Mother’s Keeper – As the third episode of Devil In Ohio begins, Suzanne (Emily Deschanel) leaves the hospital early because there are things she needs to take care of. She goes to court where they’re preparing to reevaluate the custodial options for Mae Louise Dodd (Madeleine Arthur). Suzanne has to guide Mae through the questions as she admits she isn’t going to school. She is told she’ll need to enroll. Since Mae’s parents, Malachi and Abigail, aren’t there, the court remands Mae to the custody of Suzanne Mathis for an additional 90 days. When Suzanne asks if she misses her parents, Mae says she misses her. Detective Lopez (Gerardo Celasco) tells Suzanne that the blood on the knife matches her blood on the white dress. As for the fingerprints, one set belongs to Mae and another set is unidentified. That isn’t enough to get a warrant, but Lopez still believes the abuse is likely coming from within the home.

The judge wouldn’t send Mae home without an inspection so he suspects they’re hiding stuff in that house. Suzanne wishes she knew more about Mae’s mother. The detective admits the Amon County Sheriff never answered any of his questions. When he interviewed Mae, she barely said anything. Suzanne will try talking to her again. Tatiana (Djouliet Amara) tries to get Helen (Alisha Newton) to sit with her, but Helen sits with other friends. Isaac (Jason Sakaki) complains to Jules (Xaria Dotson) about Victoria getting more nominations for class president. She agrees to use the column as a Trojan horse to launch his campaign, but she wants to see his five objects. He has sixteen since editing isn’t his strong suit. Jules tells him they’re going to an away game. Suzanne talks to Mae about going to school. She will be in Jules’s grade although Helen will be there too. Mae is told to watch Jules so she’ll know what to do. Suzanne remembers she mentioned her parents knew what happened to her so she asks if the father was involved.

Mae says yes. When asked about her mother, a flashback shows Mae getting a rose and trying to leave. Before she can, the other girls wake up and begin calling her the chosen one. Abigail Dodd (Caroline Cave) comes in and says it is a blessed day. Mae tells her mother that she can’t do this, but Abigail promises to help her. In the present, Mae tells Suzanne that she doesn’t want to talk about her mother. Peter (Sam Jaeger) puts a for sale sign on the house before calling Stag’s Head Realty to say he has a lead for Cheryl Thurmond (Laura Soltis). Suzanne calls Lopez to say it seems like her father might’ve done it and her mother probably knew about it. She suggests bringing them in and getting the mother alone since she might talk. She thinks the mother is often as much of a victim as the child. He thinks he might have a way to bring them in. Suzanne catches up with her daughters after their game. Jules asks Helen for a ride, but she is going to study. Mae and Suzanne tell Jules about registering Mae for school.

Mae admits she is excited. As they get home, Mae notices a strange symbol on the back of Suzanne’s vehicle that freaks her out. She rushes inside. Outside, Jules complains about getting a shadow since she doesn’t know what to do with her. Suzanne thinks she should see this as an opportunity. Mae comes out to wash the car in hopes of getting rid of the symbol. Later, Peter and Suzanne talk about going no their date night. Although he is adamant about going, Suzanne thinks they should put it off for Mae’s sake. Peter says they shouldn’t change their lives for this girl and they have reservations. Helen tells Tatiana that she is screwed if she doesn’t kill the robotics exam. She is applying to Ohio State so Tatiana believes she is doing it for Teddy. Tatiana doesn’t think she should take AP Calc and Robotics just to go to a state school with her boyfriend. Tatiana went to a concert with Phoebe, but they broke up. Helen insists she didn’t leave her stranded, but Tatiana says she did that when she started dating Teddy and ghosted all their friends.

Tatiana reminds her that she was hanging out with Olivia and she also thought she was into her at one point. Helen says she was. Dani (Naomi Tan) and Jules argue about what they should watch. Mae tells Suzanne and Peter that she’ll be okay before they leave. During dinner, Suzanne gets in touch with Jerry to see if Mae has said anything about her mother only to be reminded that those conversations are confidential. She wants to know if there is anything she should know as her guardian. Jerry says no. She returns to Peter who is worried about school fees and clothes costs for Mae. Suzanne says the stipend will cover that and they have Windemere coming up too. With Detective Lopez building a case, she won’t have to return to an abusive environment. Suzanne would like to talk to her mother. Peter reminds her that she survived a complicated relationship with her mother.

He tells her that Cheryl wants to do a project together. Dani talks to Mae about her family and if they have movie night, but she says no. She explains that they have a feast at harvest. She’d sneak out with her older brother and he’d let her drive the tractor. Mae goes on to say she has a lot of brothers and sisters. Dani doesn’t remember her home before this one because she was only a baby before being adopted. Her family died in a tornado. Since Suzanne was friends with her birth mom, she decided to adopt her. As Mae helps her stretch, she asks how she got to stay. Dani thinks she just fits into the family. Dani tells her she is pulling too hard before she gets free. Jules returns and they begin watching the movie. Mae asks her why the girls on the bus had their hair in braids. She learns it is a game day thing. Helen and Jules used to braid each other’s hair until Helen started dating Teddy. Mae offers to do it for her. As she messes with Jules’s hair, she remembers being prepared for the ceremony.

She gets upset and begins asking for mama. Mae’s hands are tied using rope. Captain Peck (Jennifer Copping) checks on Lopez who is busy working late. He admits he broke up with his fiancée. Detective Lopez tells her about the knife and admits that he requested an interview with Mae’s parents. Pecker confirms they’re coming in tomorrow. In the middle of the night, Mae frightens Jules and begins saying she can’t tell them. Mae wants Jules to promise that she won’t tell them where she is from because they’ll shun her and send her back. Jules believes people worry too much about what people think of them. She encourages Mae to just fake it until she makes it. Jules doesn’t think she’ll be able to go back to sleep so she decides to put makeup on Mae. While Mae is looking in the mirror, Jules notices the scar on her back and asks about it. Mae doesn’t answer and instead suggests they braid their hair. At work, Suzanne asks Adele (Marci House) about the stories her grandmother used to tell her about Amon County.

She learns that the church there has an upside-down cross. Some think it just fell while others believe it was built that way for Satan. When her grandpa’s car broke down out there, he walked through the woods to find help and saw people wearing dark robes. They also claim babies are hung upside down on crosses to see if they’ll survive when they’re born in Amontown. When the county is all deserted, it gives Adele the creeps. Jules gives Mae advice at school and tells her not to talk to Victoria because she is Isaac’s nemesis. They briefly talk about Helen who will probably ignore them before Isaac interrupts. He learns Mae is in all their classes. Bill Untermyer (Alessandro Juliani) introduces himself to Lopez and explains he is representing the Dodd family. He explains they prefer handling their affairs privately. He tried to get them to come in. Bill believes Lopez would’ve made an arrest if their prints had been found on the knife.

Detective Lopez says he could clear them as suspects if he had their prints, but Bill reminds him he can’t get their prints without a warranty. Bill believes Lopez must color outside the lines since he left Chicago to come here. Bill threatens to sue him for abusing their constitutional rights if he does something like this again since he is encroaching on their religious freedom. Suzanne researches the upside-down pentagram. Peter goes hunting with Cheryl who says she has plenty of work if he wants to get back into contracting. He says that is the kind of worth ethic he put into Mathis Development and Windemere Farms. She knows he is leveraged up to his eyeballs and lost his buyer.

Peter admits he doesn’t have the network she does. He offers to give her five points on the deal if she can help him find a buyer. Lopez messages Suzanne saying the parents didn’t show so there isn’t much to go on right now. Even though there is a staff meeting in five minutes, Suzanne needs to do something else. Cheryl agrees to help Peter sell Windemere if he makes the shot. He does. Suzanne goes to Abigail Dodds’ mailbox and leaves her a note. Mae and Jules meet with Sebastian so they can work on the paper. Sebastian asks Mae where she transferred from so she says she was homeschooled because her family was religious. Then, they begin talking about the proposal for Isaac’s column. Mae interrupts to say her mother taught her how to make the corn husk dolls and all the girls make them. Sebastian asks Mae if she’d like to be the first subject of the column. She seems to like the idea.

Suzanne stops by a garage to talk to a mechanic named Mike (Mike Ennis). She asks if he can help her find the Dodd family. Mike tells her she should be on her way. When he tells her to go home again, she leaves in a hurry. Jules talks to Isaac about his statement. He doesn’t like that his campaign won’t happen until next time. Jules leaves after that. At home, Jules complains about Isaac giving her the cold shoulder. Helen comes in and asks about Jules’s braids. When Mae asks if she doesn’t like it, Helen says it looks cute. Peter returns home with enough deer meat to last all winter. Later that night, Mae rips a shirt and uses it on the possible shrine. Lopez calls Suzanne to tell her that the Dodds’ lawyer is a constitutional expert who specializes in religious freedom. He wonders if the pentagram is branding since trafficking victims are often publicly branded as a warning to other victims.

When Suzanne checks her mailbox, she finds the note that she left for Abigail Dodd. Mae meets her downstairs later because she wants water. Suzanne again says she is sorry that her mother didn’t show up. In a flashback, Abigail asks the others to remove Mae’s restraints because she is willing. Mae asks her if she talked to her father. Abigail gives her everything she’ll need and says she told them to be gentle. Mae reminds her mother she said she would help only to be told to rely on him. If she breaks the chain, their suffering will continue. Mae must please him so he’ll survive until the morning star returns. Her mom gives her something to drink that will help with the pain. In the present, Mae admits her mother betrayed her like everyone else. Suzanne insists she would never betray her. Once Mae is alone, she grabs a kitchen knife and cuts up the venison meat. The ceremony begins in flashbacks.

 

Devil In Ohio Review

Devil In Ohio has become a mixed bag with some decent storylines being bogged down by uninteresting teenage dramas. One side of the storyline is interesting while three-quarters of it could’ve been removed and viewers wouldn’t have missed much. I really don’t understand why the show couldn’t have been filmed in Ohio with more American actors and actresses. In particular, it could’ve used some more authentic, Ohioan performers.

Everything going on at the high school just takes away from the only successful storyline with Mae. The series could be a lot better if it just narrowed its focus and stayed away from the infantile stuff at the school. It feels like the show is trying to get too many unnecessary points across. Truthfully, the show isn’t terrible, but it is closer to being terrible than being great.

One would think there would be an adjustment period for Mae in the house, but she didn’t need to adjust at all. The episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of Devil In Ohio can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support our independent website at this link.