S01.E07: Book VII: Revelation

[red12]

3 hours ago, Darian said:

I was brought up by former Catholics (who did not taking leaving lightly but were very disillusioned when they left, and took enough heat from family that I didn't get exposed to much Catholicism, though this was a family of Boston Irish and Italian immigrants) with a very vague idea that there was a god and he sacrificed his son so we don't die, but you didn't have to do anything, but should be a good person. It was not talked about much and we never went to church. Basically, I grew up to be open to new and question things, and I ended up leaving that vague belief behind (studying a lot of different mythology was a big factor) and eventually realizing that made me an atheist. Some would say the open mind part is incompatible with atheism, but that's one of those stereotypes I fear every time I watch or read and get into any discussion about atheism. I'll believe something if there's enough credible evidence, but some people who say their faith is unshakable call me close-minded. That's what I tend to fear as soon an atheist shows up in fiction. Or worse. So before I realized this was from Mike Flanagan and some of the actors from Hill House and Bly were in it, I was not going to watch, but then when I did and saw an atheist character, I was waiting for him to be a bad guy or have a religious conversion or be a jerk about others' beliefs, which is the only way some writers can protray atheits, and doesn't reflect many atheists I know. 

But Rley was able to be a real character, who was able to express his feelings and have them considered and respected (very rarely my experience as an out, non-jerk atheist) by at least one person of faith, who also got to express her feelings about her faith. He did something bad, but also made a sacrifice for the good of others. And the people of faith were good and bad, were misled and regretted doing bad, and made sacrifices, or did bad because of their faith and regretted it or didn't, or did bad just because. The different ways they interacted with and were affected by their faith were interesting, but also touching or scary, etc. Everyone, religious or not, was good and bad (Bev was just bad but the actor who played her did a great job showing she probably did believe she was deluding herself into thinking she was doing the right thing. Still wanted her to suffer a bit more. Hey, it's fiction). I don't know. I was in tears when the faithful were singing, and then stopped, and then the ashes drifted. I don't know if that's a good answer, but I liked that for me it didn't feel like I was watching a bunch of stereotypes, believers or not. That's pretty good writing, directing, and acting (wow, some of those actors).  

It was a great answer and I appreciate your perspective and candor.

[foxfreakinmulder]

I enjoyed Hill House so much, Bly not so much but this was a huge let down for me. But if they keep making them I'll keep watching because I like the repeat actors and it's nice seeing Henry Thomas. I thought the actor that played Joe really sold it and did a great job. Some scenes were heartbreaking like the end of Riley but like others have said I can't believe no one thought vampire instead of angel.

I did notice that in Riley's room he had a poster of Dana Scully on his wall and Annabeth Gish was in The X-Files :-)

[Pondlass1]

I’m not religious at all.  Religion divides the world in my opinion.  So religious fervour is something I don’t get.
 

 Why jump to the conclusion it’s an angel and not a vampire? That struck so odd. And when exactly was Bev converted to vampire? 
 What was  the population of the island? Was it mentioned? The church held maybe 40-50. So that’s  all the island folks? A church, a school, a doctor for such a small community. They could’ve lived on the mainland and still fished. What was the benefit of living on a wee island?  When the island was ablaze at the end, no one from the mainland set out to save them?  The mainland didn’t seem far off if you could row there.

I enjoyed the series. I liked the unsettling feeling of the first few episodes. The creepy atmosphere was well done. I didn’t mind the monologues because the acting was solid.

[ShadowHunter]

This was good but not great. I liked it but I didn't love it. Some reviews are calling this show amazing I personally would not go that far. This was definitely a binge show though. Week to week of waiting and sitting through endless monologues would have worn me and some other viewers off.  I understand why we had monologues and characters taking in scripture but sometimes it felt like characters were not actually just sitting around and just talking you know. 

The actor who played the Priest was the best thing about the show and hopefully he joins the Mike Flanagan group. Dude can give his wife a break though she is not that good but it's his wife so we are stuck with her. 

I do wish the relationship between Millie and John had been explored a bit more though especially since she was the main reason he went back to the town so they could be together. I figured out he was the Father of Sarah but still a bit more would have been nice. Lost love, unrequited love, regret, and a dysfunctional family seem to be a stock and trade of all his shows. 

Bev was the worst and she got what she deserved. The church scene in episode 6 felt very Jim Jones. I wish some of the talking has been toned down in this series for me it was a bit much at times. As a few others said nobody in this town has ever seen or read a Vampire book or movie? Seriously lol.

Edited October 7, 2021 by ShadowHunter

[tennisgurl]

Is this show set in a universe where vampires were never a part of pop culture, the way The Walking Dead is set in a world without a concept of zombies until they showed up? Otherwise I have no idea how no one ever said "is it me or do these things totally seem like vampires?' especially as the blood started getting sucked. Overall I liked this show, even if I think it was rather flawed, especially the ridiculous amount of monologues. They weren't even bad monologues, most of them were well written and performed, but there were so damn many of them that you just wanted them to stop with the one man show and get on with the story. I don't mind a slow moving story, but this show had a LOT of padding with all of the speeches, showing tons of church services, I know that this is a Mike Flannigan thing, but it can get old, especially if the atmosphere isn't working for you. 

However, despite its flaws, I still liked the show and I think that it ended on a strong note. I didn't expect just about everyone to die except for Leeza and Warren to die, but I think it worked, it turned out to be quite emotional, I admit to getting a lump in my throat starting when Erin started narrating about returning to the cosmos to the vampiric townsfolk realizing what they have become and accepting their fates. Especially when their singing cut out as they burned, that was chilling. I know that this show is going to inspire dozens and dozens of think pieces about whether this is pro religion or anti religion and a lot of that will probably come down to the individual and their personal experiences, but I think it was mostly a show about forgiveness, faith, and extremism. Forgiveness is probably the most obvious theme, with Riley finally finding peace with his family and with the girl he accidently killed right before his death, Leeza forgiving Joe for shooting her, Father Paul apologizing for bringing the vampire to the island and for not being there as a father for Sarah, and the townsfolk realizing that, like Riley, they had to hope to find forgiveness for what they did by accepting that they have to die, and like Riley they got to die with a certain amount of peace. Unlike Bev who could never acknowledge that what she did was wrong so died screaming and pathetically trying to burry herself in sand while everyone else died with dignity. You can probably make a case about what this is saying about organized religion, but I think it was more broadly about faith and how it can lead to good and bad things. Faith gave Erin hope when she lost her baby and when she was dying, waiting to become one with the cosmos and see her lost loved ones, but faith also led the Monsignor to radically misinterpret the monster he met in the cave and bring it back to gift its "miracles" to his people, out of deeply misguided but genuine desire to help the islanders and the woman he still loves, which was an utter disaster. Then you have Bev and Annie, who are sort of two sides of religion, the good and the bad. Bev is self righteous, petty, judgmental, racist, cruel, and eventually becomes outright murderous. I think Annie hit the nail on the head when she said that Bev hates the idea that God loves everyone as much as he loves her, she absolutely needs to feel superior. Annie isn't a perfect person, but she is a very compassionate person who loves people, flaws and all, tries not to judge others, even resisting the urge to drink blood when she became a vampire. Religion led to the fervor that got the entire island killed after half the population became monsters, but it also led to them realizing that they were wrong and gave the people of the island some comfort in their last moments, with Hassan and Ali doing one last prayer and the townsfolk singing a last hymn. This all leads to the other theme, extremism. Mike Flannigan said that the angel vampire represents extremism, which I can totally see. It shows up and spreads extremism like it passed on vampirism, passed from one person to the next until the whole town is infected, and everyone only comes to their senses once its gone. It makes people act out of character and way more intense and violent then they used to be, bringing out the worst in people, until everything erupts into violence. 

If nothing else, Bev is a pretty amazing villain, I have rarely seen someone so punchable on my screen who I was still entertained by. Her miserable final moments were very satisfying. I stand by my earlier statement that even the scary vampire angel was a more likable character than her. And probably a better conversationalist.

I was really hoping that Sheriff Hassan and Erin at least would make it out, but at least they found some peace before death. Its like Mike Flannigan heard people complaining about the ending of Hill House and was like 

Spoiler

Fine! You want everyone to die in a depressing ending, here you go! Dead dead dead! 

Like I said, the show was flawed but I really did find a lot of good stuff to chew on. I think it could have been better, especially with less padding and speeches, but I am really glad I watched it. It had a very Stephen King vibe that I enjoyed a lot, with a whole lot of extra religious horror and Mike Flannigan metaphorical genre mixing with a lot of great performances, I am glad I watched it. Not as good as haunting of Hill House or even Bly Manner, but I was sufficiently creeped out and challenged. 

Edited October 7, 2021 by tennisgurl

[ZeeEnnui]

On 9/25/2021 at 11:14 PM, jmonique said:

I refuse to believe in even an imaginary world where Bev isn't the first one to be taken out by superhuman beings.

Word. I don't remember the last time I had such a visceral reaction to a character. The rage that Bev caused me every time she was onscreen was a lot. So I'm with you. I can't imagine a bunch of bloodthirsty vampires who have had to deal with Bev's hateful, holier than thou passive aggressive b.s. for most of their lives wouldn't JUMP at the chance to tear her head off. What's the good in being undead if you can't use it to take out your small town enemies? Her speech to the sheriff was so hateful I wanted to reach through the screen and punch her repeatedly. Even though I didn't get the bloody hellfire death I wanted for Bev, she did get hers in the end. First, I loved it when Annie politely told Bev off. For someone as horrible as Bev, they want to be insulted or told off because that only feeds their self-righteousness, but to be simply told that they are "not a good person" by someone who is truly kind....that hits them where they hurt. And because people like Bev are so petty and small-minded they don't see the bigger picture...like, I don't know....burning down the entire island so you don't have anywhere to hide from the sun! Bev desperately clawing at the sand trying to find a way to hide herself from the sun was a pathetic way for a sniveling, and small character to die.

AND....one last monologue for the road. Undead "Our Town" as performed by the director's wife. Good times. There is something so college theatre kid pretentious about all of these monologues where people talk about what happens when you die. WE GET IT. Also, we already saw this acted out a few episodes ago. I did not need to revisit this despite being happy to see Zach Gilford one last time. 

This wasn't a perfect show, but there were parts that I really enjoyed. I think Mike Flanagan is a talented director, so whatever he does, I'll probably always tune in, which sounds like a Poe adaptation. Hopefully, if he modernizes it, the characters will have some basic pop culture know-how, like being able to recognize vampires (that is still one of the more bizarre choices in this script).

[jird]

14 hours ago, ZeeEnnui said:

 

AND....one last monologue for the road. Undead "Our Town" as performed by the director's wife. Good times. There is something so college theatre kid pretentious about all of these monologues where people talk about what happens when you die. WE GET IT. Also, we already saw this acted out a few episodes ago. I did not need to revisit this despite being happy to see Zach Gilford one last time. 

 

By the end of it, I was pretty sure I was dead. So very, unnecessarily long.

And yes, Bev was so, so awful, and completely oblivious to the fact that she is the polar opposite of everything she claims to believe. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

On 9/28/2021 at 8:18 AM, Chaos Theory said:

Annie was a true believer and not a zealot.  I can see the true real belief in God and each other being what was left in their final moments.   This is what true religion is supposed to be.  Annie is the representation of true belief.  She still loves her son even though he is imperfect.  That confrontation between het and Bev was my favorite part of the finale.  When Annie asked why it bothered Bev so much to think that God loved other people as much as He loved her?   True believers believe God loves even the sinners….especially the sinners.    Zealots believe only the worthy deserve his love.

I loved that scene.  You could really see how hard that hit Bev.  Annie, like her son, sacrificed herself for others.  She could be both proud of her son and see his flaws.  And she truly believed in the forgiveness that is core to her faith.  Bev only believed in judgement.  

On 10/2/2021 at 9:40 AM, IndianPaintbrush said:

This series had so many fascinating things about it (Catholicism! vampires!) but the final episode was such a letdown. I don't buy that Father Fang immediately saw the error of his ways and was doing all of it for Alzheimer Mom and daughter. There should have been more buildup for that. Why didn't Leeza drink the blood at midnight mass? She seemed horrified by what happened to her parents, but she was such a true believer that you'd think this would not have dissuaded her. Why was the Angel so unbothered when Leeza was throwing stuff at it and Erin was cutting up its wings? It just didn't make sense.

Good series overall, but terrible ending. I agree that Linklater was the MVP.

Father Fang's plan didn't include the carnage that Bev let happen.  He foolishly saw this as controllable and did not think through that all of these folks would need to feed from living creatures to survive.  He knew well about the incredible thirst that would take over.  However, he seems to have thought he had more Annie and Eds in his congregation; instead they starting attacking others even while in the church.  Since he had been shot, he couldn't speak with them to explain, and Bev, in her self-righteous beliefs that all needed to join or suffer, was okay with that happening because it transformed those that refused to die by drinking rat poison.  Bev also had them open the doors and released everyone on the remaining townspeople.

On 10/2/2021 at 10:06 AM, Persnickety1 said:

I went into this totally blind, having never seen Haunting of Hill House or Bly Manor.  I recognized Siegel from "Hush" and Gish from her past works (Mystic Pizza).  I was totally unfamiliar with the rest of the cast and the writer(s).  

I went into it with no further expectations than being entertained for a few hours, and I was not disappointed.  

I was immensely entertained and at times riveted to what was unfolding on the screen.  

The ending, what with the sudden cessation of the singing and the ashes floating in the sky, was haunting.  

Perhaps because I was so unspoiled and had zero expectations, I appreciated it just for what it was.  

Now I'm off to spend a Saturday under the weather binge watching Haunting of Hill House and hoping I find it as enjoyable as I did Midnight Mass.  

I too went into this blind.  I did find the long speechifying a bit much.  When someone tells a long story, people listening usually ask clarifying questions or ones to elicit more information.  They don't just sit there and wait for the person to finish their monologue.  

The other thing that stood out as negative was the aging makeup.  Not a good job.  They needed to age the characters so we could see them get younger.  However, it was so distracting in the early episodes.  Also, the "angel's" wings up close looked bad.  It was clearly cloth, not flesh, being torn.  

[gesundheit]

This is probably a stupid question but I watched at a slower pace than I normally would and am now blanking on some things. So what was the deal at the beginning with all the dead cats and then all the glow-y eyed cats? Was that the alpha vamp and Paul testing out their wares on cats who then sucked the blood from the other cats? Why did Joe's dog get poisoned, were they just testing the poison? I feel like we're supposed to have been able to fill in those blanks with the various reveals but I'm just too fuzzy to make the leap (it's also after 1am, that can't help).

On 10/4/2021 at 9:25 AM, DanielleBowden said:

But, like mentioned above, I also think that the Monsignor's got off lightly in the end.  He turned an entire town into vampires so he could get a second chance with Mildred.  Honestly.  Mildred should have slapped him when he said, I did this all for you as she sitting undead in church dripping in her neighbors'  blood. 

That was pretty frustrating for me, too.

Also, there was a general issue in the final two episodes, it's like they just told all the background folks in each frame to just look worried but stay on their marks. It led to a lot of really bizarre behavior. The 3 women went to the service to see what would happen, and then tried to keep everyone from drinking the poison by politely standing near them and shaking their heads and then looking sad when people drank? Paul and whatshername just stood calmly behind Bev and her cronies looking bummed out? Just a little odd. I think they needed more precision for everyone in the frame in those crowded scenes. It's all stuff that would've worked in a long shot or a musical or something, but with tight shots and naturalism it just didn't quite land.

Overall I quite liked it, though. I even liked some of the monologues -- but not nearly all. 

Poor Sarah's girlfriend. How are Leeza and Other Guy going to explain all this to the mainlanders? (Also a little odd that Sarah and company knew what was going on and that their cell phones still worked and didn't call the mainland to say the island was having an emergency? There has to be some resource like that.)

[hypnotoad]

Quote

So what was the deal at the beginning with all the dead cats and then all the glow-y eyed cats? Was that the alpha vamp and Paul testing out their wares on cats who then sucked the blood from the other cats? Why did Joe's dog get poisoned, were they just testing the poison?

I think the cats were all killed by alpha vamp. Remember Paul didn't become a full on vampire until after he died. I think Bev just poisoned that dog out of spite because it knew she was an awful person and it didn't like her.

I don't really understand how Paul and the alpha vamp were able to be in the church since they were vampires. Usually crosses and churches are no-no's for vampire types. But I guess in this universe no one has heard of a vampire so those rules don't apply.

Quote

How are Leeza and Other Guy going to explain all this to the mainlanders?

Yeah well I'm sure they are formulating a looonnnng monologue as they sit in the canoe! But let's face it the bodies of the vamps would be turned to ash etc so it wouldn't be hard to explain the fire got out of control and everyone died. It seems totally suspicious of course but still better than explaining a bunch of chewed up bodies. I found it odd that all that fire was going on and seemingly no one from the mainland noticed.

Quote

I also think that the Monsignor's got off lightly in the end.  He turned an entire town into vampires so he could get a second chance with Mildred.

He definitely got off lightly. I mean he got to end with his child in his arms and his love by his side. Come on. I wish Bev's ending had been much worse too.

[lu1535]

At the end, when the singing stopped and they panned out from the island all I could think of was Roanoke. I was surprised they didn't make some allusion to the vanished colony, for me they could have gotten away with it. Just a random observation.

[ShadowHunter]

8 hours ago, hypnotoad said:

 

He definitely got off lightly. I mean he got to end with his child in his arms and his love by his side. Come on. I wish Bev's ending had been much worse too.

I agree. He got a much better ending then deserved. Funny how even though she died it feels like Bev got off too easy. See if they didn't waste so much screen time talking we could have used that extra time for a more epic death. 

His next project is adapting the Christopher Pike book The Midnight Club. Read all those books as a kid. Those books use to have such epic covers lol. Another Pike story he is directing The Season of Passage.  I'll watch because I think he is good even though I have issues with how this turned out. I didn't like the ending of Hill House either. 

[roctavia]

9 hours ago, hypnotoad said:

I think the cats were all killed by alpha vamp. Remember Paul didn't become a full on vampire until after he died. I think Bev just poisoned that dog out of spite because it knew she was an awful person and it didn't like her.

I don't really understand how Paul and the alpha vamp were able to be in the church since they were vampires. Usually crosses and churches are no-no's for vampire types. But I guess in this universe no one has heard of a vampire so those rules don't apply.

I assume as others have said that Vampires as a lore don't exist in this world, hence nobody saying, Gee, I think this is a vampire! but also, that means this vampire doesn't have to follow any rules that we normally associate with vampires... They didn't have to be invited inside homes to get the other islanders out to kill them either.... so definitely there are some missing bits of lore... 

As far as the Pruitt's change of heart, I think it's related to Bev taking things farther than he wanted. It seemed to me that he wanted to share this with people, but wanted them to be willing. Things got way more violent in the church than I think he was planning and then when Bev let everyone out and they ravaged the rest of the people in the town- people who hadn't chosen to be with them.... I think it was too far for him and not what he had planned. 

[Mattipoo]

Bye Bev, don't let the door hit you on the way out!

I hated Leeza and her parents throughout the series, but am glad Leeza survived along with Warren.

Hope the angel/vampire got vaporized by the morning sun.

This was a good fun series, other than the extremely long and tedious monologues throughout. I also didn't like the actor who played Riley because he always has the exact same expression on his face.

The actor who played Father Pruitt was great and pretty much carried the entire show on his shoulders.

Poor Sarah! I am sad she didn't get to escape to the mainland and have a happy ending with her lovely girlfriend. At least she spit out the blood!

 

[merylinkid]

On 10/10/2021 at 5:01 PM, lu1535 said:

At the end, when the singing stopped and they panned out from the island all I could think of was Roanoke. I was surprised they didn't make some allusion to the vanished colony, for me they could have gotten away with it. Just a random observation.

taking this over to small talk.   

[Spaceman Spiff]

On 10/7/2021 at 2:48 PM, tennisgurl said:

Is this show set in a universe where vampires were never a part of pop culture, the way The Walking Dead is set in a world without a concept of zombies until they showed up? Otherwise I have no idea how no one ever said "is it me or do these things totally seem like vampires?' especially as the blood started getting sucked.

Even if they didn't have vampire lore, the creature looked exactly like depictions of the Devil himself. That alone is was got me.

This was a complete waste of 7 hours of my life. This show could be have easily been done in 3 episodes if they cut out all the homilies and complete psalm hymns I was subjected to listening to. You would think it would have eased up after a few episodes but no, they had the loooong Easter procession march with the candles and hell even the very end of the show itself was near unbearable with all the vampires singing praise to God. It also didn't help that nearly every plot point, for me, was realized early on.

[SHD]

On 10/13/2021 at 4:51 AM, Spaceman Spiff said:

This was a complete waste of 7 hours of my life. This show could be have easily been done in 3 episodes if they cut out all the homilies and complete psalm hymns I was subjected to listening to.

I would say it wasted maybe 4 hours of my life. There was a good story in there stretched beyond its limits. The series would’ve been improved 100% if all the characters would’ve shut up 50% more.

Also, did I miss something with the reveal of the doctor being the daughter of the Monsignor? Was that hinted at during the series before? It all seemed really randomly thrown in at the last minute just to give him a family to die with. I fully admit I could’ve nodded off at some point during one of the monologues and missed something.

I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to think the fate was for the two kids in the canoe. They didn’t seem to have oars, so probably couldn’t make it to the mainland. And there was nothing left of the island. I guess we assume the mainland figured out the island was burning to the ground and they got rescued?

I did enjoy the performances of the actors playing the Monsignor and Bev. And the series in general was stunningly shot.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

On 10/16/2021 at 7:08 PM, SHD said:

Also, did I miss something with the reveal of the doctor being the daughter of the Monsignor? Was that hinted at during the series before? It all seemed really randomly thrown in at the last minute just to give him a family to die with. I fully admit I could’ve nodded off at some point during one of the monologues and missed something.

The clues I picked up on, which made me realize the doctor was the daughter prior to the reveal.

When the Monsignor first came to the house to perform the mass at home, the mother called him "John" and smiled at him, he smiled back and corrected her claiming his name was "Paul". Most people with dementia will often confuse names and faces, so easily shrugged off.

When the daughter was discussing with her girlfriend about how growing up gay on the island, and how the Monsignor would stare at her, like he somehow knew and was being judgemental, which she misinterpreted , in my opinion, was just him staring at his daughter.

When the mother was de-aging and the daughter ran her through the gauntlet of questions to test her dementia, she asked "What is my fathers name?". There was a long pause by the mother until she finally said "George".

Those few clues as well as the black hair on the daughter, the color of the Monsignor's hair.

[CCTC]

During Erin's good bye speech and when the ash was falling on the kids - did anyone have a flash to the Good Place

Spoiler

finale?  Different shows - but kind of a similar views on what ultimately happens when you die -  or in the Good Place - have your Good Place death.

They really did kind of cop out with Father Paul's end.  He either should have gone all bad or not been so passive and gone all out trying to stop what he created instead of just meandering down to the bridge.  I cannot imagine Mildred would have been so calm with him when he got her daughter killed.  I did not guess that Sara was his daughter, but when it was revealed, it did see the clues were there and it did not come out of nowhere.  That said, not sure it was a needed twist.

As much as I enjoyed Annie telling Bev off - I do wish that when she was telling  Father Paul off he would have countered with calling her out more on her hypocrisy.  Still her lack of faith was shown pretty clearly at the end.  

Everyone singing on the beach seemed a little off.  As unhinged as most of them had been all night -- not sure they would have done a quick 180 and just peacefully accepted their fate -- I think they would have gone all Lord of the Flies until they started to burn.   Two reasons I did like it, was that it highlighted how Bev really had no true faith as she was panicking all alone on the beach and it was an effective moment when the singing just stopped.  

With the younger Brother and Leeza being the survivors at the end, I kind of wish they would have spent a bit more time with them prior to the last episode  as well as Vampire Alter Boy. Leeza had a bit of time, but the boys did not really have any significant time after the first time, and the only time we saw ?Warren? and Leeza together was in a dialog-free (so unlike the show) Neil Diamond episode.

Overall, I enjoyed the show, but like Hill House and Bly Manor, it had a stronger start than finish.  The producer is good at setting up the slow burn, but not really brining it to a climatic boil.

Edited October 24, 2021 by CCTC

[BeatrixK]

Went into this not knowing much (Watched Hill House last year) and WOW did I love this!

Monologues did get a little overused...but some of them packed an emotional wallop. (Erin talking about her Mom and wing clipping gutted me because it hit too close to home with my own mother.) 

But, as an Agnostic (Not a personal believer in any religion, but I can't say I know for certain either way if I'm being honest, so I feel like I fall into Agnostic.), I REALLY loved how it presented a very honest view of religion and how it affects people.  You get Riley who has gone all 'critical thinking' and it doesn't fit for him, you get Erin who uses it to guide her to try and manage life while being a person who incorporates the teachings of God...then you got ol' Bev the Believer who is so 'all in' with her faith that she will, literally, turn monsters into saviors and Nostradamus the shit out of the Bible and use the Gospel to justify what she does, regardless of how little sense in actually makes.

I thought it was compelling and utterly loved how they not only applied religion to this genre...but science.  (I can't say there was hard science being spouted, but it was really an interesting way to go to present not only the religious explanation for what was happening, but to also show the other side of the coin to explain science had a foot in that as well.  It was just a nice non-obvious way to say 'You can explain 'miracles' with science, yo!').

I thought it was brilliant....and Erin/Riley still a better love story than Twilight.  lol

[Chickabiddy]

I wrote about this after episode 6, and will mention again here, echoing what others have said above thread.
 

As a Catholic, and not a hardcore one, I just can’t believe that a priest, even one with onset dementia, would be so quick to see that winged creature as an angel or emissary of God. It looks like something out of central Catholic casting for an evil demon. It looks like a gargoyle jumped off a church and came to life. Exorcism has taken a backseat in the Catholic Church for centuries, but the concept of good and evil is still very present. There is an understanding of Satan and his power to corrupt. The St. Michael prayer, which is common enough at Mass in different dioceses, even beseeches St Michael to protect us against Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl the world seeking the ruin of souls. Enter winged blood sucking demon stage left.

I just can’t accept that a lifelong priest, attaining the rank of Monseigneur, would be so quick to accept that demon as an angel. He should have been more skeptical and questioning. it’s just a huge plot hole for me.

It would have been more compelling if we some internal struggle or conflict  with Pruitt wanting to believe that this chance at renewed life was something good, but trying to square it with all the evidence to the contrary. He just bought into it too easily as a miracle from God.

It also would have been more interesting for me if the demon had looked more angelic or  divine. Drawing on the understanding that the devil comes in many forms and has the power to deceive would have been more impactful. Pruitt just gave in to it too quickly. 
 

And, yes, Pruitt got off to easily. For one, he let himself off too easily. There was no repentance, no reckoning or atonement. Just a pat “Do you forgive me?” to Millie, and a let’s go off and die with our daughter. Oh, well.

Even with these flaws, I did sort of enjoy it. I think the show tried to do too much in seven episodes. A good show, but not a great one. It came close, but just didn’t have the tension, pacing, and character development it needed to be as profound as I think it wanted to be. 

[tomsmom]

Erin clipped his wings! 🦇

[AzraeltheCat]

On 9/27/2021 at 10:12 PM, Paloma said:

I was confused as to why Leeza survived the sunrise and why her paralysis came back when they were in the boat. She was one of the only regulars at church and thus consumed more of the "angel's" (or the monsignor's) blood than almost anyone--enough that she was healed of her paralysis even before adults started getting younger. So why wasn't she a vampire like, for example, her mom, who went to church regularly with Leeza? For that matter, why wasn't Warren a vampire, since he was an altar boy and presumably took communion regularly?

Because neither of them died.  In order to become a vampire, you had to have consumed the blood and then die, so you could be "resurrected" as a vampire. 

 

On 10/4/2021 at 10:48 AM, MaggieG said:

My biggest issue with this show was the fact that nobody that saw the "angel" didn't scream out "Dude, that's not an angel, that's a vampire!" Riley, after being resurrected, sat there with the Monsignor and didn't ask any questions about what that thing was, where did it come from. Erin, after sitting in the boat with Riley, listening to his story, watching him burn, didn't voice anything like that. Even when she's recounting the story to Sarah, they didn't mention "that thing, that creature" that's clearly not an angel. Even after the massacre, when the few survivors were hiding out at the Riley's house nobody is voicing this. I get it, they're probably all in shock from what they just witnessed but the fact that nobody said "what the hell was that thing?" just took me out of the show a bit.

Other Media

Totally agree.  As someone pointed out, Catholic Church has long recognized good and evil and that thing looked like a gargoyle.  Also, when Priest talks about how people in the Bible were also scared of angels, did nobody think : "Well the angels in the Bible talked, and said things like 'Fear not for I bring you good tidings of great joy' and did not, you know, just screech & leap upon people and suck their blood. " 🙄

 

On 10/4/2021 at 9:25 AM, DanielleBowden said:

But, like mentioned above, I also think that the Monsignor's got off lightly in the end.  He turned an entire town into vampires so he could get a second chance with Mildred.  Honestly.  Mildred should have slapped him when he said, I did this all for you as she sitting undead in church dripping in her neighbors'  blood. 

This really irritated.  First that he, the one who started all this turned so suddenly -- had a revelation, let's say--about how wrong it was ...didn't feel authentic to me. Then it was like, "this is wrong, whoops/sorry, I did it because I love you."  ARRGH. 

On 9/27/2021 at 10:12 PM, Paloma said:

This should have been an exciting finale, but of course they had to interrupt the action with another interminable monologue about death from Erin.

HAHAHA, glad I'm not the only one not impressed with that.  I thought it was SO annoying, that I was yelling at the screen, "just die already!" 

 

Overall, I found it entertaining.  I would only allow myself to watch when on treadmill and it certainly incentivized me to walk/run! I did predict a fair bit of the events throughout but still enjoyed the series as a whole.  A part of me wanted Bev to have a much worse death [I called her many many bad names throughout, all modified by a word that begins with F] , but having been admonished by Annie and then having screwed the rest of her followers, and dying alone and scared was pretty good punishment.  The monologues throughout were a bit much. 

Edited November 4, 2021 by AzraeltheCat

[AzraeltheCat]

On 10/7/2021 at 8:49 AM, Pondlass1 said:

And when exactly was Bev converted to vampire? 
 What was  the population of the island? Was it mentioned? The church held maybe 40-50. So that’s  all the island folks? A church, a school, a doctor for such a small community. 

It seems like in one of the earliest eps, one character said something about how there was only a few dozen left on the island.  As for Bev, the way I understood is that she had not been converted as of the Midnight Mass.  When she saw the new vamps feeding on others, she was a coward and fled to the back of the church.  Erin and Co. found her there and pulled the gun on her.  Bev said something like "that will only buy you 5 minutes" meaning that if Erin killed her, Bev would resurrect as a vampire in 5 minutes [because of course, as regular mass-goer, she'd drunk lots of blood-wine].  And that is what/when it happened.  At least, that is how I interpreted it. 

[natyxg]

So, I liked this show more than I expected, though it frustrates me because it could have been much better than it was. I really liked most of the characters and found the themes they were trying to explore interesting. Big existential questions about religion, what happens when we die, how religion can be a double edged sword with good things and bad things, etc. And overall I liked how it didn't really answer those questions, because really they are unanswerable in any definitive way. I thought, and liked, how the vampire/vampirism kind of represented religion. On the one hand, the vampire blood healed you. It made you young and healthy. The colors of the world became beautiful and bright, the universe became more beautiful and there is no illness or death anymore... but on the other hand, the bloodlust is destructive. One can argue that religion tends to be like that. Some parts are good and some are bad. It can bring comfort and bring out the best of you like it did for Erin, or it can bring out the worst of you, like it did with Bev.

I always appreciate when shows have themes and they explore those themes, and I thought they did that here and they did it better than I expected. I feel like it's been forever since a show makes me think about existential things, lol. So many shows nowadays are just shallow and about nothing (boring).

Having said, I had big problems with it in general and with the finale specifically.

First of all,  it was too slow. Not enough stuff happened. There was a monologue here and there that might have been compelling, like Erin's and Riley's original monologues about death, but the others were just... augh. PAINFUL. It was almost embarrassing to see the characters go on and on and on while the person in front of them got a shot here and there to show them nodding. uff. Sometimes the Bible quoting got too much, too.

Another thing that I found irksome was the way in which they treated the whole "angel" business. I guess they wanted to show what fanaticism can do, but they acted as if demons and the devil aren't part of catholic belief, therefore Pruitt could see this fugly ass, evil looking creature and could only think "angel!". It was ridiculous that he didn't have doubts at least.

Speaking of Pruitt, and this takes us to the finale itself, I hated how they tried to redeem him in the end. The guy was bonkers. He was delusional about the angel and the miracles and the whole thing. He was delusional from the very beginning. When he killed Joe, he used religion to rationalize away his guilt. Why wouldn't he do the same when things went sideways during the mass? If anything, in a situation like that, that would be the logical step. He would then want to avoid his guilt about this huge massacre by rationalizing things in the same way he had before. After all, if they are warriors for God, there are abound to be casualties. If being a vampire is a good thing, then people eating each other and turning into vampires would be a good thing. If the show wanted him to eventually see the error of his ways they had to work at that more, and better, and start establishing that since an earlier episode, not just flip a switch like that just because they didn't want him to end the series as the bad guy. His explanation about Sara and her mother being his motivation wasn't enough either.

I was pissed off about Erin's death. She was like the only character I was rooting for. Her love for her baby made her very endearing to me, and I wanted her to make it and get another chance at it. Everyone else seemed to just be there, existing, she was the only one for whom I could see a future, and I wanted her to make it. Sarah, too, bus specially Erin. Instead, the ones who make it are those two no1curr teens whose names I'm not even sure of. Gah! I also didn't like Erin's death. When she has that scene with Riley, both describe what they think death will be like, and we're not supposed to know who is right or wrong. By showing Erin's death that way, it's like they made Riley right. I would've preferred the ambiguity, and to imagine that she made it "home" to the daughter she adored so much. I don't find comfort in thinking that we're all drops of water who return to the ocean. If anything, that makes it all meaningless. The way she described death just means that like... what's the point? She's reabsorbed into the universe and it's like she never existed, so what is the point of everything? Why even try to save the world from the vampires if in the end it's all the same and we're all just matter either way or whatever? So no, I wasn't a fan of that (plus it was yet another loooooong monologue). I did like the throwback to her story about how her mother used to say that we all get out wings clipped sometime.

I was... skeptical at this idea that there was absolutely nowhere the vampires could hide from the sun, and that they didn't even try to put out some fire or two to save a building or two. They don't even need the whole house, just some shade here and there. Pr maybe even the basement. The vampires did all they did, and then just threw their hands in the air in the end. I guess we're supposed to believe that after the hunger subsided they came to their senses and felt guilty, but meh. Having said that, I loved them signing the hymn and how it just abruptly stopped when the sun went up.

I wish there had been some attempt to explain what the deal was with the vampire. Was it really some ancient vampire trapped in one of the buildings in the sand? Why did it follow Pruitt around? Why did he seem on board with what Pruitt was doing, so much so that he attacked Sarah's mother when she shot Pruitt, and basically didn't go on a feeding spree from the first day it was there? What was the connection Pruitt claimed to have with it? It was weird. Either it was almost like an animal, which is why it didn't speak, or it was like a person, in which case why didn't it speak and why did he do what Pruitt wanted?

I hope Mike's next project can combine a good theme and good characters with a better paced plot. Also, hope there are lesbians.

[merylinkid]

40 minutes ago, natyxg said:

Big existential questions about religion, what happens when we die, how religion can be a double edged sword with good things and bad things, etc. A

You nailed it.   I found myself thinking about the faith I was raised in during this show so much.   Almost enough to attend church again.   then I remembered all the Bevs of the Church and went, nah, I'm good.

But they really did not explore the themes well because they were too busy monologuing it away.   

[moonshine71]

On 10/10/2021 at 8:30 PM, roctavia said:

I assume as others have said that Vampires as a lore don't exist in this world, hence nobody saying, Gee, I think this is a vampire! but also, that means this vampire doesn't have to follow any rules that we normally associate with vampires... They didn't have to be invited inside homes to get the other islanders out to kill them either.... so definitely there are some missing bits of lore... 

As far as the Pruitt's change of heart, I think it's related to Bev taking things farther than he wanted. It seemed to me that he wanted to share this with people, but wanted them to be willing. Things got way more violent in the church than I think he was planning and then when Bev let everyone out and they ravaged the rest of the people in the town- people who hadn't chosen to be with them.... I think it was too far for him and not what he had planned. 

 

On 10/7/2021 at 3:48 PM, tennisgurl said:

Is this show set in a universe where vampires were never a part of pop culture, the way The Walking Dead is set in a world without a concept of zombies until they showed up? Otherwise I have no idea how no one ever said "is it me or do these things totally seem like vampires?' especially as the blood started getting sucked. Overall I liked this show, even if I think it was rather flawed, especially the ridiculous amount of monologues. They weren't even bad monologues, most of them were well written and performed, but there were so damn many of them that you just wanted them to stop with the one man show and get on with the story. I don't mind a slow moving story, but this show had a LOT of padding with all of the speeches, showing tons of church services, I know that this is a Mike Flannigan thing, but it can get old, especially if the atmosphere isn't working for you. 

However, despite its flaws, I still liked the show and I think that it ended on a strong note. I didn't expect just about everyone to die except for Leeza and Warren to die, but I think it worked, it turned out to be quite emotional, I admit to getting a lump in my throat starting when Erin started narrating about returning to the cosmos to the vampiric townsfolk realizing what they have become and accepting their fates. Especially when their singing cut out as they burned, that was chilling. I know that this show is going to inspire dozens and dozens of think pieces about whether this is pro religion or anti religion and a lot of that will probably come down to the individual and their personal experiences, but I think it was mostly a show about forgiveness, faith, and extremism. Forgiveness is probably the most obvious theme, with Riley finally finding peace with his family and with the girl he accidently killed right before his death, Leeza forgiving Joe for shooting her, Father Paul apologizing for bringing the vampire to the island and for not being there as a father for Sarah, and the townsfolk realizing that, like Riley, they had to hope to find forgiveness for what they did by accepting that they have to die, and like Riley they got to die with a certain amount of peace. Unlike Bev who could never acknowledge that what she did was wrong so died screaming and pathetically trying to burry herself in sand while everyone else died with dignity. You can probably make a case about what this is saying about organized religion, but I think it was more broadly about faith and how it can lead to good and bad things. Faith gave Erin hope when she lost her baby and when she was dying, waiting to become one with the cosmos and see her lost loved ones, but faith also led the Monsignor to radically misinterpret the monster he met in the cave and bring it back to gift its "miracles" to his people, out of deeply misguided but genuine desire to help the islanders and the woman he still loves, which was an utter disaster. Then you have Bev and Annie, who are sort of two sides of religion, the good and the bad. Bev is self righteous, petty, judgmental, racist, cruel, and eventually becomes outright murderous. I think Annie hit the nail on the head when she said that Bev hates the idea that God loves everyone as much as he loves her, she absolutely needs to feel superior. Annie isn't a perfect person, but she is a very compassionate person who loves people, flaws and all, tries not to judge others, even resisting the urge to drink blood when she became a vampire. Religion led to the fervor that got the entire island killed after half the population became monsters, but it also led to them realizing that they were wrong and gave the people of the island some comfort in their last moments, with Hassan and Ali doing one last prayer and the townsfolk singing a last hymn. This all leads to the other theme, extremism. Mike Flannigan said that the angel vampire represents extremism, which I can totally see. It shows up and spreads extremism like it passed on vampirism, passed from one person to the next until the whole town is infected, and everyone only comes to their senses once its gone. It makes people act out of character and way more intense and violent then they used to be, bringing out the worst in people, until everything erupts into violence. 

If nothing else, Bev is a pretty amazing villain, I have rarely seen someone so punchable on my screen who I was still entertained by. Her miserable final moments were very satisfying. I stand by my earlier statement that even the scary vampire angel was a more likable character than her. And probably a better conversationalist.

I was really hoping that Sheriff Hassan and Erin at least would make it out, but at least they found some peace before death. Its like Mike Flannigan heard people complaining about the ending of Hill House and was like 

  Hide contents

Fine! You want everyone to die in a depressing ending, here you go! Dead dead dead! 

Like I said, the show was flawed but I really did find a lot of good stuff to chew on. I think it could have been better, especially with less padding and speeches, but I am really glad I watched it. It had a very Stephen King vibe that I enjoyed a lot, with a whole lot of extra religious horror and Mike Flannigan metaphorical genre mixing with a lot of great performances, I am glad I watched it. Not as good as haunting of Hill House or even Bly Manner, but I was sufficiently creeped out and challenged. 

When Sarah is describing EPP, the disease that makes people extremely photosensitive and iron deficient, she suggests it is responsible for myths, which I take as a clear allusion to vampire lore. I don't make much of the fact they they can go into church or homes uninvited, or aren't burned by crosses, etc. Plenty of vampire fiction picks and chooses what attributes to portray as "true" and "myth" when it comes to vampires within a specific universe. We've seen plenty where they aren't burned by sunlight(Dracula, Twilight), even though that is one of the most commonly found attributes. I feel like the writers choice to avoid using the word vampire was purely stylistic, even though at some point it becomes just too odd that no one just blurts out ,"jfc, its a vampire! "

[hatchetgirl]

On 10/6/2021 at 3:40 PM, Macbeth said:

And I loved Erin's description of death.  Just turning back into a drop of water.  Becoming one with the universe again.

It was really beautiful.  I liked that she was no longer clinging to the belief she held previously, but rather more in line with what Riley believed.  I actually teared up.  

Edited to add:

Quote

Why jump to the conclusion it’s an angel and not a vampire? That struck so odd. And when exactly was Bev converted to vampire? 
 What was  the population of the island? Was it mentioned? The church held maybe 40-50. So that’s  all the island folks? A church, a school, a doctor for such a small community. They could’ve lived on the mainland and still fished. What was the benefit of living on a wee island?  When the island was ablaze at the end, no one from the mainland set out to save them?  The mainland didn’t seem far off if you could row there.

I let this one go based on Monsignor went on his pilgrimage in a state of dementia.  He really no longer had much of a lucid brain and was so in deep with his religion and his pilgrimage, I feel like when he was taken by the vampire, his mind didn't have a better answer than angel.  It made sense to me.  Then, his mind, although repairing itself, didn't lose his religious dogma so it was easy for him to go along with it.  The midnight mass was what finally made him realize the error of it all, I think. 

Quote

He definitely got off lightly. I mean he got to end with his child in his arms and his love by his side. 

Oh no, I don't think so at all.  He saw the full horror of what he brought on everything.  Because of his addled human mind before transition, I really believe HE believed he was bringing the good.  Then when he saw the destruction, I just can't imagine because he did really care for and love these people.  What a hard life - to be so in love with this woman, ready to cast off the collar for her, only to watch another man raise his daughter.  Heartbreaking.  

 

Edited November 23, 2021 by hatchetgirl

[chediavolo]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:13 PM, TrininisaScorp said:

As someone more...spiritual and certainly questioning, as well as very suspicious of anything organized religion in nature, I think my husband and I were pulled in by the content.  This and Messiah were very interesting to me in terms of what makes belief and what makes religion and spirituality so fraught with contextual misalignment, cross purposes, and total disagreement in how it all works. 

Mannnn, Bev was the embodiment of every Christian white lady who has ever told me with a smile on her judgment, cruel racist face that I was surely going to burn in hell. But, I would always rather a cross burning, confederate flag waving person calling me an epithet than someone who hides behind a calm demeanor, passive aggression, and patronizing intolerance. I know exactly where I stand with the former; it's the latter that are the most dangerous. Bev is a bit in that court. 

I had a friend just like that. No longer. I wised up to her craziness. A born again nut. I once asked her if that meant I was not going to heaven because I was simply an old fashioned Catholic, and she she just gave me an insane smile. Turns out she was mentally ill  also. There’s a correlation for sure in some of these self righteous nut bags. 
I liked the series. I liked the monologues. It wasn’t the same old same old. It made me think. Especially about Catholicism.  

Edited November 24, 2021 by chediavolo

[bosawks]

Finally finished it.  

I think, in the end, it was all about choice when you think there aren’t any choices left.

Mike Flanagan’s stuff always has a layer underneath the layer underneath the layer.

[Readingallnight]

I almost quit watching after the 'what happens when we die' dueling monologues.  And I said if they start into them again I'm turning it off.  Thought they were gearing up to it in the next episode when Erin filed the missing persons report with the sheriff and he asked what she and Riley were talking about the last time she saw him.  I had my finger on the stop button, but it felt like Monty Python and the Holy Grail when the dad has his son locked in a tower and every time he tries to tell his story in song the dad yells 'no singing!'.

Then of course right at the end Erin starts into it again but it's so close to the end no point in stopping.  The whole end and all the really poorly thought out choices just left my daughter and I laughing as they played out.  Pruitt meets his daughter splashing gasoline in the church and the look on her face as he talks at her then admits he his her dad - funny.  When they catch the sheriff splashing gasoline at the rec hall and someone says should have done the inside and then Erin comes out oblivious to the crowd at first as she is splashing her fuel about - funny.  Pruitt admitting he did this whole thing to get back with his lover?  Everyone suddenly realizing the sun was coming and they were screwed?  Hilarious.

 

I did appreciate what seemed to be a nod to the original Nosferatu, when the vampire looks up at the sky as dawn approaches but she pulls him back to her neck so she can slit his wings. Very similar to the end scene in the old 1920s movie, a woman keep him feeding on her until the sun comes up and he dies.  For all their curious lack of vampire knowledge she seemed to have seen that movie.

[iMonrey]

Wow, this was bad. Really bad. I found it a chore to get through, and I'm not even sure why I bothered once I started fast-forwarding the interminable monologues and other conversations that droned on and on. I guess after investing three hours I wanted to see how it would end but good grief, there was barely enough story here to fill a 2-hour movie, let alone a 7-hour miniseries. Sometimes less is more,  you know?

What really made it hard for me was the awful music. The endless, monotonous, funeral dirge hymns playing over never-ending montages. I guess if you're raised with church music it wouldn't bother you that much but yikes! It was like nails on a chalkboard to me. That last scene where everyone is singing Nearer My God to Thee was excruciating to sit through, I had to hit the FF button and I was literally yelling at the TV "just burn already!" 

In terms of the final episode itself, I find it highly implausible that nowhere on that island was there a single spot in the shade, despite burning all the buildings. And I question whether they would have actually been able to burn every. single. building on the entire island in one night too. And why the main Vampire was still able to fly away despite having its wings cut to shreds, and why Leeza said "it can barely fly" as she watched it fly away. Huh? First of all, it was too far away for her to see if its wings were damaged and second, it looked like it was flying OK to me.

Finally, there's the ludicrous notion that nobody ever thought "Hmm, a vampire." I mean, clearly they were vampires and yet the word was never mentions. But I guess it's like The Walking Dead where nobody ever says "zombie." We're supposed to think this story took place in a world where nobody had ever heard of vampires, apparently. Whatever.

[munchiewoman]

On 11/5/2021 at 4:08 PM, natyxg said:

I was... skeptical at this idea that there was absolutely nowhere the vampires could hide from the sun, and that they didn't even try to put out some fire or two to save a building or two. They don't even need the whole house, just some shade here and there. Pr maybe even the basement. The vampires did all they did, and then just threw their hands in the air in the end. I guess we're supposed to believe that after the hunger subsided they came to their senses and felt guilty, but meh.

That was my thought.  A trunk of a car. A basement.  I even saw an ice vending thing at the end that I thought someone could fit in.  And I was just thinking that I would bury myself in the ground when Bev started digging. 

I binged this whole thing today. I came very close to just reading a synopsis.  Sitting through Erin's death dialogue twice in one day was excruciating. This really could have been 3 episodes.  Even a long movie. 

I am glad that Riley's parents resisted the hunger.  But the rest of the town? I find it hard to believe people could do what they did and then just Oops it out and sing a hymn.

Riley's brother? That's dead people snowing on you.

[millennium]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:59 PM, Sakura12 said:

Also shows like this expect us to believe that they exist in some alternate world that never heard about vampires. Since no ever brought that up. Vampires have existed in literature for years. You can't tell me not one person knew about them. Especially since they made enough regular trips to the mainland to have a ferry service. 

Tell that to all the folks on The Walking Dead who never heard the word "zombie."

If this Mike Flanagan guy hates Catholicism so much, there must have been an easier, less-expensive, less work-intensive and less bloviated way of saying so.  

Erin's soliloquy at the end ... if she really wanted to do in the vampire, she should have whispered her whole "what happens when we die" speech in its ear as it was sucking her blood.  The thing would have imploded.

Her cutting holes in its wings did a fat lot of good.   What I thought would happen is that she would cut holes in the wings and keep it drinking till sunrise (as in Nosferatu), then watch it flail and flame as it tried to fly off.

[Affogato]

I am not Catholic and usually do not like Catholic horror, even examples like the ‘exorcist’ that are generally thought to be good. I gave up on Hill House when he killed a box of kittens and saw Usher, which was made after this show. This was ok. Both Midnight Mass and Usher have a lot of Stephen King adjacent elements, but fall flat for me. I think, am not sure, it is because he hasn’t got the voices of his characters. King has a kind of respect and love for even his famously woman hating jerks, that make people care when they get involved with bad things. Kings books are how people react under pressure, the pressure is often supernatural, but the people are first. In this story faith is enough to put the presdure on them, the vampire is like dropping an anvil on it. 
 

anyway, at the beginning  I loved the repetition of the mass and communion, which emphasized the importanced of the ritual to father Paul.  I believed that demented Pruitt, suddenly young and seeing rainbows, believed it was a holy miracle that he wanted to give to Millie, Leeza and the people he loved. I see that most people, assuming that people do not suddenly de-age, would not grasp that Paul (reborn on the road to damascus !) was Pruitt. I hated Erin’s last speech as she lay dying. In general, too much long winded (mostly out of character) prose poems.  I think they should have shown Pruitt’s realization of his errors much earlier. 
 

when Warren and Leeza are in The boat and react to a rain of ash, that is the remains of the dying vampire. Dead vampire . 

Edited January 20 by Affogato

[jmonique]

On 9/26/2021 at 1:14 AM, jmonique said:

I refuse to believe in even an imaginary world where Bev isn't the first one to be taken out by superhuman beings.

I do love that 3 years later, I still get notifications of likes about this comment. Hating Bev Season is here.