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Book I: Genesis

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Book I: Genesis is the first episode of the first season of the Netflix original horror series Midnight Mass.

Synopsis[]

Riley Flynn returns home to family dysfunction, familiar faces and a new priest at St. Patrick's. Elsewhere on the island, a dark storm is brewing.

Plot[]

The episode starts at the scene of a recent car accident. A drunken Riley Flynn watches as first responders work to save the life of young woman named Tara-Beth. He begins to pray as they tell him that she didn't make it. He is later sentenced to 4 years in prison where he begins to have horrific visions of Tara-Beth's body staring at him.

Four years later, on Crockett Island, Riley's parents, Ed and Annie, and his brother, Warren, await his release from prison. Warren is at the docks with his friends, including the new sheriff's son, Ali Hassan, looking to buy drugs from a guy named Bowl. Also at the docks is Father Paul Hill, the new priest at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, there to take the place of the elderly Monsignor John Pruitt, who has fallen ill during a trip. With him he has a very large trunk.

That night Warren and his friends take a canoe to a shore they call The Uppards, then head deep into the woods. Along the way they can hear several cats meowing. People used to live here, until the 1920s. They also buried their dead here; during heavy flooding, some of the bodies would resurface and the boys complain about it. This is the local party spot for teenagers though, they've come to drink and do drugs. Warren is spooked by a pair of shining eyes in the distance. They find it funny though, and joke about local legend, Harpoon Harry.

Riley arrives the next day. His mother is at the docks waiting to bring him home. Bev Keane is also there; she is looking for Monsignor Pruitt, whom she thought would be on the ferry. A man named Sturge tells her he wasn't on the ferry and that the arrival of Father Paul may have something to do with it.

Erin Greene is getting a 21 week checkup with Doctor Sarah Gunning. Erin sees the ultrasound and calls her baby "Littlefoot". They see Riley and Annie walking home, their family is the talk of the town. Suddenly Sarah's ailing mother, Mildred appears in the doorway. Sarah scolds her for getting out of bed and leads her out.

Sheriff Hassan has local drunk, Joe Collie, in a jail cell to dry out. It's clear that this is a regular occurrence for the two of them. This time, Joe was caught trying to break into the jail. Hassan lets him go, he picks up his dog Pike from outside and the two head home.

A big storm is coming. Sheriff Hassan, a Muslim, wants to open the school up as a shelter. Bev, a racist and islamophobe, insists that the church be the shelter just as it always has been. Plus the new rec hall has much more room. Hassan gives in, the church will be the shelter if needed.

The Flynn family is having dinner. They catch Riley up on recent news, including about Erin, his high school girlfriend. She had at one point left the island to become an actress, but eventually returned to be a teacher. Riley tells his parents that he isn't interested in going to church anymore. This greatly upsets Ed, who tells Riley that as long as he stays there with them, he has to attend church. But he tells him that he can't take the Sacrament during communion after all that has happened.

Bev is worried about Monsignor Pruitt. She decides to visit him and lets herself into his house. Thinking that he is there, she begins to clean up his belongings while saying racist things about Hassan. She finds the trunk, then realizes that it is actually Father Paul in the house.

A cat from The Uppards is shown eating the body of another cat. It thinks it hears something, but goes back to it's meal. Something very fast snatches is up and instantly kills it.

Hassan and Ali are shown finishing their prayers and say goodnight. The sheriff tells Ali to kiss his mother goodnight. Ali kisses a photo from his bed table, his mother died from pancreatic cancer.

Riley has a dream. He's sitting in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Then there is a bloody church.

The next day at church, Warren and the other alter boy, Ooker, meet Father Paul before service. Everyone is surprised when they see him instead of Monsignor Pruitt enter the church. The priest tells them that Pruitt is in a hospital on the mainland, but that he should return soon. After church, he meets with all the churchgoers.

Riley and Erin talk, she catches him up on her life since she left. She stayed in upstate New York for a while. He tells her about being in prison and losing his faith and that he feels guilty that he survived instead of Tara-Beth.

The storm hits the island. People are boarding up windows as the rain and wind start to pick up. Sheriff has Sturge locking up fuel for the boats. The power is going out all over the island. Riley sees who he believes is Monsignor Pruitt on the beach, he always wears the same trench coat and fedora. None of the family believes him though, Pruitt is in a hospital on the mainland! Riley decides to go after him, but whoever it is runs up the beach and out of sight.

The next morning, the islanders go outside to check for storm damage and notice seagulls flocking the beaches. As the approach, they realize that there are dozens of dead cats, drained of blood, lying in the sand.

Cast[]

Trivia[]

  • The episode title references The Book of Genesis.
  • The judge who sentenced Riley to four years in prison was portrayed by Carla Gugino who has appeared in multiple projects by Flannagan including, The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor whom many of the other co-stars appeared in.

Gallery[]

Episode Guide[]

v • d • e
Episode Guide
Season 1

"Book I: Genesis" • "Book II: Psalms" • "Book III: Proverbs" • "Book IV: Lamentations" • "Book V: Gospel" • "Book VI: Acts of the Apostles" • "Book VII: Revelation"

References[]


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