Midnight Mass: 10 Ways Father Paul Is The Real Villain

Netflix’s Midnight Mass is filled with complex characters and discussions of good and evil. Is Father Paul Hill the series’ true villain?

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Midnight Mass has provoked much discussion about its central themes – religion, faith, fanaticism, doubt, fear, love, loss – and its many incredible characters. Along the way, there has been much debate about who or what exactly should bear the blame for the horrible events that befall the community on Crockett Island.

There have been many compelling arguments made for who the villains really are, ranging from the insidious Beverly Keane, to the vampire monster called an “angel,” to the residents of the island themselves who give in to their basest and most dangerous impulses. But it cannot be forgotten that Father Paul Hill, or Monsignor John Pruitt, was the man who started this all, and the man who may be the series’ true antagonist in the end.

10 He Believed The Creature Was An Angel

Father Paul’s first horrible decision came when he was still going by his true name of Monsignor John Pruitt. In one of Midnight Mass’s scariest moments, the elder Monsignor was attacked by a vampire in the desert. Fatefully, he somehow rationalized that this creature – winged and monstrous and violent as it was – was, in fact, an angel.

This fatal mistake was what spurred much of the action in Midnight Mass, long before viewers were even aware of that fact. Had the Monsignor not had this horrible lapse in judgment, none of what occurred on Crockett Island would ever have happened.

9 He “Bribed And Lied And Smuggled”

It’s one of the most confusing points that Midnight Mass leaves unexplained: how, exactly, did Father Paul return from the Holy Land with the vampire in a trunk? While the series only briefly explained how it happened, it was clear that Father Paul had to commit very un-priest-like actions in order to bring the beast home.

He described his efforts in the last episode, saying that he “bribed and lied and smuggled it back” to Crockett Island. The exact number of crimes that Father Paul likely committed in his efforts to bring the creature to the remote island was likely much higher than even he could recall.

8 He Twisted Scripture For His Own Means

Blind faith and fanaticism can do terrible things to people’s minds and make them all the more susceptible to corrupting influences. Reaching a certain point of unquestioning belief can likewise make individuals desperate to find explanations and rationalizations anywhere they can. Father Paul showed this on many shocking occasions when he quoted the words of the Holy Bible to justify his horrific actions.

He referred to examples in the Bible to explain away his lack of guilt for committing murders, for believing a vampiric massacre to lead to the everlasting life promised by heaven, and so many other things. Alongside Bev Keane who twisted the Bible even more flagrantly, Father Paul provided a stark reminder of what it means to truly believe.

7 He Put His Needs Before Mildred’s And Sarah’s

In one of the many sad moments in Midnight Mass, Father Paul, now revealed as John Pruitt, reunited with his lost love Mildred Gunning and explained the very reason he undertook this entire journey: “It was you. It was you, and Sarah. … That was the reason. I didn’t want you to die.”

He brought a monster home to Crockett Island because he prioritized the opportunity of having a second chance at life over the wellbeing of so many, including the two women he loved the most dearly. Even though Mildred and Sarah had lived their own lives with another man as their husband and father, he made the decision that they needed to live all over again, and this time as a family with him. His desires mattered more than theirs.

6 He Manipulated Everyone

Father Paul was initially greeted with hesitance and wariness from the faithful congregation members. But it took very little time for him to win over the parishioners, especially the most faithful ones, including the Flynns, the altar boys, and young Leeza Scarborough.

Because of the past knowledge he had as a result of his true identity, Father Paul always had an advantage over those who believed they were building a new relationship with someone they had never known. This breach of confidence, in addition to his secret plans for the parishioners’ futures, provides an uncomfortable atmosphere to his interactions with most characters upon subsequent viewings.

5 He Took Advantage Of Riley’s Trust

As part of Riley Flynn’s conditions for release, he was meant to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. If he had continued attending meetings on the mainland, his life would likely have gone very differently. But instead, Father Paul hosted two-person AA meetings with Riley, during which the two engaged in spirited discussions about the nature of religion.

Riley came to trust Father Paul, even as he himself never felt a calling to religion the way he did as a child. But Father Paul ultimately betrayed this trust, lying to Riley when he tried to cover up Joe Collie’s whereabouts, and ultimately allowing Riley to be turned into a vampire against his will when the monster attacked him.

4 He Poisoned His Congregation

One of the most horrifying parts of what Father Paul did in his attempts to “save” the residents of Crockett Island was the fact that he did so completely without their consent. Day in and day out, members of the congregation of St. Patrick’s church attended mass and relied on Father Paul to provide them with Holy Communion.

Little did they know, every time they trusted Father Paul and received Communion from him, they were being gradually poisoned with vampire blood and prepared for the end of days. Even though the vampire blood had healing properties in the short term, the insidious long-term plan for individuals exposed to the blood was impossible to forget.

3 He Was Responsible For Erin’s Baby’s Death

Many people experienced positive side effects of the vampire’s blood: Leeza Scarborough regained feeling in her legs, Ed Flynn’s back no longer hurt, Annie Flynn no longer required glasses. But the blood’s healing properties had tragic consequences when it caused Erin’s body to reject her growing fetus, reversing her pregnancy as a result.

Erin credited her unborn child with saving her life as she escaped an abusive marriage. With the loss of her baby, Erin began to struggle with her faith and her reason for living as well. Father Paul may have never intended this to happen, but the consequences of his actions cannot be overlooked.

2 He Was Responsible For Joe Collie’s Death

Joe Collie was one of many Midnight Mass characters who deserved more. As the pariah of Crockett Island, Joe was a character who initially seemed like he was meant to be hated. But over the course of the series, he found the resolve to change his life and try to be a better man, even attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing that attending these AA meetings would prove fatal. Father Paul took advantage of the closeness developed during their AA meetings to prey upon Joe, grasping him in a tight embrace as he struggled with bloodlust and, tragically, causing him to fall to his death. The way in which Father Paul unflinchingly fed upon his blood, even drinking it right from the wound in his head, was one of the series’ most chilling images.

1 His Flaws Damned An Entire Island

There were many extenuating circumstances and factors that led to Crockett Island burning. But it would be impossible to overlook the fact that none of this would have happened if it weren’t for Father Paul’s fundamental flaws and his greatest sins: selfishness and fear.

When Father Paul acted out of the fear of death and the selfish desire to live his life all over again, Crockett Island’s fate was inevitably sealed. By acting not out of faith, but out of desperation, Father Paul revealed that his life spent in pursuit of religious purpose and meaning never meant anything at all. He may have been one of Midnight Mass’s best-written characters, but he was always selfish and always afraid, and the entire island suffered as a result.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/midnight-mass-reasons-father-paul-is-real-villain/