I actually pose this. They are equally vile and abhorrent (and incredible characters in superb performances.)
Bev is the easy, knee jerk answer with all of her outward judgement, piety, and bigotry mixed in between. She lacks charisma, and apparently has no ability to smile unless she's feeling smug about something, but I say this...
Father /Monsignor John/Paul Pruitt is just as awful. I actually found myself yelling, "fuck you," at the TV screen at him more as the show went on, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't yank Bev's straggly braid hard and punch her overly righteous jaw if I had the chance. 👊
They're really two sides of the same coin if you dig in, representing the seven deadly sins. Bev just never hid who she was in the slightest.
But Pruitt? What a blasphemous, indulgent asshole. (Incoming rant)
Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth.
All of these sins, are wrapped up into him. No wonder he was spewing out blood as he turned into the undead. He had a lot of toxicity inside him before he ever drank a vampire's blood. And we find out as the show goes on, that he was always a prick.
1. He had an affair with Millie, fathering Sarah in secret. Which, let me make clear...I couldn't care less about on the surface. Catholicism is ripe with hypocrisy and forcing priests into a life of celibacy only creates horrors worse than this show even represents.
But it is the fact that he had the affair, and continued to be a priest, pretending to be holier than thou, while taking people's confessions and ruling judgements on others for their sins. Not his own. All that pride, but never having the courage or conviction to make a choice 40 plus years ago to have his family, which he ultimately wanted...that he envied and lusted after.
Fine, that's his choice. But what does he do? Like so many of the righteous, he tries to have it both ways, and brings a fucking VAMPIRE to the island...lying to himself that it's for the purpose to help these poor fisherman he's served for decades. What a sack of lying shite.
His motives were selfish in bringing his "Angel" back to Crockett. He admits it towards the end that he wanted to have a 2nd chance at his life, he never lived with Millie and Sarah. He inflicts a poison on a community knowingly, because he wanted to finally get his woman and daughter. What a coward and what a parasite.
2. His story with Riley and the mouse, shows his shortcuts were made back then too. Like a sloth. It's just another example of how Pruitt was a schmuck long before his road to Damascus. He couldn't convince a 10 year old of his beliefs, so what does he do? He lies. He manipulates, and excuses this away because it kept Riley in the church until he left. All so he could feel good about his own faith, by molding a situation to what he wanted. Riley started seeing through you back then, and never bought into your bullshite later in life either, Monsignor.
3. You let Bev Keane have control when either way, your excuses are as weak as your conviction, Pruitt. You either knew what a wretched woman she was, and knew she was manipulating church funds for what she wanted only...not giving any fucks about what was best for parishoners...which is awful enough.
And if you didn't know, because your mental state wasn't well, or you were just in denial about yourself and her, just as you became about your angel and actions later, well...see everything else I already wrote. What a schmuck. The greed is on both of them.
4. Wrath and Gluttony. You killed Joe and didn't hesitate to feed on him. And admittedly, felt no guilt.
We know from the people who are actually good, practicing the Christianity in which they have believed for their lives or just the individuals listening to their morals, that it is entirely possible to not harm others after turning. See Riley, Ed, Annie, Ali, and Millie. They made a choice, somehow not to feed. To accept their choice and life, and death. And chose not to feed off of others.
Pruitt and Bev's gluttonous thirst was fed without hesitation on their first chance, and it only makes their cowardice that much clearer.
And Father? You fed on Riley too, you sack of cowardice shite, and you couldn't even say you needed to, because Joe was just murdered by you recently. Yup. You're a man of God, alright.
5. Last but not least at all. All 7 sins, wrapped up into 1 move. You selfish mother fucker, you tried to turn Sarah immediately, so you didn't have to live with the consequences of your own actions and so you could still try to have this family you lusted after and envied for so long.
I cannot tell you how I clapped with happiness when Sarah spat your poison out with her dying breath. She may have wished she'd gotten to know you too. There is a beauty in the life you never got to live...but the choices you made wiped away any of that beauty. And stained it forever.
Bravo, Sarah. You accepted life and knew you wanted nothing to do with his blood or his Angel.
And as for Bev? She murdered poor Pike. Of course she's just the absolute worst. A coward through and through, proudfully representing those 7 sins that were so deadly in Midnight Mass.
Which is why these scenes below, were just so satisfying. Maybe they weren't the ones that were so beautiful that I cried, but let me tell you, I either clapped or yelled "Yes, or Fuck Yes", when Millie shot Pruitt, and when Ali started the fire at the rec center, coming back to his senses and his father.
And these scenes, even more so.
1. Joe and Riley, roasting Bev. Beverly fucking Keane's Queen Evil Bitch Emporium, Embezzlement R Us Incorporated, L.L. fucking C.
2. Maybe the best fuck you note of all time. Cheers, Riley.
3. Sheriff Hassan sticking it to Bev with a bible quote, as he goes out with dignity and grace and courage, and with his son....incredible.
Annie tells the bitch off.
The bitch goes out like a coward and alone.
7. Our figurative Adam and Eve survive, and Leeza accepts the blood/poison being gone from her. She may not be able to walk, but she has her life and her choices to make ahead of her. Her and Warren, survived.
