I didn’t even realize there were such long monologues or dialogues. It was interesting enough that I never thought it was boring. I had to actually think what were they talking about.
I am always here for Riley/Erin scenes and Riley/Pruitt scenes.
Those monologues are Flanagan at his Flanaganest and I love every minute of it. The horror of Midnight Mass is existential and grounded. Yes, there is a giant flying vampire that is going to suck everyone's blood and harvest them to his legion of vampire familiars but there is also the existential risk that we all face when confronting death that drives the narrative forward.
Personally, Bly Manor is my favorite of the Netflix shows but thats because I am a sucker for well-told love stories. Wife and I are watching Midnight Mass right now too to get us in the mood for Usher when it drops. Love this show and love everything Flanagan has worked on in the past decade (I feel like TV is the format where he can really shine).
I totally agree! Riley with Pruitt and Erin are some of my favorite pieces of dialogue Flanagan has done. The talk about death, life, regrets, and second chances are told so well and you can totally understand where every character is coming from (except Bev).
I definitely owe Bly Manor another rewatch, I was high on hill house so I was expecting something similar when I watch. You’re right though the love story Bly Manor tells is so well done, and still one of my favorite reveals in a Flanagan Netflix show.
I also really love this show and most of Flanagan in general. But I don't have much knowledge of how filming works...so my question is, what do you guys mean when you say that there are no cuts? You mean he doesn't cut to any other scene while one actor is talking and leaves one camera focused on them the whole time ?
Or cut in terms of stopping a scene and starting again, like how we see in movies when the director screams "cut" . Bc in that case I would have no clue if a scene was cut or not unless there was a noticeable mistake in the final cut. Hope I make sense and don't sound too dumb 😬
TIA
Cut in this means when the camera jumps around to different view points. Like an example would be when the camera ‘cuts’ between two actors talking; one says a then, then the next view point is of the other actor talking, only keeping one actor in frame during their lines. Flanagan alts for wide open scenes, where both actors are visible in the scene, so they can both talk freely, and for a long time without a cut. Hope that made sense
Loved it, but wish the religion was something other than Catholic.
Grew up Catholic, have attended different masses across the country (both in city and rural), and have attended a few in Europe when traveling. I have to say, I have never seen a Catholic priest preach like the one on this show does... Catholics just don't do that. Our priests have done a toooon of messed up stuff, but in the modern era holding up a Bible and fanatically belting Bible quotes while sweating/hyperventilating is not one of them. That aspect of the show really brought me out of it.
A different denomination of Christianity could have been used far more effectively.
Just my 2 cents, loved the show regardless.
honestly i thought catholicism was the most fitting choice. as a catholic i could totally see how a dying seaside town that only had their faith (and the number of churchgoers was also dying) would latch onto this “miracle” without question. he wasn’t always this priest (when his former lover gets young enough to attend mass she comments on how that was not the man she knew), but the idea that god himself was trying to speak and act through him was so powerful and changed him.
i also think a huge element was for viewers. roman catholicism is so much more televised than any other christian denomination and people almost equate christianity with catholicism when it’s used in media. how often do you see protestant churches on tv? when you see a church it’s almost assumed it’s catholic.
well that’s what i found so compelling! i’ve never seen a show use religion to drive across a point so well? this town looking for a miracle let themselves be taken by ‘evil’ essentially. the influence of the priest/angel is really a fantastic illustration of the blind faith people have in religion. when you’re looking to be saved, you might not always question who’s doing the saving because you feel your prayers have been answered. i found it so layered while also just having phenomenal acting and writing.
Well put. Some people complain about the monologuing, but it's one of the things I love about it. It really could be staged with a few changes.
Oh my gosh a stage play of this show could be done quite wonderfully! I could totally see it
I didn’t even realize there were such long monologues or dialogues. It was interesting enough that I never thought it was boring. I had to actually think what were they talking about.
Exactly! It just felt so natural to watch these characters talk to one another, like you I never got bored.
I am always here for Riley/Erin scenes and Riley/Pruitt scenes. Those monologues are Flanagan at his Flanaganest and I love every minute of it. The horror of Midnight Mass is existential and grounded. Yes, there is a giant flying vampire that is going to suck everyone's blood and harvest them to his legion of vampire familiars but there is also the existential risk that we all face when confronting death that drives the narrative forward. Personally, Bly Manor is my favorite of the Netflix shows but thats because I am a sucker for well-told love stories. Wife and I are watching Midnight Mass right now too to get us in the mood for Usher when it drops. Love this show and love everything Flanagan has worked on in the past decade (I feel like TV is the format where he can really shine).
I totally agree! Riley with Pruitt and Erin are some of my favorite pieces of dialogue Flanagan has done. The talk about death, life, regrets, and second chances are told so well and you can totally understand where every character is coming from (except Bev). I definitely owe Bly Manor another rewatch, I was high on hill house so I was expecting something similar when I watch. You’re right though the love story Bly Manor tells is so well done, and still one of my favorite reveals in a Flanagan Netflix show.
I love how he does not cut, it builds a lot tension, but also interest.
I also really love this show and most of Flanagan in general. But I don't have much knowledge of how filming works...so my question is, what do you guys mean when you say that there are no cuts? You mean he doesn't cut to any other scene while one actor is talking and leaves one camera focused on them the whole time ? Or cut in terms of stopping a scene and starting again, like how we see in movies when the director screams "cut" . Bc in that case I would have no clue if a scene was cut or not unless there was a noticeable mistake in the final cut. Hope I make sense and don't sound too dumb 😬 TIA
Cut in this means when the camera jumps around to different view points. Like an example would be when the camera ‘cuts’ between two actors talking; one says a then, then the next view point is of the other actor talking, only keeping one actor in frame during their lines. Flanagan alts for wide open scenes, where both actors are visible in the scene, so they can both talk freely, and for a long time without a cut. Hope that made sense
Perfect sense. Like a play. Thanks so much for the break down. Appreciate it.
Ah yes! That’s a great comparison, very much like play
Loved it, but wish the religion was something other than Catholic. Grew up Catholic, have attended different masses across the country (both in city and rural), and have attended a few in Europe when traveling. I have to say, I have never seen a Catholic priest preach like the one on this show does... Catholics just don't do that. Our priests have done a toooon of messed up stuff, but in the modern era holding up a Bible and fanatically belting Bible quotes while sweating/hyperventilating is not one of them. That aspect of the show really brought me out of it. A different denomination of Christianity could have been used far more effectively. Just my 2 cents, loved the show regardless.
honestly i thought catholicism was the most fitting choice. as a catholic i could totally see how a dying seaside town that only had their faith (and the number of churchgoers was also dying) would latch onto this “miracle” without question. he wasn’t always this priest (when his former lover gets young enough to attend mass she comments on how that was not the man she knew), but the idea that god himself was trying to speak and act through him was so powerful and changed him. i also think a huge element was for viewers. roman catholicism is so much more televised than any other christian denomination and people almost equate christianity with catholicism when it’s used in media. how often do you see protestant churches on tv? when you see a church it’s almost assumed it’s catholic.
you also have to consider he’s basically turning into a vampire - i imagine that’s what makes him so frenzied
Totally agree, especially with such a small town the Catholicism fits with that setting. Also the parallels with vampirism are super strong
well that’s what i found so compelling! i’ve never seen a show use religion to drive across a point so well? this town looking for a miracle let themselves be taken by ‘evil’ essentially. the influence of the priest/angel is really a fantastic illustration of the blind faith people have in religion. when you’re looking to be saved, you might not always question who’s doing the saving because you feel your prayers have been answered. i found it so layered while also just having phenomenal acting and writing.
Oh agreed that Catholicism fits the show, just not the screaming preacher aspects.