The Midnight Gospel
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The Midnight Gospel is an American adult animated web television series made for streaming service Netflix. It was created by Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and comedian Duncan Trussel. It premiered on Netflix on April 20, 2020. Most of the episodes are based on podcasts from The Duncan Trussell Family Hour.
Plot
A space-caster named Clancy Gilroy lives in a dimension named The Chromatic Ribbon where farmers harvest technology with their bio-computers to simulate universes. Each episode revolves around Clancy traveling through planets with the simulator and interviewing the inhabitants on their planets.
Why It Rocks
- It's created by none other than Pendleton Ward himself. Because of this, many see this as a reward for sticking out to Adventure Time throughout the years, especially some who consider it a childhood show, which could explain the shift to adult animation.
- Clancy Gilroy, the main protagonist, is very relatable and likable. While doing interviews, he doesn't rudely interrupt them nor disrespect their beliefs (just like his voice actor, Duncan Trussel, himself). He's also technically a moron in a funny way, yet also understandable. His problem is that he doesn't take care of his simulation very well, therefore it malfunctions and (spoiler) nearly kills him at the end of season one. Clancy may as well be the best character in the show.
- Beautiful animation and art style, which is an upgrade to the animation/art style of Adventure Time.
- The simulated beings Clancy interviews are based on the people Duncan Trussel (Clancy's voice actor) interviewed in his podcast. They all have creative looks and designs (one of them is a fishbowl with a robotic body).
- While Clancy is the only main character in the real world, we do get to explore more of the characters, such as Daniel Hoops (Clancy's one and only subscriber), Captain Bryce (the guy that supposedly fixes simulators), and even Clancy's grouchy neighbors (who are simulation farmers, like him). It lets the viewer know Clancy's not alone. Speaking of, the simulated worlds Clancy goes to are creative, and we mean it. One World is all about the simulated souls of beings being trapped in prison (ironically, the president (the first episode's simulated being) and Trudy (the fourth episode's simulated being) from the episodes before are in there despite doing nothing wrong).
- Because this is based on a podcast, you can even leave the audio on turn the TV off, and just listen to the dialogue, making it a whole new way to view this show.
- Even though this is based on podcasts, some quotes are very memorable.
- "Trudy BITCH! I'm too tough for you, duuude."
- The World of Warcraft scene.
- Clancy's mom tells him that the only way to deal with heartbreak is to cry.
- "Just be there now...just be there now."
- "How about you take a seat on my F**KING face, Mr. Meditation Man?"
- The soundtrack for this, composed by Joe Wong (who previously did Superjail, Russian Doll, and most of that) is amazing (you can view it here), especially the finale's ending songs, Dreams Wash Away and I Am Not Alive (sung by Duncan himself). It fits well with its trippiness.
- The final episode, "Mouse of Silver", introduces Clancy's mother (voiced by Deneen Fendig) who talks to Clancy about birth, life, and death. This episode has been considered the best of the series, due to its emotionally powerful moments (the most powerful is when (spoiler) Clancy watches his mother die... twice), amazing background animation, and especially the cliffhanger ending, possibly hinting at a second season.
- Charlotte, formerly the president's and Clancy's dog, is adorable.
- Because of Clancy's clumsiness as well as having an actual sense of humor, this show's comedic moments work, especially when Clancy gets angry at the simulator and starts cursing constantly before David (the sixth episode's simulated being) calms him down by meditating.
Bad Qualities
- Not for the easily disturbed or epileptic, which is why this show is banned in Indonesia, MENA countries, South Korea, and so on, simlar to Family Guy.
- As for offensive, this show tackles adult topics, and as in "adult", it means Clancy and his simulated beings talk about drugs, religion, magic, meditation, death, and more. Not everyone will agree with what the people have to say.
- There are some awkward moments in the show, even though that's the point. The weirdest is when Clancy gets pregnant (yes, no lie) and gives birth... to his mom. This happens right after Clancy's mom dies for the first time, and when she's born, she starts speaking.
- Sadly, it only had one season before it was canceled, despite its reputation.
Reception
The Midnight Gospel was widely acclaimed by critics and audiences at release, earning itself a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an 82 on Metacritic (indicating "universal acclaim"), and an 8.3 on IMDb. It shortly became one of Netflix's most well-received adult cartoons and one of the greatest adult cartoons of all time.
Trivia
- Some of the voice actors for the show accidentally call Clancy "Duncan." Clancy eventually corrects them.
- Trudy, the fourth episode's simulated being, is named after her voice actor, Trudy Goodman.
Videos