SurrealEstate Season 2 Episode 5 Arts And Science Review And Recap- Erebus God Of Darkness Is Just The Beginning

Who doesn’t love a good poltergeist? AI has been in the news a lot lately. Between concerns of artist and professional replacement to fears of more earth-changing disasters, the idea of artificial intelligence is no longer a science fiction fantasy. It is reality. HAL, replicants, and SKYNET are all not just possible but more plausible by the day. Who would have thought a series about ghosts and demons would have the most soulful approach to the concept? SurrealEstate Season 2 Episode 5 marries the emotional resonance of life and death with the uncertainty of technology.

A new client with a ghost problem is met first by Auggie, the spiritual and intellectual leader of the group, and later by Luke. The house owner is a painter named Aurora, who moved into the house years ago to heal after a disastrous marriage. She found her inner artist and peace in the house, but now it is time to move on. The house has other ideas, though, and scares her with blank-faced images and warnings to “Finish her! and It’s Time”.

Luke and Aurora don’t understand what that means until later when Father Phil finds the original owner. He was an entitled painter who used his money to pay off critics despite being a less-than-inspired artist. His wife, on the other hand, was a gifted painter who had to hide her talent. She never felt seen or heard, and decades later, she wants to be recognized. She doesn’t want to be forgotten.

When Luke and Aurora try to leave the house, they turn violent and demanded to be heard. The ghost possessed Aurora, and Luke determined that he could communicate with her through Aurora. Using a form of psychography, he helps her channel the spirit, and they find the unfinished painting behind her husband’s motel art. She wanted her self-portrait finished to prove she mattered and she existed. Aurora finished the painting and was finally allowed to leave in peace.

Aurora worried that she wouldn’t be inspired anymore without the ghost and the house. Luke helped her understand that we are the combination of all our experiences and worthy regardless of what that change and those results look like. It was an epiphany for him as much as her. He may not have the same ability to communicate with ghosts that he had in the past, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be useful. Coupled with the loss of Susan, Luke now understands he doesn’t need to be threatened by her success. Hopefully, he can use that to save Susan before it is too late.

Auggie, the tech wiz and wisdom bearer of the group, took a day off to visit an old colleague and friend. Before he does, he cautions Luke to keep their systems updated in SurrealEstate Season 2 Episode 5. Without Luke’s gifts, they are vulnerable, and until their analog tricks are working, they need to keep their digital tools updated. This seemingly innocuous comment could be a clue to where the season is headed. The overarching Season 2 story is very technical, and I can’t help but think a reckoning is coming between the physical future and the ghosts of the past.

In Auggie’s previous life, he worked for a defense contractor. He invented an algorithm that allowed him to retrieve data from the other side. He left because he no longer felt like he was on the right side of good. His invention, Erebuster, has been asking for him. When he logged into the system, it began deleting everything until he could prove he was Auggie by entering the embedded password failsafe. Auggie negotiated access to the system in exchange for the password and experienced something we have yet to understand.

His system and interface seem to work like a VR mix between Professor X’s Cerebro and Arrival’s knowledge through pictures and experience. When he takes off the visor, the already wise man is even more introspective. He has always carried the weight of grief with him. There was a sadness he never shook. Maurice Dean Wint(Auggie) is the heart and soul of the Roman agency with his quirks, hyper-intelligence, and prophetic words. I’m not sure how this new outlook on life will affect him or what he saw to change his mindset, but I am curious if it is all good news. He has been pulled back into his own life, if only temporarily, and I wonder how this will factor into future storylines. Will Erebus be used to defeat Susan’s house? Is there more to the system than we currently know?

The ominously named Erebuster is a riff on Erebus, the Greek god of darkness. In many translations, he is named for the underworld or the space that must be traveled to get to Hades. Erebus was neither good nor evil and produced children who fell on both sides of the equation. He was a primordial force that was sometimes held responsible for corrupting Hades. Think of Erebus as a god-like version of the Nothing from The Neverending Story. Having an algorithm that can speak to the darkness seems like a tremendously bad idea, regardless of the positive effect it appears to have had on Auggie.

Luke finally realizes everything Susan did for the agency in SurrealEstate Season 2, Episode 5. Without her, the group is feeling overwhelmed and outmanned. Cut off from the agency and presumably the world, the house sends messages covering her absence. By the time the episode ends, the group receives countless emails with information on all her clients and a resignation letter.

It is too coincidental that SurrealEstate Season 2 Episode 5 has not one but two dangerous AIs. I wonder how these stories will dovetail as the season progresses. Where has Susan been this whole time? Is she stuck in limbo and will her power eventually allow her to save herself or will she need to rely on the agency who doesn’t know she is in danger yet? We will have to wait to find out.

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