‘Shining Vale’ Recap – ‘Chapter 13: The Miracle’

11/12/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Greg Kinnear and Courteney Cox as Terry Phelps and Patricia ‘Pat’ Phelps in Episode 205 of ‘Shining Vale’ – ‘Chapter 13: The Miracle’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘Shining Vale’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

If there is one particular question that has been hanging over the hit STARZ series, Shining Vale, it is whether or not Pat Phelps indeed suffers from mental illness, or if her wild experiences are related to something supernatural residing within her home. And that question continues to have gravity here, simply because… there has been no answer. For every single time we think the story is learning one way or the other, the story flips the script and keeps us guessing. Which isn’t a bad thing by any means. Because it’s made this series fun, and engaging, and has prompted us to look closely at clues to see if we can figure out.

But as we continue along in this journey, it is becoming more and more apparent, that the supernatural is at play, as evidenced by the show’s next episode. For everyone but Terry dealt with something spooky in this old and creepy house in ‘Chapter 13: The Miracle’. For instance, poor Jake, whilst drowning his sorrow in the basement was nudged by his game buddy and Roxy to step into the super structure of the house. Wherein he oddly found joy, thanks to some nudie mags, the kind that kept him busy for days. But for the viewer, there were concerns. Simply because… clearly something horrible happened in this wing of the house, and it WANTS people to know about it.

Plus, the mysterious and handsome stranger that has seemingly been following Gaynor around finally stepped forward and explained his presence. In that, his name was Ennio, and he was actually from the Vatican. Simply because the family’s dead neighbor, sent a lot of letters about the house to the House of the Pope, and he came to investigate and see if by chance a real evil was present here. However, his initial inspection, didn’t exactly offer any answers. Which might be related to the fact that he and Gaynor hit it off on a fundamental level. The kind that had the two of them ready to burst with passion. But he did promise to monitor and take any emergency calls, and well… those storylines were indeed spooky in nature and the supernatural nature of this story, did not end there.

Alberto Frezza as Ennio in Episode 205 of ‘Shining Vale’ – ‘Chapter 13: The Miracle’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

For Pat’s journey was filled to the brim with some eerie moments as well. In fact, her dreams were getting scarier by the day. For she suffered through a Thriller-esque dream here where something within her demanded flesh and gave her the tools necessary to hunt and get that flesh. Which concerned her greatly, as did the morning sickness that was surging through her and well… that prompted her to get tested and discover, she was indeed pregnant, and shockingly enough… the baby was healthy. For at her age, as everyone and their sister pointed out, such a pregnancy should be an impossibility. But everything about it checked out and well, that allowed for Pat and the story to break away from the spooky stuff for a brief moment.

Mainly because, the thought of having a child allowed for Terry and Pat to ponder upon why they fell in love in the first place, and what they actually enjoyed about their marriage. Which was the family element and being part of something bigger. So, that prompted them to reconcile and unify as a couple again. To raise this child right. A move that pissed off the kids of course, because they wanted the separation and their two Christmases. But Pat was determined to make this work and moved ahead and well… that’s when the spooky stuff returned. Because at the end of this tale, she was able to see into the place where Jake was enjoying skin rags, and well… something horrible was waiting within the shadows.

All of which really does make it seem, that something evil in this house is growing in power and manipulating the family along the way. Especially through that baby, for it remains quite the miracle, and defies the odds regarding biology, and it really does appear that the house has something specific in mind for the child, something evil no doubt. The only question is what, and sadly… we will have to wait to find out. But in the meantime, we can celebrate one great tale. One that once again offered up the perfect balance of comedy and horror and continued to deeply engage us. For it seems dark answers are indeed upon the horizon, and it will be fascinating to uncover the truth as season two of this brilliant series continues along. Until next time.

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