Sunday, September 26, 2021

Review: Midnight Mass

From the creator of The Haunting of Hill House comes a new limited series by Mike Flanagan aptly titled Midnight Mass. Riley Flynn commits one of the most atrocious crimes when he gets drunk and smashes his car onto another, killing the driver and pleading guilty to the crime he is sent to prison for four years. When his sentence is over he returns home to his family in Crockett Island, a small island town off the mainland. Meanwhile a new priest arrives in town; Father Paul Hill who's substituting for their local priest Msgr. John Pruitt who was on a trip to the Promised Land - Israel and likely suffered from health problems. And so the story begins, with the sinner and the savior arriving at the same time. This is a slow burn of a show, wordy in parts particularly with the characters Riley and Father Paul but these two aren't the only characters of note that inhabit the island. There's Riley's parents; Annie and Ed Flynn and his younger brother Warren, Erin Greene the school teacher and Riley's high school sweetheart, Joe the town drunk, Leeza the paralyzed young teenager due to a hunting incident caused by Joe, Bev Keane who helps out during mass service and is a particular type of Christian and then there's the sheriff; Hassan and his son Ali. All the characters feel like they came out of a Stephen King novel and that's a good thing. It's a tight knit community where everyone knows everyone and while that's true in this island town, it's also like a ghost and that's where our story starts.

Zach Gilford as Riley Flynn
First of all as a Catholic Christian I am glad that the sacraments are given a highlight such as the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist for the audience to gain a sense of our beliefs and I'm grateful because these things aren't normally portrayed when it comes to the faith. Second, I found it calming how this show goes to lengths to portray two sides of the faith in the characters of Bev and Erin, the former a zealous Christian who keeps the people's arms at length particularly the Muslim sheriff; Hassan and the latter someone who has found the faith at a time in her life where she needs to make big decisions for herself and the baby she's carrying. Most of the time, the faithful is often portrayed similar to Bev and I appreciate how this isn't so in this show. Then there's Riley Flynn, who was once an altar boy now a self-described atheist after having killed a young woman and spending time in prison. Riley is our guide in the island but he isn't the lead character and that's one of the great surprises of the show. It's a testament to Mike Flanagan's skill at crafting these characters as they go about their daily lives in the island though I can't help but feel like there's something off about this show.
Hamish Linklater as Father Paul Hill
It doesn't lack an abundance of Stephen King tropes (though with a twist) and while that's fresh, parts of it do get repetitive and some things are left out in the open. Similar to The Haunting of Hill House this show features lengthy and wordy dialogue that feels too caught up in itself and that's probably why I'm not sold on Mike Flanagan as a writer, the characters feel all too real and familiar yet when they open their mouths they sound like Tarkovsky's characters being dubbed by English speaking actors. I get the appeal of Flanagan's works but he isn't for me, though I would be in full support of him if does get a chance to direct a movie adaptation of Stephen King's Revival. That said I think Flanagan's actors are among the best in television; Kate Siegel, Annabelle Gish, Henry Thomas, Zach Gilford, and particularly Hamish Linklater and Samantha Sloyan shine as their characters. There's a great connection between Gilford's Riley and Linklater's Father Paul that's similar to the one in Revival but it's never resolved as the former has gone so far down in his guilt. I was prepared to hate Father Paul and I felt like he got off the hook easily when things were all said and done but I liked how his story ended after a lifetime on the island and not being with the ones you loved and I think again this is helped by Linklater's performance and the way the character is written, he isn't overtly ominous nor is he the youth pastor type of religious leader there's a balance in his character. Overall, Midnight Mass is good it isn't terrible but it isn't great either though I really appreciate the effort that went into this. I may have some gripes with Flanagan as a writer but there's no denying that he has a few things to say with the characters he has crafted so well, he just needs to find the right technique to do it. 

3.5/5 stars.

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