Angelique's Exorcism

[Philippe Cordier]

I didn't see this topic come up in any of the other threads, though it's possible I could have missed it.  I'm also a bit behind in posting on this.

When the ghost of Trask (I prefer not to dignify him with his mail-order "Rev." title) attempted to exorcise Angelique, his dialogue indicated that he expected demons to be expelled from her and that a new, innocent unpossessed Angelique would be the result.  Obviously things didn't work out quite as he thought.  Angelique disappeared entirely.  Was this the "Lord's" doing, after all?  If so, what are the implications?

The fact that Angelique disappeared in agony seemed further evidence that she is not an ordinary mortal who is simply in league with dark forces.  Though we know from a later storyline that she began life as a mortal, somehow she was transformed into something more than human after the Judah Zachary episode.

But would the Lord really use the ghost of the evil Trask as his instrument?

Is it possible that what really happened was that the Devil snatched Angelique away from the religious torture she was undergoing, which appeared to be real?

Subsequent events would tend to support this latter interpretation  -  i.e., it was not the Lord's doing but the Devil's when Angelique disappeared.

Any thoughts?

[Dr. Eric Lang]

The Devil made him do it!

Perhaps the rite of exorcism is effective regardless of whether or not its performer is truly a servant of God. It's like an incantation against evil and works if the one who performs it truly believes it will.

It seems Angelique was conjured to life, somehow, from out of the portrait, so when she vanished the portrait began to fade. She was perhaps sent back into "limbo" with a limited window of time to return if the exorcism ritual was reversed, as it was by Nicholas.

[TERRY308]

Well, I've always heard "The Lord moves in mysterious ways".  And, as you pointed out :

"But would the Lord really use the ghost of the evil Trask as his instrument? "


Yes, that was the Lord, moving in the most mysterious way.

[Barnabas]

I didn't see this topic come up in any of the other threads, though it's possible I could have missed it.  I'm also a bit behind in posting on this.

When the ghost of Trask (I prefer not to dignify him with his mail-order "Rev." title) attempted to exorcise Angelique, his dialogue indicated that he expected demons to be expelled from her and that a new, innocent unpossessed Angelique would be the result.  Obviously things didn't work out quite as he thought.  Angelique disappeared entirely.  Was this the "Lord's" doing, after all?  If so, what are the implications?

The fact that Angelique disappeared in agony seemed further evidence that she is not an ordinary mortal who is simply in league with dark forces.  Though we know from a later storyline that she began life as a mortal, somehow she was transformed into something more than human after the Judah Zachary episode.

But would the Lord really use the ghost of the evil Trask as his instrument?

Is it possible that what really happened was that the Devil snatched Angelique away from the religious torture she was undergoing, which appeared to be real?

Subsequent events would tend to support this latter interpretation  -  i.e., it was not the Lord's doing but the Devil's when Angelique disappeared.

Any thoughts?

I think that his exorcism was successful as an exorcism. The ghost of Trask was able to command divine powers based on his belief that he was doing battle with the powers of darkness. As I commented in another thread, the fact that Trask was a sinner in life did not therefore mean that as a ghost he was in the same company as Nicholas Blair and Angelique. It is interesting that he seemed unaware that her body was not an ordinary mortal body. She seemed to acquire some new mysterious physical form after she was killed in 1795.

[Cassandra]

I think in Trask's fanatical mind, he did believe that his exorcism was the one and only, and therefore, he believed that it was a success.  Obviously though, it wasn't a complete success or Nickolas would have never been able to bring her back. I would think that the powers of goodness would be far more greater than Nickolas' power of darkness.  If indeed the good Lord had used Trask to exorcise Cassandra, I doubt very much that once that was done and over with, she'd be able to resurect again with the help of Nickolas Blair or any other evil spirit.  During his so called exorcism, Trask was using a cross and then holding it to Cassandra's head. This act alone was making her become weaker & weaker and she claimed she couldn't breathe anymore. Perhaps it was the cross alone that practically destroyed her by rendering her so weak with fear that she became powerless & helpless, therefore sending her off to some limbo land. I think the same thing would have happened with anyone who used the cross as a symbol to destroy her.  Nickolas had no trouble bringing her back once he found out where the tree was so this shows me alone that it wasn't the good Lord using Trask for anything. For if it were so, Cassandra would be gone for good.

[Barnabas]

Perhaps it was the cross alone that practically destroyed her by rendering her so weak with fear that she became powerless & helpless, therefore sending her off to some limbo land. I think the same thing would have happened with anyone who used the cross as a symbol to destroy her.

My point exactly. His past life apparently was not an impediment to performing exorcisms.

Nickolas had no trouble bringing her back once he found out where the tree was so this shows me alone that it wasn't the good Lord using Trask for anything. For if it were so, Cassandra would be gone for good.

I think it's an open question as to why Nicholas' was able to bring her back. I agree that Trask was not a *chosen* instrument for Angelique's destruction.