Summary
- The Black Hat Man torments the Emorys based on a curse originating from tragic events in East Compton during the Civil War.
- Miss Vera, Doris, and Da Tap Dance Man are evil entities haunting the Emory family, each preying on different fears and traumas.
- Season 2 of Them shifts focus to serial killers in 1991 Los Angeles, leaving behind the supernatural horror elements of Season 1.
Amazon Prime Video’s horror anthology series Them is heading toward a new season, introducing fresh characters and a terrifying new story. The first season is set in 1953 and follows the Emorys, a black family who moves to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood to leave a tragic past behind, only to face growing racial tension and a group of malevolent spirits haunting their house: each member of the Emory family is beset by a different supernatural being that only they can see.
Them secured a spot as one of the most underrated horror TV shows right now, but it seems to be moving away from supernatural horror. Season 2 is aiming at something different. Set in 1991 Los Angeles, the show is bringing back Season 1-star Deborah Ayorinde to play a troubled detective. Upon the discovery of a gruesome murder scene, suspicions of serial killer activity rise amid raging riots sweeping the city. While it certainly sounds like it will be an equally intriguing storyline, it will be difficult to top the terrifying spirits from Them Season 1. Here’s an overview of each of the evil entities that haunted the Emorys.
The Black Hat Man is the Man Who Started it All
The Black Hat Man’s Tragic Past Set A Curse Upon East Compton
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The Black Hat Man (Christopher Heyerdahl) is the entity that torments Lucky Emory, and although he doesn’t appear until the third episode of Them, he turns out to be the engine behind all the Emorys’ supernatural experiences. Late in the series, the Black Hat Man’s origin story as a man named Hiram Epps is revealed. During the Civil War, Epps is a Dutch immigrant who is an elder in a community for which the Bible is the law of the land. So when a Black couple’s wagon breaks down outside of town, he welcomes them as scripture commands. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to him, Epps also recently welcomed a malevolent entity into the desert town in the form of Miles, a young boy he adopts. After his wife and son die, Epps believes Miles is God’s answer to his prayers, but it turns out Miles is manipulating events to goad Epps into evil.
Soon, the community turns on the new arrivals, first by enslaving them and then by blinding and burning them as a punishment for stealing their own horse. This terrible scene ends with the entire town and all of Epps’ neighbors being engulfed in flames. But before Epps perishes, he and Miles agree to a covenant in which Epps will live forever as long as he causes any Black people who arrive in his land to suffer intensely. Epps’ town eventually becomes East Compton, which puts the Emorys on his supernatural path.
That’s the story behind the supernatural evils of East Compton. Epps as the Black Hat Man has already tormented two other Black families who moved into the neighborhood, both of whom suffered terrible tragedy and pain. The Black Hat Man is a shape-shifter and chooses a different form for each of his victims, which explains the other three forms he chooses for the Emorys. However, he appears in his original form to Lucky because, like her, he lost a child, and therefore seems to identify with her to some degree.
His goal is to terrorize Lucky into taking the lives of her remaining children by convincing her it’s the only way to save them. He even offers to bring back Chester, the baby she lost, in exchange for her compliance. However, Lucky eventually finds the strength to stand up to the Black Hat Man, breaking his covenant with Miles and leading him to burst into flames.
Miss Vera Teaches Gracie Disturbing Lessons
Miss Vera Embodies The Character of Gracie’s Beloved Children’s Book
The very first spirit that appears in the show, Miss Vera is based on the title character of Gracie’s beloved book. Gracie is the youngest member of the Emory family, and because of her innocence, Miss Vera’s tactics are more straightforward than those of the other malevolent forces in Them. Miss Vera’s manipulative behavior is terrifying. On the Emorys’ first night in the house, Miss Vera wakes Gracie after killing the family dog Sergeant. She then rushes to the little girl and strangles her, leaving a mark on her neck. Sergeant’s death in Them is one of the most heartfelt.
Them‘s Miss Vera also goes on to teach Gracie the words to the song that sealed Chester’s fate in the hands of a white woman. Mrs. Emory’s “cat in a bag” is a horrifying phrase that throws back to the death of Chester. It’s the game played by the white woman who killed the baby. Miss Vera teaches Gracie “cat in a bag,” the phrase uttered when her little brother was murdered. While Gracie doesn’t understand the meaning of these things, they play on Lucky’s trauma, making her more willing to hurt her daughter. In fact, to Lucky’s surprise and horror, she slaps Gracie after she sings the song, something Lucky clearly thought she’d never do.
The character in Gracie’s Miss Vera book alludes to a figure of authority in school, preaching absolute adherence to strict societal conventions. In the Emory household, she’s there to preach the opposite, disrupting social standards so chaos can prevail. Eventually, though, Lucky confronts Them‘s Miss Vera to save Gracie. As the evil entity strangles Lucky, Gracie runs to her room and tears an illustration of Miss Vera to shreds, defeating her.
Doris Disguises Herself as a Student to Haunt Ruby at School
Gracie’s Only Friend School Turns Out To Be A Malicious Spirit, Too
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One of Them‘s biggest questions is whether Doris is real or not. Initially, Doris doesn’t seem supernatural at all. She presents herself as a fellow student at Ruby’s high school and the only one who will talk to her. As the only Black girl in school, Ruby is desperate to fit in, and Doris is everything she wants to be — blond-haired and white-skinned. Even her name is a nod to Doris Day, the actress whose picture Ruby was admiring in a magazine as the Emorys drove to California. Doris preys on Ruby’s insecurities about her appearance, claiming she’s pretty for a Black girl and trying to improve her looks with makeup.
By the time Doris brings Ruby to cheerleading tryouts in the school basement, it’s clear this entity wants to make Ruby think she can be accepted, only to rip the possibility away. Eventually, Doris inspires Ruby to douse herself in white paint and perform in front of her classmates. When Ruby notices their shock, however, she realizes Doris isn’t really her friend. In the series’ climax, Doris attempts to convince Ruby that she’s just like her mother and that Lucky intends to hurt her. However, Lucky comes in just in time to reassure Ruby and prevent her from hurting herself. After that, Doris disappeared for good.
Da Tap Dance Man Encourages Henry To Engage in Horrific Acts of Violence
Da Tap Dance Man is a Chilling Blackfaced Performer
Perhaps the most unnerving of the malevolent beings, Da Tap Dance Man first appears to Henry Emory during a work party he attends even though he wasn’t actually invited. Initially, he doesn’t interact with Henry, he simply performs with the all-Black band, his movements and his Blackface appearance pointing at his minstrel show origins. It isn’t until the sixth episode, after Henry experiences a setback at work, that Da Tap Dance Man and Henry start to talk, with Da Tap Dance Man pointing out the unfair way Henry is treated as the only Black engineer at his company.
Da Tap Dance Man embodies the revolt consuming Henry and rotting him from the inside. The entity plays on Henry’s frustration with the biased treatment he endures and his desire to fight back by cajoling him into breaking into his boss’ house, attacking one of his boss’ neighbors and finally murdering a police officer. Later, after being tortured and nearly hanged by two of his neighbors, Henry almost shoots one of the men and his wife until Ruby brings him to his senses.
Da Tap Dance Man then tries another tactic, exploiting Henry’s guilt about failing to be there to protect his wife and baby son when they were attacked in their home in North Carolina. However, when Lucky forgives him, Henry finds the strength to reject the violence and hate encouraged by Da Tap Dance Man. At the end of Them Season 1, Henry shoots Da Tap Dance Man in the head and then wipes off the black paint covering his face, revealing the white man underneath and, consequently, depriving him of his power.
Are the Spirits of East Compton Returning in Them Season 2?
Them Season 2 is Set 38 Years After Season 1
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Them Season 2 delivers a huge tonal shift from Season 1. The first season, named “Covenant”, was a straight-up ghost story about ancestral fears. The ghosts acted as the perfect allegory to the racial discrimination faced by the main characters in the present, that is, 1953. Season 3 is named “The Scare,” shifting its focus to serial killers.
In Them Season 2 trailer, Los Angeles is thrown into chaos and a gruesome murder elevates tension to unimaginable extremes. The body of a foster home mother is found completely fractured, hinting at a brutality that might have happened before. Everything points at a serial killer on the loose, but the trailer gives plenty of clues that something darker, inhumane is also lurking in the shadows of Los Angeles streets.
The riots shown in the trailer are inspired by the real-life Los Angeles riots that took place in 1992. The protests were fueled by a case of authority abuse where four officers used excessive force in the arrest of Rodney King. In that sense, Season 2 of Them is bringing back relevant race discrimination issues.
It’s still unclear whether the race discrimination undertone from Season 1 will be present in Them: The Scare, but everything points at new supernatural entities joining the show. As an anthology series, the only thing tying Them Season 2 to Season 1 is the return of Deborah Ayorinde, although she’s playing a different character. It’s unlikely that the ghosts of East Compton will return. For one thing, the ghosts were defeated at the end of Them Season 1, and secondly, Season 2’s time and space don’t match. Fans can only hope that the new threats in Them‘s latest season do justice to Season 1’s terrifying entities. Hopefully, Them is on the right path to becoming a great paranormal investigation TV show in Season 2.
Them (2021)
A black family moves to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood where malevolent forces, next door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.
- Release Date
- April 9, 2021
- Cast
- Deborah Ayorinde , Ashley Thomas , Shahadi Wright Joseph , Melody Hurd , Alison Pill , Ryan Kwanten , Christopher Heyerdahl
- Creator
- Little Marvin
- Seasons
- 2
- Network
- Amazon Prime Video
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video