Sanctuary –  The episode begins with a young girl (Hannah Bos) running away when a police car pulls up. The girl takes off running with the officer and dog in toll.

Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel) asks Mae Dodd (Madeline Arthur) how she slept. Mae tells her that she was waiting to be let out of her room. Suzanne assures her that she can leave at will before promising to find her a good home. Mae thanks her.

As Jules Mathis (Xaria Dotson) looks for her portfolio, Suzanne and Mae enter the room. Dani (Naomi Tan) tells Mae that she loves her shirt. Jules turns around to find Mae wearing her shirt. Suzanne reminds her that it had been a while since she wore it. Peter Mathis (Sam Jaeger) asks Mae what she wants to eat for breakfast when a bird crashes into a window.

They rush outside to see the bird still alive. Dani says they have to help it. Suzanne suggests a nearby sanctuary might help before asking Peter to handle it. He agrees to do it even though he has a meeting. Mae tells him that the bird won’t survive.

Jerry Thomas (Alvin Sanders) with the Remmingham Family Services Center  greets Suzanne and Mae. Suzanne tells Mae that she’ll undergo testing to secure her the right foster home.

Peter transports the injured bird to the Haverford Community Bird Sanctuary to find it closed. He sets the cardboard box with the bird at the door. As he walks away, an angry flock of birds flies overhead. He puts the bird back into his truck.

Adele Thornton (Marci T. House) informs Suzanne that a police officer is asking to speak with Mae. She questions if Mae is at her house. Suzanne acknowledges taking Mae to her home because there was no available foster home. Adele says according to her grandmother, Amon County has some weird things going on. Suzanne assures her that Mae is only a crime victim, not an urban legend.

Suzanne tells Rhoda Morrison (Samantha Ferris) that Mae needs a safe foster home. Rhoda says they’ll be lucky to get a “place with a roof.”

Remmingham Police Department Detective Alex Lopez (Geraldo Celasco) tells Suzanne that he needs to talk to her about Mae. Suzanne asks where Detective Nelson is at. He claims Nelson retired. She informs him that she already spoke to Amon County Sheriff. He says Remmingham has taken over Mae’s case. She warns that addressing it too soon could do Mae more harm than good. He asks her to contact him when Mae is ready.

Sebastian Zelle (Evan Ellison) tells Jules that her column is not unique. She suggests photographing objects chosen by people fleeing from a house fire. He assures her that he loves the idea.

Peter asks Patti Myers (Stefania Indelicato) for a deferment on his mortgage. After describing her boss as a “sh**head,” Patti promises to work on his loan to see if it can be restructured. He thanks her.

Rhoda informs Suzanne that a foster home is willing to accept Mae. Suzanne thanks her as she enters the Remmingham Family Services Center. Jerry and Suzanne go over Mae’s test results. He says Mae claimed to have assisted her older brother with the farm’s accounting. She tells him that they are scheduled to meet with a foster family tomorrow.

Jules works on her photos when Jules approaches to say she mended her shirt. They briefly discuss Jules’ monthly column. Mae informs her that she designs “corn husk dolls” with her sister. Jules shows her a jewelry box. Mae tells her that she likes it.

Suzanne expresses her disappointment for Mae’s parents not making an appearance. After discussing Mae’s appointment with a foster family, she rubs her thumb across a scar on her wrist. They are kissing when Peter hears a noise outside their bedroom. He checks the hallway to find it empty. Mae quietly closes her bedroom door.

Jules is startled away when she sees a corn husk doll sitting on her bedside table.

When Jules tries to return the corn husk doll, Mae says she made it for her. Suzanne suggests Jules snap a photo of the doll. Jules hesitantly complies.

Lopez tells Captain Judith Peck (Jennifer Copping) that there are no fingerprints on file for Mae. Peck says she wants evidence of a crime before the department invests money in DNA testing. He suggests the pentagon carved into Mae’s back is criminal. She informs them that there was no evidence in the area where Mae was found by a truck driver.

While searching the area at mile marker 67, Lopez discovers a knife lying in the grass.

Mae and Suzanne meet Frances (Barbara Tyson). Mae stares at a cross on the wall. Frances promises Mae that she will receive a bunk, but for now, she can sleep on a cot. Mae assures her that she “knows how to share.” Mae is standing in the hallway when a ball runs into her legs. When two young boys (Benjamin Goas and Denzel Onaba) come to retrieve the ball, she hisses at them. They flee down the steps. As Mae and Suzanne depart, the cross on the wall is upside down.

Lopez finds discovers an odd corn on the cob. He follows a set of footprints through the cornfield to a scarecrow with a pig’s head. Strange symbols are carved into the wood.

Suzanne tells Mae that she can have a pair of pink house slippers. Mae smiles while looking at them. Rhoda calls Suzanne to inform her that Mae’s been approved for the foster home. After Suzanne shares the news with Mae, she turns around to find her gone. Her frantic search leads to a bench outside the store. Mae admits to running away before saying she can’t live in the foster home because it doesn’t have a place to hide. In a flashback, a girl runs away from a police officer and a dog. Back to the present, Suzanne admits to knowing what unsafe feels like. Mae tells her that she feels safe with her.

Lopez emerges from the cornfield to find Sheriff Wilkins (Bradley Stryker) waiting on him. He informs him that he’s investigating the Dodd case. Wilkins says they are investigating it. Lopez tells him that it’s strange the family hasn’t filed a missing person’s report. Wilkins suggests they expected Mae to come back home on her own. Lopez sarcastically says he must interview the family. Wilkins offers to conduct the interviews for him.

Rhoda reminds Suzanne of Mae being her patient. Suzanne warns her that Mae won’t survive where she doesn’t feel safe. She pleads with her to give her the okay to help Mae. Suzanne tells Mae, “Let’s go home.”

Patti contacts Peter to tell him that he has six weeks. He tells her that he appreciates it.

Mae removes hair from Suzanne’s hairbrush. She appears to roll the hair into a ball before placing the hairbrush underneath her bed.

Jules suggests putting up a tent for her in the backyard. Suzanne promises it’s only a temporary arrangement. Julies says the space is needed for her darkroom. Suzanne assures her that she can handle it. After describing Mae as “weird,” Jules claims the corn husk doll has “major voodoo energy.” Suzanne tells Peter that she appreciates him allowing Mae to stay longer. Dani asks how the injured bird is doing. Peter acknowledges taking the bird to the sanctuary.

Peter goes to the garage to check on the injured bird.

Jules goes to Mae’s room to find the door ajar. She peeps through the gap to see Suzanne treating Mae’s back wound in the shape of a pentagram. Shocked, she turns to leave.

Suzanne tells Mae it’s nice of her to make Jules a corn husk doll. Mae claims she and her sisters make them. Suzanne asks if she misses her sisters. She says it’s different than her relationship with Dani and Jules. Suzanne asks who was aware of what happened to her. She says, “Everyone” as a tear runs down her cheek.

Jules admits to seeing Mae’s back before asking who’s responsible. Suzanne tells her that they are working on finding out. She stresses the importance of helping Mae feel safe in their home. Jules says she’s trying. In a flashback, a young girl climbs a tree. The deputy tells Suzanne that she’ll eventually need to come down. Back to the present, she tells Jules that “scares are hard.” Jules promises to try to be Mae’s friend. Suzanne sings her a song.

Peter digs a hole next to the house. When he goes to retrieve the injured bird, it has disappeared. Mae carries the bird to a secluded area in the woods. She carves a strange symbol into a tree stump. Kneeling, she says, “Thank you” as the show comes to an end.

 

Devil In Ohio Review

Little to do with Mae and a lot to do with nothing. The script ventures off the beaten path too often. I, for one, am only interested in Mae’s story, not Jules’ photography or Peter’s late mortgage.

While the plot is intriguing enough to draw in viewers, it’s questionable if the show will hold their attention. The series is an adaptation of 2017 “Devil in Ohio” by Daria Polatin, which doesn’t have a stellar rating on Goodreads.

Satanic cult films are up in the hundreds. Some are legendary, others not such much. This show should be added to the latter list. The script is underwhelming, ordinary, and predictable.

It’s no big surprise, the little girl in the flashbacks is Suzanne and the deputy is Wilkins. What Suzanne is running from has yet to be revealed.

Canadian actress, Madeleine Arthur is perfect for the role of Mae. Unfortunately, some of the actors are miscast as the setting is the small Ohio town of Remmington.

The lackluster episode deserves a 5. Get more Devil In Ohio recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link.