.

Rose is shocked to find Iris in a puddle of blood on the floor. Iris is in bed when Rose enters to alert her the doctor left. The doctor told Iris if she continues trying to get pregnant, she will die. Rose says you must take care of yourself. Iris believed her devotion granted her a baby. Rose asks, “Devotion, to what.” She talks about another world ruled by a being that is powerful enough to grant eternal wealth, life, and peace. A god that can connect people to those they lost. Rose questions another world and another god it sounds like a dream. Iris invites Rose into her bed. She wraps both arms around her.

Iris walks in as Rose is scrubbing the floor with a brush. She says what are you doing. Rose tells her about the black mold everywhere. Iris orders her to stop, saying this is the fruit of their devotion and faith and prove it is real.

Rose wakes up coughing. She gets out of bed and walks into a room, where Emma is holding a book. Rose alerts her, the book belongs to Iris. Emma says it is not her book, asking if Iris made her big promises of a new world. Iris flips on the light calling her name. Emma tells Iris the book isn’t hers. She responds, saying it isn’t yours either, Baldung. She accuses of throwing it away like trash. Emma questions if Iris understands the gravity of what they are planning to do. It would tear a hole between two worlds. Iris disagrees, saying she would save humanity from sickness, poverty, and war. Emma says the statue is not a god, but a force of destruction. Iris tells her the destruction would only impact the nonbelievers. Emma disagrees, saying it would destroy everyone and everything.

Jonah approaches with a gun, ordering Emma to put the book down. Iris tries to encourage him to put the gun down. When Emma threatens to burn the book, he fires the gun. Iris rushes over to Emma lying on the floor. Raising her voice, she tells him the book will not burn. Emma stops breathing. Iris orders Lukas to take Emma’s body to the bathroom and collect her blood. Rose doesn’t remember what Emma said before Iris entered the room. Iris promises her everything will be okay, it is just in her head.

Iris leaves her party to check in on Rose who is praying. She demands to know what Rose is doing. Rose believes it can offer them protection. Iris asks protection for what, a false god. She must renounce her allegiance if she wants to see her parents and sisters again. Iris gives her a Kharonite necklace and helps her get dressed.

Emma watches as Rose looks through a telescope when she spots Lukas leaving. She catches up with him to asks what he is doing. He says I can’t stop you from doing it, but I can walk away as you sacrifice all those people in there. She says the sacrifice is for the greater good. She slaps him when he says her guests are there to party, not be used as batteries for her jailbreak. She apologizes, pleading with him to stay. He asks if all this is for a child. She denies it is for a child, but what their father wanted for them. He reminds her their father is gone. He refuses to stay and be part of her plan. Rose approaches, asking if she is okay. She wipes the tears out of her eyes before returning to the party.

Iris takes the stage in front of her guests. She thanks her guests for being present to celebrate the Karon comet. They toast to the heaves and skies as the musicians begin to play. Her guests celebrate as she and Rose join Jonah and several others downstairs. The camera rolls as Iris begins to call Kaelego, tapping the tuning force twice. She reads the book as everyone dons a mask except for Rose. She pours blood on the statue as she continues speaking in a foreign language. Dan and Mark watch as Iris calls Rose forward. She places her hands on Rose’s chest, saying this body is now yours before cutting her throat. Rose falls to the ground.

Iris continues calling for Kaelego when a bright orb appears above her head. The orb surrounds Iris and the screen goes snowy. Dan says both the Vos mansion and the Visser were destroyed by fire. Dan says Iris raised a demon through a messed-up ritual. They don’t know what happened to Melody because the story abruptly ended. He refuses to believe, Samuel slit Melody’s throat. Mark tells Dan that there is no information on the Visser tenants. Dan suggests Anabelle may shed some light on what happened. Mark disagrees, saying it is cursed.

Dan blames his father, Dr. Steven Turner (Charlie Hudson III) for Samuel finding Melody. He believes Samuel and his father stole Melody’s life when all she wanted is to know where she came from. They agree to start searching for Anabelle who would be about 50 years old.

Anabelle is living in Rockland. When Dan knocks on the door, Anabelle asks, “Are you, Dan.” He asks if she knows him. She questions what took him so long to come. As Anabelle stands in front of a wall of her paintings of Melody, she says, “She’s been waiting for you.” Melody and Iris are in another world. She warns him to get out as the episode comes to an end.

 

Archive 81 Review

The episode felt like they turned the lights off on the Visser mystery. I don’t know if I felt disappointed or surprised the show took such a dramatic turn. This makes me question if we will learn the entirety of the story.

The episode shed light on the Vos Society, but it missed the mark so close to the finale. Dan putting the puzzle together one piece at a time would have been the better alternative.

The episode deserves a 6.5. Get more Archive 81 recaps here. Support the ReelMockery team by clicking here.