Midnight Mass

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pinback
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Midnight Mass

Post by pinback »

I have lots of thoughts and feelings about this show, but if nobody here watched it, I'll go over to the other place and give it a shot there.
I don't have to say anything. I'm a doctor, too.

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Re: Midnight Mass

Post by pinback »

Alright, you twisted my arm, I'll tell you my thoughts and feelings.

Midnight Mass is a limited (7-episode) Netflix show about a small, eerie isolated island full of hardcore Catholics. At the beginning, their prodigal son who had left the island to pursue internet startup riches comes back after serving a four-year prison sentence for killing a girl while driving drunk. Also a new priest shows up to replace the island's beloved Monsignor Pruitt, who is sick and recovering from something-or-other on the mainland.

Shortly after both of their returns, Weird Things (tm) start happening. Eventually you find out why, and then more stuff happens, and then the show is over.

This is the second-best limited series show I've seen in the past year, and the best one was HBO's The Third Day, which was also set on a small, eerie isolated island, so I think I only like shows about small, eerie isolated islands.

Now, this show has four flaws, one of which I will discuss freely, a couple of which I will only vaguely hint at because of spoilers, and one of which I don't consider a flaw, but will also only hint at because of spoilers. If it's the consensus that nobody here is going to watch it, I will elaborate on the spoilery things.

The main flaw, and the one I can speak freely about, is that the show has an Annoying Character. I discussed this with my wife, and I agree with myself. One of the main players is an Annoying Character, who you hate, and are meant to hate. My theory, which I agree with because it's my theory, is that no truly great show has an annoying character. There can be "bad guy" characters, but if there is a character written so you are blatantly supposed to dislike and root against them, that's a cheat. My wife says, well, that's just good acting because you're supposed to dislike them. Yes, but not just find them unpleasant and annoying to watch. That's just unpleasant and annoying. So, that's a flaw. (Although the actor admittedly does play the part well, otherwise it wouldn't be so objectionable.)

The second flaw, and here's where I start dancing around it, is that from the first episode, the casting looks wrong. It looks like they picked the wrong actors. Ultimately you will forgive this flaw, but until then, it's jarring.

The third flaw, which isn't a flaw, is that there are a lot of monologues. Long monologues. At least once or twice an episode you know someone's just gonna start rambling about some shit. Now, generally they are excellent, but if that's not your thing, and you get impatient, you've been warned.

The fourth flaw is that the show is excellent (other than the aforementioned flaws) over the first six episodes, and then you get to the final episode, and the first two thirds of the final episode are bad. No way of getting around it, and I was starting to feel like I'd been duped, and had wasted my time on this pile of shit.

And then, after that first two thirds, the end came, and as the credits rolled, I had tears in my eyes, was all choked up, and had to leave the room. That never happens. I ain't some fairy with "feelings" and shit, but I was wrecked.

So the last episode is bad, until it isn't. And the last rambling monologue of the show, although in full honesty it was out of place and didn't really belong there, was a shocking thing to see on TV, because it discusses a topic which is extremely important to me, and which you never hear anything about in mainstream entertainment, and never have before. I was astonished, and I will always love it for doing what it did.

I had to be vague here in case anyone wanted to watch it. If not, I'll spill all the beans.

My last thought is that the priest guy gives one of the greatest performances I've ever seen, TV or otherwise. "Hamish Linklater" is the actor's name, which is an anagram for "Inhale Shark Milt", which is almost a more believable name.
Last edited by pinback on Tue Nov 02, 2021 6:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I don't have to say anything. I'm a doctor, too.

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Ice Cream Jonsey
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Re: Midnight Mass

Post by Ice Cream Jonsey »

I'll watch it asap.
the dark and gritty...Ice Cream Jonsey!

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