Midnight Gospel is a surrealists delight; weirdly trippy and highly pretentious but knowingly so. Protagonist Clancy is a space caster, a kind of intergalactic DJ/ YouTube influencer/ Interviewer. He travels across the universe in his failing, beat-up machine and, after putting his head through a portal-like hole that appears on his arse-shaped machine, finds out about certain aspects of the human condition. Creators Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time) and comedian Duncan Trussell are stating their intent quite clearly to show that this series is quite tongue in cheek yet also earnest. I watched the 8-part show impressed but also surprised that this show had been greenlit in the first place.
There are 8 episodes, all about 25 mins in length and they cover a range of topics:
Episode 1- whilst speaking to a little President during the zombie apocalypse, the topic of drugs is discussed. The final point of there not being good or bad drugs but good or bad situations is one I align with overall.
Episode 2- Clancy discusses death and how there is an existential fear of it.
Episode 3- speaks to a pirate with a fish in a bowl as a head. They discuss 'magic' but as in enlightenment rather than the Paul Daniels/David Blane nonsense.
Episode 4- whilst speaking to a Knight with a bloodsucking sword, Clancy looks at the loneliness we all sometimes feel and how a feeling of belonging and community can make all the difference in the world. It also looks at forgiveness and how it can be challenging to do. This episode had a passage from Rumi in it so it's alright in my book.
Episode 5- Existential dread is the theme for this light hearted episode... jk... It is heavy but profound as it talks about Hinduism, Buddhism and sitting with one-self and realising that death is a release. It isn't nihilism but more like an awakening that everything will end, but this is good for us as it's a release from worldly pains.
Episode 6- this episode talks about meditation and how it is important to listen to our thoughts and let them wander.
Episode 7- the industrial death complex in the West is considered. It drops some knowledge bombs about embalming in the American Civil War and how this warped the idea of the body as dangerous in death.
It's an intriguing episode as it does look at how western counties seem to fear the death body, something that people have been doing for tens of thousands of years.
Episode 8- the final episode sees Clancy talking about his birth and formative years with his mother. It's quite sweet as they discuss hardwired behaviours learnt within the first 5 years and the impact these years have on us as adults. They also talk about the ego and why people avoid talking about death as it's all too real. We get an insight into why Clancy has been interviewing people about some deep stuff and it's all quite powerful and sweet actually.
The series reminded me of Fantastic Planet, Yellow Submarine and various other surreal 70s and 80s animations including the eastern bloc animations I caught on occasion on Channel 4 in my youth. It also recalls many late night conversations with friends after they had been drinking heavily and/or taking something recreational (I'm a total tea to taller and 'Just say no' kinda guy but more power to those that chose to partake responsibly). The show shares much of the surrealism of Adventure Time but the colour pallete is bolder and stronger, all neon purple and pink hues, and the art isn't in the same superflat style.
I liked the show for discussing some deep stuff and being like an idiots guide to some complex topics. It also gave me a chance to reflect on what I thought as well as giving me potential reading material and authors to explore. Also, the content was not skewed towards Western ideas as it did discuss eastern ideas, philosophies and religions too.
Unfortunately, I don't think it works as an animation. The 'story' is usually Clancy following some individual through various surrealist landscapes discussing things but they're more of a distraction to what is being said than a complement. Maybe that's the aim, like in transcendental meditation, where they don't want to link ideas and words to imagery but allow it to pop out of your subconscious. Either way, I liked the show for being so daring and swinging for the trees but I don't think it's for me at this time of my life. Yup, I'm falling back on the 'it's not you, it's me' trope but I believe that long and short form essays by other creatives have stolen it's thunder. For example, Like Stories of Old and Jacob Geller cover much of the same material as Midnight Gospel but do so in a calmer, more coherent and meaningful way for me. The Good Place looked at moral philosophy to answer similar questions and, even with its absurdities, covered the material in a much more cohesive and meaningful way... at least for me. But, having said that, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate what The Midnight Gospel is trying to do and I'm sure it'll find its tribe who will love it for what it is.
It's just a shame that Netflix decided to pass on season 2 as I would have been interested to see where it could have gone and what existential questions it could have looked at.