'Strange Angel' episode 07: Jack submits to sex magick
For fans who've been patiently waiting for the deliberately paced exposition of CBS' 'Strange Angel' for the last two months, the pay off has finally arrived in the form of episode seven, aptly titled 'Glorification of the Chosen One'. The 'chosen one' that the title speaks of is, of course, rocket scientist and occultist Jack Parsons (Jack Reynor), the main subject of the period drama biopic, who in this episode is finally inducted fully into the LA chapter of Aleister Crowley's Thelema cult. The plot of 'Strange Angel' thus far through the season has been like a lit fuse of Jack's many rockets: slowly burning with an anticipatory hiss, signaling the arrival of a big bang in the finale.
The prologue of the latest episode, penned by John Lopez and directed by Meera Menon ('Farah Goes Bang', 'Equity') begins with a deep sense of foreboding. It jumps between alternate shots of Susan (Bella Heathcote) researching Aleister Crowley and his religious cult of Thelema at the local library and shots of Jack indulging in a graphic scene of sex magick with a 'high priestess' of Thelema. As Susan's finally starts to get a hint of what her husband has gotten into, Jack's faith in Thelema and its ability to help "manifest his will" deepens as he is finally indoctrinated among its ranks, but at the cost of losing his loved ones - a theme that is explored further in the episode as well.