‘Evil’: Katja Herbers Breaks Down Finale Ending, Talks Kristen & David, and More

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Evil series finale “Fear of the End.”]

“It’s a tough one to follow, Kristen Bouchard,” Katja Herbers admits of her Evil character.

And what a journey Kristen has had over the years! She ends the series in Rome, continuing to do the assessing work that makes her happy, with David (Mike Colter), who’s still a priest. (Aasif Mandvi‘s Ben accepts a new job and stays behind.) But she’s also raising baby Timothy, who, despite a baptism, is showing some demonic signs…

Below, Herbers shares her thoughts on that ending, if she thinks Evil will be saved, if she could show up on Elsbeth (also from Robert and Michelle King), and more. (Read what the Kings had to say about the finale here and find out what would’ve happened in a fifth season here.)

Talk about reading the finale script and your reaction to Kristen’s ending.

Katja Herbers: I love what they were able to do. I just watched. I’ve been putting off watching it because I’m a little emotional about the show ending, and I was like, oh gosh, if I watch it, then it’s really done, done. But I’m just amazed. I think what they were able to do with both putting all these characters in specific places where you can imagine a future for them while leaving some opportunity for a potential revival should somebody want to do that is pretty freaking amazing.

And I personally really like that last scene where I’m in Rome with baby Timothy and baby Timothy might not be the sweet little baby that I thought he was. And Kristen’s decision to sort of just keep going and give him a pacifier and say that nothing’s wrong and put on sunglasses and walk into Rome I think is really exciting. And the nurture-nature debate that our show has had from the beginning I think comes back there as well where I think Kristen thinks that she can just love any child, as we’ve seen her do—even with a demon baby in her nightmares—and that she could potentially un-demon this child by loving it enough. I think it’s funny and the whole finale is just so funny while also being quite scary. I’m very proud of it.

What do you think makes Kristen say yes to David and moving to Rome at least temporarily? It feels like she could have maybe been happy if she’d continued with her own practice, but not completely, right?

I think she takes her cues from this Dutch doppelgänger really. She’s in that bedroom, she’s alone, her husband slept with someone else, and she made a pretty rash decision there to just say, no more. She’s losing her best friends and also the person who she’s sort of been in love with and I think the Dutch doppel saying, never give up the chance to travel or to, I think the word that’s used is f**k, I think that makes her think, yeah, what do I have to lose? It’s an interesting experience, and first she says no, and then she comes around after seeing that Dutch person. So it’s exciting. And it can only be for six months. She could come back. It could be longer. She seems like she’s having a good time over there.

And you can’t blame her. Who would say no to Rome? It’s going to be fun.

You’re uprooting your five children and going with a priest who doesn’t seem to want to put out. I don’t know, but, yeah, sure, fun. [Laughs]

Elizabeth Fisher / Paramount+

Speaking of David, all series there has been this question of Kristen and David. Yes, she left her husband, but he is still a priest and doesn’t seem to plan to stop being one anytime soon. How does she feel about that complicated relationship? She did move to Rome, and that does have to do with him.

She moved to Rome not thinking that he would not be a priest. And I think aside from this physical attraction that they clearly have towards each other, there’s also just a deep, deep friendship that even if there isn’t a romantic life for them, just being around this person that she loves and loves her back is nice. She also truly loves her job. And so I don’t think she’s moving for romantic love per se, but I think she is moving for love and a continuation of this life that she had and doesn’t want to say goodbye to. And she’s moving for friendship slash love and maybe she can love him enough or be fun enough so that he’ll maybe leave the priesthood someday for her. Who knows?

If David and Ben hadn’t been there, do you think Kristen would’ve killed Leland (Michael Emerson)?

Yes, I do. I think they save her from doing that because it’s not good for your soul to kill someone. He did deserve to die, I think. But this is a way better option, putting him in that cabinet.

I love that so much.

Isn’t it fun?

Yeah. And going back to that silent monastery… That was such a good episode.

Right, I agree. And it’s so sweet to see Fenna [Alexandra Socha] again.

And that look between you.

Yeah. I thought that was actually quite moving that they brought her back.

So is Kristen worried that Leland could become a major threat to her family once again or does she feel secure in where he is?

I think she feels secure until proven wrong probably. I think she thinks that it’s been taken care of, but I mean, it is a cabinet, let’s be honest. People are able to come out of cabinets at some point you’d think, I don’t know. I think she’s going to put it out of her mind and be in Rome and think that it’s been taken care of.

Talk about filming those Kristen and Leland scenes in the finale. You and Michael have been great together since the pilot. I enjoyed seeing how calm and in control Kristen was when he comes to see her posing as a patient and she just keeps using the taser on him.

Isn’t that fun? I love that scene, and I tried to make it a bit comical in that way and have her not be afraid I think is just great, how unfazed she is. I mean, she’s seen all his tricks. He doesn’t stop, and she’s got a bunch of tricks of her own and so far she has had the upper hand, she’s been able to deal with whatever he throws her away up to killing Orson LeRoux. So he hasn’t won and she’s not about to let him win, and this is just her new reality.

Alyssa Longchamp / Paramount+

One of the things I enjoyed most about the finale was how much we got the trio together because in my opinion, they’re a major part of why the show has been so good from the start. And one of the best parts of the finale was them burning their files and then drinking together in Kristen’s backyard.

Oh, yeah. I mean, to be honest, it was also meta, and the way that they wrote these four episodes was very much a winky wink too or a tear tear, I may better say, to us not being able to make more and the assessor program coming to an end, although we were doing well and us throwing those files away were the scripts that we filmed and the memories that we have. It almost felt a little bit too real to be standing around that campfire with my two friends. Yeah, we didn’t have to do that much acting in a way.

We also got that great moment in the finale of Ben stumbling over saying “I love you” back to Kristen. Their relationship has been so great to watch over the series because yeah, there’s the whole Kristen and David thing, but I like that Kristen and Ben’s relationship is just as strong.

Isn’t that great? I love seeing their friendship, and I think we don’t often see those kinds of friendships between men and women on TV. There always has to be sex or something else or somebody is gay or I don’t know. But I feel like whatever is between Kristen and Ben and having such genuinely care for each other, I really find that beautiful and true to life as well.

Yeah, I agree. It feels like often it’s not one of the most important relationships in a character’s life if there’s not a romantic part to it. That’s what it is. But we get to see that that’s the case here.

Correct. He’s truly one of her best friends, if not her best friend.

What was the last scene you filmed?

The Rome scene. The pacifier in Rome. It was purely for the reason, I think, because they were building Rome, they were building those pillars in our studios, and it just wasn’t done sooner. So that’s why that was definitely our last day. But it was also a very emotional day to end the show and the filming of the last four episodes was on and off emotional for all of us, not just the cast, but also the crew. I think that the show is as good as it is because everyone works so well together and everyone brings their A game and the Kings created an environment that is just wonderful. I’m not just talking about the cast, but I’m also talking about the people who make the demons, the camera department, the lighting department, the props, the catering. It’s almost a little too gushy-gushy maybe the way that I speak about it, but that was truly the experience of making it. There was a lot of joy on set, and that I think comes out in the product.

All the demons were amazing.

Right? I hope somebody can make a compilation of all the different demons. That will be fun.

Elizabeth Fisher / Paramount+

Talk about filming Demon Kristen begging David not to go.

I liked how it ended up. I thought it was perfect. The door closes, and she only exists in his mind, so it’s done. But we actually had her on the floor crying like a crazy toddler. I thought it was a really fun scene, and I like how we came up with the staging of me sort of sliding down Mike’s leg and how dramatic it is. And I hope people feel for Demon Kristen a little bit, I think she’s quite the sweetheart.

She’s so entertaining.

Yeah, she’s really fun to play as well. It’s really fun to be so sort of childlike in your wants and needs. She has no filter.

How are you feeling about the chances of us getting any kind of continuation of Evil?

I know that the Kings really want to, so I think if I were some big studio, I would want to give the Kings what they want. That’s just my reasoning. I think they’re brilliant and we’ve proven we’re in all the top 10 ratings and we have been, so it seems like we’re pretty profitable. Actually, I’m almost a little bit surprised that it hasn’t happened yet, which makes me think, well, maybe is it then not happening? I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like it has a very dedicated fanbase. And now that we’re so successful after having been on Netflix… I was very optimistic for a little while, and now I’m just like, I don’t know. Maybe it’s not happening. But I think as long as our numbers stay up and people keep watching it and telling other people about it, and maybe our numbers grow and when the other seasons come on Netflix, blah, blah, blah, maybe at a certain point there’s just no way around it. I have no idea.

But the will to make more is there, I know, from the Kings, from the cast, from the crew. So yeah, maybe it’ll happen. And if it won’t, it was really truly a wonderful experience, and I do think that our finale is satisfying enough to not be angry at our show for like, oh, you guys didn’t give us a proper ending. I think that this could be a proper ending, and it just leaves room for more as well.

What would you like to explore with Kristen if there’s more? 

I tend to not come up with the story or give many suggestions because I just think the Kings are so fricking brilliant that I just want to read what they come up with. Then my job is to give whatever they come up with a beating heart and make it believable and funny or moving or whatever. I don’t have a wish list except for one thing, which is actually something Mike came up with, I guess. But he put it in my head. I would love David and Demon Kristen to go on a road trip. That would be really hilarious. And I want Kristen to find out about Demon Kristen. I think that would be truly quite interesting. David is not putting out, and I don’t know the extent of if he fancies me truly or not, and then to find out that he’s been sleeping with this imaginary sex demon, I think, could be quite enjoyable.

What would be on the road trip playlist for David and Demon Kristin?

[Laughs] Oh gosh, that’s a great question. I’m going to come up with an entire playlist and have to make it on Spotify if it happens. I think the Kings have such a great music tastes as well. I love the song in Michael Emerson’s ear pods when he’s going to kill me or he thinks he’s going to kill me.

What are some of your favorite scenes and episodes from the entire series?

If I just do stuff that I haven’t been in, I was very impressed by the scene between Mike and Aasif where Mike confides in his friend and says, you don’t think I think about it every day, and I have to keep my commitment to the church even if it breaks me. I thought that was a very, very beautiful scene and gave a new level of depth to the relationship between Kristen and David. And I really love all the funny stuff. There’s even little bits of funny stuff in between really dramatic stuff, and some of those things are often little things that happen on the day that Robert laughs at during rehearsal and we then end up keeping, or it’s behavior things—there’s very little improvisation in terms of the lines, but there’s fun to be had around that with behavior.

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'Evil' Bosses Break Down Series Finale Ending

What would surprise the Kristen of the pilot the most about who she is at the end of the series?

That she’s a murderer. I don’t think she thought she would ever be that. But then also probably that she’s still on her feet. She’s so resilient, and she is able to find joy in little things, even though she’s been through all the things that she’s been through. And I think that makes her also a pretty aspiring character. I got some DMs from people, [and] there was one woman who said, Kristen makes me feel like I can do this without a man. And I think that is the power of that character as well, where she makes women feel empowered and good, and I’m very honored to have played her.

So much of the show is about the supernatural. But in the finale, her fear was about having her kids taken from her.

That’s her essence, right? Being a mom. That drives everything. Sometimes in TV shows when a mom is a mom, that’s what she is, but no, she’s also all these other things. It’s just that her grounding or her heart or her core is the love for her children that drives her to murder or whatever else.

This has been one of the best shows on television since it premiered—and it’s so unique! The skip messages in the intro…

I know, right? Is there any part of the show that isn’t creative? That is really the Kings. They make everything fun—the popup books, the little messages, the graphics… It goes to show that everyone involved in making the show is interested to make it as good as it can be. I enjoy those little messages. I don’t know what they’re going to be. They’re not in the script. So when I watch the show, I’m just like, oh my God, skip the intro and it’ll be canceled. I’m like, I can’t. The sense of humor that these people have is amazing.

And you’ve had some great guest stars.

Oh, we’ve been beyond lucky with everyone we could get, but everyone wants to work for the Kings because they’re great.

So do you think we could possibly see you pop up on Elsbeth?

Yeah, maybe. But I don’t know. I also know that the Kings probably think of me as Kristen and I think of myself as Kristen. So it would have to be something very different to who Kristen was, somebody with a whole different personality, accent, wig, whatever, as to make the transformation big enough to make it good.

Do you have anything coming up that you can talk about? Do you know what you want to do next?

I have something that I’m hopeful that might happen and a few other things in the pipeline, but it’s always about funding and other things. I’m not on set right now. I’ll see when it happens, but I’ve always only taken acting work of things that I would really like to see myself. So I’m going to continue to be really picky and selective about what I want to play. And when I’m not working, I’ll do some climate activism. But it’s a tough one to follow, Kristen Bouchard. I mean, it’s such a good role for an actor.

Evil, Complete Series, Streaming now, Paramount+