The Midnight Gospel

From the trailers I was expecting something more like King Star King.

I have done no research on this show but what I guess they have done is record real interviews, transcribe them and then adapt them into a workable script.

I have never seen anything quite like this. Reminiscent of its creator's other show, Adventure Time but very much a fresh experience, the episodes lose nothing from eschewing conventional plots in favor one long dialogue (in the Socratic sense) about various things we experience in our life from cultural perspectives on drugs to death to parenting. You hear a lot of opinions but it's never preachy or sanctimonious. Each episode was enriching and I'm tempted to say they basically just got better and better.

One episode actually does have a regular type plot and it's pretty fun.

These dialogues are always cast against astounding surrealist backdrops that are immense but never garish or excessive. Any lulls in the quality of discourse are barely noticeable against fabulous imagery that may or may not have a hidden meaning but is none the worse for that.

I didn't love the certainty that one shouldn't lie to the dying but that's not exactly a cross I'm going to die on.

One particular episode I suspect they had the main actors actual mother as an interviewee. I am very cynical about that kind of thing but it is one of the most moving things I have seen recently.

A triumph of experimental television.

It's basically an animated podcast. There's not really any plot just some guy interviewing people about....things but the animation is not related to the thing they're talking about at all. It's certainly unique and weird and...good? I...don't know. I mean I don't hate it but I'm just simply not interested about the topics and the conversations around those topics. They talked about life and death and god and spiritual things. Some people might considered their conversations deep and profound but I really don't. Maybe because I feel like I've listened to podcasts or interviews around these topics that's pretty much the same or even better. They just don't have the means to put it in animation. You really have to watch it yourself. I don't think there's definite good or bad about it. It's a conversation, you listen to it and you think about it and that's it.

As others pointed out there are many 1,2 star reviews and I don't want others to think the show is bad. I think it's excellent, the conversations aren't scripted (since it's a podcast) so in a way, the conversations are much more real than the ones in any other show where the characters have dialog sheets that they have to follow.

I also think the animation style makes it worth watching each episode twice: once paying attention to the dialog, second time to the animation.

One of the ideas of mindfulness is not judging, to simply observe our thoughts and I think this show simply presents ideas. It doesn't judge, it's not saying "you should think this because X". It is simply presenting view points which I think is helpful to help anybody that wonders things like "what's the purpose of life?", "what's the deal with people talking about presence and meditation, is it all just false?", "what is enlightenment?", "why do people talk about a separation between the thinking mind and the conscious, observing self?", "why do I FEEL like I'm suffering?" etc. As such, the show simply presents ideas. It is up to everybody to decide which ideas (if any!) they accept. I don't think that makes the show bad, right?

Finally, I wonder if any of the bad reviewers have bothered to watch the full show, including the last episode. I think the last episode is an example of a level of truthfulness I don't think I've seen on any other series/film and tbh I ended up crying. I don't think one gets that from a 1-3 star show.

The Midnight Gospel came from Adventure Time's creator, Pendleton Ward; except this show was also co-created by podcaster Duncan Trussell with the intent of giving absurdly over-the-top scenarios irreverent animated life through its deep conversations and deconstructions on philosophy, space and time and how the world's wisdoms bounce off one-another in the grand scheme of our lives.

This is a show that takes something as non-linear as podcast interviews and turns them into mad-lib storyline's about a 'Space-Caster' travelling across multiple worlds. This show might be a meditation for those suffering from the Five Stages of Grief: and this show might be a therapeutic way of the 'acceptance' part of that struggle. In that regard The Midnight Gospel is unusually important television, especially in 2020.

The Midnight Gospel will make Adventure Time fans feel right at home; and it's an ideal evolution from that show's imagination and style.

Since I discovered T.M.G. and Duncan Trussel, I stumpled towards many great, interesting and awesome conversations (mostly with his Podcast - Duncan Trussel Family Hour), and discovered many great people and teachers ( just a few: Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Ram Dass, David Nichtern,...). Check out DUNCAN TRUSSEL FAMILY HOUR...can't recommend it to much! Even the commercials are hillarious!!!

I'm truly thankeful for this show! LOVE the work that Pendelton Ward did, too! Amazing Show!!!