15. "Highway to Hell with a Snake Named Axl"

The Signs-following faith considers any "backslider" a "sinnerman." As Cody rages against his church, the terms easily apply.

Cody said it best at the beginning of the series.

"I was told since childhood," he explained, "'Cody? You should give 110% to serving God! And, don’t be a hypocrite! 

'But, if you do choose to serve the devil, then you should give him just as much effort!'

"Well, that’s exactly what I did," he said.

His trip to Greensboro is a perfect example of a sinnerman "backsliding" with abandon. Why curb any part of an appetite when one bite of the apple is as damning as eating it down to the core.

So, in this episode, Cody tries to eat the whole tree.

What is Marked for Life?

Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood.

He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is the world's most famous serpent-handling preacher.) A terrible act of violence befalls 8-year-old Cody, shocking the serpent handling community. A preacher pleads guilty to charges of deviant sexual abuse, but it's too late: Cody's innocence is shattered. Anger boils inside him, so he turns his wrath upon his parents, his church, and even his God.

As he cruises the backstreets of Middlesboro, Ky, looking for nothing but trouble, Cody's sins begin piling up. But the consequences do, too.

Is Cody beyond salvation? Or, is he as the community describes him: "Marked for life?"