Midnight Mass: 10 Best Characters Ranked

Father of the year anyone?

Ed Flynn, even when considering his moments of frustration, is a loving and wholesome father and husband. He's the type of guy who you could throw back a beer or two with and, in the process, learn a thing or two from.

Even more so than the other characters on the show, Ed is really defined by his relationships with those around him. Take the tension between him and Riley for example. Their relationship for the first several episodes is a strained one, and you can understand why considering what Riley did and how it affected his loved ones. Yet, underneath Ed's anger towards his son lies layers of guilt and shame. To him, Riley's failings are a reflection of his failings, and because of this it isn't that he has a hard time forgiving him, but rather forgiving himself for his perceived failures as a father.

Ed loves Riley, and this love is never made more clear than when he tells Father Paul that he's afraid he's done something to himself. This one line, particularly because of the way it was delivered, cuts right to the core. It's moments like this one that make Ed Flynn one of the most sympathetic and grounded characters in the entire series.