Midnight Mass by no means defined what prompted Father Paul Hill’s (preliminary) loss of life, however one principle claims it may have been the present’s villain Bev Keane who killed him and if that is the case, many marvel “why did Bev poison Father Paul?” Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass is a small-town horror collection with lots to say about religion, organized faith, and group. In comparison with Flanagan’s earlier exhibits The Haunting of Hill Home and The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass is a comparatively easy collection that takes its time to get going and tells a relatively easy story. Nevertheless, Midnight Mass isn’t with out its unsolved mysteries, regardless of the plot’s relative simplicity.

For one factor, the present by no means explicitly solutions the query of who was behind the deadly poisoning of Joe Collie’s beloved canine. Nevertheless, quickly after Joe’s canine dies, Father Paul Hill succumbs to an analogous destiny, solely to be resurrected. After Father Hill’s resurrection, the character is revealed to be Monsignor Pruitt, with Midnight Mass confirming the aged Monsignor was given new life by an encounter with a supernatural creature. Quickly, Midnight Mass turns into a violent vampire horror, that means the thriller of who poisoned the priest is rarely addressed. Nevertheless, as proven by a fan principle (by way of Reddit), Bev Keane virtually actually killed Father Paul Hill.

RELATED: The 25 Greatest Netflix Exhibits of All Time

Bev Keane Poisoned The Canine Pike

The largest and most blatant clue to who (briefly) killed Father Paul is the circumstances by which Joe Collie’s pet canine died. The canine “by accident” consumed the damaging poison that Bev Keane had entry to, and each Joe and the native Sheriff are sure she is chargeable for the pet’s loss of life after she known as the animal a menace earlier within the collection. There was additionally the scene the place somebody handed the canine the hotdog that killed him. That particular person was carrying a floral costume, and Bev was later seen in the identical costume.

Impressed by Stephen King villains like The Mist’s Ms. Carmody and Carrie’s Margaret White, Bev Keane later proves by acts of utmost violence that she isn’t averse to taking the lives of anybody who crosses her path and rationalizing her terrible actions as a part of God’s plan. Subsequently, the truth that the priest’s surprising loss of life concerned the identical signs as that of Joe Collie’s canine closely implies that Bev opted to off Father Paul Hill earlier than realizing that he was tougher to eliminate than anticipated.

Watch on Netflix

Bev Keane Was Jealous Of Paul Hill

Bev was upset when Pruitt did not return from his long-awaited journey to the Holy Land and was brazenly vital of Father Paul Hill when he acted because the Monsignor’s substitute. Viewers may moderately infer that, because of the Monsignor’s dementia, Bev might have had undue affect over the priest earlier than his journey. By episode 2 of Midnight Mass, Bev is already criticizing Father Hill over his vestments, casting aspersions over his viability as Pruitt’s substitute, and probably contemplating ridding herself of the newcomer by any means needed. After his loss of life, Bev discovers the priest is Pruitt, however this offers her leverage over the thing of her earlier manipulation.

Bev Keane Was Utilizing Father Pruitt (Earlier than & After His Demise)

Joe Collie’s story in regards to the city receiving sizable settlements from an oil firm and being satisfied to donate them to the development of the Monsignor Pruitt Recreation Centre (and, by proxy, give management of the money on to Bev) signifies she was manipulating individuals for her personal ends earlier than the Monsignor headed to the Holy Land. Just like the Stephen King characters referenced in Midnight Mass, Bev is a traditional hypocritical zealot who preaches about caring for the group however takes benefit of Pruitt’s dementia to do issues on “his behalf” and takes the cash for herself.

What’s extra refined, but in addition necessary to notice, is that Bev may also be seen manipulating Pruitt when he returns to life as a vampire, together with her even taking up because the chief of his cult. After the penultimate episode’s bloodbath on the church leaves Pruitt despondent, realizing the terrible mistake he has made, Bev Keane swoops in and finally ends up being chargeable for extra deaths than the ageless vampire roaming across the small island city. Like The Mist’s Ms. Carmody, Bev begins demanding sacrifices and has no qualms about killing harmless individuals by way of her followers or together with her personal palms, as confirmed by her capturing the Sheriff.

Finally, Bev is completely happy to govern the Monsignor no matter his age if this method works in her favor, however the zeal with which she kills as soon as he abandons her makes it clear that the townswoman would have been very happy to poison him earlier in case he went in opposition to her needs or value her any of her affect locally.

How & Why Bev Killed Pruitt

In episode 3, Father Paul Hill falls violently in poor health throughout a gathering with Wade and his spouse the place Bev can be current. Nevertheless, earlier scenes clarify the strategy and motives for Bev Keane’s poisoning of Father Paul Hill. Like The Haunting of Hill Home, Midnight Mass’ second episode ends with an enormous twist because the priest performs an obvious miracle and helps Liza Scarborough stroll once more. Quickly the complete city is attending mass seemingly in a single day and reaping the advantages of a sacrament they don’t but know is vampire blood. Everyone seems to be energized and feeling more healthy and happier, as seen in a montage set to Neil Diamond.

This doesn’t work within the favor of Bev Keane, who has primarily had free rein to do as she likes within the identify of the church for many years earlier than the arrival of this much-loved priest drew new consideration to her cozy setup. Bev takes drastic motion and poisons the priest all through the episode, seemingly by tampering along with his foods and drinks. When he first falls in poor health, Bev could be seen bringing Paul a glass of water. In a while, Midnight Mass exhibits a handyman fixing the water provide into the priest’s home at Bev’s behest — seemingly as a result of she has been including rat poison to the faucet for days, steadily weakening the priest within the course of.

How The Bev Keane Father Pruitt Homicide Makes The Present Higher

The speculation that Bev Keane is chargeable for the weird “loss of life” of Father Paul Hill/Monsignor Pruitt holds water — and it makes the present higher. The poisoning of Joe Collie’s canine was inferred, however by no means totally resolved. After a second watch, it is apparent that Bev is behind the canine’s loss of life, making it simpler to swallow that she in all probability killed Monsignor Pruitt too. Actually, one other watch of Midnight Mass all however confirms the speculation, since his loss of life is rarely defined, however Bev Keane is a continuing presence.

Finally, the speculation/attainable actuality makes the present higher in that it provides one other layer of intrigue to this system with out actually affecting the general storyline. Folks already know that the zealous Bev is able to horrible issues, together with homicide. If she had been to have killed Pruitt, it could add a shade of subtlety that forces audiences to deal with the smaller particulars of every episode. It additionally makes the character of Bev Keane extra formidable. She’s already a powerful presence in Midnight Mass, and her piety-masked depravity makes her all of the extra sinister.

Her arc on the present is considerably predictable, however on the similar time, her evolution into sheer insanity as she massacres the city is a horrifying one to look at. It will solely add extra weight to assume that she was already busy committing murders whereas solidifying that she’s able to the horrible acts she commits in the long run. By burying its personal lede in inferring that Bev killed Father Pruitt, the vampire horror collection Midnight Mass provides an charisma to the ultimate product that does not instantly have an effect on the plot however provides weight to its unfolding.

Mike Flanagan Exhibits At all times Depart Followers With Theories

Director Mike Flanagan is thought for hiding plot particulars and offering Easter eggs in his packages, such because the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ghosts in The Haunting of Hill Home or the Midnight Mass e book in his film Hush. He additionally has an enormous behavior of leaving these as hints to attainable issues occurring behind the scenes, inflicting followers to provide you with a number of theories. The Haunting of Hill Home is a good instance. Whereas a ghost story on its floor, it’s also a story of grief and trauma. There may be even a principle that the siblings in The Haunting of Hill Home every signify the 5 phases of grief, following the loss of life of their mom on the haunted home.

The Haunting of Bly Manor really takes this one step additional. Whereas Midnight Mass has the speculation of Bev killing Father Paul, regardless of it by no means being proven, Bly Manor has a principle that one thing that was proven within the collection wasn’t even actual. This was the Woman within the Lake story, which was necessary to the complete plot. This story was that Viola was the girl of the manor, however she died younger. When her sister married her husband, she grew to become an enraged vengeful spirit. The speculation is that Jamie, the gardener, advised the story to Dani to assist her cope together with her struggles and internal grief.

There are even fan theories that contact on sure visible facets of the Mike Flanagan exhibits. That is obvious in Fall of the Home of Usher, and it issues why Madeline Usher wears a wig within the collection. It’s not till episode 7 that Madeline takes off her wig, altering viewers to the truth that it’s not her true hair. Nevertheless, the collection by no means explains why she is carrying a wig, despite the fact that taking it off is supposed to point out that it’s a wig. Followers debated the explanations. The largest principle is predicated on her love of Historic Egypt, which was additionally identified when Vera calls her “my Cleopatra,” displaying Madeline as a strong ruler equal to any man.