Well not above assumptions (the author herself admits to not being above bias), I found this to be the most thought through analysis of this show that I've come across and well done. I would recommend this video for anyone wanting to better understand faith, religion (western in particular), atheism and agnosticism.
“Religious trauma” you mean your parents made you go to mass on Easter, Christmas and maybe Ash Wednesday. 😢😢😢😢 grow up and go back to Christ. Our generation had become so week, it’s scary smh.
The biggest test of Monsignior’s faith post his rebirth came in the form of Riley and Joe. He felt for certain that the gift from the angel was objectively holy and good and that even a nonbeliever would be called to the path he was leading. When Riley sacrificed himself, an undeniably selfless act, Monsignior had to grapple with the contrast, realizing at some level Riley the atheist was selfless and he the priest was not. Then when he went along with Bev’s interpretation of Joe’s unworthiness, he started to tell his first true lies. Not the lies he sought forgiveness for from god that he felt would lead to ultimate good, but a REAL falsehood, based in selfishness. He knew joe was not worthless and KNEW in his heart that Joe was exactly the kind of fallen man that Jesus would stop at nothing to save, and never discard. You could see the discomfort and conflict in his face when he lied to Riley about Joe. Those were the most pivotal moments in his crisis of faith in my opinion.
There is an excellent video by biz barclay which uses the framework of comparing Midnight Mass to God's Not Dead to talk about religious interpretation, and she really hammers home how Father Paul's decision to lie in that moment was what sealed the fates of everyone on the island. You should check it out! It's great!
@@bananaboatcharlie hang on, is it this one? Midnight Mass isn’t mentioned written anywhere ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bYYw1bfzCeg.html
The end of this series was so poignant. Hearing Pruitt say ‘that’s what it means to have faith, in the darkness we sing’ and then to have Annie lead the congregation in song during their darkest hour when all hope of survival has faded is so unbelievably moving. In spite of everything that happened they kept their faith and go into the beyond together. Just brilliant.
This show was such a ride for me. Im not religious anymore, mostly because how i choose to live my life doesnt align with the values of the church, but seeing Beverly use scripture to justify all of the horrendous things that happen in the show hit home as most of the people at my old church are the same way.
It hit me hard too. I think that is why this show is so entrancing to so many people. Many of us have been abused by religious hypocrisy. This comments section proves it.
Yeah I struggled with my beliefs when I was a kid. It was high school when I became an atheist. I saw so much hypocrisy and people who justified horrible stuff in the name of God. The majority of people I know who are religious are amazing people so I definitely don't have anything against them. That being said I love this show and I enjoy movies and shows based on religion to a certain extent.
How exactly do you live your life, such that it doesn't align with the values of the church? I'm not religious, either, but I'm curious. And please, don't do a copout and say it's your own private life. Your initial comment opened the door to that line of questioning.
At the very end of the series the priest admits that everything he did was just to get a second chance at a life with the woman he loved but could never have, and the daughter he couldn't acknowledge. Like all religion it comes down to a transaction where , in exchange for some selfish gain, like eternal life, the believer agrees to accept "magic" thinking , and the evil required to maintain that belief in magic. At the core of every religion is a selfish wish or need , often disguised as altruism. Live a certain way or hold a certain set of beliefs and you'll be rewarded with paradise. No religion promises oblivion and dust at the end of life because where's the pay off in that? Nothing the narrator of this film proposes requires a belief in any given dogma. No "deals" to be made, just live the most moral life you can and quietly accept death , whatever it brings.
That's the most basic criticism of religion ever lol, as ivan karamazov said "if there's no god then everything is permitted" so basically you are saying that atheism is selfless? How? If there's no consequences to all the wrongdoings you ever made then hitler, stalin, mao, mengele were right..in a godless world good and evil don't even make sense..
To me it felt more like the way humans participate in religion stifles humanity. It was the Church’s fault he couldn’t just be a family man and a Priest. The most religious woman on the island is why it all goes to crap. If anything it’s not about people being selfish, but religion asking too much of people
I believe Pruitt probably felt guilt. He was just overwhelmed by what he'd done and wanted a way out. In the moment that Bev explained it away through scripture Pruitt swallowed it out of desperation, fear and shame. Pruitt up until his demise was a man of little faith. Riley was ironically, a man of greater faith and conviction.
The catharsis this show provided me for my feelings of abandonment towards my Catholic upbringing cannot be overstated. This show spoke directly to the child that realized God would not protect them, and their resulting pain.
The funniest part of all this is that The Angel never really does much wrong and being a Vampire isn’t even a bad deal. Just everyone fucks it up so badly that no one gets to be a Nighttime Superhero with cool glowing eyes. I’m exaggerating, the Angel is amoral, more like an animal. It’s so ancient that it doesn’t really think much beyond it’s own hunger and just sort of goes along with whatever people it vaguely likes says. Basically, if there was no Beverly, everyone could have started Vampire the Masquerade. Would have been friggin’ sweet.
I mean…..they could have just micro-dosed for ever. Maybe not the kids and those who want children. Bev really was the driving force for this foolishness. She was a bigger monster than the Angel.
This analysis was wonderful. I appreciated that you inserted yourself and experience into the subtext because I feel like it’s what’s so special about this show. Midnight Mass is among the few pieces of fiction that I can say definitively had a major emotional impact on me. It’s exploration of religion, atheism, addiction, and horror were well done on their own right but Reilly and Erin, as characters, felt like an actual piece of my psyche was in front of me. Their arguments and conversations and energy mirrored my own conflicts and opinions and their stories were simply breathtaking. But Flanagan managed to cover so much ground with the ancillary characters and their struggles that I could even feel a part of them as well. The ending is so perfect and definitive but I can see so many different messages that people could walk away with. It’s such a beautiful story about a topic that can be so horrific.
I love finding people who appreciate the show as much as I do! It resonates with me so much as well. Such a multi-layered masterpiece. Thank you for watching my analysis and taking the time to leave your thoughtful opinion Cory 💛
I’m not religious myself, I’m even somewhat of a less militant Antitheist, but I’ve always been a Huge sucker for movies and stories with heavy religious and Christian/Catholic themes and subtext (Daredevil, the Omen, Midnight Mass, etc). I never even considered the possibility that the ’Angel’ was anything other than a vampire in actuality. But the idea of it being a corrupted fallen angel trying to corrupt a desperate dying religious community adds another dimension to the analysis of the story’s themes and makes the entire thing so much more devastatingly sad at the ending. It helps to explain why I can’t finish the show without weeping uncontrollably at the ending. No doubt about it. This is my favourite analysis of the show. Just amazing.
Growing up in rural catholic Ireland, and having little faith from a very young age always made me feel like an outcast in the village. This show mirrored a lot of things I have felt. It really is masterfully and beautifully written.
Erin's final speech is just so perfect, it really helped clarify and put into words the thoughts I'd been having regarding faith this past few years. It's essentially pantheism, this kind of beautiful synthesis of faith and atheism, what the concept of "God" really is as described through a material, scientific lens. Pretty life-changing tbh, as embarrassing as it is to say that about a TV show lol
That's not remotely embarassing... art is life changing, and this is pretty much classic literature as a TV show. The writers and actors and production team clearly poured all their love into it. So no, not embarassing.
Beautiful video. One thing I’ll say is that, for me as an atheist, it was never a question of why God lets bad things happen to good people. If there were a God, I’d be happy to accept that everything may happen as part of his plan and we don’t get to know it. I’d also be happy to accept that he created a natural world that could hurt us and gave us free will and set us loose on each other. I could also accept that the good can’t exist without the bad, that suffering is the price we pay for joy, or is an integral part of joy, even. I could accept all that there are so many things I can’t know. What I can’t accept is faith. Faith means believing without evidence. If you had evidence, you wouldn’t have faith. I can’t do that. I just can’t. And I have to believe that if there’s a God, they wouldn’t be so petty as to punish me for how they made me. I’d have to believe their sense of morality is better than mine, and I wouldn’t torture a good person (or a bad person) for eternity because they didn’t love and praise me enough. I know and accept that there are things I’ll never know. I loved this show. It really illustrated how a text like the Bible can be used to justify any atrocity, in the name of God.
You sound so much like I did. It's almost like having a conversation with myself. 🙂 I think, for me, faith didn't enter until after I had had a spiritual experience. I had no faith before that. Once I experienced it then it was enough to keep my faith full and allow for more amazing experiences to take place. That's not to say I don't struggle with faith. But when I allow myself to trust then everything always works out in a magical way. Also, when I do experience what I now call god or source, I see that it never punishes us. We are the ones who do that to ourselves and each other. God is always there waiting for us to turn away from the darkness and towards the light. Always. We just need to sort through our own crap before we can open ourselves up enough to allow the love the spread. But, of course, this is just my story. You must honor your own path first and foremost. 🧡 Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
This was such an amazing listen. I felt everything you said. I understand everything you said. “I remember I am energy. Not memory, not self. My name, my personality, my choices all came after me.”
I totally agree with the excitement to find out what happens after death. I have been struggling with the existential dread of death ever since I was 10, sometimes to the point of panic attacks. It's weird to me that, buried beneath all of that terror, there is the sliver of excitement, to take the next step in this journey. I'm sure if we had adult level intelligence in the womb, we would be terrified of being born as well.
Such a good point. Birth would be terrifying if you knew it was coming. I think death is just another birth. But because we know it's coming we fear it.
As an Atheist, I have no anger towards god or the religious belief in an all encompassing deity. I’ve swayed people against becoming an Atheist, because anger is not a reason to become one… anger indicates you still believe, but fault god for not doing what you wanted or needed it to be. I do not fault god I simply believe it is a construct to explain what we can’t understand.
This!! Belief is not a choice! The troupe of the “angry atheist” is almost oxymoronic as someone who genuinely doesn’t believe in god cannot have feelings towards it. But it is usually a sign they’re losing their faith. I remember how painful & disheartening it was for me to lose my belief in god but that pain ALONE is no reason to suppress one’s own feelings & sense of meaning/purpose if that is garnered through faith
Never have I ever cried my eyes out more while watching a show than I did during Midnight Mass. I’m not religious, and don’t have any religious trauma. Something about it all just hit me so incredibly hard.
Just came across this video just wanted to refresh or rewatch Midnight Mass but now I'm sitting here crying at this beautifully written perspective piece of Faith and how we connect through the human experience. I'm in awe. truly wonderful
man i tell yall this series is one of the best written series EVER. the dialogue is out of this world, respectful, and agenda-less. The direction is flawless. I think Mike wrote and directed it. I already love that man.
I loved this show, I've watched it 3 times now and I don't think I'll ever get tired of rewatching it (same thing with whatever Flanagan does tbh) great video and analysis!!! and your voice is suuuper soothing too !
U gotta be fing kidding me? Pointless dialogues to no end with extremely little horror involved, but alot stupid stupid people with zero character depth, beside vev perhaps. It was horse shit, and I've seen ALOT of horrors
Excellent analysis. Thank you. I thought this series was brilliant. It was very poignant. As a Catholic I didn’t find it offensive in any way. I loved the singing and the kindness. “The perversion of religious text to justify atrocious acts”. I appreciate that you clearly indicated that they are indeed perversions of religious text. I agree that this series is a powerful indictment of following without thinking and the allegory with alcoholism. I see it pertaining to not only religion but politics(making Trump a quasi cult leader), entertainment and consumerism. There are also echos to the environmental catastrophe we are facing. To also weave in Alzheimer’s disease, multiculturalism and crisis of conscience is nothing short of brilliant. The test for me is always do I care about the characters and yes I do.
Riley’s decision will forever live with me. This was one of the best shows I’ve ever watched and I loved the dialogue so much. Thank you for your amazing analysis of this work of art.
I didn’t grow up in a religious environment. In my region of the world, however, religious institutions have been a key factor in reversing the societal progress that we saw in the last decade of the 20th century, and have contributed to the horrors we’re living through now - so my relationship with them and, by some spiteful transitivity, with faith, has always been complicated. I resented what I perceived as superstitionism, all the while seeking safety and certainty, community and belongingness, my fixation on the fear of death is a constant source of worry up to this day. I still don’t have a resolved view on faith - but sometimes, like when I watched the ending of Midnight Mass, a warmth spreads inside of me, and I begin to cry at being reunited with it. Thank you for this analysis, I loved it so much, and I’ll be rewatching the series in the near future.
great analysis! and this show was the most gripping and emotional show I've watched in years. Best thing Flanagan has done. Can't wait to watch it again.
@@ariadnemayz 😀 you're very welcome for the overdue validation! Furthermore I think you're doing your part to make the name work, navigating your 'Mayz', mapping it out - I hope if anyone ever leaves you alone on Naxos, it's specifically because you want a chill solo Mediterranean vaycay
A Catholic priest seduced by an angle of death with the promise of eternal life carries the dark gift home plunging his entire community into the perpetual darkness of night which is then obliterated by the light of day.
I have always been a fan of horror, mainly because of the visceral reaction my mind and body makes when presented with horrifying images. The works of Mike Flanagan never feels hollow. Beyond the backdrop of horror, he always imbues his stories with immense depth. Dare I say, Midnight Mass is his most profound work. This statement is, of course, not an objective declaration, rather a subjective one. Your exploration of this particular series resonated with me, as I, too, have struggled with belief and faith. After hearing the way you paint each character and their significance to the deeper topic at hand, makes me appreciate this piece of work more. It never got too personal where the audience will become alienated by your experience, but the sprinkles of yourself you left along the way enriched the discussion. Thank you and more power to your channel and future works!
I found this video to be amazingly thought provoking without any of the offense. You perfectly summed up the beauty and unpleasantness of both religion and faith. It is the twisting of words and ideas, the highly sought after answers to our insatiable questions, its that last bit of hope some of us cling to better understand our place in this world. This essay was enlightening to say the least and at most, changed or enhanced my own approach to my beliefs as well. Thank you!
Watching this video reminded me of how visceral Midnight Mass can be... My belly started hurting (as it did when I watched the show). Fantastic video! Also, the "Beverly reveals her good, Christian heart" is sarcasm we all needed 🙂
@@brittoncain5090 hi, I don't, it just feels truthful. The canonical gospels were put together via councils. I don't think the gospel of Thomas had any overt political motives, but I could be wrong. At a certain point we all have to jump off a cliff and just believe in something. If Jesus was real. I believe what he had spoken was closer to what is in the gospel of Thomas.
That was absolutely beautiful. You made me cry again as I did when I watched the show, tears of grief and joy and holy awe. Thank you. Also, Annie Flynn is *such* a badass. 🙂💜
The notion of my body returning to the earth and my existence as a series of dreams is almost comforting... but why does this dream have to hurt so much, not just for myself but others too? I know this is one of the great mysteries I'll never have an answer to, but a glimpse of why suffering is necessary to our dreaming time would bring so much comfort to existence. I know that's the reason why some people choose to end their lives. The dream is your never ending nightmare, and you just want it to end. I can't remove myself from my loved ones' dreams, but there have been plenty of times I wanted to just sleep forever.
4:09 Riley does not blame god for not stopping it from happening. He takes full responsibility, and punishes himself daily for it. If he blamed god, he wouldn't be an Atheist. Also he wasn't saved at the end, he found inner peace. Was that inner peace because he finally did something right? Or was it because the vampire nature made him no longer feel remorse? It's possible that becoming evil made him feel better, something staying good would have never done and in his final moments he enjoyed that 1 gift he was given.
I think that is the beauty of this show. There can be multiple interpretations due to information that was deliberately left out. It's like a looking in a mirror I guess. We all see something different.
@@ariadnemayz I agree. Multiple interpretations. Your views, being more spiritual, colored your interpretations. Mine, being more based on other stories and literal viewing, had me reach different conclusions. However, some things were explicitly told. 1: He's an atheist, AKA he doesn't blame a god for anything. He can't blame an entity he doesn't believe in. 2: He feels guilt. If he blamed someone else he would not feel guilt. He clearly is shown to feel guilt. Thus he blames himself.
@@zarpof3811 I can agree with you 100% on point 2. I don't know why I said he didn't feel guilt when he clearly did. That was my error. On the first point I feel he turned his back on god after the car accident due to not being able to believe a god would allow him to kill the girl like that. I feel there was a resentment for the whole concept of god because of that experience. When I was an atheist there was still a small part of me (that I didn't acknowledge) that believed in a god or higher intelligence but was angry at it. It's hard to explain but it made me feel like an angry child rebelling against a father that I had never met. I may have attached that on to Riley but, again, that is just personal interpretation.
@@ariadnemayz in that case you weren't really an atheist, you were a misotheist, even if you were unaware of it. as an atheist myself, I find Zar pof's interpretation is more accurate to what the show presents
I was initially drawn to Midnight Mass because it reminded of my favorite Stephen King book, Salem's Lot. The beautifully portrayed subtext of religious zealotry and human falability and hubris in the face of something they don't truly understand is what made me stay.
P.S. I pretty much feel exactly same about existence and one's transitions from one form to another as the one outlined at the end of your video. Well done.
This movie was absolutely brilliant! Once again, Mike Flannigan shines bright in his talent!💕💫 And listen, I was obsessed with this too! I’m glad I was because watching it several times, I caught scenes I never did before and understood so much more dialogue.
Your personal segments in the "Faith and Death" section of this video really struck a chord with me. It was really moving and has given me a direction in maneuvering the more confusimg parts of my life right now. Thank you for sharing such powerful thoughts, your legacy will leave behind a wealth of compassion.
Your writing, production, editing and more importantly your spiritual journey shared over this video essay on such a profound series is a salve to my soul. Bravo and blessings to you. Pax, Jennifer.
I'm a buddhist leaning agnostic, my mom is a catholic, and my sister is just a straight up Atheist, and we all loved the show. It's super cool how it spoke to all of us
Best analysis on this show that I’ve come across. I totally identify with your current relationship to faith & spirituality. The closest I feel to god is when I am meditating in nature and experience that oneness on a really profound level. The wonder at the existence of life and its inter-connectedness.
Beautifully explained. You're one of the few who view it as I do. I find it funny that so many immediately assumed it's a vampire [accepted mythology] story, the minute it was revealed that the angel was evil.
the scene at the end of episode 5th on the boat might be one of the best scenes in movie and tv show history (no exaggeration). that scene had everything love, forgiveness, peace, and sacrifice. amazing analysis btw, really enjoyed the video. !!
this is SUCH a good video. a lot of "analysis" videos are just a play-by-play of media, but i think you really dug into Midnight Mass. I really enjoyed watching!
Getting here late, trawling through RU-vid looking for videos discussing this show because it really got to me. Hopefully it's okay for me to put some general thoughts/ramblings here. I wanna say at the outset I appreciate the compassion you present your opinions and beliefs with. I'll try to do the same. I'm personally an atheist, after growing up in a deeply abusive fundamentalist Protestant church in Utah. I saw some of the worst excesses and most depraved sins excused and covered up and lied about by people professing to do god's work. They got to be holy men and women while I was broken, worthless, and incapable of redemption unless I carved out half my heart (I'm queer and nonbinary) and performed a life of lies to appease "god". I tried for nearly the first two decades of my life to be good on their terms. I believed god was real and hell was real, and that if I wasn't constantly apologizing for who I was and every single thought in my head that I was destined to suffer forever. At nineteen I began to question the narrative, to question how the love I had for my girlfriend at the time could possibly be a sin when it was so obviously right and beautiful. At twenty I stopped believing completely and delved into the online atheist movement. For a couple years I was completely insufferable, so sure all faith was nonsense and that I now could see the obvious truth. I was rude, and unkind, because I'd been hurt so deeply and some part of me wanted revenge on the faith that hurt me. With some distance and time under my belt, I regret those early days of nonbelief and how condescending I was to people who weren't part of the abuse I experienced. I just turned thirty this past month. With a lot of thinking and therapy I believe I've achieved a more balanced outlook on life and death. I realize my anger wasn't at god. My anger was at the people who used their self-righteousness as a weapon to hurt me when I was a child, and who used their political power to oppress anyone different from them. I still believe there is no higher power, or afterlife. I believe any afterlife we experience is in those few minutes some of us get while everything shuts down. I more or less agree with Riley. But I'm now able to see the beauty in faith and holy texts, where before I was fixated on the ugliness. I appreciate and love Jesus as a philosopher, and because I don't see him as a god, I can choose which of his lessons to take with me that resonate with my own conscience. No one knows what happens when we die. I hope I can meet the moment like Erin, Riley, and Annie. From what I've seen of Mike's work, I get the feeling that he agrees with Erin's assessment of heaven. "We are loved, and we aren't alone." Whether what I see when I die is objectively real or not, it will be the last reality I experience. My goal now is to live a life that I can feel more satisfaction than shame when looking back on it in those last moments.
You got me teary eyed at the end there. What a beautiful assessment of life! I think you got to the crux of it with trying to live a life to be grateful for rather than ashamed of. If we all strove to such a simple ambition then this world would become a heaven on Earth overnight. I truly resonated with your story. Thank you for sharing it with all of us 🙏
Midnight Mass never affected me as a religious person, but your video did. And I mean that in the best way. Thank you for exacting so much clarifty. Over half an hour, I wept, felt the need to get up and scream, and in the end, melt into a puddle of self-reflection. Again, in the best way possible, as all reflection is dealt with. Thank you.
Midnight Mass is the only series i have binged in a single sitting, and Bev deserves a separate analysis as the character that has earned the greatest hatred
Awesome, awesome video!! I loved hearing ur thoughts on the text as well as ur personal beliefs. Lastly, the Midnight Mass version of Nearer My God To Me has had a death grip on me ever since I heard it.
@@ariadnemayz * Thee🙈 Ugggh AND Holy God We Praise Thy Name!!! A bop. It’s actually insane bc I don’t interact with those songs, or any hymns that I like, in a “worshipping” manner. But I can acknowledge their beauty. The holiness found in the artistry is what gets me.
The video introduction didn’t resonate with me and the discussion topics but I do appreciate your time with the video and love your calm voice. The point you brought up with raging against life and death itself was a strong resonation. I was more atheist prior and turned away from faith, I didn’t understand why and this makes clearer sense though I don’t know what to do with this knowledge either haha Thank you for your video & hope all is well
I grew up in a small isolated town in the mountains with one church and a leader of the congregation who also thought he doubled as the town's political leader, acting as a defacto mayor when it came to policy decisions for the town. And I was the lonely child who spent my entire life skeptical about everything I was taught in church, but afraid to speak up about it lest I be shunned by the rest of the town. To that end, there was so much about the goings on in this series that I felt they really nailed. Like how many people go along with it, not because of genuine belief, but out of fear or peer pressure. Ali was a good example of this, converting to Christianity before he even really knows anything about it because he's desperate to have friends on the island. I've seen too how a charismatic church leader can dictate to an entire community what they should be doing, even when the choices he's making are ultimately bad for the town. (as was the case with my own community I grew up in, though he didn't turn the congregation into vampires)
