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Created by Robert and Michelle King, Evil is an acclaimed supernatural TV drama that debuted on CBS in 2019 before moving to Paramount+ for Season 2 and beyond. The series concerns a trio of skeptics hired by the Catholic Church to investigate eerie supernatural phenomena, led by forensic psychologist Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers). The series has drawn critical acclaim for its writing, acting, direction, and the interactive subliminal puzzles that take the show to the next level.
Beginning in Season 1, Evil features several subliminal puzzle pieces that flash on the screen for a split second. The distorted images appear like glitches in the background of a shot, hinting to viewers to pause the frame, examine the unique details of the puzzle piece, and continue collecting each piece until a clear message materializes. In addition to promoting immersion and interactivity, the puzzle-solving serves as an alternate-reality game designed by the show creators. As Evil approaches its Season 4 premiere on May 23, 2024, here is everything fans need to know about Evil’s puzzle piece glitches and how to decode them.
Evil
- Release Date
- September 26, 2019
- Cast
- Mike Colter , Brooklyn Shuck , Katja Herbers , Dalya Knapp , Marti Matulis , Maddy Crocco , Kurt Fuller , Michael Emerson , Skylar Gray , Aasif Mandvi , Christine Lahti
- Seasons
- 4
What Is Evil About?
Launched in September 2019, Evil is a supernatural TV drama that follows three starkly opposed characters working for the Catholic Church in New York City. Most of the drama is seen through the eyes of Dr. Kristen Bouchard, a forensic psychologist hired to work as an assessor to investigate evil activity. Dr. Bouchard is a staunch atheist who does not believe in the devil or demons and approaches each with severe skepticism.
Dr. Bouchard is paired with David Acosta (Mike Colter), a journalist aspiring to become a priest. Unlike Bouchard, Acosta is devoutly religious, believes in heaven and hell, and is enlightened and tormented by encounters with the divine he induces through hallucinogenic drugs. Bouchard and Acosta also work with Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), an Islamic atheist who is the team’s expert technician and resident comic relief. Together, the disparate trio investigates a series of paranormal activities inside the Catholic Church that begins to bleed into their personal lives.
Beyond the character collisions that lead to compelling supernatural investigations, the brilliance of Evil shines through its interactive design. Following the pilot episode of the acclaimed Paramount+ Original Series in 2019, fans started noticing strange visual glitches briefly appearing on the screen throughout Season 1. The glitches are puzzle pieces meant to be culled, fit together, and decoded to reveal a deeper meaning within the show. Therefore, a closer examination of how to spot and decipher the puzzle piece glitches in Evil is necessary.
What Are the Puzzle Piece Glitches in Evil?
Beginning one episode after the pilot, several subliminal puzzle pieces can be spotted onscreen in Evil. They appear briefly onscreen for a single frame, usually somewhere out of focus in the background. Fans claim there are as few as three and as many as eight puzzles per episode. In Season 1, 67 total puzzle piece glitches were spotted (via Wiki Fandom). According to co-creator Robert King, the puzzles are part of an alternate reality game and directly relate to the “episode numbers” and “other things you can find in the episode” (via Entertainment Weekly).
For instance, the title of every episode in Season 1 bears a numerical figure, including “Genesis 1,” “3 Stars,” “177 Minutes,” and “October 31.” The numbers combined with the onscreen puzzle piece glitch can be used to decrypt a hidden meaning. As Season 1 progressed, fans collected and posted the pieces on Puzzle-Tool.com. The website allows fans to play with the pieces and fit them together. The more pieces added, the clearer a picture began to develop to reveal the secret meaning that Robert King alluded to.
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Sixty-seven puzzle pieces were spotted in Evil‘s first 12 episodes, with a subtle clue stated in the third episode, “3 Stars.” During the episode, an exorcist states:
“We are fighting the worst enemy on earth, and their only vulnerability is they reveal themselves in symbols and numbers. They can’t help it. God draws in straight lines. The devil draws in puzzles and anagrams.”
Between the symbols, numbers, straight lines, puzzles, and anagrams, a decoded message finally emerged from the hidden puzzle piece glitches in Evil’s inaugural season.
What Does the Puzzle Piece Glitches in Evil Mean?
Now on Netflix, the interactive TV show is sure to attract new players. With each separate puzzle piece bearing cryptic contour lines, a devoted Evil fan patched the puzzle together to reveal a detailed map of Manhattan. However, the fan could only solve the Season 1 puzzle after watching the Season 2 finale “C is for Cannibal.” Posting their findings on Reddit, the solver tallied the episode numbers with the numerical figures on the puzzle pieces and arrived at 974.
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Upon watching “C is for Cannibal,” the Redditor found another clue. When Lexis (Maddy Crocco) approaches her sister Laura’s (Dalya Knapp) bed to read the wicked bedtime story from “The Terrifying Book,” the word “Lexington” briefly flashes on the bed. When combining 974 with Lexington, the result is 974 Lexington Avenue, according to the Redditor. In searching for the location online, 974 Lexington Avenue is the address of a real-life art gallery called Gallery 71 in Manhattan. The number 71 refers to 71st Street, where the gallery intersects with 974 Lexington Avenue. Gallery 71 was established in 1994 and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024.
Although Gallery 71 was not featured in Evil‘s Season 3, more clues may be revealed when Season 4 returns on May 23, 2024. For instance, many fans believe that the letters attached to Season 2’s episode titles could begin a whole new puzzle for fans to solve. Until then, the mysterious destination of 974 Lexington Avenue continues to compel fans of Evil on Paramount+.
The first 2 Seasons of Evil are available to stream on Netflix.
