Now that we’ve had a full seven days with Netflix’s new show ‘The Midnight Gospel‘, which for all intents and purposes is like an adult ‘Adventure Time’ on psychedelics (or more psychedelics?) the reactions are pouring in thicker and faster than Captain Bryce’s multi-coloured wobbles.
The show itself is a beautiful, technicolour trip into existence and asking big questions about life. The main character, Clancy (voiced by Duncan Trussell), is a time-and-space hopping “space caster”, zapping himself into different planets throughout the multiverse as they’re seemingly on the brink of collapse.
I binge-watched a bunch of the eight-episode season on the weekend and already want to go back and watch all of ‘Midnight Gospel’ again. There’s so much to absorb through the conversations (which are seemingly calm and soothing excerpts from Trussell’s podcast) and the Pendleton Ward-led graphics, which are absolute chaos at a minimum.
Some people are watching it one ep at a time (wise), while others are going in for the long-haul and watching all of it in one go (pretty much me) and then rewatching again to pick up on things missed in the first go around.
I’m definitely not the only one having a bunch of Big Feelings™ about the new show, with its moments of self-existentialism, discussions of grief and accepting death, and little murderous spider robots with clown faces that kinda look like smiley devon, so let’s have a squizz at the best reactions to the Huge Life Trip.
Just watched the first ep of the midnight gospel. It felt like my brain was shut off temporarily for 22 mins. That was amazing.
— dorian 🗿 (@SchwiftyHero) April 20, 2020
Fuck…#midnightgospel pic.twitter.com/C4ei960uF2
— ZeroRegert (@Zero_Regert) April 24, 2020
Just watched the first ep of the midnight gospel… goddamn that was wierd as fuck and I loved every minute if it. pic.twitter.com/AuuPVZYDuq
— illumi-NATION Cyberwear @Cfz in May (@IllumiCyberwear) April 26, 2020
fucking hell, the midnight gospel is one of the best animated shows I’ve seen of all time pic.twitter.com/O6kz2gMP3m
— Bobby (@Bobby_Singer2) April 26, 2020
midnight gospel is so so good!!!?
— ashnikko (@ashnikko) April 24, 2020
Just binged @MidnightGospel and my third eye hurts.
— Lindsey Carmela Bartlett (@lindseybartlett) April 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/Negr0Spiritual/status/1253141884148412418?s=20
The Midnight Gospel is basically audio of real people being interviewed about their life philosophies & acid trip revelations…overlaid with visuals from Pendleton Ward’s own, very separate, acid trip. It’s so different from AdventureTime, but so fucking good. pic.twitter.com/y9BbpYhoJT
— But it was me, DIO (@jsssiechan) April 22, 2020
Damn really watched midnight gospel until 6am….well fuck sleep I guess pic.twitter.com/bipP7D8kWM
— HGTV (@PapaSpencie) April 20, 2020
There’s something incredible about blending together what’s essentially a podcast based around all the facets of existence and trying to grapple with life’s big questions while also bending your mind with animation that looks like it’s walking the tightrope between a good and bad acid trip.
All of the chats that Clancy has with different key characters in ‘Midnight Gospel’ are legit conversations that Trussell produced for the dialogue of the show – from TV doctor Dr. Drew Pinksy to death acceptance advocate Caitlin Doughty, and Trussell’s own mother – which give it this beautiful, calm layer that keeps you grounded while the world melts in front of your eyes.
Okay, Netflix, hurry up with loading in season two of ‘Midnight Gospel’, I need it to happen already.
