‘SurrealEstate’ Recap: ‘Art & Science’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

SURREALESTATE -- "Art & Science" Episode 205 -- Pictured: (l-r) Joy Tanner as Rochelle, Maurice Dean Wint as August Ripley -- (Photo by: Duncan de Young/Blue Ice Pictures/SYFY)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘SurrealEstate’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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It is definitely safe to say that horror stories about hauntings, carry with them familiar concepts. In that, a restless spirit is often tied to a location or harbors its power from some kind of inanimate object that held great importance for them when they were alive. And that object is the only way to put them at rest or stop their reign of terror. Either by using the object to give them peace through burial or by destroying it and well, those concepts stick around because they work. They offer logic and power to the afterlife and give the story something solid to work with in order to end the haunting and bring forth joy to those who are tormented by the spirit.
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Which is why the SYFY series, SurrealEstate, is such an important show. Because it has from the very beginning, pondered upon what would horror and haunting stories would look like if they took more chances and strayed from formula from time to time. Which has given rise to refreshing stories and refreshing challenges that feature different types of hauntings, where the ghost needs something more than its teddy bear and/or its precious mirror to be smashed to find peace and well, it just so happens that the next episode of this storied series, took those explorations to a whole new level. For ‘Art & Science’ posed the possibility that perhaps ghosts can be tied to things that go far beyond our understanding. For instance, what if… the only way they could find release was through something creative?

Which was what Luke’s journey explored in this tale. Because an artist named Aurora, who moved to a lovely house by the sea to restart her life, was suddenly under fire from a terrifying spirit. One that left her messages and threats and even trapped Luke and Aurora in the house one fine night. And all of it seemed tied to an object, a painting in fact, but that was designed to fool us. For in reality, the spirit in question was the ignored soul of a bad artist’s late wife, and since she died long before a woman could have her agency… she needed Aurora to give her agency, a voice, and power… through art. Which Aurora was eventually able to do and that brought peace to the house at last, and a vastly different kind of ghost story for certain. Since this writer is hard pressed to think of a story where art inspired spiritual release. 

Yet there was more that this episode was eager to explore. Since August was summoned to the offices of his former employer. In part to be offered his old job once again, but also because… something weird was happening with an old project. For the Erebuster machine was designed to explore the mysteries of the universe and the afterlife and use math and science to see if there was one and if so, what it entailed and well… it was ready to report back to its master. And it was ready to cause trouble if it didn’t get to share what it discovered, so August settled in to hear its report and what it offered him… was powerful for certain. Since the machine basically figured out what August already knew, but also that what lie beyond was vast… and confusing. And that man does not need to think about such matters because it was too complex and for the dead to use to eternity to explore. So, instead, man should live and enjoy the less complex moments.

Which brought forth, a fascinating storyline, wherein a machine managed to touch what lies beyond and leaves us curious and that too was quite refreshing and original in nature. Since computers and science so rarely play a part in these stories, but this show found a way to make that work as well. In more ways than one thanks to that Susan surprise. But all of that serves as a reminder that this really is the most original ghost story to hit the airwaves in years, and this episode was simply brilliant. Courtesy of the refreshing concepts it sent our way. Since we really haven’t ever seen such explorations in this subgenre of horror, but they are welcome for certain and it will be interesting to see what other explorations await us in the weeks to come, as season two of this incredible show continues along. Until next time.

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