SurrealEstate Season 3 Episode 7, “A Slice of Afterlife,” deftly combines campy and serious in an action-packed, narratively entertaining outing. The clairvoyant toaster storyline is so ludicrously fun. The Claire arc with her abusive mother hits home and is quite compelling. Of course, that heartbreaking cliffhanger will certainly shake Susan to the core and perhaps have Luke looking askance at Tyler more so than usual. Do you think Tyler will try to take out Susan again? Only time will tell.
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SurrealEstate, “A Slice of Afterlife”
We open with Claire (Alex Paxton-Beesley) and Tim (Russell Sams) Vendel fleeing their home. Fun fact: Paxton-Beesley appeared as Hetty Tate in Wynonna Earp Season 1’s “Constant Cravings.” Their house looks like it’s possessed, with objects flying around seemingly of their own volition. They pack a few belongings, but before they speed away, Tim retrieves an ultrasound photo of their baby.
Later, Luke (Tim Rozon) and Lomax (Elena Juatco) chat with Rita Weiss (Alison Brooks) and her clients, the Vendels. We learn that the Vendels are moving into a new house after jumping from home to home over a period of three years. They’ve lived in 20 houses during that time. Why? After Rita departs, Claire and Tim explain to Luke and Lomax that something is chasing them. Perhaps they’re cursed. They won’t disclose how they know this, though. This sets Lomax’s Spidey senses a-tingling.
Only Business
So, she meets with Tag (Alex Ozerov-Meyer) virtually to ask him to dig into the Vendels. She believes they’re lying or, at the very least, omitting part of the truth. Meanwhile, Luke returns Tyler/Malec’s (R Austin Ball) call, informing him that he’s passing on the business proposal. Susan doesn’t agree with his philosophy, and if Susan hates it, it’s not worth pursuing. Despite this being merely business, Tyler takes it personally. After he hangs up, he muses about Susan’s future.
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Next, the Vendels move into their new house. They fix a framed photo to the wall before setting it purposely askew. Claire wonders if they should’ve told Lomax and Luke the truth, that her late mother is haunting them. After this, she doubles over in pain. As she and Tim hurry out the door for the hospital, a music box flies open, playing a spine-tingling tune. Thankfully, Claire is okay, but she does have preeclampsia, so the doc advises her to eradicate any stressors in her life (ahem, the ghost of her mom).
Then, Susan (Sarah Levy) visits her clients, Anika and Bhavan Patel (Seema Doad and Jai Mession), in their new house. They introduce her to a peculiar intruder: a toaster that predicts the future via the toast that pops up out of it. Said toast contains an image relating to a future event. Love a good clairvoyant toaster.
A Multitasking Toaster
Susan volunteers to donate it to Goodwill; however, every time the Patels try to dispose of the toaster, it inexplicably reappears on their kitchen counter. I also love it when SurrealEstate gets silly like this. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the writers’ room when this idea was floated around.
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Meanwhile, Tag gets back to Lomax with information on the Vendels. We learn that Emma, Claire’s mother, died three years ago, right before Claire and Tim went on the lam. Hmm. So, it appears that Mommy Dearest is haunting her daughter.
After this reveal, Lomax meets with Claire and Tim to discuss Emma. She explains that Roman Ireland must know everything there is to know about a supernatural situation before acting appropriately. Claire divulges Emma’s cruelty. She was an abusive monster who ridiculed and manipulated her daughter. Upon returning home, Claire and Tim notice the framed picture is perfectly in place, meaning Emma is present.
Ghosts and Friends
Later, Susan chats virtually with Anika and Bhavan. The toaster is back, y’all. This time, it bears a rendering of Crash (Stephen Huszar). Uh-oh. Elsewhere, Luke, Lomax and August (Maurice Dean Wint) discuss next steps with Claire and Tim. Claire describes what Emma usually does during the day. She rearranges the house, for starters. Claire also wakes up with welts on her body.
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Luke proposes that he talk to Emma first. Sure, she’s an abusive POS, but maybe he can persuade her to move on. Meanwhile, Susan asks Tag to look into the creepy clairvoyant toaster. She explains that this time, the toaster offered an illustration of Crash. Of course, Tag carries a torch for Susan, so he slips in a question about when Susan will see her “friend” again.
Then, Tag gets sappy for a sec. He reveals he doesn’t really have a family, so the gang at Roman Ireland is as close to a family as he can get. Awww. Susan looks touched by his words. After their chat, Susan texts Crash, revealing she’d love to see him. She glances skyward and acknowledges her mama.
Move On, Granny
Next, Claire decorates her child’s nursery. Suddenly, Emma (Kate Trotter) appears on a baby monitor, taunting Claire. Love a good horror movie trope.
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Later, Tag gives Susan the lowdown on the fortune-telling toaster. It was invented by Charles Strite, who created the automatic pop-up toaster in real life. However, ole Charlie fell in with the occult, and he believed he could predict the future with, you guessed it, toast. His buddy stole his toaster and died in what is now the Patels’ house. So, the toaster lingers there, waiting for its owner to return.
Then, Tag picks up a piece of toast after the toaster ejects it. He sees an image of Tyler, not knowing who that is, of course. Luke finds Emma in Claire and Tim’s nursery. He tries to talk sense into her. She’s hellbent on not only meeting her grandchild but raising the baby, too. Luke reminds Emma that her days as a mother are donezo. It’s time for her to move on. Emma screams at Luke, the force of her vocal rage enough to knock Luke backward. He scurries out.
Big Bread (and Toast-radamus)
Next, Luke reunites with Susan at the Patels’ house. He senses a strong presence emanating from the clairvoyant toaster. Sure enough, the ghost of Charles Strite (Graham Gauthier) emerges. He rails against “Big Bread” and how no one understood his genius. Well, at least he’s finally reunited with his creation. Charles walks off into the sunset with his psychic toaster.
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Elsewhere, Lomax and Claire have tea together. Claire admits she didn’t plan to get pregnant. She was adamant about not being a parent, hoping to break the cycle of generational abuse. However, Claire is now excited about taking on motherhood. She feels hopeful.
That evening, Susan and Crash go out on a date. Both talk about their mothers. The chemistry is chemistry-ing. Susan and Crash are cutie patooties together. Meanwhile, Claire has a nightmare about Emma, who shows Claire her baby. Claire screams herself awake. It’s time to send Emma back from whence she came.
Dial-Up Traps and The Answer Guy
Then, Auggie shows Lomax and Luke his special device to entrap Emma. At the house, Claire’s water breaks as our Roman Ireland team arrives. Lomax and Tim try to escort Claire out of said house. Unfortunately, Emma arrives. Auggie tries to capture Emma, but she resists the device. I love that Auggie’s invention has the dial-up tone. As a ’90s kid, this makes me happy.
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Claire reads Emma the riot act. She calls the malicious spirit out for being an abusive, sh*tty mother. Auggie entraps Emma while the latter is distracted. He puts her in the music box, which Tim promptly tapes to ensure she can’t escape. Bye-bye, Mommy Dearest. After welcoming their bundle of joy, Claire and Tim drive to the middle of nowhere and drop the music box containing Emma into a well.
Later, Susan visits Tag in person. She gives him a present: His own business cards. “Tag Guinness — The Answer Guy.” She bought business cards for the staff. Tag is touched by this gesture, as Susan was by his words. Tag then asks Susan for advice as he seeks to redo his floors. After she leaves his apartment, Tag looks at the other side of the piece of toast with Tyler’s face on it. It boasts a headstone engraved with “Susan Ireland RIP.”
A Great Sacrifice
Tag panics, and he tries calling Susan. He watches her board the elevator from the camera feed on his computer. Realizing that drastic times call for equally drastic measures, Tag takes a deep breath before leaving his apartment. This is a big deal for him.
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Once in the parking garage, Tag sees a vehicle barreling toward Susan. He pushes her out of the way, the car striking him instead. Afterward, we see Tyler in the driver’s seat. He speeds away. Clearly, he was trying to kill Susan to push Luke’s buttons. Susan screams before rushing to Tag’s side. She reassures him that he’s going to be okay. Tag tells Susan her hair smells good before he dies.
RIP, Tag Guinness. We hardly knew ye, but you were a great addition to the team, and a bona fide hero in the end.
Count your days, Tyler/Malec.
RELATED: Read our SurrealEstate recaps
SurrealEstate drops new episodes every Thursday at 10 pm EST on Syfy.
Syfy Renews THE ARK for Season 3
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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.
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