Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Devil in Ohio’ Delivers a Complicated Story of Manipulation and Cults

REVIEW: ‘Devil in Ohio’ Delivers a Complicated Story of Manipulation and Cults

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford09/03/20223 Mins Read
Devil in Ohio
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Devil in Ohio

Content Warning: Devil in Ohio deals with themes of self-harm and child abuse.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Devil in Ohio is a thriller series streaming on Netflix. When a girl is found by the side of the road, having fled from a mysterious cult, psychiatrist Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel) searches for a way to protect the girl, even as the cult does everything it can to get her back.

What is good is often far more complicated than what is evil. It is generally easy to spot when we see truly bad things happening. When someone is being hurt or abused, there is generally little grey area involved. Good, however, can be a bit more nuanced. Why and how we do things matter almost as much as the action or the result itself. This messiness is only compounded by the fact that humans are emotional beings, and as such, we often find our view of the events around us colored by how they make us feel. All these elements of our perception of good and when a person, or character, is being good are explored throughout Devil in Ohio‘s eight-episode story.

While the core premise that this series rotates around is that of a young woman’s connection to an evil cult, the most interesting aspects of this series are the ones most divorced from that focus. When young Mae Dodds (Madeleine Arthur) finds herself staying with Dr. Mathis’s family, the unrest it causes throws the family’s life into disarray. And that’s even before the worst of the cult’s machinations begin.

This messiness of emotions and intentions does a great job of showcasing how intricate actions and intentions can be. While every character has their compromised moments, no one in this series highlights this concept more than Dr. Mathis herself. Her desire to protect Mae from the cult is noble but also comprised. Unfortunately, her fixation on saving the young woman quickly leads her to fail in other aspects of her life. When her actions stop being “good” and become “bad,” or if they are both at once, are engaging questions the show asks.

While the various interactions and intentions of the Mathis family go a decent way to creating an interesting center for the show, the actual main plot of Devil in Ohio falls into the category of just okay. The cult is depicted in a satisfyingly creepy way, but the story doesn’t pick up till episode six, and even then, most of it lands effectively but never truly excels. There are a couple of interesting twists I didn’t see coming, and I applaud how the series doesn’t fall into the trap of delivering an overly clean “happily ever after” ending. Given the emotionally complicated narrative, such an ending would’ve felt entirely out of place.

The acting in Devil in Ohio delivers each of the characters in a convincing fashion. All the family, school, and general life drama is captured well, and the various cult members sell the ominous vibe of their part in the series satisfactorily.

When all is said and done, Devil in Ohio delivers a solid, if unexceptional, thriller story. Its delivery of how complicated the actions and motives of much of its cast is interesting but doesn’t pull enough weight to fully compensate for the main story that gets moving too slowly and never delivers anything exceptional.

Devil in Ohio is streaming now on Netflix.

Devil in Ohio
  • 6.5/10
    Rating - 6.5/10
6.5/10

TL;DR

Devil in Ohio delivers a solid if unexceptional, thriller story. Its delivery of how complicated the actions and motives of much of its cast is interesting but doesn’t pull enough weight to fully compensate for the main story that gets moving too slowly and never delivers anything exceptional.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys,’ Episode 9 – “Ponder! A Person’s Thoughts and a Demon’s Thoughts”
Next Article REVIEW: ‘The Poe Clan,’ Volume 1
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Better Late Than Single
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Better Late Than Single’ Is More Than the Name Suggests

08/03/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 still from Apple TV+
8.0

REVIEW: Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 — “The Stress of Her Regard”

08/02/2025
Lerato Mvelase in Marked (2025)
9.0

REVIEW: Moral Dilemmas Battle It Out In ‘Marked’

08/01/2025
Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in Platonic Season 2
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Platonic’ Season 2 Is ‘Superbad’ For Grown-Ups In the Best Way

07/31/2025
King of the Hill Season 14 episode still from Hulu
10.0

REVIEW: ‘King Of The Hill’ Season 14 Is the Best Revival Ever

07/25/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 still from Apple TV Plus
8.0

RECAP: ‘Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “When a Book Finds You”

07/25/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

World of Warcraft The War Within Ghosts of Karesh But Why Tho Interviews

‘The War Within’ Patch 11.2 Addresses Raid Trash, Magic-Focused Comps, And More

By Mick Abrahamson07/31/2025Updated:07/31/2025

WoW Sr. Producer and Asst. Lead Quest Designer address The War Within 11.2’s Manaforge Omega, Reshii Wrap rewards, and Mythic+ balancing.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here