Finding Zen in all the Wrong Places...

Find peace of mind from some unconventional sources...

#1 "The Midnight Gospel," 2020-

Created by Duncan Trussell and Pendleton Ward

Starring Duncan Trussell, Phil Hendrie, Joey Diaz

1 Season, 8 episodes

"The moment I just accepted where I was, instead of wishing I was somewhere else, everything else just got better."

You might be familiar with Pendleton Ward's other animated beauty: Adventure Time. While The Midnight Gospel maintains the same elements of colorful animation, adult themes, and a whimsical nature, this new show differs drastically.

The show's dialogue comes from real interviews of the Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast, which dives into heavy topics, such as psychedelics, spirituality, and the death-industrial complex. These discussions are transposed into a colorful and imaginative universe where Clancy (Trussell) traverses a simulated multiverse, exploring existential queries, and publishing his space-cast for any and all who will listen (including his singular subscriber...).

The animation is excellent, utilizes various styles and mediums, and has lots of tiny details in the background. There's often so much going on, and so many visual metaphors, it can be hard to absorb the profound nature of what's being said. I found the first two episodes a bit jarring, since right off the bat you get hit with some pretty grotesque imagery. But by the third episode, I was able to start listening and enjoying, rather than being overwhelmed by the visual stimuli, and I was totally hooked.

The timing of the show's release seems all too perfect, since it's messages truly relate to the mental and emotional difficulties we're facing right now. For example, in "The Annihilation of Joy," (S1 E5) Clancy tours a prison for simulated beings suffering from existential dread. The dialogue of the episode focuses on the fundamentals of Buddhism: desire is suffering, and to wish things were better than they are is to suffer. The moment you accept things as they are, "you realize that where you are is kind of ok." (Yoda understood this... "Hate (often desire for something else) leads to suffering.")

By the next episode, "Vulture with Honor," Clancy is so arrogantly pleased with his new found "enlightenment", that his computer simulator kicks him on an unwilling mission to learn about the principles of meditation: silence, stillness, and spaciousness. Meditation and mindfulness can be extraordinarily beneficial practices right now, when social media and our own fears, anxieties, or worries can be overwhelming. But "the moment you get a little space between you and your thoughts, it's like moving into a much bigger house" (which something I would greatly appreciate right now...).

Don't come to this show looking for much in the way of plot, character development, or narrative tension. But do check it out with an open mind for some spiritual sustenance, psychedelic eye candy, and a final episode that will knock your socks off.

Oh! And to borrow a phrase from Clancy: “To my one subscriber, Hernog Jinsen, I live for you; you're the reason why I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. So keep listening, Hernog, and I'll see you in your dreams.”

Available to stream on Netflix

#MidnightGospel #DuncanTrussellFamilyHour #podcast #animation #trippy #netflix

#2 Welcome To Me, 2015

Directed by Shira Piven

Starring Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Linda Cardellini

"Do something great, something unique, something that only you were born to do.”

I once woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of quiet giggling. It was my husband, laughing in his sleep as he sometimes does... "What's so funny?" I asked. Without skipping a beat or opening his eyes, he replied, "Kristen Wiig... She's such a funny lady..."

In the dark, irreverent, character-driven comedy, Welcome To Me, Wiig plays "Alice," a sex-addict with borderline personality disorder who happens to win 83 million dollars. She decides to abandon her therapy, stating, "As a new member of the rich and famous, I simply don't have time for the pain."

The film manages to avoid obvious plot devices, and instead brings you down the rabbit hole of Alice's self-discovery and expression. She replaces her traditional therapy by producing a television show where she is the host, head writer, and subject matter, riding in on a giant swan and doling out terrible cooking advice.

In his New York Times review, A.O. Scott said that Welcome To Me "defies expectations and easy categorization, forgoing obvious laughs and cheap emotional payoffs in favor of something much odder and more interesting." Check it out for something off the beaten path.

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

Ad-supported streaming available on:

Crackle, YouTube, Tubi, SlingTV, and Vudu

#WelcomeToMe #KristenWiig #Comedy #AmazonPrime #Crackle #YouTube #Tubi #SlingTV #Vudu

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