Evil Season 4: Leland’s Backstory Twist & Its Effect On David Explained By Star

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Evil season 4, episode 11, “Fear of the Future”

Leland’s backstory and how it impacts David in Evil season 4 is explained by star Michael Emerson, who portrays Leland Townsend. With only a few episodes to go, the Paramount+ Original from creators Robert and Michelle King is barreling towards its grand finale and has revealed some crucial details about Emerson’s character. It’s revealed that, at one point, prior to the events of the show, Leland was actually on the same path that David (Mike Colter) is going on, but he ultimately turned to the dark side.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Emerson revealed that he was surprised at reading the script. In the quote below, the Lost actor also spoke about why the reveal makes sense for Leland Townsend and how it makes the character even more dangerous to David, Kristen (Katja Herbers), and Ben (Aasif Mandvi). The quote is below:

That was a surprise to me when I read the script that you’re describing. I thought, “Oh, wow.” Because it had not occurred to me, nor had anyone spoken to me about it. I guess once I heard it, I thought, “Oh, all right. Well, that makes sense.” And then, also, it kind of darkens the portrait of him, and it makes him seem more dangerous.

Leland’s Reveal Is The Kind Of Clarity Evil Has Needed All Along

It gives the show some added momentum near the end.

Evil has tended to function by not explicitly endorsing one side or the other. Echoing its X-Files influence, it could be that angels and demons exist. Or, alternatively, it could just be that people like Leland are motivated to commit horrific acts. But even with that balanced framework, these last few episodes are finally looking to come together in a way that the show largely hasn’t since its 2019 debut.

Despite the divisive cancellation of Evil by Paramount+, the supernatural horror has been given additional episodes to wrap up its core stories. The series has used that time, like with the reveal of Leland’s backstory, to give the narrative a jolt of forward momentum that it has largely sidestepped in favor of ambiguous cases of the week and building uncertainty.

It’s not likely that the Evil series finale will address the overall question of the Catholic battle between the forces of good and darkness, based on how the story has operated up to this point. But it does look like it will provide closure to the stories of Kristen, David, Ben, and Leland. That may be one positive to glean from the overall unpopular cancellation decision, which is that audiences are finally learning about what it is that has pushed Leland and what it means for the trio that wants to defeat him.

Evil

4.0

Evil is a Paramount+ original that focuses on a priest, clinical psychologist, and a contractor who investigate strange events such as demonic possession as they trace the origins of evil. Created by Michelle King and Robert King, the series tackles the line between science and religion while the team tries to determine if there are any scientific explanations for the supernatural events they experience.

Cast

Mike Colter , Brooklyn Shuck , Katja Herbers , Dalya Knapp , Marti Matulis , Maddy Crocco , Kurt Fuller , Michael Emerson , Skylar Gray , Aasif Mandvi , Christine Lahti

Release Date

September 26, 2019

Seasons

4

Writers

Michelle King

Directors

Michelle King

Showrunner

Michelle King

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