NOTE: This post is the fourth part of an ongoing essay about religious themes in Warrior Nun. You can read the previous part below:
Thank you.
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CHAPTER 4: Accepting Reality
Episode 7 of Warrior Nun is titled “Ephesians 4:22-24.” The correlating Biblical passage reads, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (King James Version). The idea presented in the passage is of a “man” who washes himself clean of sin, becoming someone of “true holiness” in the eyes of God. The “man” in this instance is Ava, who spends the episode continuing her evolution into a Warrior Nun worthy of the title. Starting with where she left off in the previous episode.
Ava makes her way to the ArqTech Headquarters, where she confronts Dr. Salvius about the Halo in her back. While Salvius herself doesn’t know anything about the object, Ava wants her to utilize her scientific understanding of the world to explain it to her. This underscores how, despite believing what she’s seen so far in the way of Wraith Demons and her powers, Ava still holds onto the idea that religious explanation can’t be the major factor in her newfound purpose. If something is tangible, it must be explainable through known science. This is why Ava agrees to be examined by Salvius—unaware that, soon, the doctor will try and utilize the Halo’s power for herself. Once more manipulating a religious artifact to get what she desires.
However, her first step is to analyze Ava in a pod. While having a conversation with the new Warrior Nun, it’s revealed Salvius believes in demons—despite not believing in Hell. Aligning with her character, it’s explained she knows that the entities the OCS refers to as “Wraith Demons” are real. This is because her aptly-named secondary, Kristian, used to be part of the Church. While he understands the most out of everyone at ArqTech what Ava is going through, he also left the Church in order to pursue truth through science. Although he is but a small part of the series, Kristian’s backstory is an intriguing one. While he was once a man of faith, worshipping God as everyone else in his former position did, he now sees the world through a scientific lens. This change is something he pursued by choice, wanting to see the world beyond religious ideation. It shows how, even though the religious aspects of the series are knowable, even the most scientific of minds believe there must be a tangible explanation for them.
This is why Salvius decides to run more tests on Ava. Realizing the Halo is an energy source that doesn’t adhere to the known laws of physics, she decides to test it against the divinium she’s been using to create the Ark. To do this, she tricks Ava into getting hooked up to the device, forcibly pulling energy from the Halo. When she does, a form of quantum energy is made, something she says shouldn’t exist. Even the scientific analysis of the Halo is going against Salvius’ belief system, urging her to keep pushing her subject to see what happens. By funneling more of the Halo’s energy out of her back, though, Ava experiences great pain. Despite Salvius’ initial insistence for Ava to fight against it, she eventually shuts off the system when she realizes how much harm it could do. Salvius was caught up in trying to quantify her beliefs, twisting the Halo from its nature as a protective force. Instead of using the Warrior Nun’s powers for good, she tried to manipulate them into opening the Ark for her selfish gains. Something she later admits to Ava when the test is over and she is confronted about it.
This is when things take a turn in the story. Ava is introduced to the young boy she saw in Episode 2, revealed to be Salvius’ son Michael. As the doctor explains, her son was born with a medical condition that could only be treated through divinium. However, this treatment is not a cure, and her son is liable to die if something can’t be done about it soon. The Ark is the next stage of her plan, a hopeful attempt at finding a Heaven-like location through quantum teleportation. A place without death, where Michael can grow up without having to worry about his condition. This backstory turns Salvius from a scheming antagonist to a more sympathetic character. Her attempts at twisting the Church’s religious artifacts for personal gain are not rooted in malice. Instead, she simply wants to give her son a better life, even if it means leaving Earth behind. While her methods denote a lack of thorough research brought on by desperation, it’s proof that even the selfish twisting of religion can be employed for what one believes is a noble pursuit. Saving the life of a child born with a debilitating illness, for example. Perhaps a fate Ava knows all too well.
When she learns this truth, Ava also establishes an empathetic connection to Salvius. She says that, despite not being able to keep the Ark open, she wishes there was something she could do. The polite nature of the conversation shows that, even though Salvius was twisting the Halo for her own gain, she also wouldn’t go overboard in doing so. The scientist still has morals, unwilling to try something drastic like imprisoning Ava or removing the Halo. It’s a fresh take that helps bolster the spectrum by which religious artifacts and ideas can be changed as the story evolves. It’s made even more potent by the fact that, despite the reality of religion all around her, Salvius still approaches the subject from a scientific perspective. Although she is willing to do anything to save her son, the more patient, analytical side of her wants to make sure she understands the religious side of things perfectly before taking scientific action. While this is an idea we’ll come back to in a later chapter, its establishment here underscores how the reality of both religion and science in the series overlap.
No more is this exhibited than through Ava’s final conversation with Kristian before she leaves ArqTech. Kristian explains his backstory: How, after his mother’s death, he became enthralled with the Church. However, he later decided to leave in pursuit of more scientific studies. He says that, by questioning his faith once leaving the Church, he gained a whole new appreciation for belief. Instead of believing in God, he instead insists the most important form of faith is that you have in other people. His statements adds a deeper human dynamic to the show’s religious elements. That, yes, while religious ideas are a reality in this universe, there is also the reality of tangible people. They too are important, making up the backbone of belief. And, at the same time, it is people who define what is and is not to be believed within religion. Much like how the Halo can be seen as a religious artifact or a scientific device, people will have different variations of what belief is and how it can be explored through either a physical or spiritual viewpoint.
But while Ava is trying to uncover the truth behind the Halo at ArqTech, new issues are emerging at the Cat’s Cradle. Duretti has taken control of the OCS’ key location, recruiting an assortment of Reject Nuns to bolster the organization’s power. While they initially arrive to pay their respects following Lilith’s supposed death, it soon becomes clear that Duretti intends to command them from afar as the series progresses. This group of nuns—led by the bitter and headstrong Sister Crimson—get their name from being rejected from the OCS. Outcast from the organization, yet brought in all the same by Duretti in order to make a power play. The Cardinal is employing his twisted version of the organization, utilizing it in order to establish greater power for himself in the Church. While it becomes clarified later on that these nuns were just a means to an end, part of his plan to truly strengthen the OCS, the way he twists the organization for seemingly selfish reasons here doesn’t do him any favors. Instead, it offers up even more suspicion that he is trying to utilize the Church and power of a high position for nefarious reasons.
However, Duretti ends up overplaying his hand by giving Mother Superion papers that need delivering. Given his status as a higher power within the OCS, he is able to utilize that role in whatever way he sees fit. In this instance, that employment is to reassign key members of the Cat’s Cradle to different places around the world. This includes sending Beatrice to Malaysia and Father Vincent to Florida. By making such drastic changes to the group, Duretti is trying to ensure the safety of his next move: A bid for the role of Pope in the Vatican. However, he does so without truly thinking about the way his actions are being perceived. Vincent very clearly demonstrates his ire for this, indicating he believes Duretti is using his power in the Church to twist the OCS’ mission so it benefits him. And he would be right. Duretti is motivated by a one-track mind, determined to garner as much power as he can for the betterment of the OCS. Unfortunately, he doesn’t try to see his twisting of religious leadership from an outsider perspective. He is so concerned with making sure everything goes his way, that he doesn’t stop to consider the actions others may take if they view his orders as malicious.
Despite Vincent pushing for Superion to confront Duretti about these orders, characters begin to offer each other farewells. This includes Camila, who secretly wishes she’d been ousted as well, and Mary, who continues to investigate Shannon’s death. These goodbyes, though eventually impermanent, highlight how the twisting of religious ideals can have a ripple effect on more than just one group of people. It can impact those whose lives won’t be changed directly as well. Even though Beatrice and Vincent will be the primary characters expected to vacate the Cat’s Cradle, everyone they’re leaving behind will still have to deal with the world now that they’re absent. Once again, it’s something Duretti doesn’t seem to have taken into account. And something that acts as a key catalyst for the conflict the rest of the season will entail.
Because, as the situation grows more dire at the Cat’s Cradle, Mary wants to enact a plan with Beatrice and Vincent. She is now convinced that Duretti killed Shannon, and wants to use this as an opportunity to confront him about it. However, it’s not until Ava makes her return to the Cat’s Cradle that anything can be set into motion. Upon arriving, Mary convinces Ava to help her phase through a wall in Shannon’s room in order to get something from inside. Here, we see the first time Ava has utilized her Warrior Nun powers for the sake of the main storyline. While she’d already been convinced by Mary in the previous episode to use her powers to save others, the moment in Shannon’s room creates a stronger connection between her and the abilities the Halo has granted her. She is now helping her friend, no longer twisting the Halo’s powers for her own advantage. Instead, she is now doing what her duties truly entail: Protecting the OCS, at all costs, using the responsibility now etched into her heart.
When she does phase through the wall, she finds a mysterious book. However, she’s unable to read all of it, as the Reject Nuns soon learn something is amiss and attack. There’s a slightly comedic scene here, one where Ava shouts she is the “God damn Warrior Nun!” before getting shot with an arrow. While a little funny given how surprising it is (Ava will fine, of course, given her healing powers), the scene also demonstrates how she truly has come into her own as the Warrior Nun. She is now willing to shout it, demonstrating herself as an authority on how best to use the powers now bestowed upon her. While this isn’t guaranteed to align with everyone’s viewpoints, Ava is now twisting the idea of the Halo into something more akin to what it was made for. That is to say, she is now using it to protect people from threats big and small. Even though she is typically assigned toward threats of a demonic nature, her decision to fight back against Duretti and the Reject Nuns shows she has accepted her role. Even if that means doing things that are atypical from what is expected of her.
Despite her injury, she’s able to make it to a van with the rest of the main protagonists, escaping the Cat’s Cradle. It’s here the group learns the book is a journal of sorts, added to by every Warrior Nun since the beginning. The latest entry is one from Shannon, which foreshadows what is to come as Season 1 begins marching to its end: “There is a secret buried at the heart of the Vatican. A power that anchors demons to our world, but they keep it a secret for their own benefit. Telling him was a mistake. He wants to use it for himself.” While this is interpreted at the time to have something to do with Duretti, the truth is that Vincent is the “he” mentioned in this passage. Shannon’s last words emphasize the idea of religion being used for personal gain. While it’s later revealed Vincent is in league with Adriel because he truly believes that’s what God wants, he is still trying to utilize the ancient being for his personal gain. Releasing Adriel is what he thinks God wants, and thus he acts accordingly. But, in reality, the idea of what God wants is being twisted by both he and Adriel. The idea of religion itself is turned on its head, done so Adriel can wield power across the world. This passage is, essentially, a summation of how Warrior Nun has approached religion so far, and how it will continue to build on these ideas moving forward.
The end of Episode 7 contains even more information, categorizing ideas that build on the notion of what is known and unknown about religious notions in Warrior Nun. Salvius has a cryptic conversation with Michael, mentioning a “key” in the ground that will help them open the Ark. While it goes unexplained for now, this key is Adriel, who is utilizing his own connection with divinium (more on that in a later chapter) to manipulate Salvius through her son. The Ark has a greater purpose beyond Michael, and contains its own version of religious manipulation in its creation. However, this isn’t the only way the episode ends with the theme of religious manipulation. Mother Superion learns from Duretti that the Pope has died. This opens up a power vacuum in the Church—one that Duretti is poised to take for himself. Once again, it’s eventually revealed that his intentions are truly to strengthen the Church and the OCS by gaining such high authority. However, his indirectness makes it seem like he is manipulating the politics of the Vatican for his personal gain. And, either way, he wants the power. Which means that, yes, no matter his intentions, he is still approaching the situation with the idea of taking advantage of what’s transpiring. Even if doing so will ultimately benefit the OCS.
But Episode 7 isn’t done with the surprises. In one final scene, it’s revealed that Lilith is alive, and has arrived at the Cat’s Cradle after spending an unknown amount of time in another dimension. This leads perfectly into Episode 8, which begins to pull back the curtain on the series’ mysterious religious history. Once the team has successfully put some distance between them and the Cat’s Cradle, they begin to further investigate Shannon’s mysterious book. Beatrice translates some of the oldest Latin entries, which indicate that healing powers radiate from Adriel’s tomb. However, because of just how great these powers were, the nuns from the original OCS sealed it off, soon building Vatican City above where it was. The group further learns from Ava, who read more of Shannon’s entry, that the “angel’s bones” are what keeps demons under a certain level of control, “anchored” to Earth.
However, the series will later reveal that much of this information is a mixture of obfuscation and misdirection. In the case of the older Latin, the original OCS neglected to mention that Adriel himself is the power radiating from the tomb. Given that a healing factor emanating from the tomb doesn’t get brought up as a primary issue for the rest of the show, it’s possible the organization’s founders lied about this in order to keep others from discovering the truth: That they imprisoned Adriel long ago, hiding him in a chamber of divinium to ensure he could not escape. Shannon’s entries are more mysterious, as it’s unclear if she knows that Adriel is alive in the tomb. Her writing signifies that she is aware of some kind of power beneath the Vatican, but her lack of direct mention of the still-living being makes it difficult to parse out just how much she was aware of. Given how indirect her private writing is, it’s safe to assume that she didn’t know the truth, but had still uncovered a level of power beneath the Vatican aligning with stories from previous Warrior Nuns.
The biggest takeaway from all of this is just how ingrained in the Church these ideas truly were. When asked about the notion of a power beneath the Vatican, Vincent admits that he was aware of something like that being discussed. While he refused to believe it, as it would seemingly paint the Church as keeping demons in the world so they would maintain their power, the current circumstances make it seem like this is truly the case. However, since Vincent is revealed to be in league with Adriel by season’s end, his manipulation of the situation created a religious onion of sorts. Duretti is trying to manipulate the OCS to ensure he gains and maintains power as the Pope—all so he can help the OCS. Vincent is pushing the OCS in the direction of mistrusting Duretti and his plans—all so he can help Adriel. The use of half-truths and unfinished, unsure information about the Church mystifies what is and is not reality, causing their situation to be fraught with layers of mistrust. It also shows how the twisting of religion for personal gain is now all across the board, made even stronger by the lack of tangible information being presented.
The truth continues to change. So what is the truth, really?
Realizing Duretti could weaponize whatever’s under the Vatican (subsequently making assumptions about his motives based on how he’s going about seizing power), the group decides he must be up to no good and needs to be stopped. To do this, Ava takes the group back to ArqTech, intent on getting their help now that they have nowhere else to turn. The group goes there for two reasons: To get help from Kristian to find out where the tomb in the Vatican may be, and from Salvius to train Ava in phasing through twenty feet of solid material. While much of the training here isn’t rooted in the religious, the fact Salvius and Kristian are willing to help the OCS outcasts shows their true colors. Despite approaching religious realities with scientific mindsets, the pair still believe in what they are seeing. It also helps that they aren’t on good terms with the Church, no doubt using what’s going on to their advantage. This includes Ava convincing Salvius to help her by promising Adriel’s bones to assist in completing the Ark. They are still twisting religion—and now members of the OCS—to their advantage. But the reasons they are doing it is in pursuit of both knowledge and the noble cause of saving a child’s life. Justifying it in their minds, and making working together sit well with the outcast group.
As the training begins, Ava struggles to phase through the wall all the way. Despite encouragement from Beatrice, doing so appears nigh impossible. If Ava is to utilize her powers for their original purpose, she is going to have to train even harder than before. However, this training is soon interrupted by Lilith, who accidentally managed to teleport herself into ArqTech thanks to newfound powers she received in the other dimension. While just stepping onto the road of recovery, Lilith reveals a massive wound on her stomach from where the Tarask had impaled her. However, despite her new abilities, she isn’t able to recall anything that transpired after she was pulled through the portal. Lilith’s return is the first physical manifestation of something much more complex going on when it comes to the religious truth of the world. While Hell has been established in Catholicism as one of two primary locations, the world Lilith went to wasn’t permanent. Somehow, she was able to find a way back. On top of that, she brought part of that religiously-tinged world back with her in the form of her powers. This is a major indicator that there is a deeper truth not only to the Church’s history, but to the religious events playing out in the series right now.
While Lilith’s return and Ava’s training are being dealt with at ArqTech, Vincent and Mary are taking a road trip. The Father has a contact from his past life with a map they can utilize to better plan their heist beneath the Vatican. During his method of interrogation, it’s revealed that Vincent has a multitude of tattoos on his arms. The purpose of these is not made clear until much later in the series, but it feels better to establish one truth about them at this point in the essay: They are divinium tattoos. Made of the same holy material that can kill a Warrior Nun, and that Salvius is using to design her Ark. Their presence denotes just how deeply complex the religious ideas of the show are, to the point where a religious element can become one with the human body. But these proto-transhumanistic ideas aren’t explored more in-depth until Season 2.
For now, the biggest reveal is that Vincent was once part of the cartel when he was younger. Following the duo getting the information they want, Vincent has a heart-to-heart with Mary about wanting to forget his past. The two of them share this in common, both of them joining the Church as a way to transform beyond what society had previously defined them as. By finding a new purpose in religion, they’ve been able to bond despite how different they both are. It shows how, despite both of them having their own unique perspectives on religious ideals, they are still utilizing the same set of beliefs as the basis for their lives. It adds a depth to the idea of religion being twisted for one’s personal gain or beliefs. Perhaps even explaining why everyone turns religious ideas into something else throughout the series. They are, after all, utilizing religion for personal reasons, something that is familiar for many worshippers around the world, regardless of belief system. It’s possible that, with both Vincent and Mary using religion as a healing process, they may not be so far apart. Even if Vincent’s actions—which he genuinely believes are what God wants—could put the world in danger.
Back at ArqTech, Ava is still training, but has taken a break to overlook the journal with Beatrice. It’s here that Beatrice tearfully reads the story of Sister Melanie, a previous Warrior Nun targeted by the Nazis for being gay, cutting them down with a divinium sword. Reading her story emotionally drains Beatrice, but also proves something important about the history of the Warrior Nuns. They have been able to scale any number of obstacles in their path through the sheer belief in their purpose. A belief that is centered around the religious reality of the Halo. By reading this to Ava despite the difficulties she faces during her training, Beatrice is able to light a match in her friend’s heart. The duo discuss how pushing through not only the physical but mental barriers are important to managing Ava’s goal of getting through the wall. This realization and subsequent execution shows how the tangible and intangible natures of the religious weave together to create the world of the series. They also come together to give Ava the strength she needs to power through everything in her way.
Before she makes her successful attempt, however, she is finally able to reconcile with Lilith about everything that happened between them a few episodes prior. Lilith apologies to Ava, realizing her mistake in trying to make her out to be the enemy. Her vision of the religious truth has shifted. Instead of trying to maintain order by taking the Halo for herself, Lilith’s faith in the events unfolding before her has come to fruition. She is no longer ordained to Duretti’s whims, nor to the notion that everything she does needs to serve what she believes to be the truth. While this idea of Lilith and religious truths is toyed with later in the series, for now, she has stabilized these ideas in her mind. The idea that, while Ava—formerly an outsider—now wields the Halo’s power, that doesn’t mean a greater plan isn’t unfolding. In reality, that greater plan might just be what Lilith needs to put her faith into.
Following this conversation, Ava makes one more attempt at pushing her way through the 20-foot wall. With Beatrice there for encouragement, the now-confident Warrior Nun starts to succeed in pushing her way through. However, she soon gets stuck once again, unable to make that final trek through the last remaining feet of wall. That is, until Beatrice finally opens her heart to the truth. Stuck inside the walls, Ava confesses that she is afraid of being alone. This revelation, though prominent in her characterization up to this point, ties back into why she was trying to manipulate the Halo for her own purposes in the first place. Her decision to alter the relic’s meaning so it could benefit her shirking responsibility was a coping mechanism for her fear of being abandoned. By not having anything to hold onto—much as she hasn’t for her entire life—the use of the Halo for personal gain became seemingly the only path she could take. The only road to go down that didn’t end in the pain of losing others. But, by seeing just what could be built around accepting her role in the OCS, Ava is able to power through her own manipulation of her Warrior Nun status. She can now more readily define herself using the purpose the Halo was meant for: Saving people from forces they cannot comprehend.
Beatrice convinces Ava that, no matter what their upcoming mission brings, she would still have a family in the OCS—and in Beatrice. This gives Ava the final push she needs to phase through the rest of the wall. Hugging Beatrice happily, it becomes even more apparent that the series isn’t just about faith and religion through typified means. Ava’s faith in herself, and her subsequent ability to pass through the wall, originated from knowing Beatrice would be there to guide her. She was able to maintain belief in herself because of the tangible belief someone else had in her. While this doesn’t directly correlate with religious values, it does offer a different definition of faith than that associated with worship. The familial nature of the OCS becomes more apparent than ever here, alongside Ava’s role in the organization. Beatrice acts as a stepping stone for this path, giving Ava the light at the end of the tunnel she needed to succeed.
As Ava succeeds, however, Lilith begins to experience unusual side effects from her time in the Tarask’s dimension. Following a conversation with Camila, she rushes to the bathroom, discovering that a smattering of wounds on her face are starting to heal up. What’s more, the hole where the Tarask stabbed her is now glowing, indicating some kind of power is now inside her body. This unusual turn of events underscores just how little is truly known about the inhuman dimension adjacent to Warrior Nun’s Earth. Something about this unexplored world doesn’t fully align with faith as it’s usually viewed. Instead, there is something more to it that cannot be explained through the Church’s version of events. A deeper truth is hidden beneath it all—something Lilith is now directly embroiled in.
As the Hell returnee is trying to figure out what really happened to her, Ava has a vision of the previous Warrior Nun, Sister Shannon. The former Halo Bearer speaks to Ava, informing her that, despite finding a family within the OCS, everyone she loved eventually went away. It makes Ava realize the danger of their mission, deciding that a new plan is required for them to truly succeed. Inspired by the dream to an extent, Ava decides to see if she can utilize the Halo’s powers to destroy divinium. She picks up a small knife made of the holy material, holding it in her hand and watching as it melts away.
This event has two meanings, both in terms of character interaction with religion and the truth of the religious idea being presented. Firstly, Ava has finally completed her arc, becoming someone who is willing to take up the mantle of the Warrior Nun and use creative methods to better protect the OCS and the larger world. By melting the divinium, Ava believes they can do the same with the Adriel relic—be it an object or his bones—sitting beneath the Vatican. Doing so would prevent demonic forces from continuing their threat to Earth, ending the lineage of Warrior Nuns with Ava. It would also mean the OCS’ defenses could be reemployed as a way to protect humanity from human threats. In fact, this decision opens up a plethora of new opportunities for religious groups to seek justice in the world. Instead of concentrating only on the demonic, there is now room for religion itself to grow and change, not just being twisted by people for different benefits.
When it comes to truth, however, the Halo’s power melting divinium means Warrior Nuns are not as susceptible to the material as previously thought. By testing her hypothesis on the knife, Ava is able to prove that not everything about how the religious artifacts work has been discovered. This opens the door for even more new possibilities in the future, with the truth of religion holding ever more mysteries moving forward. If it hadn’t been for the renewed faith she gained in herself thanks to Beatrice and the rest of the OCS, she never would have discovered this was the case. Now, plenty of new possibilities are open to her and the team. With divinium now having a weakness that’s circular to its own impact on the Warrior Nun, it appears their mission might succeed.
Even so, there appears to be something odd about Episode 8’s title: Proverbs 14:1 reads, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands” (King James Version). The quote appears to be about a woman building something up, but how those who are “foolish” are liable to tear everything down. Given the hopeful nature of how the episode ends, it feels like the episode title doesn’t fit Ava’s newfound discovery. However, as the series oftentimes demonstrates, not everything is as clear-cut as its characters would like to imagine. The title of Episode 8 becomes much more apparent foreshadowing as the OCS’ mission at the Vatican finally begins.
TO BE CONTINUED
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