SurrealEstate Episode 8 Baba O’Reilly Review- Tim Rozon Shows Strength in Sensitivity

SurrealEstate Episode 8 is a walk down a surface memory lane which ultimately cemented the teams commitment and gave Tim Rozon a lot to chew on.

SurrealEstate Episode 8 is a microcosm of the entire series. The Syfy show that sounds ridiculous on paper is fun, heartfelt, a little spooky, and mindful of human frailty. Baba O’Reilly began with the Roman group splintering and worried. After the press ran the story last week about their ties to mysterious tragedy, clients have been dropping like flies. Luke feels responsible for their struggles and is questioning everything. Should he hang up their shingle? Should he try to go legit? Instead, he has nothing but questions and an agency in free fall. In typical SurrealEstate fashion, that hasn’t stopped him from making jokes, though.

For Luke and the group as a whole, humor masks their pain. The best humor often comes from pain. That’s why the laughs are so organic in SurrealEstate. Innovative writing in SurrealEstate Episode 8 manages to thread the needle between brittle snark and joyless irony. It has quickly become a hallmark of the series. The perfect comedic timing and wellspring of emotion behind the jokes keep viewers engaged and coming back for more.

If Quarantine gave voice to Susan’s insecurities, SurrealEstate Episode 8 was all about Luke. Sarah Levy shined, showing her brave vulnerability, and so does Tim Rozon, who manages to make sarcasm fragile. Luke is questioning everything. A part of him wishes he wasn’t the way he was. If he wasn’t unique and could not see what he sees, what would his life be like? He has insecurities about his mother’s abandonment and feels responsible for everything that has happened to the agency. For him, the weight of the world is on his shoulders, and he feels the burden. It doesn’t help that Megan is avoiding him.

The Roman Agency managed to get one job despite everything that is happening. A childhood neighbor’s family has asked him to clean out and prepare a house for sale. The owner was found dead on the front porch. She was elderly, and no foul play was determined, so Luke thinks this is an opportunity to take a step in the right direction. But, unfortunately, we know the woman died from some paranormal circumstance, and Luke might be next.

Megan, who has been dodging his calls, has the third Roadie from last week inside her. Augie and the others mention the peculiarity of the Roadies in the previous episode traveling in pairs instead of a trio. Still, no one puts anything together until Megan calls Susan looking for Luke. Megan claims something is happening in her house and says she has little memory of the last day. However, when Susan offers to help by bringing out the containment gear, Megan’s Roadie attacks her, and Susan has no choice but to use her telekinesis.

We haven’t seen much of her gift to date, and this is a clever reminder of how powerful she is and what it could mean for her narrative progression. For now, the Roadie is contained, and Megan has been returned to her sweet self. The equipment Susan set up shows some alarming activity in the house, though. Time is running out to exorcise the home, regardless of what secrets it holds.

The house Luke is cleaning up is a bubble universe. It’s a prison of false promises and desires. Everything you ever wanted when you were a teenager is tailored to you. Teenagers are impulsive and easily manipulated. This is why Luke, Augie, Zooey, Phil are all reversed aged when they enter the house. After the former resident died, the house needs a new inhabitant and is holding auditions. The demon isn’t used to trying to control an entire group, though, and as a result, everything is slightly off. The literal blast from the past is a walk down memory lane for the group. Each has their desires mirrored back at them. Zooey is the first to see the superficiality of the house. Her weary, questioning mind is the first to make the leap. When she confronts the demon, it reacts swiftly by ejecting her.

Phil and Augie are next to figure things out. Augie’s tools are only one size, and Phil’s books only have page number 339. The demon shows his frustration by uttering “vis quantum,” or you want too much. It’s too hard to juggle all their wants and needs. The interesting complaint shows the monsters in SurrealEstate may be dangerous, but they have limitations. After that declaration, the house ejects Phil and Augie as well, leaving Luke behind.

Having selected its next victim, the demon begins the process of breaking Luke. A full circle plot beat shows the best and worst of Luke’s interactions with his ghost Dad. In the bowling alley, Luke’s Dad is the man who shaped Luke into the responsible, caring person he has become. He encourages without pushing and acts as a guide to help Luke reach his own conclusions, while the mini-golf version of his Dad is the exact opposite. The demon cannot conjure Luke’s real father, which gives Luke the power to break free. What the demon underestimates is Luke’s connection with his Dad and his inherent positivity.

The demon implores Luke to make the safe choice. To choose smart and secure rather than risky and rewarding. The demon doesn’t fully understand Luke or his father, though, and chooses fear to intimidate Luke into staying. Everything Luke does is in some way a legacy to his father and his ideals. Similar to Rozon’s Doc Holliday in Wynonna Earp, he is a good man who finds himself in occasionally murky waters. For people like that, fear will never be their guide. When he calls the house on its “bullshit,” the house ejects him as well, and Luke can break the glamour.

There is an underlying optimism to SurrealEstate that cuts through the darkest storylines. It isn’t easy to be different. It is even harder to do that alone. Luke has found kindred spirits among his agency team, and each needs what the others bring to the relationship. That easy chemistry the ensemble has fallen into is a highlight of the series. Coupled with the hopefulness present in every episode, SurrealEstate has a surprising hit on its hands. That spark of joy will surely be needed as the season progresses. The darkest days lie ahead. That is fine by me. SurrealEstate takes chances and is better for it. Ships are for sailing, not staying in the harbor after all. Find all our SurrealEstate coverage here.