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The brave new pastiche of podcast and cartoon created by Adventure Time’s Pendleton Ward and comedian Duncan Trussel, Netflix’s The Midnight Gospel, is out now.

My immediate advice before you watch the show: this is a ride you need to hold onto your seat-belt for a hot minute before you understand what kind of vehicle you’re in and where you’re going.

The fictional narrative — following an odd purple person named Clancy who has run away from home, bought a used world simulator, and lives God knows where, working as a simulator farmer/space-podcaster — often takes the visual forefront but an auditory backseat, while the interviews — which are non-fictitious, with real people — are the opposite.

However, the times when the two converge pay off just as much as when they couldn’t contrast more. The bizarre juxtaposition is what makes The Midnight Gospel special; I’ve truly seen nothing like it. And there’s a lot to learn from both narratives of the show: look closely and you’ll see slight Easter eggs and references, pay attention and you’ll learn about meditation, drug ethics, ceremonial magic, and the death industrial complex.

The word weird comes from the Nordic root: wyrd, which meant originally “the intervention of the gods.”

The Midnight Gospel is a modern divine intervention out now on Netflix. Tune in (at 12AM or whenever you like) to hear the good news.

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HOW TO WATCH: Netflix

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ABOUT GUY JAMES

Guy James is the pen name of Guy DeMarco, a young writer on the rise. He can be reached with music ideas and story suggestions at guy@newswhistle.com.

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PHOTO CREDIT

Compilation of Images – Netflix