DISCLAIMER: This recap of SurrealEstate Season 2 Episode 1, “Trust the Process,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
It’s Spooky Season, and what better way to celebrate than with haunted houses? SurrealEstate is back to haunt our socks off with its signature campy charm. The Season 2 premiere maintains a steady clip, laying a solid foundation for what to expect in the coming episodes. We get some intriguing internal conflict in The Roman Agency as the writers play with that group dynamic. I think this season is off to a stronger start than its predecessor. The series doesn’t seem to take itself quite as seriously and leans more into the campiness of it all.
Additionally, the conflict between Susan and Luke will be fun to explore. It’s also interesting to see Luke at his lowest, without his powers and not kicking ass at his job. Will we get a Susan Ireland takeover? I wouldn’t say “no” to The Ireland Agency. All in all, “Trust the Process” is a breezy delight with a dash of cheesy horror.
Ready to delve into “Trust the Process”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with narration from Susan (Sarah Levy) as she introduces us to Season 2. Father Phil (Adam Korson) runs down an empty street at night as an unseen presence chases him. August (Maurice Dean Wint) fiddles with an antiquated device while boasting headphones. He hears something unsettling. Meanwhile, Susan excuses herself from meeting with a couple selling their house to call Zooey (Savannah Basley). Susan asks where Phil is and if he has the key. Zooey claims she lost signal with him during his transit to the house.
SURREALESTATE — “Trust the Process” Season 2 Episode 1 — Pictured: Maurice Dean Wint as August Ripley — (Photo by: Duncan de Young/Blue Ice Pictures/SYFY)
Thankfully, Phil barges through the front door with the key in tow. Susan swipes it, running upstairs to rejoin Auggie. She unlocks the grandfather clock. Then, she dumps a bag of Scrabble tiles onto a table. Auggie interprets their message as they move on their own. Susan discovers the spirit is trying to say “4:08” for the time, so she arranges the hands on the grandfather clock to reflect said time.
During all this, she and Auggie try to fend off an angry, cloaked spirit who attempts to kill them. She utilizes her pyrokinesis to keep the spirit at bay. Fortunately, the grandfather clock thing works, and the ghost vanishes. Success! The electricity in the house switches back on. Auggie and Susan watch while the tiles spell out, “Thank you.” Downstairs, Phil explains to the couple that two brothers, an electrician and a plumber, died in that home. The Roman Agency endeavored to help the plumber spirit pass on, but the late electrician, who murdered his brother, made things difficult. They had to set the grandfather clock to the plumber’s time of death to facilitate the situation.
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Later, Susan, Zooey, Auggie and Phil are hard at work at the agency. Luke is still on sabbatical. Susan’s revolutionized The Roman Agency’s operation and its retention of clients. She’s getting sh*t done, y’all. Phil comments on the amount of work on their plates. Of course, that load would be significantly lighter if Luke would return to work. Phil surmises it might be time to rattle his cage a bit. At the same time, Susan meets with the Cantervilles, Deb (Amelia Manuel) and Randall (Mark Power), to discuss the sale of their house. Susan believes they’ll get even more money if they renovate their kitchen.
SURREALESTATE — “Trust the Process” Season 2 Episode 1 — Pictured: Sarah Levy as Susan Ireland — (Photo by: Duncan de Young/Blue Ice Pictures/SYFY
Next, Susan chats with Auggie about finding a better device to communicate with the dead beside the Scrabble tiles. Without Luke’s ability to speak with those beyond this plane, it makes things significantly more difficult. At the Canterville residence, one construction worker loses his finger after hearing the singing voice of a little boy in a wall. He sticks his hand through the hole he created in the wall and boom. Buh-bye, finger.
Then, Zooey and Auggie check in on the Cantervilles post-finger incident. Auggie examines the wall while the couple tells Zooey they want to meet with Luke. Where is the elusive owner of The Roman Agency? Well, Luke (Tim Rozon) is at his favorite place — the batting cage. Phil reunites with him. Phil explains they need him to return to work. While Susan’s doing an incredible job of steering the ship, they need all hands on deck to tackle the influx of new customers.
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Phil also informs Luke about two other things: Firstly, they sold the Donovan house. That’s huge, considering much of what transpired last season centered on that house. Secondly — this is even more significant — Phil believes he found Luke’s mom. Oh, dip. Luke promises to return to the agency. Meanwhile, as Auggie researches the singing wall that snatches fingers, we see a formidable bald man in an orange jumpsuit sitting behind that wall. He’s the one who sings like a young boy. We see him sharpen his knife after placing the construction worker’s finger into a bag. That’s fun.
SURREALESTATE — “Trust the Process” Season 2 Episode 1 — Pictured: Tim Rozon as Luke Roman — (Photo by: Duncan de Young/Blue Ice Pictures/SYFY
Next, Luke pops by the Donovan house to chat with its new owner, William Larson (Charlie Tomlinson). Everyone’s favorite eccentric, nomadic horror author. William reveals he’s learning more about his new home from its former owner. Megan (Tennille Read) emerges from the shadows to greet Luke. William leaves the ex-couple alone to talk. Luke congratulates Megan on the sale and on snagging a residency. The conversation is colored with melancholy and wistfulness. Before they part ways, Megan thanks Luke for showing her what’s possible — all the fantastical aspects of this world. I wonder if we’ll see her again…
Then, Susan visits her potential new house. It’s a gorgeous building with a stunning waterfront view. We learn it’s a Smart Home. The Smart Home device (voiced by Patrick Kwok-Choon) addresses Susan by name, which takes her aback. Something about this device seems ominous. It knows too much about Susan. Maybe it’s controlled by the spirit in the house.
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Later, Susan rallies the team to tackle the Canterville project. Luke appears and joins the meeting. Susan gives the group an acronym to remember as part of her process. She believes that since they can’t rely on Luke’s powers anymore (he doesn’t have them), they must have a more solid, foolproof system. Luke offends Susan almost instantly, poking fun at her process. She storms out of the meeting. Afterward, Luke chats with Auggie about whether his supernatural abilities will return. He’s unsure. Zooey orders Luke to meet with her in his office. Uh-oh. Someone’s in trouble.
SURREALESTATE — “Trust the Process” Season 2 Episode 1 — Pictured: Savannah Basley as Zooey L’Enfant — (Photo by: Duncan de Young/Blue Ice Pictures/SYFY)
Zooey defends Susan, pointing out that Luke treated her like crap. She was keeping things going while he was on leave. Zooey feels Luke should apologize for his behavior. That’s my girl. I’ve always been Team Zooey. Meanwhile, Susan relaxes at her new home. Suddenly, the Smart Home device starts playing classical music without her consent. Luke texts Susan to ask if she can meet in the office. Susan’s responses are brusque, but she does as she’s bid.
Next, Luke apologizes to Susan in person. He thanks her for everything she’s done. When it seems like fences are being mended between the two, Phil pops his head in to update them on the Canterville case. Luke decides to apply his intuitive, mystical method to the project despite not having the power to communicate with the dead anymore. He thinks Susan is trying to apply logic to a magical process. He tells her he’ll take the reins from here. Susan leaves, rightfully irritated.
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Meanwhile, Deb gets ready for bed in her house. She finds an earring on her bathroom sink that wasn’t there before. Then, while she’s climbing into bed, we see the terrifying bald man standing in the doorway, holding a knife aloft. The vision of nightmares. The following day, Susan catches up with her mom, Constance (Alison Woolridge), who supports Susan’s dream of running her own agency one day. The two reminisce about the house they used to rent in the summer when her father was still alive.
Next, Auggie arms Luke with the items he’ll need to communicate with the ghost boy in the Canterville residence’s walls. According to Phil, it’s a young child who died in the 1930s. Auggie gives Luke a giant teddy bear and a device that he can speak into. It looks like a children’s toy. Once inside, Luke encounters Deb and Randall, whose suitcases are packed. Deb claims they cannot stay one more night in that house. She orders Luke to fix the problem or leave before departing herself.
SURREALESTATE — “Trust the Process” Season 2 Episode 1 — Pictured: (l-r) Adam Korson as Father Phil Orley, Tim Rozon as Luke Roman, Maurice Dean Wint as August Ripley, Savannah Basley as Zooey L’Enfant — (Photo by: SYFY)
Things take a turn for the dark when Luke stumbles upon Mr. Giant Bald Dude. When he smiles, he looks like Christopher Lloyd from The Addams Family. Naturally, Luke realizes then and there that Phil’s info was incredibly off the mark. The teddy bear and child’s toy won’t work on this bro. Mr. Giant Bald Dude lifts his knife and lunges at Luke. Phil and Auggie chat with Susan, who reveals she’s outside the Canterville house with Zooey. Apparently, the man is a serial killer who died in 1985 and used his childlike singing voice to lure his victims. The kitchen renovation woke up his angry spirit.
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Later, everyone reunites to save Luke. We also learn Mr. Giant Bald Dude used to keep a bag of keepsakes from his murders — a finger here, a hair ribbon there. Zooey locates his goody bag and throws it on the floor. Susan sets it on fire with her pyrokinesis. Boom! Ladies get it done. This act destroys Mr. Giant Bald Dude. The following day, Luke chats with Susan in her office. She reveals the Cantervilles have rehired them, and they’re ready to sell the house now that the angry spirit has been eradicated.
Luke compliments her on her quick thinking the night before. He knows how much the agency needs her. He urges her to take a few days off to relax. Luke can oversee the whole shebang again. Naturally, this rubs Susan the wrong way. After their conversation, Luke makes a pit stop in the cemetery to see his father’s grave. It’s no Fun Land, but it’ll do. He confesses he’s struggling to adapt after losing his powers.
Plus, he keeps making mistakes left and right. He’s alienated Susan. He’s unsure of where to go from here. To top it all off, the inevitable reunion with his mother is on the horizon. What should he say to her? Why did she leave him? Before departing, Luke leaves flowers on his dad’s grave. (The “nice catch” line is a bit cringy, but I’ll let it slide.) Rozon delivers a beautiful performance here.
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Will Luke and Susan continue to butt heads this season? Can we expect problems from Susan’s creepy Smart House? Will we see Luke reunite with his mom? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
SurrealEstate airs new episodes every Wednesday at 10/9c on your Syfy affiliate.
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Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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