Midnight Mass Season 1, Episode 1 recap: Genesis
By Carla Davis
It’s been a week since Mike Flanagan’s limited Netflix series Midnight Mass debuted, and I personally enjoyed every minute of it. It’s deep, though, there’s a lot going on, so with the benefit of a second viewing, I will be writing up recaps for readers who enjoy that sort of thing.
This should go without saying, but please be aware that there will be spoilers contained in the recaps.
As episode one opens, we see Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) sitting on a curb, handcuffed. Police lights flash, lighting up his stunned face, and also the prone body of a young woman, who EMTs are trying desperately to revive.
That didn’t happen, and Riley is sentenced to 4-10 years in prison. As he lays on his cot at night, he turns on his side and sees a vision of the young woman, covered in glass that glitters with the flashing police lights.
We flash forward to his release, as he returns via ferry to his hometown, the tiny Crockett Island. The population is 127 in “The Crock Pot”, down significantly since an oil spill wreaked havoc on the fishing industry.
Much of the first episode of Midnight Mass is devoted to introducing us to the characters we will be living with (and mostly loving). Annie and Ed (Kristin Lehman and Henry Thomas) are Riley’s parents, who live on the island with his younger brother Warren (Igby Rigney). Annie is warm and loving, and very pleased to have her oldest son back home, but Ed is more stoic, and obviously has a hard time accepting Riley’s crime. Warren is a typical teenager, an altar boy who hangs out with his buddy Ooker (Louis Oliver), also an altar boy.
Mayor Warren Scarborough (Michael Trucco), wife Dolly (Crystal Balint) and daughter Leeza (Annarah Cymone) are dealing with the fact that Leeza is confined to a wheelchair. Leeza seems cheerful and positive, despite the chair, and she and Warren seem to have a flirtation going on.