Tamal Kundu
In Mike Flanagan’s horror-drama series ‘Midnight Mass,’ Erin Greene (Kate Siegel) evolves into the role of a protagonist. Her life creates an interesting parallel to that of her childhood sweetheart, Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford). While tragedy and disillusionment lead Riley toward atheism, heartbreak and suffering bring Erin to her faith. She endured much before returning to Crockett Island, but she persevered because of her faith and the prospect of motherhood. And then, amidst all the miracles happening on the island following the arrival of Father Paul (Hamish Linklater), she is forced to endure a tragedy. Her doctor and friend Sarah Gunning (Annabeth Gish) tells her that she has miscarried during what was supposed to be a routine check-up.
When she goes for a second opinion on the mainland, she is told that her body doesn’t have any signs that would indicate that she was ever pregnant, to begin with. If you are wondering what happens to Erin’s unborn child and who his father is, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Was Erin Greene Ever Pregnant in Midnight Mass? Who Is the Father?
Yes, Erin was actually pregnant. The child’s father was her estranged husband. After enduring years of physical and emotional abuse from her mother, Erin ran away from her home when she was still a teenager. She spent time all over the US, and at one point, she was part of a rock band in Austin, Texas. She eventually made her way to Upstate New York. She got married, only to discover later that her husband is just like her mother: abusive, cruel, and likely even alcoholic.
By the time Erin left him, she was pregnant. She moved back to Crockett Island and began living in the same house that she once shared with her mother and started working as a teacher at the same school that her mother once used to. Erin admits her disappointment about her current circumstances to Riley, but at the same time, she is deeply thankful that she will get the chance to experience motherhood. She structures her life around her unborn child, and it predictably leads her to her faith.
Ironically, Erin’s tragedy is also connected to her faith. Unbeknownst to her and most other residents of Crockett Island, Father Paul begins to use the creature’s blood during the Masses. While it has a remarkable effect on the sick and the old, healing them and turning them younger, it has a devastating effect on Erin’s fetus.
As Sarah theorizes in episode 6, a fetus is ultimately an alien presence in a mother’s body. Whatever is present in the creature’s blood aggressively changes the body of a new host. So, when Erin ingested the blood, its component attacked the fetus with equal aggression, ultimately killing it. It modified Erin’s body so quickly and comprehensively that by the time she went for a second opinion, her body didn’t even have any signs that would show that she was previously pregnant.
Read More: Is Midnight Mass a True Story?
