Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Yaga Season 1, Episode 5. Episodes 1-5 are now streaming on AMC+ in the US and Crave in Canada, with new episodes releasing on Fridays at midnight PT.
Following up on Episode 4’s chaotic and eventful ending, Episode 5 gives us the most reveals we’ve seen yet in Yaga. Picking up right where we left, we find out Laney is not in fact dead, but instead went into cardiac arrest – with a pissed off Eckert yelling at both Carson and Rapp for being the cause of it.
Rapp explains his theory as to what is happening in this town, which includes Laney thinking she is Baba Yaga and luring people such as Henry, Logan, Angel, and others into her chicken hut in the woods for manifestation rituals and sacrifices.
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As they go their separate ways, we find out more unhinged details involving this mystery. Rapp ends up seeing a little girl (who very well may be a vision) who echoes what Laney said in the hospital – that Henry is a “bad dog” and is in Baba Yaga’s chicken house. Immediately after, Rapp finds a mysterious package in his rental car, and upon opening it, he finds a carved box with chicken feathers and what looks to be Henry’s phone. The sinister mask is set as the phone’s background and there’s a raw audio recording for him to play of the podcast episode Henry did with Katherine, which unfolds into fascinating revelations.
On the other side of things, Carson and Eckert are trying to track down who uploaded the video of Logan’s body by speaking to various people around town. One of the familiar faces is Katherine, who throughout the episode (and the show overall) seems to constantly drop suspicious clues, almost too casually, for it to not be intentional.
From mentioning the diner owner, Geena, cooking the chickens who stop laying eggs, to telling Carson she and Rapp “look good together” while giving her a sly look, to bumping into Eckert and seeing images of the mask, telling him she loves the artist’s work, Katherine seems to be dropping information right into their laps. And in this episode, it’s more apparent than it’s ever been.
As Rapp continues on his search in the woods, we see Katherine in her office with Henry recording the podcast, and surprisingly, Logan is there to manage the tech of it all. This is the first time we get to really see Hudson Williams at length as Henry, and his portrayal of the billionaire playboy is chilling while he tries to charm Katherine with his outright crude methods.
It’s pretty apparent that Henry is trying to get information on Baba Yaga for some reason, as he inquires about witches eating bones and casually mentions the retreat he attends – all with an obvious underlying sexual interest in Katherine.
Carrie-Anne Moss as Katherine absolutely owns this episode with her incredible storytelling and her ability to bewitch anyone in her orbit. By the end of the podcast (and the episode as a whole) you’re left wondering who actually seduced who into their bed? Who holds the power of the seduction?
The theme of men being inappropriate and downright sexually assaulting women in this show rears its ugly head yet again, with Henry having deliberately brushed his hand against Katherine’s breast without consent, and Eckert kissing Carson while they were at his house working on the case. In the latter scene, she shoves him off of her and he comments, “it’s not like I was trying to fuck you.” It’s a disturbing but accurate reality for many people and the show bringing this theme to light is as important as it is difficult to watch.
“Women? We’re angry about everything.”As night comes – and right when we think Rapp is actually focusing on being responsible – he makes his way over to Katherine’s house, surprising her. Yet she invites him in for dinner. While they discuss the podcast and details from it that Rapp is trying to get answers on, Katherine continues her casual attitude and shares how she relates to Baba Yaga. “She resonates with me, with women. She’s a figure of great power, wisdom, rage.” Rapp asks her if she’s angry about something, to which Katherine responds, “Women? We’re angry about everything.” Any woman watching this scene will likely relate to the safe door Moss just opened with the perfection that is that line.
Towards the end of the episode, we can sense how intoxicating the sexual tension is that has built up between Katherine and Rapp as, filled with passion and lust, they grab each other to have sex on her living room floor. On the opposite side of things, we get confirmation of Carson’s feelings for Rapp as she’s at her place, rightfully upset over her assault and that Rapp wouldn’t respond to her texts, as we see her sniff his tank top in her hands while pleasuring herself in the same moments Rapp and Katherine are having sex.
After they finish, we see Rapp looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror – taking in the nail and bite marks and other bruises – when a vision seems to flicker through. Henry’s standing next to him, puts his hand around his throat and pulls him in for a brutal kiss. All of a sudden, Henry looks into the mirror, opens his mouth, and screams as blood pours out of it.
In that moment, the scene stops and jumps to Rapp jolting and standing in the hallway as he hears someone scream and pound on Katherine’s front door. He looks toward the clock on the wall, seeing the time flip to 3:33, and then sees Geena’s daughter, Lily, at the door. She starts throwing up blood as Katherine runs to grab her, while Rapp finds a tooth on the ground and holds it up in curiosity.
We’re now left with more questions than we started in this episode, including finding out Henry bought three of the creepy witch masks from the artist, while Rapp discovered a large triskele symbol made out of moss in the middle of the woods – which seems to be the circle Laney uses for her retreats. We also find out Katherine gifted Henry the Aztec knife that was allegedly the murder weapon for Logan, while lying smoothly to Rapp about it. Who do we think is behind all of this? Is there one true Baba Yaga or is it a cult of culprits?