The name Lilith is loaded with a ton of mythological canon and modern media interpretations. Forget all that as you embark on the climactic season finale of The Bondsman, named for one of the Shackled Seven, angels who sided with Lucifer in his war against Heaven. If he fails to meet his obligation to keep them all imprisoned, he risks another war. And if you’ve been paying attention, the Devil of The Bondsman is far more into earthly corporate domination than storming the walls of the Silver City.
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The season foreshadowed Lilith’s return in Cheryl Dawson’s (Kathrine Barnes) body beautifully. It’s also a break from the pattern of demons claiming human hosts who made moral missteps. Cheryl was a victim. And, to be fair, Lilith is no demon. As a fallen angel, there’s probably even more meaning baked into her choice(s) of host.
The Bondsman, “Lilith”
Flashback to last night. A single hand extends out of the soil in the woods behind Kitty Halloran’s (Beth Grant) house. A possessed Cheryl moves supernaturally fast and peers in the window at Hub (Kevin Bacon) and Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles) making love. She hears a truck’s air horn. Wings unfurl behind her, and she zips away, landing on top of the semi’s cab.
Today: Hub wakes up, lying on his back in the woods next to the recently vacated grave. Maryanne’s calling his name. He calls back, and she brings him a cup of coffee. Looking at his face, she knows immediately that something’s wrong. Hub tells her he was just trying to protect her and Cade (Maxwell Jenkins) from Lucky (Damon Herriman).
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Maryanne sees the grave, and Hub explains that he was drunk and mistook Cheryl for Lucky because she was wearing his hat. He buried her there, but now she’s possessed. Stunned, Maryanne drops her hands to her sides, spilling both cups of coffee on the ground.
Stumped
Back at the house, Cade refuses to believe what Hub’s saying. Kitty and Maryanne believe it and are disgusted by Hub’s actions. Maryanne and Cade get in their car and leave. Kitty closes her door on Hub. He decides to go after the stump in the backyard again. When the machine breaks down, he grabs an ax. Something in the woods grabs his attention. He calls out a challenge for whatever it is to come and get him.
A loud horn honk interrupts his throwing himself on the mercy of demons. A VW van rolls up and drops off Midge (Jolene Purdy). Cosmo (Jay Ali) calls out to Hub from the driver’s window, “We’re counting on you. Don’t f— it up.”
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Midge explains that she’s been sent back to help him finish this job. It’s the last one for both of them, but their only chance to save their loved ones from Armageddon. She provides some backstory for Lilith. As an angel, she had the best singing voice and was God’s favorite. Other angels grew jealous and tricked her into joining the rebellion so she would be cast down into the music-less Hell for eternity. Music is like blood in the water for Lilith.
Lilith’s Debut
Lilith steps into a town diner, causing a stir, as people recognize her as Cheryl Dawson, who has been missing for a month. As people scramble to call 9-1-1, she turns to the jukebox to enjoy the music.
Hub wonders if Lilith wants to end the world as revenge on the other angels. Midge informs him that the Devil’s been enamored of Lilith since she became his prisoner. The last time she escaped (!), she took out her rage on every man she met. They finally captured her outside an abbey where the monks were chanting. Midge has an illustration of the abbey. She warns that Lilith has mind control powers.
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In the diner, the male proprietor approaches her and lays a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Immediately, he and every man in the diner grab their jaws and tear them off. The women stand by in a stupor. Slowly, they cross their hands over their chests and bow to Lilith.
Hunted
Several sheriff’s department cruisers arrive on the Halloran property with sirens blaring. Kitty comes out with her hands held high. Lucky (Damon Herriman) gets out of one cruiser. He and Sheriff Ruby (Denitra Isler) search the garage with a group of officers. Hub’s not there.
Hub and Maryanne cleaned up so well that the police don’t believe Lucky’s story that there were demons. Lucky points to the pentagram on the wall as proof that Hub’s dealing in sorcery.
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Hub and Midge park a minivan (exactly how many vehicles do he and Kitty own anyway?) in a clearing in the woods. He starts unpacking an amp system. He plans to draw Lilith to them by blasting music for her. Midge asks what then. Hub pulls out his sketch of the pentagram and shows her that the same lines are in the illustration of the abbey where Lilith was last captured. It’s a trap.
Ratted
At the Sheriff’s office, Cade follows a handcuffed Maryanne. Lucky’s waiting for them and tells Maryanne that he’s called a lawyer for her. Maryanne tells him to stay away from them and directs Cade to call his grandmother. Lucky informs him that Kitty’s been arrested as well.
Cade accuses him of calling the police on his family. Lucky claims he did it on orders from a higher power. He invites Cade to punch him for being a rat. However, he wants Cade to come on board with his plan to save Maryanne. Cade refuses to testify that Hub brainwashed him and Maryanne. He warns Lucky that no one’s going to believe him.
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Maryanne enters the investigation space and sees Kitty sitting at a table. In gentle tones, Ruby asks her to call Hub and arrange for him to meet her at The Boxcar. Maryanne and Kitty try to make Ruby understand what Hub’s doing. Ruby threatens to arrest Cade if they don’t comply. Maryanne makes the call and leaves a message.
How To Catch a [Fallen] Angel
Out in the clearing, Hub proposes creating the pentagram trap with twig runes inside coffee cans to form the points. Midge is skeptical but doesn’t have a better idea. They set it up. Hub’s concerned about Lilith’s mind control abilities. Midge points out they won’t work on people who have been to Hell. It was in the manual.
Midge worries Hub will hesitate because Lilith is in Cheryl’s body now. He swears he won’t hesitate and hands Midge the trap’s trigger.
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He cranks the music. At the diner, Lilith hears it and flies to it. Once she’s gone, the thrall over the women in the diner fades, and they scream. An officer rushes into the sheriff’s department to report it to Ruby, explaining that it wasn’t Hub because witnesses report it was Cheryl and that she’s possessed. Kitty crows, “You see?” as Ruby rushes out the door.
Lilith lands in the clearing but not inside the pentagram. Hub aims his gun at her and steps out of hiding. She notices him immediately and zips to his side before throwing him onto the minivan. She picks him up and flies into the air. Midge activates the trap, and it works.
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Lilith screams and drops to the ground next to the minivan. She begs Hub not to kill her again. After she heals all his wounds, she offers to vacate Cheryl’s body, leaving her alive, negating Hub’s Hell-deserving sin, and winning back his family’s love.
Making a Deal
Hub agrees. Lilith transfers into a crow. Hub’s claw bruises disappear from his arm. He breaks the pentagram seal. The crow flies away.
Midge looks at his arm and calls him a selfish asshole. He insists there’s always a loophole. Cheryl regains consciousness and stands up, calling Hub’s name.
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He gets cleaned up and brings her to The Boxcar, where Trish (K.D. O’Hair) embraces her. Cade and Kitty rush to him, warning him that the police are here to arrest him. Hub’s infinitely confident that he’s fixed everything now that Cheryl’s alive again. Ruby and her officers approach and tell him he’s under arrest. The police cuff Cheryl as well. She calls his name questioningly. He assures everyone it’s going to be okay.
Maryanne runs to her dressing room, crying after rebuffing Lucky’s solicitous concern. The crow perches on her costume rack, looking at her. Maryanne looks back at it.
One More Choice
Lucky watches Hub being arrested and tells Tater (Mike Kaye) that he’s going to check on Maryanne. Lucky finds Maryanne in her dressing room, singing a wordless tune. Walking up to her slowly, he informs her that she’s not in her right mind and he’ll do the thinking for both of them. When he reaches out to touch her, an unseen force flings him against the wall. Maryanne’s reflection reveals Lilith. As she continues to sing, Lucky reaches for his jaw, unable to resist her mind control. He tears it off and dies.
Out in the main room, the crow flies through, attracting Hub’s attention. As the police try to escort him out, Maryanne/Lilith walks into the room, singing “Woe, Death” a cappella. Everyone falls silent. Every man, including Cade but except Hub, reaches for their jaw. Every woman crosses their arms over their chest.
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Hub sees her as a demonic form, wings and all. She stops singing and addresses him directly. Because the Devil will never stop coming for her, Maryanne will always be in peril. Lilith proposes that Hub serve her by choice to keep Maryanne safe. She holds her hands over her face, and when she removes them, he sees Maryanne instead.
All eight episodes of The Bondsman Season 1 are streaming now on Prime Video.
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