Sunday was a really slow day for me. Normally I’d read a book or sketch something, but I just wasn’t in the mood to do anything at all, not even play games on my Switch, and I love games. After hour 15 of laying in bed, I get a text from a friend saying that she was excited to watch “The Midnight Gospel” on Netflix. Since I had nothing better to do, and watching didn’t need extra effort from me (except that time when I had to get snacks and leave the room for a quick pee break), I asked if I could watch with her and man, was that one of the worst and best decisions of my life.
Worst because we decided to set the binge feast at 12 midnight and watching a show that discusses existential questions at sad boi hour isn’t the best decision…unless I was planning to rock the drugged-out raccoon look for tomorrow’s Zoom meet with the whole Preen team—but that’s normally Friday’s look.
And best because the show was…actually good. I mean who knew that this Adult Swim x Chalkzone crossover was all I needed to actually think about what I’m doing with my life and that I have to get my shit together?
If you’re still confused about what the point of the show is even after watching the trailer, let me help you with that.
So, “The Midnight Gospel” revolves around Clancy, a curious interdimensional spacecaster (probably a podcaster that does his podcasts…in space?) who hops from one multiverse to another by sticking his head into a portal which kind of resembles a…uhm…vagina? In his adventures, he makes sure to interview different beings to hopefully uncover new perspectives and philosophies which he can then upload to his “spacecast.”
Each episode touches on different topics such as the importance of talking about and accepting death, drug abuse, and imprisonment of self, along with various other themes that are similarly… hard to digest.
It doesn’t exactly make for happy family TV time unless you’re one of the Kelly Family (circa 1887).
In the first episode, a baby-president is seen warding off zombies in a post-apocalyptic world while discussing recreational drug use with Clancy. In another episode, Clancy takes the form of a rainbow and talks to a bird who is attached to a prisoner trying to escape as they talk about the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism and how death “is actually the big orgasm—the relinquishing of the self.” It’s weird agreeing with a bird but it did make me wonder if death is just the beginning of a new existence or if it’s the final release from physical form and, as far as we know, everything there is.
After finishing all the episodes at around three in the morning, I knew I had to do a little bit of research before going to bed. I just had to know whether the creators were high while conceptualizing the plot. I mean, if you’ve watched the series, you’d be curious too.
Just me? Okay then.
Though I didn’t get to find the answer to whether or not this was the brainchild of sober individuals or not, I did learn other interesting things about the series. So apparently “The Midnight Gospel” was created by Pendleton Ward who also created “Adventure Time.” Which explains a lot, at least as far as the animation goes. But what intrigued me more was that the dialogue of each episode actually came from snippets of Duncan Trussel’s podcasts called “The Duncan Trussell Family Hour” with more than 380 recordings.
There has been no official statement from Netflix on whether or not “The Midnight Gospel” will be renewed for a second season but I think that this is a series that Netflix should really invest in because it touches on important topics that people don’t normally talk about. It’s educational, uplifting and one of those series where you can’t help but nod your head every five minutes and say “tru” to everything the characters say.
Though it’ll be another waiting game for me, I have high hopes that this will be renewed for a second season since there’s plenty of material in Trussell’s podcast which the duo could transform into Clancy’s next big psychedelic adventure.
Art by Dana Calvo
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