Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell’s “MIDNIGHT GOSPEL”
Review by Dennis D. McDonald
THANKS are due Number One Son for recommending this Netflix animated series. I would probably have never checked it out without his recommendation. It’s based on a podcast series hosted by Duncan Trussell who interviews people about a variety of philosophical, religious, or lifestyle philosophies. Portions of these interviews form the basis for the audio of this series as we follow the main character “Clancy“ as he wanders through various universes while interviewing different human and non-human life forms about various topics.
This is where the actual audio from the podcasts is heard. However, the animated visual accompaniment to the audio is where the show creator’s animation goes totally and creatively bonkers. The only thing close to this in my memory are the drug infused and surreal animated short films showing off campus at midnight when I was in undergraduate in the 1960s. As I told Number One Son after I watched the first few episodes, “They say this is what it was like to take acid back in the day.“ Or something like that.
I found the entire series very engaging. True, the interviews themselves, while sounding serious, at times veer into nonsensical New Age claptrap, the modern equivalent of debates about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. But the visual accompaniments are consistently imaginative, wild, colorful, outrageous, and (again) surreal.
I’m sure some will be totally put off by the often vulgar and offensive visuals and symbolism. But I was greatly entertained and cannot help but wonder about the creative and chemically influenced minds behind all this.
Until the final episode. We suddenly veer into a serious encounter between podcaster Trussler and his real life mom as they talk and walk through major life events. We also learn, perhaps, why Clarence/Duncan selected the metaphysical topics that form the background for this unique, original, challenging, and very entertaining animated series. But as the old saying goes, YMMV.
Review copyright 2020 by Dennis D. McDonald