SURREALESTATE – Season 3 Episode 10 – SPOILERS ⁓

In a flashback to thirty-five years ago, a seven-year-old Luke (Remy Smith) is awakened by Elvis the Elephant (voiced by Patrick Kwok-Choon). “He turned off the TV an hour ago,” says the plushie. “He’s asleep. Come on.” Elvis asks for a hug first, and when Luke obliges, tries to jump into Luke, but fails. Malech tries to convince the boy to kill his father with a baseball bat, and Luke pretends to go along, but at the last moment whacks the elephant with the bat instead. Luke’s dad locks Elvis in a tackle box, then tosses the box in the lake.

Present-day Luke (Tim Rozon) explains to his colleagues that, according to Phil (former researcher for Roman/Ireland Realty now working for The Vatican), Tyler had an encounter with a demon whose name in original Hebrew was hashed tzuchak (the laughing demon). Strangely, the laughing demon hates being laughed at. Its purpose is to jump into good people and make them do bad things. “Demons have a binomial system of nomenclature, like plants,” Luke continues. “The genus and the species. We have a rough idea of the genus, but we need to call him out by his real name – out loud. Phil says there’s a church here in town, St. ignacius. They might have the ‘Book of Baphomet’.

The Book of Baphomet to which Phil refers might be similar to the Ars Goetia (part one of The Lesser Key of Solomon). Luke also describes the Book as “a regional roll-call for active demons”, implying that it is continuously revised by some means.

At Luke’s request, Zooey (Savannah Basley) visits Father Douglas Thumm (Duane Keogh) the priest at St. Ignatius, but he refuses to allow her access to the book in the basement. “Phil said he’d be a problem,” Luke explains, when Zooey gets back to the office. “He told me about his boss, too, the bishop. Used to box with the Jesuits. Likes to raise a glass or two and then look for somebody to fight with.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola was one of the founders of the Jesuit Order.

Susan (Sarah Levy) and Lomax (Elena Juatco) disguise themselves as nuns. Though Lomax fears she must be ‘radiating Greek Orthodox’, they enter the church, and while Susan distracts the priest, Lomax pilfers the book. When she blows the dust off the ancient tome, Tyler (R Austin Ball) sneezes, realizes what’s happening, and immediately drives to the church, arriving just after Susan and Clytemnestra have left.

‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ is up for sale, and Luke decides to buy it. He also asks Megan (Tennille Read) to marry him. After that, he invites everyone, including Tyler/Malech, to his newly acquired pub for what everyone but Tyler knows is an exorcism, in the course of which Lloyd (James Allodi) will laugh. But before that, Luke and Lloyd have a talk.

LUKE: “You know, Lloyd, I’ve been coming here for a couple years and I don’t think we’ve ever really spoken…I was looking at the bar’s financials. I didn’t see a line item that included your salary. How much do we pay you?”
LLOYD: “Enough.”
LUKE: “I only ask because a change in management is also a great opportunity to make any other changes that might be good, like hours, or more live music, or local bands?”

This could introduce the possibility of musical guest stars in a (not yet confirmed) fourth season.

The exorcism vanquishes Malech, and Tyler survives, at least long enough to be taken to hospital. Luke’s mother survived the demon’s attack on her (see previous episode), and is also in hospital. Augie (Maurice Dean Wint) goes home and gets a visit from Death (Hannah Cheesman).

August Ripley, who was fond of quotations, is eulogized with quotes from Lao Tsu (by Zooey), Ralph Waldo Emerson (by Susan), Buddha (by Lomax), and Harriet Beecher Stowe (by Rochelle). Luke offers the final quotation from Edgar Allen Poe: “Other friends have flown before, and on the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before quoth the raven ‘nevermore’.”

Later, as Luke is closing up the pub, he hears August’s voice say his name and attributes it to wishful thinking. Then the voice says: “Luke, turn around.”

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Miscellaneous Info

The Book of Baphomet by Nikki Wyrd and Julian Vayne (2012) is clearly not the book referenced on the show. According to Jean Dark who reviewed it for Bella Basura Online Wyrd and Vayne’s book: “…specifically explores the significance of and contact with Baphomet within that particular magical paradigm. Weaving visionary tracts, personal anecdote and transcribed ritual with common neo-pagan memes – Margaret Murray, the horned god, Bran, Wicca, Druidry and Pan.” Dark concluded that “Such an in-depth book is a rare and satisfying find”.

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All episodes of SURREALESTATE can be streamed on HULU in the US, and on CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada.