Kinderman's presence in the film creates a looming threat to the MacNeils. Then he shows up, unannounced, to presumably see Regan. What if he had done this earlier before the exorcism, and was exposed to Regan. What would happen next in this hypothetical question? What would Kinderman, the character, do?
shareMy guess would be that "Regan" would either feign sleep as the "very sick little girl" that Chris describes her to be. The demon wouldn't give any hint of its presence to the prying cop - why ruin a good thing, especially before Merrin has entered the picture? If by "exposed to Regan" you mean exposed to her demonic behavior, I suppose Kinderman would apologize to Chris for sort of walking in on it and then retreat to his office to think it all out.
He would realize that he had probably met the most likely culprit in Dennings' death. But he could hardly place Regan under arrest at this point - no absolute proof - moreover, she was too sick to be tried and jailed. He'd probably simply be stymied. He might at least urge Chris to hospitalize Regan, but she would only reply, "been there, done that - and the doctors agreed that I'm capable of caring for Regan right here at home". Kinderman might get Regan's fingerprints and compare them to any found on objects used in the church desecration. But even if the results were positive, this still would not prove that Regan was Dennings' killer. If Regan was healthy, Kinderman might arrest her for the desecrations, not the killing. But of course, she's not healthy - when she's not being comatose, she's out of her mind, has fits, and is mostly bedridden. As I said, Kinderman would probably be stymied.
I'm going to miss this these well-thought responses from you Bastasch. I figured that he would be Karras-like in terms of being conflicted. He had a duty to find Dennings killer and the church defiler, but all evidence was pointing to somebody who couldn't conceivably do it. Seeing it in person, and witnessing the seemingly supernatural presence, I'd imagine he'd ultimately do what he did in the book. Leave it in the hands of a higher authority. Though I think he would be more pushy in attempts to get Regan hospitalized, since it could easily turn into a Annalise Michel(hope I spelled that right) situation.
shareSame goes here, goldeneagle - I'll miss this board and your intelligent comments and questions. This extinction is going to leave a gaping hole in my daily life. I can't believe it's going to happen, but after the 20th, I'll be knowing it, and feeling it for certain.
I like your solution that Kinderman would probably leave it in the hands of a higher authority - "I'm a cop, not a/an [doctor, theologian, exorcist]". That matches the Kinderman who we know to a 'T'. And it still allows for the Merrin-Karras dynamic ot unfold without major interruption.
Great talking with you, as always.
Nice response. I wish I had spent more time on this board damn it!!!
shareThis is a good question. I've always speculated that Kinderman must've known what Regan MacNeil looked like---he was a fan of movies and of Chris (he had seen "Angel" six times). It's very possible he looked through movie magazines that had Chris and Regan on the cover, like we see in the early part of the film.
But, to get to your question, if Kinderman had seen Regan, he probably would have to assume Regan's illness had nothing to do with drafts...it was a serious mental disorder. He of course would consult with Karras since he had seen him leaving Chris' house. (There is in fact a Kinderman/Karras discussion in the novel...it seems as if you are referring to the movie.)
If Kinderman had found out from Karras that there was an exorcism going on, especially one involving a child, he might just give up on the case. Demonic possession or insanity, there wasn't much he could do.
My take, anyway.
Thanks for sharing your take, rams. Much appreciated.
shareKinderman was skeptical of anything supernatural, so he would just assume that he was dealing with a severely mentally ill girl. Since she was in such poor condition (plus his unspoken suspicion that she was responsible for Dennings' death), he may have tried to find a way to have her institutionalized, on the basis that keeping her at home was a threat to her own safety and those around her.
share