I finally finished watching "Midnight Mass". It's the third series I've watched by Mike Flanagan and I guess I'm a fan. I also super like his wife Kate Siegel. I first saw her in The Haunting of Hill House as Theo, then in a movie (I'm still going to review soon) and then this series as Erin Greene. She's a really good actress. <3
Before I fangirl over her more, let me tell you a bit about "Midnight Mass".
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The series started in an accident in which one of the main characters Riley Flynn was involved. He was drunk driving and accidentally killing a young lady. He ended up staying in jail for a couple of years, but that wasn't the only punishment since he has been seeing the young lady he killed. I think it was his guilt or his conscience that's making him relive that moment.
After serving his sentence in jail, he went back to his home island called the Crockett Island.
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It's a small island which is accessible by ferry twice a day from the mainland. There are only very few people in this island. Most of them were born and are bound to die in the same place. It's the kind of place where people know everyone and what's happening to every citizen. I think it's kind of depressing. One thing about the people there though, most of them are very religious and tend to go to church every day.
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People were somehow shocked when a new priest named Father Paul celebrated the mass with them and not Father Pruitt who has been their priest for many years. The new priest then explained the circumstances and continued. People accepted him even more when miracles started happening in their island one by one. Because of this, the residents became more devoted, but will their devotion really save them the moment they learned the truth?
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More than a story about one's faith, it's a story of FORGIVENESS. It's hard to forgive someone who has done cruel things to you, but it's more difficult to forgive yourself when you've done something wrong and you realized the extent of your mistake. The series only has seven episodes but every episode tells a story of its own.
I actually like it. It's a bit unsettling in the sense that you can actually see examples of what's happening in the movie in real life, though minus the scary or horror part. haha There is this one character that I just cannot digest. She's called Beverly Keane.
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I hate her character soooo much! (Kudos to the actress!) She's a total hypocrite and I have no idea whether she's aware that she's being one. And she's a representation that sometimes it's impossible for people to change. She's even scarier than the monster involved in this series.
I mean, it's okay to share your faith, but this woman is so close-minded. She doesn't know when to stop talking and has no plan on listening to what others have to say. I really hoped the worst for her. sorry.. hahaha
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These three characters and Sarah (the doctor) deserved much better, though. Sheriff Hassan and his son were the only people of different religion in this island. Because of that, some people especially Bev looked down on them. He's a great guy, though. I like how he's strong in his faith but is still understanding and open to other religions.
Erin and Riley who are thought to be "bad people" were actually so much better than those hypocrites. Ahhh I'm still frustrated but I like how their character evolved along the way, especially Riley.
It was actually a nice story. There were scenes that could be better, but the message was shared to the audience. Although there were things that needed to be more focused on like Father Paul's relationship with Mildred and Sarah, it was still good.
The story is quite slow, but I like it the way it is. Horror-wise, it was not scary and only had a few jump scares... the effects weren't that great, either... but it's okay.
I'd still recommend this for people to watch. However, if you're annoyed with religious debates and hypocrisy, good luck! hahahaha
Personally, I'm Catholic but I'm not very religious. I have attended church is some other religions (some of my friends have a different religion from me) out of curiosity but I respect their beliefs and their ways. I don't go to church often, but I pray every day. I talk to my God as if talking to a parent... someone who can understand my deepest thoughts and someone who I can lean on.
The series showed reality... the reality of hypocrisy, family, religion, love and forgiveness.
