If you thought Adventure Time was trippy, it's nothing compared to the overwhelming weirdness on display in The Midnight Gospel.
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| Img Source: Netflix |
Much of the hype surrounding Netflix's new animated series The Midnight Gospel centers around it as Pendleton Ward's follow-up to Adventure Time. However, those expecting The Midnight Gospel to be an adult version of Adventure Time
need to adjust their expectations. While Ward's visual style is
similar, this is a more experimental, and less easily approachable,
show. If you thought Adventure Time was trippy, it's nothing compared to the overwhelming weirdness on display here.
Those familiar with the work of The Midnight Gospel's
co-creator, Duncan Trussell, might have a better idea of what to expect.
Trussell's animated avatar Clancy runs a "space-cast" in which he
interviews beings in various alternate universes. The content of these
interviews is mostly taken from Trussell's podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour. As a surreal animated talk show, the better comparison than Adventure Time would be the Adult Swim cult favorite Space Ghost: Coast 2 Coast, or perhaps Richard Linklater's philosophical rotoscope film Waking Life.
How these interviews mesh with the animation varies wildly from
episode to episode. In some of the more interesting episodes, like the
magic-focused "Hunters Without a Home" and the reincarnation-based
"Annihilation of Joy," the animated action serves to illustrate the
ideas being discussed. Other times, like in the pilot episode "Taste of
the King," the discussion and the action are discordant, only sort of
coming together in a concluding musical number. The weakest episode,
"Officers and Wolves," has no connection whatsoever between the talk and
the visuals.
Netflix might live off of a binge-watch model, but The Midnight Gospel
is a show that resists binging. It's just too much sensory overload to
take in more than an episode or two at a time. The visual comedy of the
animation is often delightful, but it takes a lot of effort to follow
both the fast-paced trippy action and the rambling, often heavy
podcast discussions. You're not going to find the same character
connections and consistent world-building that made Adventure Time's absurdity more easily digestible, and the show's inconsistent nature might test some viewers' patience.
Even those who have trouble getting into The Midnight Gospel
as a whole, however, should absolutely check out the season finale
"Mouse of Silver." It's longer than the other episodes (36 minutes as
opposed to 22-26), and it moves at a more relaxed pace. It's still got
its wacky visuals, but they're less intrusive to the conversation, which
is itself more personal and emotionally compelling than the others. It
might be impossible to watch this episode without crying; you can easily
see why this episode has been accepted into the Annecy Festival's official selection.
The Midnight Gospel is not a show you can easily make
judgments on. Its overwhelming style and experimental inconsistencies
will hold it back from connecting immediately with all viewers. But any
experiment that can create an episode as beautiful as "Mouse of Silver"
has to be doing something right. It's not the Second Coming of Adventure Time, but it's totally unique and provides plenty of deep food for thought.
The Midnight Gospel arrives April 20 on Netflix.
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