Well, I’ll say this about Spike’s The Mist, I was only half-right about my recent prediction. Instead of a child molesting Catholic priest, we get the fanatic of a violent one threatening heretics. I would say that’s a pleasant surprise, but what we get is hardly a pleasant substitute. Come to think of it, it’s not even a surprise.
The July 27th episode “The Devil You Know” continues the various stories of people being trapped at various locations because of a dangerous supernatural mist that has settled on the town, including the ones stuck at a local church. Nathalie (Frances Conroy), the local nature woman, starts preaching her own sermon in worship of the creatures in the mist, and that doesn’t please Father Romanov (Dan Butler). However, when he’s unable to do anything about her ravings, his pupil Link (Dylan Authors) offers to do something to save the others in the church.
Now, for the past couple of episodes, Link has been implying a rather brutal image of his own conversion to the Catholic Church by Father Romanov, acknowledging that it might seem “cruel” to outsiders. We never get a clear-cut understanding of what that could be until Link forces the elderly Nathalie into the church attic.
Nathalie: Why is Romanov up here? Ohh! No, Link! [ Gasping ] Link, where is Father Romanov?
Link: You're not going anywhere until you agree to stop this heresy.
Nathalie: What heresy is that?
Link: You know what! You must repent and embrace God.
Nathalie: Link.
Link: Repent, and embrace God. He said, "The Lord is faithful and that He will-- He will strengthen and protect us from the evil one."
Nathalie: You think I'm evil, Link?
Link: You're leading them astray. Embrace Him! It's His house! You'll respect Him!
Nathalie: Link, let me help you.
Link: No!
Nathalie: Aah!
Link: I don't... want to hurt you, but I will until you repent. And I will hurt you much, much worse than this, and God will forgive me, 'cause I'm doing this for Him. ... No. No, no, no! No! No! No! No, no! No, please! Please! Please! No. No, no, no. No, no, no, no! No, no, no, no! Please let me out! Open the door, please! Nathalie, please!
Apparently I was so worried about the possible sexual abuse trope that I overlooked the equally obvious religious fanatic trope mixed with the still awful religious torture to “save the soul” trope. Isn’t it sad that these seem to be the only options for the church on television these days? And that the best option was someone quoting Scripture and threatening violence “for Him”? At least, that’s the image I come away with where the only two characters who show a discernable interest in religion are a zealot who threatens an old woman and the priest who inspired him.
All of this is enough to make me wonder if the writers ever knew a priest. Or someone who knows a priest. Or just a normal Christian. Heck, five minutes in the real world should be enough to recognize that radical Christians aren’t normally the ones attacking “heretics.” I guess that’s just too real for this show.
This just continues to be a reminder on how The Mist not only sticks to its liberal biases but its laughably cliché ones as well. No one is safe from its creeping contrivances, not even - or perhaps, especially - the Catholic Church.
