By: Julia Watson
Campus Ministry is showing the 2020 Netflix series, “The Midnight Gospel,” in watch parties this semester so students can enjoy and discuss the show.
According to IMDB, “The Midnight Gospel” is an adult animation, developed by “Adventure Time” creator Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell. The show stars Clancy, a spacecaster with a multiverse simulator who interviews other beings in dying worlds while addressing themes of life and death.
Students watch a scene from “The Midnight Gospel” in Terzo Classroom.
A review from the Los Angeles Times by Robert Lloyd described it as an “ambitious, extraordinary, dreadful, beautiful thing.”
Peer minister Abby Rosys came up with the idea for watch parties after the Campus Ministry office allowed the students to do ritual hour programs.
Rosys recommended “The Midnight Gospel,” which she watched during the summer.
“I wanted to do something that was outside of the box and something that wasn’t explicitly religious because I think a lot of people have that perception of our office,” Rosys said.
She said she enjoyed how the show presented various issues.
Rosys said: “I really like that it handles serious topics, and it’s just fun and whimsical. That’s kind of how real life is. You have both.”
She said the show allows students to relax, stop thinking about school or other problems in life, and focus on the episode’s topic.
After watching each episode, students are encouraged to discuss their thoughts.
Students Joey Gudhrie, Nicky Peck, Andrew Ross-Sermons, Abby Rosys, Joy
Williams and John Wells discuss their opinions about the episode.
“We’re going to have connections, but with other Bellarmine students,” Rosys said. “So, it’s just a good way to interact and have deeper conversations with other people, which I think brings about more meaning in your life.”
Peer minister Nicky Peck also said the discussions help intensify the experience.
“When you’re having a conversation with other people about it, it’s like your mind is being blown by the intelligence of the show and how artfully and craftily they’ve put together an episode to make it all fit together,” she said.
Peck said the watch party is open for anyone who wants to watch the show.
“This is a very inclusive space where we really want people to bring themselves wherever they’re at in their journey and welcome them, their ideas and their insights,” she said.
First-year student Andrew Ross-Sermons watched the show for fun when it was first released but attends the watch parties to find more meaning than he found initially.
“I like how creative it is. I feel like I don’t know how many times I could watch it and still find something that I didn’t notice before,” he said.
However, he said he was not sure the show would appeal to everyone.
“I don’t know if everyone would like it,” Ross-Sermons said. “But I think, in general, if you’re someone that likes to delve into more spiritual or meditative topics, it would be a good show. It takes normal conversations, gives them a really nice backdrop and tells a story with it.”
One episode of “The Midnight Gospel” is shown every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Terzo Classroom.
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