Evil season 2 revealed a major clue regarding Leland Townsend’s true identity. The forensic psychologist first came into play in season 1, taking Kristen Bouchard’s previous cases and working with the serial killer Orson LeRoux, who pretended to be possessed. Leland’s actions have gotten even harder to predict in Evil season 2, with his unexpected request for an exorcism being a turning point in his journey thus far. While there are already clues regarding Leland’s work with the demonic, there have also been several hints that he is even less human than he seems.
In Evil season 2’s episode 2, called “A is for Angel,” Leland crossed paths with Sister Andrea when visiting the rectory to partake in a confessional with David Acosta. The confession was one of the last tests for David before he was to become a priest, though Leland was trying to prevent him from being successful in his endeavor. Sister Andrea didn’t hide her disdain for Leland upon seeing him, calling him a demon. Later, when Leland goes to apologize to Sheryl for yelling at her and breaking off their engagement, Sheryl also alludes to the same thing, asking him if he knows how many “demons” she’s dated in the past.
The fact that Leland was called out twice for being a demon in the same episode seems to indicate that he is what Sister Andrea claims him to be in the literal sense. Audiences have seen Leland’s manipulations and, at the end of Evil season 1, he was shown speaking to the devil David has been seeing in visions. To that end, he could very well be a demon; he knows too much about the map and sigils David, Kristen, and Ben are investigating to be an innocent bystander in all this. On the flip side, Leland could also be possessed, which might explain why Sister Andrea called him a demon and why he demands to be exorcised.
Of course, it’s possible Leland is simply playing the long con and is neither a demon or possessed by one. Evil has shown him to be a manipulative liar and not exactly someone who is mentally healthy. Most everything Leland has done and continues to do can be interpreted in different ways. Sister Andrea and Sheryl calling him a demon could be less literal and more metaphorical; the character’s actions are despicable enough to be deemed evil and cruel, which could be why the act of naming him a demon works either way. At the very least, however, he's been dabbling with the demonic for a reason that has yet to be revealed.
The series is also incredibly ambiguous and it's unlikely the audience will get a direct confirmation about his identity one way of the other. Evil has also offered explanations for Leland's behavior in season 2 — for example, the countdown markings behind his ear that he claimed were warnings of his demise were actually tattoos of his own doing. What’s more, Evil is a strong show precisely because it’s ambivalent, blurring the lines between the supernatural aspects it presents and logical reasoning that can be backed up by science, medicine, and technology. Whether or not Evil will reveal another layer to Leland’s identity and machinations is unclear, but the series has at least established that him doing devious things is par for the course.