The Mist [Episode 7]: The Church goes Cult and the Adrian Theory

The Mist has been a fickle show from the beginning with its split groups and imbalanced pacing between them.  After 7 episodes culminating in the event we’d been wanting (the church group splitting into a cult led by France’s Conroy, basically everything I’ve ever wanted from any show since AHS season one) and we are still left feeling underwhelmed we can’t help but think the naysayers who said The Mist was took big a burden for television may have been right. That being said, The Mist remains one of our guilty pleasures that helped fill the general lull of summer shows and we are dedicated to seeing it out until the end, and are hyper invested to see if our theory about Adrian turns out correct and I’m about to over analyze the clues in this episode for you in the last section of this post!

The Mall

Almost nothing happens at the mall in episode 7 besides a slow burn and drama coming to a boil. The interesting turn is Eve planting a baby monitor in one of the potted plants near the main mall group so her loading dock group could get Intel on what’s going on. Unsurprisingly, her presence was met with hostility.

They quickly learn the main Mall Group is short on rations and only have enough for two more days, and they’re starting to turn on each other, that is, until the crazier members of the group unite them in solidarity against the loading dock group. It goes from being, “they aren’t worried about food so they should have enough to share,” to, “the Mist is here for a reason and it started when Alex lied about being raped and she’s a liar and we need to take action.” With 3 episodes left, and Eve quoting Alfred Henry Lewis  “there are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy,” we are left to wonder if the loading dock group can barricade themselves against an attack, or will they be forced to flee the mall? And will Kevin make it to his family before the Mist hits the fan?

The Church

After last week’s events you’d expect the church group to be in an outraged frenzy, but instead we got more of the same old quiet sheep looking to Father Romanov and Nathalie for guidance, except for Connor. Unlike earlier episodes where Connor wanted to uphold the law and play good cop, Link’s actions and the general Mist situation has turned him to more of a vigilante justice player.

He confronts Father Romanov for looking guilty and likely telling Link to do this to keep power/control over the congregation. Father Romanov tries to defend himself with a “priests don’t hurt old ladies” defense and Connor knocks him around a bit (it was satisfying bit we still don’t like or trust Connor).

After cleaning himself up, Father Romanov finds Nathalie alone reading the bible. They debate a little and Father Romanov continues to be Extra™ and challenges her to a trial of ordeal. His idea is that if they both walk out in the Mist, God will save him and not her and he can lead the church’s survivors to salvation and save their souls, and if she happens to win then maybe she can help them survive. This is all fine amd dandy, except trial by ordeal is an outdated practice that predates christianity and was only brought back in dark times of the church, and the bible explicitly says not to test God or try to force his hand (Matthew 4:7-10).

Wrong, Father, but you do you.

The two leaders take their alone time to spiritually prepare for their “ordeal”; Father Romanov suits up in his priest robes and prays for God’s help, while Nathalie goes into a private room and strips naked to embrace nature.

The two walk out of the church and into the Mis. They stand about 20 feet apart. Nathalie closes her eyes And waits for the Mist to act, but Father Romanov is obviously panicked and when he hears horse hooves and rattling he is fully in the Mist’s trap.

What appears to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appears before them (Nathalie’s eyes still closed), And one draws an arrow and shoots Father Romanov in the middle of his plea to God. The arrow impales him and he hits the ground, Nathalie shows no fear st the sounds of the priest dying, and she can’t see the cord attached to the arrow still inside Romanov. The horsemen then turn around and drag Father Romanov into the Mist to face his own personal end of days. Everything seems in line that the Mist reacts to and manifests as fears, but Nathalie returns to the church and announces that she survived because nature doesn’t perceive her as a threat–who knows who could be right? And what will become of the church group now that they’ve become mkire if a naturist cult? Is there even any more drama to be had in this group? Perhaps their new leader will want them to venture out into the Mist.

The Hospital

At the end of the last episode we saw our most ragtag group escape the psych ward to hide in the safest corner of the now Mist filled hospital. A quick synopsis before we over analyze the creative choices–

Mia has Jonah/Bryan help her go through medically induced rapid detox. Almost nothing happens between this and her coming out okay, besides Jonah remembering he was subjected to electroshock therapy/torture (presumably at arrowhead) and it helps him comfort her through it/space out and ignore her screaming.

Now to Kevin/Adrian/Tyler and everything that supports my theory that Adrian is secretly a villain and probably raped Alex while she was passed out (the first episode brings up that he’s either demisexual or pansexual and attracted to people not gender, so that doesn’t discredit this theory).

In the beginning he is laying in bed across from Tyler and asks Tyler what the worst thing he has ever done to someone is. An odd question for someone who hasn’t done anything wrong. We’re then distracted with more of Tyler self-hatred and internalized homophobia with a story of how he beat up another kid. He eventually feels bad an Adrian offers him forgiveness and a little snuggle time.

When they wake Adrian is missing And Tyler runs into Kevin and they agree to look for him together when the crazy man, Nash, that let them in the psych ward tells them he’s taking care of Adrian and “getting rid of his evil.” Tyler bolts after Nash, who makes it to a secure locked office where he has Adrian tied up. Kevin goes into another half decent/half unbelievable soliloquy about how he’s really the evil one and Nash should beat out Kevin’s evil and let Adrian go. It works, but if you pay close attention when Kevin gives the speech about wanting to hurt Alex’s rapist the camera intentionally refocuses on Adrian and he looks guilty and more scared than he already did.

Kevin’s plot works and he is able to take down Nash, but goes a little too far and uses the chair leg (with long screw) Nash was going to use on Adrian to beat the psych patient to death while the young boys watched. [Special about out to Nash biting Kevin, and how this contradicts episode 5’s flashback when Eve said Kevin is gentle and not a fighter and that’s what she loves about him –does he have more darkness inside she doesn’t know about?].

Kevin then leaves the boys to find “Bryan” and Mia and gtfo, but while they’re alone Adrian takes the time to try to manipulate Tyler into holding his hand and being affectionate? Times of crisis and near death experiences make people weird but Adrian seems almost too calm and “in control.”

Everyone then regroups and agrees to leave, except Tyler who says he wants to stay there and would feel safer and his house is nearby and he could go back to normal. And thus ends the episode with no indication of where our nomadic group will end up next. With episodes 8, 9, and 10 left and not foreseeing them reaching the mall until episode 10 who knows what could happen to them next, but we expect there will be more lead up to a truth reveal soon.