Isaiah 30:20-21

**Isaiah 30:20-21** is the sixth episode of the first season of *Warrior Nun*. It is the sixth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

Ava experiences a come-to-Jesus moment courtesy of Mary, who pulls no punches as she shows her just how many souls have their own cross to bear.

## Plot

### Off a cliff

Wandering a sidewalk, Shotgun Mary mutters to herself, wondering where Ava went. She sits down for a portrait artist, and comes to an agreement to have a portrait made for ten euros. She then starts showing around the portrait, which is of Ava, asking if anyone has seen her. She finally finds an elderly couple who direct her to a mountain. She finally catches up to Ava, who tells her that she's wasting her time. Mary replies that she's been saying that for weeks and she tells her to stop following her. They discuss J.C. and Lilith, Ava saying that what happened to Lilith was her own fault. She tells Mary to finish what Lilith started, trying to kill her. Mary replies that she could have killed her a lot sooner if that was what she wanted to do. She tells her that she's right, that she's done protecting her and caring about her. She starts to leave and Ava asks where she's going to go, given how badly her leg is messed up. Mary walks away anyway.

Ava finds her and bandages up her leg. When Mary asks how she learned to do it, she tells her that she watched a lot of TV. She says that it doesn't change anything and she's not going back with her. Mary points out that Ava was the one who followed her. Ava asks if she was supposed to leave her to the wolves, saying that she's already been blamed for enough. Mary tells her that nobody blames her for everything, but she replies that she grew up in an orphanage and knows all about reversed psychology. She says that she never asked for any of this, that she just wants to be normal. Mary kicks her off the edge of a cliff. As she hits the ground far below, she shouts "Bitch!" They later meet up in a cave and Mary asks if she still wants to be normal. Ava asks if it was supposed to be a lesson and she replies that it was for being an ass. Ava comments that she has a mouth on her for being a nun and Mary laughs at the idea of being a nun. She tells Ava that her mother is prison for murder, what would have been self-defense if not for her being a black woman. She tells her that all the sisters have scars.

### Euro hottie

She tells Ava that everything revolved around her because it had to and that she's no better than a child. Ava tells her that she can't believe she thought she was a nun and she says that she had gotten used to censoring herself, but that Ava brings it out in her. She explains that while she didn't take the vows of a nun, she still has to observe them within reason, that it was one of Father Vincent's stipulations to join the Order of the Cruciform Sword. They continue to discuss her history, Ava coming to the conclusion that they're just using her, but Mary replies that they get what they need from her and she gets what she needs from them: a family. Mary then tells Ava that if what she really wants is to go back to her old life, then she can cut out the Halo and then she'll be dead. They fight, Ava knocking Mary down. She asks if they're done and Mary agrees that they're good.

They have a night's sleep and discuss what happened to Lilith. The conversation then turns to J.C., but Ava says that she doesn't want to talk about him. She says she's not the girl who gets to run off with the guy and Mary says that what was between them was simply hormones. They walk for a while to a village, and Mary meets up with a friend, a young girl. The girl takes them to her parents, Francisco and Dolores. They tell Ava that any friend of Mary's is a friend of the family's. They sit down for a meal and Ava learns that there was a demon eruption in the town not that long ago of Wraiths. By the time the Order of the Cruciform Sword found out, things had already gotten pretty bad. People turned on each other, though Mary tells Ava she's sure she won't encounter anything like that. Mary leaves the table, saying that she's going to make a call and see if they can get a ride out of there. The waiter, Mateo, comes to the table and asks Ava if she has the power to "free the taken." Ava asks if he means an exorcism, saying that they've been trying to teach her, but she doesn't think she's cut out for it. He tells her that you need the stomach for it and that his wife was one of those who couldn't be saved.

Ava overhears Mary chatting on the phone about Lilith and Cardinal Duretti. She tells her it's nothing to do with her, but Ava replies that it will have to do with her. She asks what's going on and Mary reveals that the Pope is dying, though it's being kept under wraps. Ava asks if it has something to do with the OCS and Mary says that it has to do with her, that they were close. She tells Ava that she thinks Cardinal Duretti had a hand in Sister Shannon's death, that it was an inside job. With the Pope dying, Duretti wants to consolidate power and install a Warrior Nun loyal to him. Ava tells her that none or not, she can't simply go around accusing Duretti of murder without hard evidence. Mary tells her that she would have it by now if she wasn't busy chasing her. Mary tells Ava that Father Vincent said he would have someone come get her by the end of tomorrow, and that she told him she escaped. She warns Ava that the OCS aren't the only ones looking for her, that Jillian Salvius is as well. Ava continues to tag along with Mary, who tells her that if she's looking for a "Euro hottie" to follow, she's going to be waiting a while. Ava instead joins her inside local church, where Mary is greeted warmly with a hug by the priest. Mary tells him that they could use a place to lay their heads for the night and he tells her he has plenty of blankets and clean clothes in the back room.

### The journey of a lifetime

The two discuss Sister Shannon and the priest is sorry to learn of her death. He tells her that she visited a few months before and wanted to talk. She was doubting herself and her mission and while she didn't get into specifics, he got the sense that she felt betrayed by something or someone. They agree that she's in a better place. They discuss his having been possessed by a demon and Ava asks what it was like. He tells her that he doesn't remember much, but that it was like being a passenger in his own life, his actions his, yet not his. He tells Mary that it took him a long time to realize his actions were not his own and to be willing to step back into the church. He and Mary pray together. That evening, Ava and Mary chat before going to sleep. Ava asks if Mary still believes in all this, even though she didn't take her vows. Mary replies that she fights demons for a living and it stands to reason that the other stuff might be real also and that Father Vincent thinks she's been chosen by God. Mary asks what Ava thinks and Ava replies that there must have been some science involved in having a "weird metal thing" in her back that brought her back from the dead. Mary tells her that the Halo could have rejected her, that it has rejected people before. She tells her that she has to figure out for herself what to believe. They wish each other luck for the next day, and Ava addresses God, saying that if he has a plan, he needs to let her in on it. She then ventures into the pulpit, where she sees water dripping onto a haloed figure, apparently the sign she had asked for.

She spends the night sleeping in the pulpit and then heads outside, calling for Mary or the priest. She walks a bit and finds a group gathered. She asks what they're all looking at and Mary tells her that it's the sunrise. Ava asks if it's a special one and Mary replies that they're all special because there was a time when they weren't sure if they would see each other again. The waiter, Mateo, asks her why she hasn't yet joined the others and Ava tells him she has some things to figure out. She tells him that she's not a nun, like them. He asks how she found the nuns and she explains that they found her. She says that she doesn't owe anything to them and he asks if it's that they want something from her. He tells her that he was like her once, saying that searching for yourself is the journey of a lifetime.

### Exorcising a demon

Ava joins Mary and Mateo inside the restaurant's kitchen. Mary tells her to give them a hand, but she tells her that she doesn't know her way around a kitchen. "All that TV and no cooking shows," comments Mary, telling her that if she's going to live on her own, she should learn something. She asks Mary how she learned to cook and she replies that she has a life outside of exorcisms and prayer. Ava asks her just what deal it was she made with Vincent that she gets to come and go as she pleases, not answering to anyone and getting away with what she wants. Mary replies that where you have value, you have control, that she knows her worth and refuses to let anyone tell her how to use it. Ava plays waitress and Mateo tells her that she's not so bad and that he could always use extra help if she's looking. Ava then spots a man and seems to come to a realization. She points him out to Mary who steps forward, only for Ava to grab her, saying "We can't kill him." She asks Mary how you get it out of them and Mary tells her she'd know if she'd finished her training. Ava replies that she wasn't ready, but she is now and she needs to know. So they follow the man into a deli, where Mary speaks in Spanish ordering everyone out, then turns to the man, telling him "Not you." She continues that he needs an attitude adjustment. He trembles, slams her into a glass case and runs away. Inside the case, she tells Ava to "Stay on him."

Ava races after him and corners him at a locked door. She tells him to calm down while Mary creeps up from behind. He pulls out a knife and starts slashing and Mary comments that "this one is going to need a little extra encouragement." She says they're going to have to make the host nonviable. Ava asks if they have to hurt him and Mary agrees that this is so. Ava attacks him, the demon remains and Mary tells Ava to get him. She wallops him several times in the back and Mary hands her a Divinium knife, telling her to threaten him with it. As Mary chants phrases, the fight continues. Ava asks if the chanting actually does anything and Mary comments that it's only for the crowd's benefit, but it can't hurt. Ava finally stabs the man with the knife and the reddish, spectral form of the demon appears, snarling. Mary tells her to finish it off and she stabs the smoky form with the knife. There is an eruption and the smoky form dissipates and disappears. Ava asks if the man will be okay and Mary replies that it's going to take some aspirin and a few months of emotional torment, but then he'll be good as new. Outside, Mateo asks if there's more of them. Mary replies that she doesn't think so, but Ava will stick around for a while to make sure. Ava asks her for a word, wanting to know what's going on, and Mary asks if she suddenly made a plan the night before. She tells her that she has time because the OCS doesn't know she's there. She asks her to stay one more night and keep an eye out for anything weird and after that, she can go. Ava asks what if there's more demons and Mary sighs, saying there's always more and she'll handle it. She hands her the knife, saying she'll need it, and departs, telling her she hopes she finds what she's looking for.

## Cast

* Toya Turner as Shotgun Mary
* Kristina Tonteri-Young as Sister Beatrice
* Jota Castellano as Francisco
* Alberto Ruano as Mateo
* Sofia Brudke Del Hoyo as Yasmina
* Gonzalo Cunill as Father Orozco
* Silvia Quevedo as Local Official
* Jessica Seciliano as Female Artist
* Jon Bermúdez as Damián Possessed Man

## Trivia

* The Bible text means in general: No matter what way you go, god will be with you and you’ll know he is there.