- "A warning about the one who marked me. It is coming, and getting stronger. It walked the Earth long before any of us, and it will walk it long after we are gone. Long after it has consumed you and your blood. Best embrace its power and glory, for your faith will not save you."
- ―Magoth to Daimon Helstrom
Viaticum is the second episode of the first season of the television series Helstrom.
Synopsis[]
A horrific accident leads Daimon and Gabriella fighting to save a man's soul, while a dark force attempts to stop them. Meanwhile, Yen’s relationship with his work takes a dark turn towards obsession, and a discovery leads Ana back to St. Teresa's.
Plot[]
Twenty years ago, a young Ana Helstrom is in the backseat of a car listening to music until she saw from the rearview mirror, her father taking something heavy from the trunk of a car and dragging it to the woods late at night.
In the present, Ana is walking the streets of San Francisco, California talking on the phone when she got a call from the Caretaker who asked her when was the last time she had last seen her mother. He eventually reveals that the reason he asked was that the bodies they found in the crypt somewhere in Colma, California, were from Saint Teresa Center for Mental Health. This revelation rattles Ana enough that she causes the flowers around to begin to die with her abilities.
In Portland, Oregon the two siblings talk over food and coffee. Daimon questions why Ana now chooses to respond and see their Mom. She deflects and tries to say that it was because it sounded urgent this time he was reaching out to her. Daimon for his part mentions how he's always the one doing the reaching out during holidays and her birthdays. But it is Ana who never responds. So now, he finds it odd that she has come to meet him and is even wanting to talk to their mother. As the two siblings talk, Daimon mentions that he wants Ana to help him try and get the demon inside their mother. Ana is quick to respond that even if they worked together to do it, she could still end up killing their mother. Frustrated, Daimon tells Ana that he just wants to try everything they can to help their mother, even if it is just for some kind of closure for them. For her part, Ana believes that closure is overrated. Undeterred, Daimon tries to make his sister see that the two of them have been through things that no one else on Earth have experienced. But Ana interjects by saying that she has gone through so much more than Daimon. In return, Daimon tells her that he will continue to be there for her if she ever wants to open up about those aforementioned experiences.
Eventually, Daimon confesses to being tired of pretending like they are related and would like for them to actually be siblings. He demands to know the reason for her coming and she reminds him that she has 20 years worth of unloading to do with their mother and needs his help to get in and talk with her. He allows it and then she exits just before the food arrives.
Out in the middle of nowhere, a truck driver is gasping for life as he lays down in the middle of the road. A young man stops his car to help him.
Meanwhile, Ana receives a call from Yen, who informs her of all the things that he is getting done in her absence. He is genuinely concerned as to why she is being mysterious with him. She gives no info and hangs up on him. At the mental health center, Dr. Hastings calls Ana out on her lies and states that she will have to go in with Ana for safety reasons. Ana threatens her, but Dr. Hastings holds her ground.
Elsewhere, the helpful man with the car is scared when the truck driver he decided to help out starts crying out in the backseat. When he is calmer, the young man notices the whites of the trucker's eyes just before he is attacked. The car swerves about as the possessed trucker hits the young man. In the distance a truck is coming around the corner.
Ana finds Victoria Helstrom catatonic and unresponsive. Dr. Hastings suggests using childhood memories like Daimon does, but Ana does her own thing and instead slaps her. The demon inside Victoria reacts by using her powers to throw both women against the wall. Ana laughs and says out loud, that is the mother she knows as she wipes some blood that came out of her mouth as a result of the attack.
Rosetti moves her items into her office when she receives a call about an incident. Daimon, upset and determined, walks by on his way to Dr. Hastings office. He is unimpressed with Ana's antics. The two arguing causes a supernatural effect on the building and the patients within as well. Dr. Hasting eventually gets their attention and chastises them for their childish behavior. Rosetti then brings up an incident of a possessed individual on the brink of death and says that the two need to go to check it out immediately.
On the car ride over, Rosetti asks about Ana and how she came across to her as rather intense. Which prompts Daimon to bring up how Ana was raised. First, she was institutionalized then came some bad foster care experiences, and in the end he could not do a thing about it. She then further asks where the two siblings have received their powers. He reveals that it comes from their father, who is far worse than Victoria.
Back in San Francisco, Yen places an artifact in the same room where Ana hid the demon's skull. The slip falls off the skull just when Yen is about to leave. It calls him to touch it, and just when he is about to, Caretaker interrupts. The two men talk about Ana's whereabouts, which has Yen feeling like he does not know nearly enough about Ana. He is further surprised to find out that she is in Portland. When Caretaker asks about the skull and if Ana took it, Yen acts like he does not know what he is talking about.
While still on the road, Daimon asks Rosetti why she wants to stick around after taking a look at what is behind the curtain, and seeing what a demon truly does. She answers that while she was in Rome, part of her work included working with other nuns to put an end to human trafficking. She explains that she is not naive because she has already seen the worst humankind has to offer.
In a busy street of San Francisco, Caretaker secretly talks to Smith about what he has found and where Ana is. Smith claims that she and her people have turned a blind eye to Ana's presence out of courtesy for Caretaker. But if things get out of hand now that the two Helstrom siblings are reunited, they will have to intervene, and in turn, Caretaker will have to take care of Ana. Undeterred, Caretaker responds by saying that Smith is wrong, and that what he is doing is protecting the Blood member from Ana.
Daimon and Rosetti arrive at the scene of an accident. Father Okamoto is there to inform the two about his experience with the victim trapped under the semi. Father Okamoto is convinced that the demon inside the victim caused the accident and that the victim's soul will be lost if they can not get the demon out before he dies.
Yen sits with the demon skull nearby. He then takes the skull and allows its teeth to puncture his arm.
At the mental health center, Ana is in the hallway listening to a message from Yen who is upset about finding out from Caretaker where she is. Ana and Dr. Hastings argue again, when the doctor tries telling Ana that her mom is not weak, but a fighter because Victoria has been fighting against the demon possessing her for so many years, just to get back to Ana and Daimon. Eventually Ana brings up that Hastings chose Daimon over Ana and threatens the doctor with telling Daimon that Hastings could have taken Ana in but chose not to. Dr. Hastings claims that she is trying to keep Ana from being taken out by the demon trapped inside her mother. Ana wants her to try.
Back at the scene of the car accident, Daimon feels that the demon is old and has a mission. He knows that if he exorcises said demon, Tilden the truck driver will die. Rosetti is hoping for the best and thinks that maybe it is gone. But Daimon tells her that is not the case. That the demon is hiding and knows the two of them are there. He then points out the mark on Tilden's hand, and reveals that is where the aforementioned demon possessing the truck driver marked him. Moreover, Daimon states that only the oldest and most powerful entities, the ones born of flesh and blood, have the ability to mark their human host. In addition, it also allows lesser demons to inhabit their bodies. But unfortunately, the toll that a possession of this magnitude takes on the host is almost always fatal. Which is ultimately the result that the demon wants because it can absorb its victim's energy at the point of death and keep it for itself and eventually grow stronger. Rosetti asks Daimon if what he is trying to say is that the demon wants to steal the man's soul. Daimon says she can call it what she wants, but that all of this is like a cycle. One that can only be broken when they find out what marked him, and if they do that, then they can stop it from happening again, like it did with his mother.
Rosetti warns Daimon to be careful when she sees he's getting closer to the truck driver, and tells him that the demon appears to bite when she sees how it left one of the victims. But the demon laughs and says that it 'works every time' after it manages to make Rosetti jump in fright at seeing the body of a young man move because of the demon's abilities.
Despite Daimon's instructions, Ana and Dr. Hastings are messing with Victoria again. Ana wants to provoke her mother to react and not listen to Hastings's suggestions. An angry Ana mentions that the fantasy she had of a caring mother died when Victoria let her father take her with him. She continues to say that she wants to be alone with Mother and Mother does help by affecting Dr. Hastings.
Rosetti begins to talk to the demon, who is not happy about this and tries to throw some of wreckage around but is thwarted by Daimon. The demonic entity reveals that he knows of Daimon as a traitor. Tilden's family arrives, and Rosetti tries to plead for Magoth to leave and give Tilden a moment with his family. But instead, the demon just laughs and mentions how Tilden's wife will love to know that the trucker cheated on his wife multiple times while on the road. Daimon puts a stop to the conversation and tells Rosetti to not try to reason with demons because they lie and they will say and do anything just to bring out the worst in humans. This is because they feed off it. Undeterred, Magoth urges Daimon to give that side of himself a try and indulge in that feeling. He then lets it slip that at least Ana understands that and asks him to thank Ana for him because she has unintentionally sent the demons so many promising new recruits.
Dr. Hastings urges Ana to leave and tells her that it is obvious her anger won't bring Victoria out. Thus, Ana decides to try the method that works for Daimon, and she gets quite candid with a memory about how Victoria knew about what her father truly was but still stayed with him. Hastings leaves due to a cough, and Mother finally appears. Which is exactly what Ana wanted.
When Daimon asks Magoth what he means about his sister, the demon instead uses his powers to bring flames around the three of them as Gabriella tries a prayer.
Yen has a visitor who turns out to be Edward Tate’s brother, Cameron Tate explains that he knows that his brother did not commit suicide. Yen hears the skull talking to him, then takes a weapon before running towards something.
Mother taunts Ana, saying how it has been a long time and asks Ana if she has finally come crawling back looking for Mommy's love? When Ana says she has not. The demon inside Victoria retorts by saying how that is quite a shame and taunts her by saying how deep down Ana knows that her mother hated her. Later, when Ana asks her what it was the demon set loose into the world, Kthara states that the only thing this body set loose on this world were two spoiled and ungrateful children. Always mewling and always blaming everyone else for their problems.
Ana claims that emotional games do not work on her as she attempts to use her powers on Kthara but to her surprise, nothing happen. Ana whimpers as the demon affects her to a point of weakness. The demonside inside Victoria says she is disappointed that Ana turned out to be just as weak as Daimon. She then mentions how first generations always are, but that she expected better from Ana since apparently, Ana is the favorite.
Daimon holds off the flames as Rosetti says a prayer to appeal to Tilden. The man comes out for a bit and says he doesn't want to die. Tilden tells Rosetti to make sure his son knows he loved him and to tell his wife that he is sorry.
Eventually Magoth comes back to inform Daimon that the one unleashed is far more powerful than him and will unleash a lot of chaos and evil into the world. Daimon puts his hand on the man and removes the demon from the possessed truck driver.
Elsewhere what looks like a man with an open rib cage opens up to devour another person while in a public restroom.
Back at Saint Teresa Center for Mental Health, Ana wakes up and immediately questions the demon inside Victoria about what it was she sent those men to set free. However, the demon says that she didn't send it to free it, but to kill it. When Ana asks for further clarification, Kthara simply tells Ana that she already knows the answers to that question.
Twenty years earlier, Ana receives a butterfly bracelet after the man comes back from his trip to the woods late at night. Kthara tells Ana that he will be so proud to see what she has become. Ana then leaves her mother and walks away. Hastings asks her what happened there, but Ana does not answer.
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Tom Austen as Daimon Helstrom
- Sydney Lemmon as Ana Helstrom
- Elizabeth Marvel as Victoria Helstrom / Kthara
- Robert Wisdom as Caretaker
- Ariana Guerra as Gabriella Rosetti
- June Carryl as Louise Hastings
- Alain Uy as Chris Yen
Guest Stars:
- Deborah Van Valkenburgh as Esther Smith
- Daniel Cudmore as "Keith Spivey" / Basar
- Erica Tremblay as Young Ana Helstrom
- Hiro Kanagawa as Father Sean Okamoto
- Sandy Robson as Alex Tilden / Magoth
- Kyle Warren as Cameron Tate
- Andres Collantes as Kevin
- Rosalba Perez as Waitress (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Marduk Kurios (uncredited)
- Unknown Actress as Alex Tilden's Wife (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Alex Tilden's Son (uncredited)
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- San Francisco, California
- Portland, Oregon
- The Blue Heron Restaurant
- Saint Teresa Center for Mental Health
- The Nines Hotel (mentioned)
- Gateway University (mentioned)
- Daimon Helstrom's House (mentioned)
- Silicon Valley, California (mentioned)
- Colma, California (mentioned)
- Rome, Italy (mentioned)
- Regina Apostolorum (mentioned)
- Roxxon Gas Station (indirectly mentioned)
Events[]
- Rebirth of Kthara
- Assassination of Edward Tate (mentioned)
Items[]
- Keeper's Skull
- Bible (mentioned)
Vehicles[]
Sentient Species[]
Creatures[]
Organizations[]
- Blood
- San Francisco Tribune
- Oregon State Coroner
- San Francisco Police Department (mentioned)
- Talitha Kum (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Ode to My Family | The Cranberries | Opening scene. |
| Daddy's Little Pumpkin | John Prine | End credits. |
External Links[]
| Season One | Mother's Little Helpers • Viaticum • The One Who Got Away • Containment • Committed • Leviathan • Scars • Underneath • Vessels • Hell Storm |