"Ben Is Shaken": Evil Season 4's Haunting Ben Storyline Teased By Aasif Mandvi

The article contains spoilers for Evil season 4, episode 1, "How to Split an Atom."

Summary Aasif Mandvi says Ben's skepticism and certainty are challenged in Evil season 4.

Ben, previously earth-bound, is thrown around by unexplainable things in this season.

Ben's struggle with a physical and medical issue tied to paranormal elements is a major focus of season 4.

Evil star Aasif Mandvi teases Ben's haunting storyline in season 4. As it returns to Paramount+ for its final run of episodes, the supernatural horror series from creators Robert and Michelle King will likely have to address some big questions regarding the relationship between Kristen (Katja Herbers) and David and the endgame of the villainous Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson). But in terms of the skeptic Ben Shakir (Mandvi), Evil season 4 seems poised to grapple with the character's struggles with faith.

In an interview with Screen Rant's Grant Hermanns to promote Evil season 4, Mandvi touched on the fact that “Ben is shaken in a really fun way.” The former Daily Show correspondent continued by elaborating on how Ben's skepticism is challenged, as is his certainty, which makes the character go a little crazy. Read Mandvi's full quote below:

I like this season, because Ben is shaken in a really fun way. Like you said, his skepticism is really challenged, his certainty is challenged. For so long, I often played Ben as very sort of stuck to the ground and planted in the earth, he's a very earth-bound character. In this season, he gets thrown around by all these things that he can't explain. He's had things that he can't explain before, and he's been able to let it go. In this instance, because it's happening to him physically, and there's a physical thing, a medical thing, that's happening to him, he can't let it go, because he's dealing with it on a personal/physical level. So, the paranormal-supernatural element of it stays with him. It's inside either his head or his body, he has to live with it night and day. That is fun, and that's what's different about this season than I think previous seasons, of his being challenged. He's challenged 24/7 on this one, so that really starts to make him go crazy, as it would for anybody, if you were seeing demons all the time, especially if you don't believe in it.

What's Going On With Ben In Evil Season 4?

Ben Is Changed In The Premiere Episode.

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But, in any case, it's confirmed by Mandvi that his character will not be having an easy time after the events of Evil season 4's premiere.

The debut of Evil season 4, written by the series creators and directed by Robert King, wastes little time in establishing Ben as a reasonable voice of skepticism. Kristen turns to him to help explain away what initially appears to be supernatural, and he's comfortable in the role. However, that changes halfway through the premiere. Ben is hit with a beam, as part of a case the team is working on, and is briefly paralyzed by a succession of creepy images. Later, in his apartment at night, Ben begins hearing the voice of a djinn. The djinn ultimately manifests behind him.

Raised in the religion of Islam, Ben largely leans towards being a non-believer. It's a source of tension that Evil has tugged at and examined since its earliest episodes, made all the more complex because of how Ben regularly deals with anomalies he cannot explain. After the hectic Evil season 3 finale, Ben's arc is set up to arrive at a significant conclusion, as season 4 is the show's last outing, with four additional episodes to wrap up the story.

The series has always occupied a space of giving somewhat equal importance to science and the spiritual and supernatural. Ben's arc may well be about what is true to him rather than offering a definitive answer in one direction or the other. But, in any case, it's confirmed by Mandvi that his character will not be having an easy time after the events of Evil season 4's premiere.

New episodes of Evil season 4 stream Thursdays on Paramount+.