Netflix's Midnight Mass has generated much discussion due to the strength of its characters and lead performances, as well as Mike Flanagan's deeply moving and philosophical writing. The series is one that lingers with viewers long after it is over, as a result of the heavy human subjects it covers in its 7-episode run.
There are many monologues in the series, scenes that feel as though they would lend themselves perfectly to theatre due to the acting showcases they provide. But interwoven within the monologues, and in other scenes throughout, are many shorter quotes that get right to the heart of many human emotions and fears, leaving a lasting impression on viewers and the horror genre alike.
When Riley Highlighted The Importance Of Showing Up:
"You Showed Up, Joe. You're Here. That's Enough. It Won't Be Forever, But For Tonight It Is. For Tonight, It's Everything."
Many of Midnight Mass's most impactful scenes take place during Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, at first held only between Riley Flynn and Father Paul, but eventually joined by the island's pariah, Joe Collie. When Joe attends his first AA meeting, Riley is the only one who is able to understand the strength it has taken him to get to this point.
In welcoming Joe to the group, Riley offers a brief, poignant reflection on what it means to be present and to make this potentially life-changing decision. For now, being there and being together, is more than just enough - it's everything.
When Annie Finally Called Bev Out:
"God Loves Him, Just As Much As He Loves You, Bev. Why Does That Upset You So Much?"
In many ways, Bev Keane is the true villain of Midnight Mass. The mild-mannered Annie Flynn is the first person to finally see through Bev's false faith and hypocrisy, calling her out for her behavior in an extremely effective scene in the series finale.
After she tells Bev that she has never been a good person, Annie explains how God loves everyone just the same, even her own son who killed a young girl while driving drunk. Annie is one of the series' most faithful characters, and perhaps one of the only ones to understand God's love in the ways the Bible truly depicts it.
When Father Paul Foreshadowed The Ending:
"That's What It Means To Have Faith. That In The Darkness, In The Worst Of It, In The Absence Of Light And Hope, We Sing."
Some of Midnight Mass's most riveting scenes include Father Paul's stirring sermons, monologues made all the more impactful by the strength of Hamish Linklater's fully immersive performance.
During his sermon for Ash Wednesday, Father Paul describes that faith means "in the darkness, in the worst of it, in the absence of light and hope, we sing," completely foreshadowing one of Midnight Mass's saddest moments. At the series' end, the residents of Crockett Island, resigned to their deaths but still assured of their faith, come together in the dark to sing.
When Leeza Confronted Joe Collie:
"You Reached Through Time, Joe Collie."
Leeza Scarborough may be a minor character, but she delivers one of the series' most impactful monologues. After her healing at St. Patrick's, she visits Joe Collie, the man responsible for paralyzing her during his hunting trip.
The entire speech is a masterclass in acting and writing both, with Annarah Cymone delivering one of the series' most heartbreaking performances and the speech detailing the nature of faith and forgiveness. But one line in particular - "You reached through time, Joe Collie" - conveys to heartbreaking effect the exact magnitude of her pain and loss.
When Erin Reflected On Life:
"Life Is A Dream. It's A Wish. ... And I Am All Of It. I Am Everything. I Am All. I Am That I Am."
Midnight Mass is arguably Mike Flanagan's most philosophical series yet, with Erin Greene delivering multiple monologues on what it really means to be alive, even in her final moments of life.
As Erin lays dying, she finally begins to understand what faith and life mean for her. Erin has always been portrayed as the moderate voice in the series, faithful but not zealous, and in dying, she accepts her place in the grand scheme of the cosmos. She sees that life is just one dream after another, one wish after another, one existence after another. It always has been, and it always will be.
When Erin Described The Afterlife:
"You Are Loved, And You Aren't Alone."
Before Erin's monologue about the nature of life, she delivers a similar speech following the loss of her unborn daughter. At this point in the series, Erin is still struggling with her own crisis of faith, which causes her to reckon with how God could allow this to happen to her when science itself can't explain the loss of her child.
In imagining a version of heaven where her unborn daughter could live, Erin offers her own poignant summary of what the afterlife means to her: "You are loved, and you aren't alone." The fear of being alone is something that motivates many religious discussions. Erin's version of heaven perfectly encapsulates that.
When Riley Criticized Organized Religion:
"What A Monstrous Idea, Father."
As the series' resident atheist, Riley is a character who is allowed to argue with Father Paul in particular on many issues of faith that are otherwise taken for granted by the devout members of the St. Patrick's parish.
Riley criticizes Father Paul's and organized religion's tendency to claim that suffering could be understood as a gift, calling it "a monstrous idea." In Riley's case, his drunk driving killed a young girl, caused him to go to prison for four years, and made him incapable of imagining a life for himself after trying and failing to return to society.
When Riley Sacrificed Himself:
"I Did My Best."
In one of Midnight Mass's scariest moments, but also one of its most devastating ones, Riley burns alive at sunrise in front of Erin, traumatizing Erin to the point that she will undoubtedly believe his story and know what she has to do to save the island.
But in the moments before Riley's death, he becomes introspective, reflecting on how he has spent his life loving Erin, before repeating the vulnerable, desperate assertion that "I did my best." Riley's adult life has been filled with trauma, culminating in his heartbreaking sacrifice and his refusal to kill anyone else, showing that he truly did try his best to do the right thing in the end.
When Sheriff Hassan Beat Bev At Her Own Game:
"There's This Verse In The Bible. Just Kind Of Stuck With Me. 'He Makes The Sun Rise On The Evil And The Good.'"
Sheriff Hassan el Shabazz is one of Midnight Mass's best characters. As an outsider in the world of Crockett Island, he is frequently subjected to episodes of racism and Islamophobia but still functions as a hero who works to protect others even when they would never do the same for him.
Even as Crockett Island descends into chaos, Hassan understands the world and the reality of faith better than the so-called devout Bev Keane, using the words of the Bible against her in a much more impactful way than the many times when Bev previously weaponized scripture for her own means.
When Father Paul Confessed To Mildred:
"You Never Felt Like A Sin. And Our Daughter, She Was Never A Sin. She Was Never A Mistake."
Father Paul Hill is one of the most complex characters in Midnight Mass. His selfishness and greed are what cause the chaos and destruction on Crockett Island, as he brought the vampire back home with him in an attempt to have a second chance at the life he always wanted with his lost love, Mildred, and their daughter, Sarah.
Even though he had devoted his life to the church, Father Paul still believes that there was nothing wrong with his love for Mildred and their daughter. Their love and Sarah's existence were never sinful, something made all the more emotional by the fact that Sarah is a lesbian and has never been accepted by the church.