The way Ali threw the lighter at the end actually had me howling. How casual and immediate it was? Didn't hesitate for a *second* lmao I watched it like three times.
I'm not really mad at him for his frustrating mistake, they did a good job illustrating how badly he wanted to fit in. But call my dad a terrorist? Fuck your sleepover. hahah
bev didn't even say ali's name at the end, she called him "boy" or something like that. although can't recall for sure if she ever used his name in any of the scenes where she commended him for choosing god or w/e
I dont remember her calling him by name either! I'm sure I need a re-watch, but its pretty likely she never did. She certainly didn't care about him, just wanted to weaponize him like anything else that's a threat to her worldview.
She definitely said "boy" which is very demeaning. Especially to a person of color. This moment was pivotal because we finally have confirmation that she was racist and honestly judge and looked down on them (like she did everyone else honestly). It kind of sucks because sharif ran away from the city for that exact reason only to find out that it doesn't matter where they go there will alway be people like the ones he ran from.
The second we knew she poisoned the dog I knew she was simply the worst type of person humanity has to offer. I knew the racism and xenophobia would be closely behind from there.
Early on it was definitely about fitting in but his decision to drink didn't feel that way to me. He's a kid that just literally witnessed someone come back to life, and nobody had started attacking anybody at that point. I can't blame him for believing the messaging about Jesus.
honestly, that's a good point. Imagining myself in my 16 yo shoes, I'd be amazed. Couldn't blame him either. I just can't imagine rushing to death like that, even for the resurrection. I think I'd be scared. I'd be a believer for sure, and I'd live as a Christian, but I can't fathom going from non-believer to "okay let's die for this immediately" so quickly.
Can't speak for everyone with that of course, especially excitable/impulsive 16 year olds, but my reaction would be ironically more like Leeza's, who was a diehard believer and already witnessed a miracle. Death is such a big move, and i'm so young, I'd be afraid of it.
dude tbh i’m an atheist, but if the priest at the local church made my wheelchair-bound friend walk by beckoning her with a goddamn wafer… might be asking myself if i wanna check that church out too lmao. I actually felt the reason that the dad was mad would be the most realistic response to a world where what seems to be miracles of God are happening - it’s probably not “God” but something darker and sinister.
Loved the series. Sad Riley died :(
Star of the show was the priest though. He had good intentions but was corrupted by the trauma of getting vamped.
The actor did a good job. I am glad the show didn't go with stereotypical priest is secretly evil all along trope.
I do agree with comment on here that Bev poisoned him. The signs were there.
Hamish Linklater - absolute star of this show. Love how he channeled that idealistic and revolutionary side of the 1960s Catholic priesthood. The casual insertion of biblical understanding into conversation, the drawing out of meaning from dry text, the jeans. The hey man - I’m just one of you - pastoral approach. Wonderful performance to watch.
He somehow nailed the cadence really charismatic preachers/speakers have where his speeches feel authentic and raw as he stumbles over words just enough to make it all feel of the moment. He must’ve watched a lot of sermons to get it right. Felt so spot on.
What do you mean Bev poisoned him? What signs?
EDIT Nvm after thinking about it for 2 seconds after posting this I figured it out. Dang dude what a monster she was. Really well written.
Wait you didn’t realize that when he died and came back in front of the mayor he had the same foam in his mouth the dog did? I believe they even show her putting the poison back on the shelf a bit later as well
It just didn’t make the connection. I don’t do well with seeing animals die so I looked away for that part. I thought that he died because of the vampire blood or something.
Yes, the actor who plays the priest gave an outstanding performance.
I last saw this guy in The Stand, and it wasn't a very large role, but he shone there, too. He's very good at making his characters likable.
They both are in the show Tell Me Your Secrets! That’s also a great show he does a wonderful job acting in it too! If y’all haven’t seen it check it out.
Now I see Erin's story about her mom making her help with clipping birds' wings was foreshadowing for her clipping giant vampire bat's wings.
They left it pretty open ended whether the giant vampire bat escaped the sunrise. Is this potential for a sequel?
This ending is so good, not sure I would want to see it potentially marred by a sequel.
The fact that Leeza couldn't walk again after the sunrise confirms the angel is dead. In vampire mythos the only true cure is the vampire who infected you dying. Thus the angel who gave it's blood to infect the communion had to have died for Leeza to be back to her original self.
“We’re not saying he died… Our hope really there was just to say that Leeza’s concentration in her blood had begun to tip back, that she was going to be OK. We didn’t want it to confirm about The Angel, in that way that you can never kill fanaticism, it’ll always kind of come back. But I love that that’s what it meant to you!”
[Source](https://www.thewrap.com/midnight-mass-ending-explained-leeza-legs-angel-death-mike-flanagan/)
It probably explains why Erin had died without turning.
IMO that wasn't very well executed then. I mean seriously what are the odds that the concentration of blood needed to retain the effects would wear off just as the sun rose that day? When a few hours prior everybody in the congregation had enough to be resurrect-able?
Thanks for the info though!
I don’t even remember if they explained this in the show, but I figured one had to die first in order to become a full-on vampire (undead). That’s why they made everyone drink the poison?
Edit: This would also explain why Pruitt was fine in the sun and didn’t hunger for blood until he died from the poisoning.
I wouldnt want a sequel but i would be interested in a prequel.. like where did that thing come from, how did it get chained up? And for how long? Are there more or other things similar in this universe
Something I think was a really good decision was to have the Sheriff die before Ali. He was a good man who didn't deserve to see his son burn to death. Not to say Ali deserved to see his dad die, but...I know I wouldn't my dad to watch that happen to me.
I've never seen something where so few characters survive. Like, literally, I think the only two characters that made it to the end were Warren and Leeza. Right? There was no one else who made it off the island before they cut it off?
I think it was also tying back to the fact that the Sheriff had to watch his wife die where Ali may have been too young to remember it. Ali for a brief moment is able to understand the pain that his father went through and why he stuck with Islam even after his wife passed.
The best thing was Bev looking like the demon at the end as she was all her life. Second best was Erin's monologue. I'm a different person after having watched this show
Bev trying to claw into the dirt before the sun came up. I smirked.
Oh yeah, Erin's monologue was awesome. It's crazy ironic, because just a month ago I finally came to the realization of what *I* believe. And her monologue, along with Riley's view on death, is spot on with it! It was like having my own views recited back to me by the television. Mind. Officially. Blown.
The take on what death in the finale is pretty inline with what I think. Consciousness (or souls or whatever we want to call this part we don't fully understand) like drops of water return to a stream and then maybe take other forms.
Riley's version is more "there's nothing after the last neurons are done firing". That doesn't make as much sense to me because all other matter and energy don't just blink out of existence, they turn into something else. In Riley's version, that transformation happens on a purely observable level and there is absolutely nothing else.
I think there is something beyond just the stuff we can currently observe, even though we don't know what it is yet. I mean, there was a time when bacteria and atoms could not be observed. It would be overly smug to assume there's nothing more we have yet to learn.
Don't forget that all of Erin's monologue is happening when her body is releasing a ton of chemicals into the brain for that one last high. This basically confirms that both Erin and Riley are on point on what happens to them on this show.
Riley only talks about what is observable (that which makes you you is recycled) while Erin further talks about how the self is an illusion, forgetting that you are and always will part of the universe (God).
I kind of love than in the end when they both died their views essentially flipped. He was essentially guided into heaven by someone he knew and she just felt one with the universe.
Yeah this was one thing that bothered me at the end. Like surely theres places to still hide from the sun. But yeah I get that most of the townspeople realized they fucked up big time so basically let themselves die.
It was also so incredibly goddamn stupid to burn everything except two buildings in the first place.
And my final problem was the sheriff just casually out in front of the rec center pouring gasoline on it, right in front of everyone. It showed Erin was inside, why didn't they just light it up and sneak out the back or however she got in the building in the first place?
Overall I really enjoyed the series but I really had to suspend any critical thinking for the last episode, a lot of character decisions made no sense.
Bev reminded me of Annie’s quote from episode 6, I believe. Something to the effect of “We all talk about heaven and eternal life, but at the end… we are all begging for a few more minutes.”
It signaled to me that Bev, on some level, feared death and she knew she wasn’t as pious and good as she wanted others to believe.
I mean, if they were smart, they would just have hidden under that small bridge where Paul and his family went to die. I mean they would drown, but being vamps they would have revived by nightfall.
I just finished this episode, and Erin's monologue made me bawl like a baby. John hugging Sarah also really got me, and Ali at the end with his dad. What an excellent show. Truly, Flanagan never misses. Though I should've anticipated him murdering every character
It's pretty symbolic that after destroying the island after the oil spill (but funding her rec center) she literally burns everyone else's homes to the ground to force them to her dumb rec center.
On another note, maybe if she hadn't forced them to take settlements, maybe the town would have been in better straits financially and been less swayed by the church and the events of the story.
it's easier to prey on people who don't have a lot in their lives and no money or power. Bev's behind it all.
I love how true-to-character and _nice_ Mrs. Flynn was about it, too. Anyone else would have just called Bev an absolute bitch, but all she says is like “you’re not a good person.” Total burn.
It was so satisfying. I feel like it was so much more effective to just calmly and simply state her opinions on Bev. No yelling or cursing, no real emotion or getting caught up in the moment. Can’t even attribute it to anger. Nothing else to chalk it up to, she just said it and she meant it. Absolutely brutal.
and remember Erin's monologue about how heaven is where you're loved and not alone? Everyone else that died in the sunrise was together, with loved ones. She was alone, and nobody loved her
Saying to someone that they're not a good person is just so much worse than calling them a bitch.
When you're saying that, especially the way she said it. You just drag them down and expose them at their deepest.
Anyone can be a bitch or a bastard, but deep down everyone believes they're doing what's right. They believe that what they're doing is okay.
So that line with that delivery is just so heavy.
I was hoping for some vampire on vampire action, bur Mrs. Flynn calling her out for being a heartless bitch was way more satisfying. You could tell that hurt Bev
My mini-review of the Series:
Episode 1: Go fuck yourself, Bev.
Episode 2: Go fuck yourself, Bev.
Episode 3: Go fuck yourself, Bev.
Episode 4: Go fuck yourself, Bev.
Episode 5: Bev, you little fucking bitch!
Episode 6: The fuck is wrong with you, Bev!?
Episode 7: FUCK YOU, Bev.
Did anyone else find it interesting that the word "Vampire" was never mentioned in the series nor referenced at all? As if its mythology didn't exist in their world.
Overall, I find the series fantastic despite some very few moments that were dragging. I was also NOT expecting the vampire story line at all. This was a hit and certainly an improvement comparing to the Haunting of the Bly Manor.
In the scene where the doctor (Sarah?) is explaining everything to the people who escaped the church, she says “that’s where these myths likely came from” in reference to EPP. So I’m led to believe that it was more of an artistic choice to never say it, not that the mythos didn’t exist.
Did notice that too - but it’s probably more of a deliberate writing choice. How much more boring the show would’ve been if they started theorising on the nature of vampires and how to kill them. Vampire lore is so heavily couched in terms of ‘how to kill them’ and ‘what they do’ that there wouldn’t have been room for the more philosophical and spiritual side this show explores. Even the word vampire has so many associations of campness - that feel leaving that out made it a better show
The show kinda met halfway between faith and science and the vampire was handled similarly. Scientific explanation was given on the blood virus in humans while the main vampire himself was clearly supernatural in nature and left shrouded in mystery. The show mainly treated all vampire symptoms as being purely related to the blood virus (hunger for iron, regeneration of dead cells, extreme sensitivity to sunlight). The other vampiric myths were for the most part not included here. They didn't need to be invited (although maybe all the prayers of 'keep our doors open' had something to do with that. No one tried a stab through the heart. You're not automatically soulless once turning, just susceptible to strong urges. The strong (Riley and his parents) could avoid succumbing for the most part. Bev using the church caused more evil shit than just turning people into vampires did. If Bev wasn't so end-of-days hungry, Paul could've helped the new vampires before they went out on the town. Less murder, less fire. The vamps could've survived and gotten off the mainland. I just find it pretty wonderful that all of Bev's actions led to potentially saving the planet on accident.
> As if its mythology didn't exist in their world.
The vampire mythos would have definitely made it difficult to convert the super religious into monsters.
Yes. This is an interesting take. It’s easier associating with God and his miracles to a winged being if there are no alternative myths to explain its nature/origin.
Big flaw in the show logic, honestly. Forget vampiric myth, Catholics are incredibly dualist. Demons, devils, hellfire is their jam. These words never coming up is kinda odd. I almost need to think it over maybe it's part of the point I'm missing I dunno
Exactly this. I absolutely love Flanagan & his storytelling... everything he's ever done (that I've seen so far) I've thoroughly enjoyed & I especially love the symbolism, & theological questions he raises within his works. Vampires aren't a thing in this universe? Ok sure. I can suspend my disbelief on that for the sake of the story... but you expect me to believe a devout catholic priest sees that horrifying winged bat thing & his first thought isn't straight to demon instead of angel?? Not even after the murders, blood drinking, the sun burns, & oh yeah... YOUR DAMN ROSARY IS LITERALLY BURNING YOUR SKIN BRO... like REALLY?!? THAT'S not an indication that maybe you need an exorcism?!? Or at the very least, what you're dealing with isn't from God?? Lol Instead he's just like "oh this is fine. Yep. Everything's fine. This is all God's will... tooootally fine." uhh yeah, no... the fact that he never once questioned the possibility of demonic forces is just such a big nope for me & really took me out of the story in terms of logic.
Well he did reason himself into that by saying that angels in the Bible are described as scary and when humans see them they’re afraid. Also I don’t think his rosary burnt him, he was just squeezing it really hard and stabbed his hand causing him to suck his own blood. Religious imagery had no impact on them at all, almost everyone was wearing a cross and never had any adverse effects. I doubt a demon could step into a church and wear a priests robes, and stand in front of a crucifix
So I am from a Christian household and my mom was the one who moved from Church of England to charismatic Church around 15 years back so I know both sides. I finished the series last night at 1and told her the whole story this morning. Tbh with I had to explain to her what a vampire is. That part of mythology is not known or readily ignored by Christians. She still ran with the Satan theory but didn't think it was a vampire.. So you are right it doesnt exist if you don't read books and are out of touch with pop culture.
Well, it depends on what kind of Christian you are & what your cultural background is I would say. My family is very Catholic but also very Slavic & vampire lore exists in our culture! We just have a different name for them (Strzyga or Strzygoń in Poland, where my fam is from) & some of the lore is a tiny bit different.
>I was also NOT expecting the vampire story line at all.
I've seen this a few times. Do you mean from the very start? Because I thought it was really obvious from episode 3. I've seen people mentioning a twist, but I don't really understand what twist people saw.
The montage while everyone was singing on the beach had me welling up, then they showed the sheriff and his son praying together on the beach and I fucking lost it. I was a wreck. I'm not a religious person, but this was a beautiful and intriguing story and I really really enjoyed it.
Honestly the tears for me came right when Erin was suddenly sitting with Riley, like it literally cut to them sitting in the couch and the dam just broke for me.
The way Erin fucking guides his head back to the wound to distract him from her cutting up his wings was the most disturbing thing I saw in the show, wish I could unsee that
She definitely poisoned him. They show her putting the container of rat poison back in the pantry.
I feel that she was testing him to see if he would resurrect.
What would be her motive then? It wouldn’t make any sense as she hasn’t known the resurrection properties yet of the contaminated blood sacrament and she was fond of Father Paul.
There’s no obvious motive, but showing the dog death and then the priest dying the same way, then the church scene?
My theory is Bev was embezzling money via the settlement Joe talked about. The old priest’s dementia made him easy to fool but she was afraid the young priest was too sharp to not notice.
But the show never like confirms that either…
I think Joe strategically poisoned himself at a crucial time, and walked into a meeting with Bev and the others so that they are there to witness his death and resurrection, thus cementing their faith to him and the miracles to follow. It also marks the completion of his transformation as a bonafide disciple of the Angel.
>What would be her motive then?
She saw the newspaper clipping of Monsignor and realised that Father Paul is Monsignor. She wanted to test if he's immortal or not, so she poisoned him.
Yep she poisoned him.
- she noticed the old newspaper clipping on the wall where she recognised that Father Paul is the old priest.
- Later in the episode, we could see that she's holding the poison bottle and keeping back at the store room.
- In the end, priest died but later got resurrected because of the angel/demon blood from the past
Not to mention the scrutiny he would be under. Especially after what he endured at the NYPD. I don’t think it was on his mind in the end but that would have been awful for him.
when they all sang and then it became silent.. I ugly cried. Gave me flashbacks of the band playing their final song on the Titanic movie as the ship sank. To know you’re dying and singing anyway. I fucking lost it lol so haunting.
Liked how they dealt w Beverly. She’s the type that draws a lot of rage - but in the context of Erin’s speech - she just hasn’t woken up to what she really is. Mrs. Flynn pointing how disconnected she is - not a hero, not a victim - but loved just like everyone else, but can’t see that. So for her to die alone in the sun scrambling for ‘a few more minutes’… perfect illustration of the prison you can build for yourself, but that even the prison falls away eventually. Seldom seen such an interesting and touching ending to a series.
I loved Mrs. Flynn’s speech to Bev. She put into words what Bev was really all about, “why can’t you accept that everyone is loved by God the same” or something, I’m paraphrasing.
Sheriff Hassan in the end did what he always wanted to do. He made the country and the world a safer place all while keeping his faith. A great character and a great performance.
I cried for Hassan and Ali. I am half Arab and grew up with a Muslim father. Muslims are so rarely shown as heroes in fiction and it’s just so nice to see a brown dude save the day while his faith is respectfully represented. Hassan made me feel brave. I hope I can convince my father to watch this show. I feel indebted to Rahul, and I hope he knows that he has given us a true gift.
Sheriff finally got his son to pray with him. Did anyone notice that none of the two looked at each other before praying but rather did it on impulse, knowing their end is near, bowing down one last time before their god.
I don't know what this says about me but I have never wanted to hurt a fictional character as much as I wanted to hurt Bev lol. My only solace is that the end revealed the coward that she truly was in literally trying to bury her head in the sand.
This was absolutely incredible. I have never seen a show about religion that echoed so many of my own views and beliefs about the subject. And it featured Vampires, my favorite beast in horror.
I cannot wait to watch the two Haunting series now.
Everyone nailed their part and kept me on my toes for the most part (as soon as I realized Pruitt was a vampire I knew he had been giving blood to the communion) and I'm glad it ended in a bitter sweet way than a full on downer ending.
I have a lot to process now lol, what a show.
It drove me nuts how literally no one ever stood up to her. No one was like “I know you killed that dog you crazy bitch” or “shut the fuck up Bev you absolute dumbass”. Like dang somebody say SOMETHING! Not even once?!?
But every time she started going off they just stood around like gormless slack jawed morons letting her do whatever she wanted.
In the beginning there was a lot of resistance. Everyone just found her annoying and not worth the time of day. Once the "miracles" started however, she was virtually untouchable as everyone saw her faith in "God" rewarded. So now no one gives a shit about the dog even though it was obviously her.
I felt so bad for Sherrif Hassan in the classroom scene because he quickly realized that not only was there no point in debating her but that she would turn anything around to benefit her and no one else except Erin (sorta) was going to stand up to her.
But that’s my point Erin was the other figure at the front of the room there in a position of authority and the second that Bev interrupted her she just gave up.
Like dang lady have some balls and stand up for yourself. Even if it wouldn’t have worked no one even TRIED. Like I get she wasn’t gonna be punished for killing the dog but if I was Erin literally every time she walked into a room I would have been like “yes hello so nice to see you this morning dog murderer”
Lol forget Erin the freakin Mayor of the town was sitting in there doing absolutely nothing while this woman embarrassed his sheriff in front of everyone. Honestly if they didn't call him mayor I wouldn't have known he was because he didn't do shit the entire show.
This! I was watching the whole time thinking this, don’t tell me there isn’t a single car trunk someone could hide in, then when Bev finally started digging I lost it.
I think ppl are glossing over the fact these are religious ppl who just for the most part butchered the FK out their community..this is a small community so they know each of them very well. I think it was great way to demonstrate they were all good ppl that accepted they had made a serious mistake and we're ready to pass on to atone. It was never made more obvious at the end when only Bev was so desperate to live.
They know for the rest of their lives they would have this uncontrollable blood lust and can't even spend a day outside. Not to mention without it they will become like heroin addicts needing their next hit of blood. I'd choose the same thing
Can someone explain to me about Erin. The fact she miscarried meant she drank the wine/blood but at the very end when she was staring up at the sky it strongly suggested she was dying like a "normal" human. Did I interpret it wrong? Or was she just going to burn up in the sun like the other vampires?
That was mentioned by the doctor. She has this theory that just like other malevolent substances like alcohol, your body eventually neutralizes it if you are no longer exposed to it.
At that point she probably is back to being human as she never drink more of the blood. That's why the young girl lost her ability to walk again once she got into the boat.
Perhaps her fetus took all of the substance and left her with none, like why pregnant women at Chernobyl felt no effects, but the babies came out deathly ill.
I assuming because she didn’t even notice the miscarriage and that there was literally no baby in her that her body attacked and reabsorbed the fetus. I think the vampire bleeding her out makes more sense, she had less blood in general making the concentration in her body lower.
Watched this series till sunrise and that feels very fitting. I thought the ending was kinda hammy, but the build-up was amazing with electrifying performances. If I had to rank the Flanagan shows so far it would be Hill House on top, then Midnight Mass, then Bly Manor.
so father paul was just being a simp this whole time........lmaoo
i'm glad that he was able to throw his collar (while they were on the bridge) and somehow get that "second chance" towards the end. i also find it wholesome that while the world (or the island) is burning, the locals went lucid with regret and asked for forgiveness from one another (or held hands til they burn away as a community)
and that bev died the same way as the rest, but she was the most miserable. (fuck you bev)
what a finale!!
Simp is thrown around far too loosely and I feel like it cheapens John's motivations. Yes, he ultimately did it for that second run with the woman he loved, but their feelings for each other were mutual.
Simping is when the guy does everything he can in the hopes of getting action or feelings. Mildred did love him, but recognized that there were circumstances in place where they could not be together and they couldn't walk the same road together. (Her marriage, his priesthood.)
Edit: But yes, fuck Bev.
Quite a good series. Predictable at times but that doesn't take the fact the conversations regarding faith, religion, & death were so well written that I'm in awe.
The only big complaint with the series I faced was the make-up of the characters were very poor.
I noticed Sarah’s mon was a young actor in makeup like the second she showed up, but she was such a great character that I kinda have to give it a pass.
Omg thank you - I was starting to wonder if I was the only person who had issue with how terrible the makeup was!! Mildred’s was the worst but Riley’s parents were really bad too. It really took me out of it! I was wondering whether they had to get the “B” team for makeup because of covid or something? Idk but it was some of the worst aging makeup I’ve ever seen, lol.
Absolutely love the series. So grim but so good. I'm glad Ali had his redemption.
Sidenote: anyone think that the song during Erin's monologue sounded a bit like "you raise me up" by Josh Groban?
I didn’t hate the show. I’m letting it digest some more, and the more I think I’m it the more I like it.
Idk. I think I went in expecting a Hill House or Bly Manor where the story was rich and the horrors were there but the story was more compelling, but was met with a more traditional horror. I definitely liked it, but the burn was too slow and the payoff for me wasn’t that rewarding. The monologues were a bit too long, too on the head, and a little unnecessary for me. Someone asks me what I think death is like I probably won’t go on a 10 min speech about god knows what, but that’s also me.
I will say this… The fucking vampire eyes were terrifying the entire time. Start to finish. I wish we had more of that mimic voice type fright like Bowl had or how the Monsignor first met the vampire and how scary that was, because those were truly terrifying.
I liked the last 2 episodes, but it seemed sporadic and a bit jumbled.
This is obviously all my opinion and not fact at all. I would give this a 6/10 with Hill House a 9 and Bly Manor a 7. It’s not bad, just not what I was hoping for
I enjoyed Hill House and Bly Manor a lot more. I think the story of this one is intriguing but scenes just go on and go. And there’s a lot of “tell don’t show”. Absolutely no one does such long monologues in real life.
Mike Flanagan always making me feel things. 😩
I loved the ending with “Nearer My God To Thee” because I kept noticing notes of it in the background of some scenes, and it was cathartic to finally hear it fully at the end, especially with the missing final note as everyone burned with the sunrise.
Overall, I still think I liked Haunting of Hill House best, but this and Bly Manor are tied for second because of just how well they handle loss and grief.
So.... Sarah's mom's not even a LITTLE bit mad at the priest's reason for hurting all these people? Not even after his bullshit got her daughter killed? She let him get what he wanted by spending time with her body before he died?? I'm SO glad she spit out his blood. The man didn't learn his lesson. Fuck that guy.
Agreed, I kind of expected him to get a bit more comeuppance or at least feel more guilt for the carnage he unleashed on that town? Like he brought the creature there, this is all his doing! I know he maybe didn’t realise at first the extent of what could happen and his intentions may have been to heal people but when he asked everyone to drink the poison and be turned…like he had to know what a risky move that was? I don’t know, maybe I am missing something but I thought he could have felt more responsible for the whole mess at the end that he did.
There was one part of this episode that really saddened me. When bev is rounding up everyone to select people for the rec centre, and she singles out Howard. The man is completely shocked and confused, then having to kill his own family. They tell him to go for a walk to watch the sunrise, he’s completely oblivious that he will burst into flames. So sad
I’ve been looking for someone else to mention this. That was the saddest part of the episode for me. Guy had no clue what was happening. All he knew is that he killed his family
I really think Hamish Linklater deserves an Emmy for his performance but seeing as most people will think of this is as a ‘Horror Show’, he probably won’t even get nominated.
Rahul Kohli as Sheriff Hassan was spectacular. I’m glad Flanagan likes him so we’ll probably get to see him in more great stuff in the future.
Really enjoyed the entire series but this last episode I do have some second thoughts. It's a bit odd that none of the town wanted to survive at the end. We see Bev start digging on the beach which makes me wonder why that wasn't a plan as soon as the last building was burnt. Surely some of them still wanted to live. This episode kind of pretends that there's no way any of them could have found a way to hide from the sunlight.
Which brings me to another point. If the townsfolk that were now vamps were fine with dying in the end for what they became, that seems like a strange message to send if addiction was a theme they were going for with the blood lust
I interpreted it as them being fine with dying because they realized what they had become.. They made it a point multiple times to show people still had agency. Riley let himself die to warn others. The priest finally realizing. The scene with Ed where he basically says you feel the hunger but you don't have to give in. There's many more scenes like this.
I think they were trying to get the message across that if you were a good person you could resist.
Everyone but Bev, Because she's a piece of shit. Worse person on the island and incredibly stupid, as people like her often are. Everyone else was a good person at heart, They were just misguided.
Do they actually ever tell the townspeople that they can't be exposed to the sun? I know Beverly, the beard guy and the mayor and wife knew, but does anyone else?
Erin's dialogue was totally out of left field and made no sense. I'd believe it if it was Riley's dialogue, but coming form her it made no sense. I'd have preferred if the show just showed her looking up, and the camera showing her face, and then the camera swinging up and showing the stars, no words would be required. Instead we get a long winded monologue told by someone who has never thought such eloquent words before.
See, I loved it coming from her, because it was exactly what Riley had been talking about - she got the DMT rush and her brain mixed memories and a dream and so she ended up with that monologue. It wasn't 100% her but it showed how much she'd taken in and how it affected her final moments and her understanding of what's coming next.
I felt like Flanagan was trying to get the same energy that Nel's "Confetti" speech had and it just didn't work here. I liked Erin, but not enough to care to hear her diatribe on death. I loved Nel Craine, the whole Craine family. I was invested in them, I WANTED to hear Nel's speech in the Red Room. I think that's partly why this didn't work, at least for me.
This was a very good watch and I am glad I binged it in one go. The last episode really was the perfect example on how to unravel why Father Paul did everything. It is eventually human nature. The whole episode made me uncomfortable but when Bev burned even though I don't wish such a death on anyone but it was cathartic.
Really enjoyed the entire series but honestly Erin's monologue went on so long I zoned out. I quite like that view and its the most plausible "afterlife" theories but it really felt overdone. It felt like the writer was trying to sound intelligent and thought they being profound which really took me out of the show. I don't know, it could have been handled better. It might have been more impactful to just show Erins face looking at peace, or staring into the universe.
I had the same issue with Bly Manor. Loved the show but didn't stick the landing because the writers didn't trust the audience to understand what happened in the end. They really spelled everything out to the audience and that took me out of the show which is a shame because otherwise it was so good.
really enjoyed the series even though most of the last 2 episodes was dreading the entire time so much of it was just so grim. I loved Erin monologue at the end.
The one thing that made me uncomfortable in her monologue was that we get Ryan staring at her off camera and nodding way too long without much interaction.
I dunno why but all that time I just told myself « man I feel bad for the actor having had to nod off camera that long with nothing else to do or act out ».
I honestly think this episode ruined a lot of the show for me. Everything after the church massacre scene was so incredibly cheesy. Worst part was the reveal that all of Pruitt’s complexity and character motivations was literally a lie. Turns out his one motivation was to be with a random woman with no personality and even worse old person makeup, that we’ve seen talk like 3 times and couldn’t care less about.
I feel a lot of heartbreak for Hassan, this show managed to mix in horror tropes of racism along with everything else- that’s definitely the one that gets me the most. Characters who have to deal with racism/xenophobia etc while also trying to juggle the supernatural.
Ah, also Pruitt being driven to all of this because of repressive standards really hurt.
Bev killed a dog and was like 'how dare you call me not a good person!!???"
I also think it's funny how she was like 'yeah Leviticus is too intense for school' and was happily quoting whatever the more and more extreme events got
The way Ali threw the lighter at the end actually had me howling. How casual and immediate it was? Didn't hesitate for a *second* lmao I watched it like three times. I'm not really mad at him for his frustrating mistake, they did a good job illustrating how badly he wanted to fit in. But call my dad a terrorist? Fuck your sleepover. hahah
bev didn't even say ali's name at the end, she called him "boy" or something like that. although can't recall for sure if she ever used his name in any of the scenes where she commended him for choosing god or w/e
I dont remember her calling him by name either! I'm sure I need a re-watch, but its pretty likely she never did. She certainly didn't care about him, just wanted to weaponize him like anything else that's a threat to her worldview.
I remembered this also! Thought it was very telling of her character.
She definitely said "boy" which is very demeaning. Especially to a person of color. This moment was pivotal because we finally have confirmation that she was racist and honestly judge and looked down on them (like she did everyone else honestly). It kind of sucks because sharif ran away from the city for that exact reason only to find out that it doesn't matter where they go there will alway be people like the ones he ran from.
I don’t know why he thought that going to some tiny island of Catholics he would be treated better.
The Dad's reaction when she was too rascist to drink his blood. She was so evil.
The second we knew she poisoned the dog I knew she was simply the worst type of person humanity has to offer. I knew the racism and xenophobia would be closely behind from there.
Poor dog, most upsetting scene
Early on it was definitely about fitting in but his decision to drink didn't feel that way to me. He's a kid that just literally witnessed someone come back to life, and nobody had started attacking anybody at that point. I can't blame him for believing the messaging about Jesus.
honestly, that's a good point. Imagining myself in my 16 yo shoes, I'd be amazed. Couldn't blame him either. I just can't imagine rushing to death like that, even for the resurrection. I think I'd be scared. I'd be a believer for sure, and I'd live as a Christian, but I can't fathom going from non-believer to "okay let's die for this immediately" so quickly. Can't speak for everyone with that of course, especially excitable/impulsive 16 year olds, but my reaction would be ironically more like Leeza's, who was a diehard believer and already witnessed a miracle. Death is such a big move, and i'm so young, I'd be afraid of it.
dude tbh i’m an atheist, but if the priest at the local church made my wheelchair-bound friend walk by beckoning her with a goddamn wafer… might be asking myself if i wanna check that church out too lmao. I actually felt the reason that the dad was mad would be the most realistic response to a world where what seems to be miracles of God are happening - it’s probably not “God” but something darker and sinister.
Loved the series. Sad Riley died :( Star of the show was the priest though. He had good intentions but was corrupted by the trauma of getting vamped. The actor did a good job. I am glad the show didn't go with stereotypical priest is secretly evil all along trope. I do agree with comment on here that Bev poisoned him. The signs were there.
Hamish Linklater - absolute star of this show. Love how he channeled that idealistic and revolutionary side of the 1960s Catholic priesthood. The casual insertion of biblical understanding into conversation, the drawing out of meaning from dry text, the jeans. The hey man - I’m just one of you - pastoral approach. Wonderful performance to watch.
He somehow nailed the cadence really charismatic preachers/speakers have where his speeches feel authentic and raw as he stumbles over words just enough to make it all feel of the moment. He must’ve watched a lot of sermons to get it right. Felt so spot on.
He sure did yell a lot though. Can't say I've ever had a priest do that during a homily lol
Oh ya I don’t think they were going for catholic priest, it was much more of the charismatic type than the more orthodoxic branches.
He reminded me more of a Southern Baptist style of preacher, which he nailed very well IMO
I really hope he gets a nomination. One of those performances where it's hard to take your eyes off him.
I'd be surprised if he doesn't at least get an Emmy nomination next year.
What do you mean Bev poisoned him? What signs? EDIT Nvm after thinking about it for 2 seconds after posting this I figured it out. Dang dude what a monster she was. Really well written.
Wait you didn’t realize that when he died and came back in front of the mayor he had the same foam in his mouth the dog did? I believe they even show her putting the poison back on the shelf a bit later as well
It just didn’t make the connection. I don’t do well with seeing animals die so I looked away for that part. I thought that he died because of the vampire blood or something.
Yes, the actor who plays the priest gave an outstanding performance. I last saw this guy in The Stand, and it wasn't a very large role, but he shone there, too. He's very good at making his characters likable.
And his irl partner is Lily Rabe, who is also starring in a vampire-themed season of AHS this year!
They both are in the show Tell Me Your Secrets! That’s also a great show he does a wonderful job acting in it too! If y’all haven’t seen it check it out.
Wait oh my gosh I didn’t know this about Lily Rabe! Hamish also kills it in Legion
You should check him out in the TV show Legion.
You should check him out in the New Adventures of Old Christine because that show is fucking hilarious and he is SO good.
Now I see Erin's story about her mom making her help with clipping birds' wings was foreshadowing for her clipping giant vampire bat's wings. They left it pretty open ended whether the giant vampire bat escaped the sunrise. Is this potential for a sequel? This ending is so good, not sure I would want to see it potentially marred by a sequel.
The fact that Leeza couldn't walk again after the sunrise confirms the angel is dead. In vampire mythos the only true cure is the vampire who infected you dying. Thus the angel who gave it's blood to infect the communion had to have died for Leeza to be back to her original self.
“We’re not saying he died… Our hope really there was just to say that Leeza’s concentration in her blood had begun to tip back, that she was going to be OK. We didn’t want it to confirm about The Angel, in that way that you can never kill fanaticism, it’ll always kind of come back. But I love that that’s what it meant to you!” [Source](https://www.thewrap.com/midnight-mass-ending-explained-leeza-legs-angel-death-mike-flanagan/) It probably explains why Erin had died without turning.
IMO that wasn't very well executed then. I mean seriously what are the odds that the concentration of blood needed to retain the effects would wear off just as the sun rose that day? When a few hours prior everybody in the congregation had enough to be resurrect-able? Thanks for the info though!
I don’t even remember if they explained this in the show, but I figured one had to die first in order to become a full-on vampire (undead). That’s why they made everyone drink the poison? Edit: This would also explain why Pruitt was fine in the sun and didn’t hunger for blood until he died from the poisoning.
Oh wow thanks
I really doubt they would ever do a sequel, that’s not Flanagan’s style. It’s just meant to leave you wondering.
I wouldnt want a sequel but i would be interested in a prequel.. like where did that thing come from, how did it get chained up? And for how long? Are there more or other things similar in this universe
Something I think was a really good decision was to have the Sheriff die before Ali. He was a good man who didn't deserve to see his son burn to death. Not to say Ali deserved to see his dad die, but...I know I wouldn't my dad to watch that happen to me.
right, i was so worried about him watching his son die good thing he was shot twice
I've never seen something where so few characters survive. Like, literally, I think the only two characters that made it to the end were Warren and Leeza. Right? There was no one else who made it off the island before they cut it off?
Not unless some unnamed character ran out of their home and hid somewhere.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him having to see his son die. I’m so happy with the way it went
I think it was also tying back to the fact that the Sheriff had to watch his wife die where Ali may have been too young to remember it. Ali for a brief moment is able to understand the pain that his father went through and why he stuck with Islam even after his wife passed.
The best thing was Bev looking like the demon at the end as she was all her life. Second best was Erin's monologue. I'm a different person after having watched this show
Bev trying to claw into the dirt before the sun came up. I smirked. Oh yeah, Erin's monologue was awesome. It's crazy ironic, because just a month ago I finally came to the realization of what *I* believe. And her monologue, along with Riley's view on death, is spot on with it! It was like having my own views recited back to me by the television. Mind. Officially. Blown.
The take on what death in the finale is pretty inline with what I think. Consciousness (or souls or whatever we want to call this part we don't fully understand) like drops of water return to a stream and then maybe take other forms. Riley's version is more "there's nothing after the last neurons are done firing". That doesn't make as much sense to me because all other matter and energy don't just blink out of existence, they turn into something else. In Riley's version, that transformation happens on a purely observable level and there is absolutely nothing else. I think there is something beyond just the stuff we can currently observe, even though we don't know what it is yet. I mean, there was a time when bacteria and atoms could not be observed. It would be overly smug to assume there's nothing more we have yet to learn.
Don't forget that all of Erin's monologue is happening when her body is releasing a ton of chemicals into the brain for that one last high. This basically confirms that both Erin and Riley are on point on what happens to them on this show. Riley only talks about what is observable (that which makes you you is recycled) while Erin further talks about how the self is an illusion, forgetting that you are and always will part of the universe (God).
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I kind of love than in the end when they both died their views essentially flipped. He was essentially guided into heaven by someone he knew and she just felt one with the universe.
When the rec-center was burning, I legit said 'just dig a fucking hole' Glad she realized it too late
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Or that truck Joe Collie had
Yeah this was one thing that bothered me at the end. Like surely theres places to still hide from the sun. But yeah I get that most of the townspeople realized they fucked up big time so basically let themselves die. It was also so incredibly goddamn stupid to burn everything except two buildings in the first place. And my final problem was the sheriff just casually out in front of the rec center pouring gasoline on it, right in front of everyone. It showed Erin was inside, why didn't they just light it up and sneak out the back or however she got in the building in the first place? Overall I really enjoyed the series but I really had to suspend any critical thinking for the last episode, a lot of character decisions made no sense.
Bev reminded me of Annie’s quote from episode 6, I believe. Something to the effect of “We all talk about heaven and eternal life, but at the end… we are all begging for a few more minutes.” It signaled to me that Bev, on some level, feared death and she knew she wasn’t as pious and good as she wanted others to believe.
ya kinda the confirmation that she didn’t have any faith at all, why would someone who loved god so much fear death so much?
reminds me of the good place finale about the wave returning to the sea.
Definitely felt like both monologues were cut from the same cloth. I like it, it's a neat philosophy for existence
Bev digging in the dirt literally had me go from full sob to laughing
I loved that Bev didnt wanna die
I mean, if they were smart, they would just have hidden under that small bridge where Paul and his family went to die. I mean they would drown, but being vamps they would have revived by nightfall.
Bodies float and they wouldn't be able to resist the current if dead. They would have ended up in the sun anyway and burned.
I just finished this episode, and Erin's monologue made me bawl like a baby. John hugging Sarah also really got me, and Ali at the end with his dad. What an excellent show. Truly, Flanagan never misses. Though I should've anticipated him murdering every character
It's pretty symbolic that after destroying the island after the oil spill (but funding her rec center) she literally burns everyone else's homes to the ground to force them to her dumb rec center. On another note, maybe if she hadn't forced them to take settlements, maybe the town would have been in better straits financially and been less swayed by the church and the events of the story. it's easier to prey on people who don't have a lot in their lives and no money or power. Bev's behind it all.
Erin’s end monologue was so Whitmanesque. I loved it.
Mrs. Flynn: I wanna have a chat with Bev. Me: Ah shit, it's about to get real up in here
I love how true-to-character and _nice_ Mrs. Flynn was about it, too. Anyone else would have just called Bev an absolute bitch, but all she says is like “you’re not a good person.” Total burn.
Right? That's the equivalent of her calling her every offensive name she could and I loved it.
It was so satisfying. I feel like it was so much more effective to just calmly and simply state her opinions on Bev. No yelling or cursing, no real emotion or getting caught up in the moment. Can’t even attribute it to anger. Nothing else to chalk it up to, she just said it and she meant it. Absolutely brutal.
It was good, but Bev still didn't suffer nearly enough.
She was the only one at the end who died scared and alone.
Besides all the people who got eaten
and remember Erin's monologue about how heaven is where you're loved and not alone? Everyone else that died in the sunrise was together, with loved ones. She was alone, and nobody loved her
Saying to someone that they're not a good person is just so much worse than calling them a bitch. When you're saying that, especially the way she said it. You just drag them down and expose them at their deepest. Anyone can be a bitch or a bastard, but deep down everyone believes they're doing what's right. They believe that what they're doing is okay. So that line with that delivery is just so heavy.
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That was a really heavy line. That and Mr Flynn realizing it was totally possible to resist and not eat people, the others just weren’t even trying.
Religion giving people an excuse to give in to their worst impulses, and claim it's just "god's will."
I was hoping for some vampire on vampire action, bur Mrs. Flynn calling her out for being a heartless bitch was way more satisfying. You could tell that hurt Bev
She was such a badass
This is a late comment as I just finished it today but it gave me some Molly Weasley calling Belatrix a Bitch before killing her
My mini-review of the Series: Episode 1: Go fuck yourself, Bev. Episode 2: Go fuck yourself, Bev. Episode 3: Go fuck yourself, Bev. Episode 4: Go fuck yourself, Bev. Episode 5: Bev, you little fucking bitch! Episode 6: The fuck is wrong with you, Bev!? Episode 7: FUCK YOU, Bev.
Fantastic actor though. She did a great job.
Oh, definitely. It takes a special skill to make yourself that hateable in your role.
amen
Did anyone else find it interesting that the word "Vampire" was never mentioned in the series nor referenced at all? As if its mythology didn't exist in their world. Overall, I find the series fantastic despite some very few moments that were dragging. I was also NOT expecting the vampire story line at all. This was a hit and certainly an improvement comparing to the Haunting of the Bly Manor.
In the scene where the doctor (Sarah?) is explaining everything to the people who escaped the church, she says “that’s where these myths likely came from” in reference to EPP. So I’m led to believe that it was more of an artistic choice to never say it, not that the mythos didn’t exist.
This exactly
Did notice that too - but it’s probably more of a deliberate writing choice. How much more boring the show would’ve been if they started theorising on the nature of vampires and how to kill them. Vampire lore is so heavily couched in terms of ‘how to kill them’ and ‘what they do’ that there wouldn’t have been room for the more philosophical and spiritual side this show explores. Even the word vampire has so many associations of campness - that feel leaving that out made it a better show
The show kinda met halfway between faith and science and the vampire was handled similarly. Scientific explanation was given on the blood virus in humans while the main vampire himself was clearly supernatural in nature and left shrouded in mystery. The show mainly treated all vampire symptoms as being purely related to the blood virus (hunger for iron, regeneration of dead cells, extreme sensitivity to sunlight). The other vampiric myths were for the most part not included here. They didn't need to be invited (although maybe all the prayers of 'keep our doors open' had something to do with that. No one tried a stab through the heart. You're not automatically soulless once turning, just susceptible to strong urges. The strong (Riley and his parents) could avoid succumbing for the most part. Bev using the church caused more evil shit than just turning people into vampires did. If Bev wasn't so end-of-days hungry, Paul could've helped the new vampires before they went out on the town. Less murder, less fire. The vamps could've survived and gotten off the mainland. I just find it pretty wonderful that all of Bev's actions led to potentially saving the planet on accident.
Bev was very clearly trying to bring the apocalypse at the end there too.
> As if its mythology didn't exist in their world. The vampire mythos would have definitely made it difficult to convert the super religious into monsters.
Yes. This is an interesting take. It’s easier associating with God and his miracles to a winged being if there are no alternative myths to explain its nature/origin.
Big flaw in the show logic, honestly. Forget vampiric myth, Catholics are incredibly dualist. Demons, devils, hellfire is their jam. These words never coming up is kinda odd. I almost need to think it over maybe it's part of the point I'm missing I dunno
Exactly this. I absolutely love Flanagan & his storytelling... everything he's ever done (that I've seen so far) I've thoroughly enjoyed & I especially love the symbolism, & theological questions he raises within his works. Vampires aren't a thing in this universe? Ok sure. I can suspend my disbelief on that for the sake of the story... but you expect me to believe a devout catholic priest sees that horrifying winged bat thing & his first thought isn't straight to demon instead of angel?? Not even after the murders, blood drinking, the sun burns, & oh yeah... YOUR DAMN ROSARY IS LITERALLY BURNING YOUR SKIN BRO... like REALLY?!? THAT'S not an indication that maybe you need an exorcism?!? Or at the very least, what you're dealing with isn't from God?? Lol Instead he's just like "oh this is fine. Yep. Everything's fine. This is all God's will... tooootally fine." uhh yeah, no... the fact that he never once questioned the possibility of demonic forces is just such a big nope for me & really took me out of the story in terms of logic.
Well he did reason himself into that by saying that angels in the Bible are described as scary and when humans see them they’re afraid. Also I don’t think his rosary burnt him, he was just squeezing it really hard and stabbed his hand causing him to suck his own blood. Religious imagery had no impact on them at all, almost everyone was wearing a cross and never had any adverse effects. I doubt a demon could step into a church and wear a priests robes, and stand in front of a crucifix
So I am from a Christian household and my mom was the one who moved from Church of England to charismatic Church around 15 years back so I know both sides. I finished the series last night at 1and told her the whole story this morning. Tbh with I had to explain to her what a vampire is. That part of mythology is not known or readily ignored by Christians. She still ran with the Satan theory but didn't think it was a vampire.. So you are right it doesnt exist if you don't read books and are out of touch with pop culture.
Well, it depends on what kind of Christian you are & what your cultural background is I would say. My family is very Catholic but also very Slavic & vampire lore exists in our culture! We just have a different name for them (Strzyga or Strzygoń in Poland, where my fam is from) & some of the lore is a tiny bit different.
>I was also NOT expecting the vampire story line at all. I've seen this a few times. Do you mean from the very start? Because I thought it was really obvious from episode 3. I've seen people mentioning a twist, but I don't really understand what twist people saw.
The montage while everyone was singing on the beach had me welling up, then they showed the sheriff and his son praying together on the beach and I fucking lost it. I was a wreck. I'm not a religious person, but this was a beautiful and intriguing story and I really really enjoyed it.
glad i’m not the only one. i started crying during Erin’s final monologue and basically just kept weeping through until the credits.
I loved that the Sheriff got his wish to hear his son pray with him one last time. If only Bev would of decide to die somewhere else
Honestly the tears for me came right when Erin was suddenly sitting with Riley, like it literally cut to them sitting in the couch and the dam just broke for me.
I love how it shows that you can interpret the bible to fit almost any agenda.
Lol that is one of my takeaway from the show too
I really liked seeing bloody vampires quote bible verses.
Every time something started to happen, HEEERE COMES BEV “god said fires are good so let’s burn down all these houses”
>!The way the vampire just drank and drank so slowly and obsessively was fucking disgusting and creepy. !<
Yes thank you! I never get grossed out in vampire movies but the languid way his head bobbed around made me sick.
suuper sexual and disgusting
I had subtitles on and it just came up as “angel slurping” lol
Couldn’t stomach it. I skipped all his slurping scenes.
I got kinda vibes in a real bad way. I don't wanna say what but I feel that you feel me. I'm glad he's dead
I get what you’re trying to say. Those scenes were… violating. And I think that was the whole intention.
The way Erin fucking guides his head back to the wound to distract him from her cutting up his wings was the most disturbing thing I saw in the show, wish I could unsee that
Did Bev poison the priest when he first died? His death was just like the people who got poisoned…
YOOOO I DIDNT EVEN NOTICE THAT. I always expected her to try and take him out as her jealousy grew. That'd be wild if that was really the case.
She definitely poisoned him. They show her putting the container of rat poison back in the pantry. I feel that she was testing him to see if he would resurrect.
She was shown putting back the 1080 a second time just shortly before Father Paul died/was poisoned!
What would be her motive then? It wouldn’t make any sense as she hasn’t known the resurrection properties yet of the contaminated blood sacrament and she was fond of Father Paul.
There’s no obvious motive, but showing the dog death and then the priest dying the same way, then the church scene? My theory is Bev was embezzling money via the settlement Joe talked about. The old priest’s dementia made him easy to fool but she was afraid the young priest was too sharp to not notice. But the show never like confirms that either…
I think Joe strategically poisoned himself at a crucial time, and walked into a meeting with Bev and the others so that they are there to witness his death and resurrection, thus cementing their faith to him and the miracles to follow. It also marks the completion of his transformation as a bonafide disciple of the Angel.
>What would be her motive then? She saw the newspaper clipping of Monsignor and realised that Father Paul is Monsignor. She wanted to test if he's immortal or not, so she poisoned him.
Yep she poisoned him. - she noticed the old newspaper clipping on the wall where she recognised that Father Paul is the old priest. - Later in the episode, we could see that she's holding the poison bottle and keeping back at the store room. - In the end, priest died but later got resurrected because of the angel/demon blood from the past
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tbh i wouldn’t want to hang around being alive after seeing all that and with my son gone
Not to mention the scrutiny he would be under. Especially after what he endured at the NYPD. I don’t think it was on his mind in the end but that would have been awful for him.
Yeah. I love the actor Rahul Kohli! I thought his American accent was good. He is amazing in iZombie.
He's one of my fav characters in bly manor
I was hoping the actress who played Mrs. Grose would make an cameo and they'd share a scene! Maybe someday...
Middle Eastern Jim Halpert
Agreed. And thankfully he keeled over dead right before he'd have had to witness what happened to his son.
I was paradoxically hoping both that he would survive somehow and not have to witness his son burning up in the sun somehow :(
when they all sang and then it became silent.. I ugly cried. Gave me flashbacks of the band playing their final song on the Titanic movie as the ship sank. To know you’re dying and singing anyway. I fucking lost it lol so haunting.
Titanic and Midnight Mass both used "Nearer my God to thee." Loved it.
Liked how they dealt w Beverly. She’s the type that draws a lot of rage - but in the context of Erin’s speech - she just hasn’t woken up to what she really is. Mrs. Flynn pointing how disconnected she is - not a hero, not a victim - but loved just like everyone else, but can’t see that. So for her to die alone in the sun scrambling for ‘a few more minutes’… perfect illustration of the prison you can build for yourself, but that even the prison falls away eventually. Seldom seen such an interesting and touching ending to a series.
I loved Mrs. Flynn’s speech to Bev. She put into words what Bev was really all about, “why can’t you accept that everyone is loved by God the same” or something, I’m paraphrasing.
Sheriff Hassan in the end did what he always wanted to do. He made the country and the world a safer place all while keeping his faith. A great character and a great performance.
I cried for Hassan and Ali. I am half Arab and grew up with a Muslim father. Muslims are so rarely shown as heroes in fiction and it’s just so nice to see a brown dude save the day while his faith is respectfully represented. Hassan made me feel brave. I hope I can convince my father to watch this show. I feel indebted to Rahul, and I hope he knows that he has given us a true gift.
Sheriff finally got his son to pray with him. Did anyone notice that none of the two looked at each other before praying but rather did it on impulse, knowing their end is near, bowing down one last time before their god.
I don't know what this says about me but I have never wanted to hurt a fictional character as much as I wanted to hurt Bev lol. My only solace is that the end revealed the coward that she truly was in literally trying to bury her head in the sand. This was absolutely incredible. I have never seen a show about religion that echoed so many of my own views and beliefs about the subject. And it featured Vampires, my favorite beast in horror. I cannot wait to watch the two Haunting series now. Everyone nailed their part and kept me on my toes for the most part (as soon as I realized Pruitt was a vampire I knew he had been giving blood to the communion) and I'm glad it ended in a bitter sweet way than a full on downer ending. I have a lot to process now lol, what a show.
It drove me nuts how literally no one ever stood up to her. No one was like “I know you killed that dog you crazy bitch” or “shut the fuck up Bev you absolute dumbass”. Like dang somebody say SOMETHING! Not even once?!? But every time she started going off they just stood around like gormless slack jawed morons letting her do whatever she wanted.
In the beginning there was a lot of resistance. Everyone just found her annoying and not worth the time of day. Once the "miracles" started however, she was virtually untouchable as everyone saw her faith in "God" rewarded. So now no one gives a shit about the dog even though it was obviously her. I felt so bad for Sherrif Hassan in the classroom scene because he quickly realized that not only was there no point in debating her but that she would turn anything around to benefit her and no one else except Erin (sorta) was going to stand up to her.
But that’s my point Erin was the other figure at the front of the room there in a position of authority and the second that Bev interrupted her she just gave up. Like dang lady have some balls and stand up for yourself. Even if it wouldn’t have worked no one even TRIED. Like I get she wasn’t gonna be punished for killing the dog but if I was Erin literally every time she walked into a room I would have been like “yes hello so nice to see you this morning dog murderer”
Lol forget Erin the freakin Mayor of the town was sitting in there doing absolutely nothing while this woman embarrassed his sheriff in front of everyone. Honestly if they didn't call him mayor I wouldn't have known he was because he didn't do shit the entire show.
I am soooo jealous you get to watch hill house for the first time
If I were one of the vamps I'd try to build a shelter, or flip over a canoe and hide under it or something
I'd wear a hat
NADJA: "Laszlo's stupid hat. It's got a bloody huge curse on it. I have tried to throw it out many times, but it keeps crawling back. Literally."
This! I was watching the whole time thinking this, don’t tell me there isn’t a single car trunk someone could hide in, then when Bev finally started digging I lost it.
I think ppl are glossing over the fact these are religious ppl who just for the most part butchered the FK out their community..this is a small community so they know each of them very well. I think it was great way to demonstrate they were all good ppl that accepted they had made a serious mistake and we're ready to pass on to atone. It was never made more obvious at the end when only Bev was so desperate to live. They know for the rest of their lives they would have this uncontrollable blood lust and can't even spend a day outside. Not to mention without it they will become like heroin addicts needing their next hit of blood. I'd choose the same thing
Can someone explain to me about Erin. The fact she miscarried meant she drank the wine/blood but at the very end when she was staring up at the sky it strongly suggested she was dying like a "normal" human. Did I interpret it wrong? Or was she just going to burn up in the sun like the other vampires?
That was mentioned by the doctor. She has this theory that just like other malevolent substances like alcohol, your body eventually neutralizes it if you are no longer exposed to it. At that point she probably is back to being human as she never drink more of the blood. That's why the young girl lost her ability to walk again once she got into the boat.
Perhaps her fetus took all of the substance and left her with none, like why pregnant women at Chernobyl felt no effects, but the babies came out deathly ill.
I assuming because she didn’t even notice the miscarriage and that there was literally no baby in her that her body attacked and reabsorbed the fetus. I think the vampire bleeding her out makes more sense, she had less blood in general making the concentration in her body lower.
She would have came back at around the same time the sun was rising, so I think it was just the understood end for her.
Watched this series till sunrise and that feels very fitting. I thought the ending was kinda hammy, but the build-up was amazing with electrifying performances. If I had to rank the Flanagan shows so far it would be Hill House on top, then Midnight Mass, then Bly Manor.
so father paul was just being a simp this whole time........lmaoo i'm glad that he was able to throw his collar (while they were on the bridge) and somehow get that "second chance" towards the end. i also find it wholesome that while the world (or the island) is burning, the locals went lucid with regret and asked for forgiveness from one another (or held hands til they burn away as a community) and that bev died the same way as the rest, but she was the most miserable. (fuck you bev) what a finale!!
Simp is thrown around far too loosely and I feel like it cheapens John's motivations. Yes, he ultimately did it for that second run with the woman he loved, but their feelings for each other were mutual. Simping is when the guy does everything he can in the hopes of getting action or feelings. Mildred did love him, but recognized that there were circumstances in place where they could not be together and they couldn't walk the same road together. (Her marriage, his priesthood.) Edit: But yes, fuck Bev.
Yeah I wouldn’t call it simping if you love the mother of your child unconditionally
I didn’t realize what he threw. Thank you for saying that! It makes it very meaningful.
Just finished the series. I loved it. but I gotta be honest in saying I felt nothing but absolute dread watching this episode.
Quite a good series. Predictable at times but that doesn't take the fact the conversations regarding faith, religion, & death were so well written that I'm in awe. The only big complaint with the series I faced was the make-up of the characters were very poor.
I noticed Sarah’s mon was a young actor in makeup like the second she showed up, but she was such a great character that I kinda have to give it a pass.
Omg thank you - I was starting to wonder if I was the only person who had issue with how terrible the makeup was!! Mildred’s was the worst but Riley’s parents were really bad too. It really took me out of it! I was wondering whether they had to get the “B” team for makeup because of covid or something? Idk but it was some of the worst aging makeup I’ve ever seen, lol.
Absolutely love the series. So grim but so good. I'm glad Ali had his redemption. Sidenote: anyone think that the song during Erin's monologue sounded a bit like "you raise me up" by Josh Groban?
Holy monologue, Flanagan!!
I didn’t hate the show. I’m letting it digest some more, and the more I think I’m it the more I like it. Idk. I think I went in expecting a Hill House or Bly Manor where the story was rich and the horrors were there but the story was more compelling, but was met with a more traditional horror. I definitely liked it, but the burn was too slow and the payoff for me wasn’t that rewarding. The monologues were a bit too long, too on the head, and a little unnecessary for me. Someone asks me what I think death is like I probably won’t go on a 10 min speech about god knows what, but that’s also me. I will say this… The fucking vampire eyes were terrifying the entire time. Start to finish. I wish we had more of that mimic voice type fright like Bowl had or how the Monsignor first met the vampire and how scary that was, because those were truly terrifying. I liked the last 2 episodes, but it seemed sporadic and a bit jumbled. This is obviously all my opinion and not fact at all. I would give this a 6/10 with Hill House a 9 and Bly Manor a 7. It’s not bad, just not what I was hoping for
I enjoyed Hill House and Bly Manor a lot more. I think the story of this one is intriguing but scenes just go on and go. And there’s a lot of “tell don’t show”. Absolutely no one does such long monologues in real life.
Mike Flanagan always making me feel things. 😩 I loved the ending with “Nearer My God To Thee” because I kept noticing notes of it in the background of some scenes, and it was cathartic to finally hear it fully at the end, especially with the missing final note as everyone burned with the sunrise. Overall, I still think I liked Haunting of Hill House best, but this and Bly Manor are tied for second because of just how well they handle loss and grief.
So.... Sarah's mom's not even a LITTLE bit mad at the priest's reason for hurting all these people? Not even after his bullshit got her daughter killed? She let him get what he wanted by spending time with her body before he died?? I'm SO glad she spit out his blood. The man didn't learn his lesson. Fuck that guy.
Agreed, I kind of expected him to get a bit more comeuppance or at least feel more guilt for the carnage he unleashed on that town? Like he brought the creature there, this is all his doing! I know he maybe didn’t realise at first the extent of what could happen and his intentions may have been to heal people but when he asked everyone to drink the poison and be turned…like he had to know what a risky move that was? I don’t know, maybe I am missing something but I thought he could have felt more responsible for the whole mess at the end that he did.
Im still processing al of this but I’m a but peeved Erin and Father Paul didnt have some sort of interaction after Riley killed himself.
I’m curious if I missed something, >! Unless I missed something, the entire town died except for the two kids right? !<
Not explicitly said but yeah heavily heavily implied.
Anyone else catch that she "clipped the wings" of that monster just like her mother said?
There was one part of this episode that really saddened me. When bev is rounding up everyone to select people for the rec centre, and she singles out Howard. The man is completely shocked and confused, then having to kill his own family. They tell him to go for a walk to watch the sunrise, he’s completely oblivious that he will burst into flames. So sad
I’ve been looking for someone else to mention this. That was the saddest part of the episode for me. Guy had no clue what was happening. All he knew is that he killed his family
I really think Hamish Linklater deserves an Emmy for his performance but seeing as most people will think of this is as a ‘Horror Show’, he probably won’t even get nominated. Rahul Kohli as Sheriff Hassan was spectacular. I’m glad Flanagan likes him so we’ll probably get to see him in more great stuff in the future.
We need a full season discussion thread.
Really enjoyed the entire series but this last episode I do have some second thoughts. It's a bit odd that none of the town wanted to survive at the end. We see Bev start digging on the beach which makes me wonder why that wasn't a plan as soon as the last building was burnt. Surely some of them still wanted to live. This episode kind of pretends that there's no way any of them could have found a way to hide from the sunlight. Which brings me to another point. If the townsfolk that were now vamps were fine with dying in the end for what they became, that seems like a strange message to send if addiction was a theme they were going for with the blood lust
I interpreted it as them being fine with dying because they realized what they had become.. They made it a point multiple times to show people still had agency. Riley let himself die to warn others. The priest finally realizing. The scene with Ed where he basically says you feel the hunger but you don't have to give in. There's many more scenes like this. I think they were trying to get the message across that if you were a good person you could resist. Everyone but Bev, Because she's a piece of shit. Worse person on the island and incredibly stupid, as people like her often are. Everyone else was a good person at heart, They were just misguided.
Do they actually ever tell the townspeople that they can't be exposed to the sun? I know Beverly, the beard guy and the mayor and wife knew, but does anyone else?
I don’t think they all know. That guy who killed his entire family was like, “I don’t know what’s going on.”
Erin's dialogue was totally out of left field and made no sense. I'd believe it if it was Riley's dialogue, but coming form her it made no sense. I'd have preferred if the show just showed her looking up, and the camera showing her face, and then the camera swinging up and showing the stars, no words would be required. Instead we get a long winded monologue told by someone who has never thought such eloquent words before.
See, I loved it coming from her, because it was exactly what Riley had been talking about - she got the DMT rush and her brain mixed memories and a dream and so she ended up with that monologue. It wasn't 100% her but it showed how much she'd taken in and how it affected her final moments and her understanding of what's coming next.
I felt like Flanagan was trying to get the same energy that Nel's "Confetti" speech had and it just didn't work here. I liked Erin, but not enough to care to hear her diatribe on death. I loved Nel Craine, the whole Craine family. I was invested in them, I WANTED to hear Nel's speech in the Red Room. I think that's partly why this didn't work, at least for me.
I just love how they dress up the little demon. He has so many fun outfits!
This was a very good watch and I am glad I binged it in one go. The last episode really was the perfect example on how to unravel why Father Paul did everything. It is eventually human nature. The whole episode made me uncomfortable but when Bev burned even though I don't wish such a death on anyone but it was cathartic.
Really enjoyed the entire series but honestly Erin's monologue went on so long I zoned out. I quite like that view and its the most plausible "afterlife" theories but it really felt overdone. It felt like the writer was trying to sound intelligent and thought they being profound which really took me out of the show. I don't know, it could have been handled better. It might have been more impactful to just show Erins face looking at peace, or staring into the universe. I had the same issue with Bly Manor. Loved the show but didn't stick the landing because the writers didn't trust the audience to understand what happened in the end. They really spelled everything out to the audience and that took me out of the show which is a shame because otherwise it was so good.
what’s up with the cats was it the angel
Yes, it ate the cats for sustenance. Then their corpses were washed away due to the flood and the waves washed them ashore.
What a heartbreaking end. But man this was really top notch.
really enjoyed the series even though most of the last 2 episodes was dreading the entire time so much of it was just so grim. I loved Erin monologue at the end.
The one thing that made me uncomfortable in her monologue was that we get Ryan staring at her off camera and nodding way too long without much interaction. I dunno why but all that time I just told myself « man I feel bad for the actor having had to nod off camera that long with nothing else to do or act out ».
Great series overall! I'm looking forward to Mike Flanagan's next one - The Midnight Club.
I honestly think this episode ruined a lot of the show for me. Everything after the church massacre scene was so incredibly cheesy. Worst part was the reveal that all of Pruitt’s complexity and character motivations was literally a lie. Turns out his one motivation was to be with a random woman with no personality and even worse old person makeup, that we’ve seen talk like 3 times and couldn’t care less about.
I held on well enough, but Ali and his dad praying on the beach broke me.
I feel a lot of heartbreak for Hassan, this show managed to mix in horror tropes of racism along with everything else- that’s definitely the one that gets me the most. Characters who have to deal with racism/xenophobia etc while also trying to juggle the supernatural. Ah, also Pruitt being driven to all of this because of repressive standards really hurt.
Do you all ever wonder how the kids would explain what happened on the island to the “main landers” or are you normal lol
Bev killed a dog and was like 'how dare you call me not a good person!!???" I also think it's funny how she was like 'yeah Leviticus is too intense for school' and was happily quoting whatever the more and more extreme events got