A
priest or reverend is an ordained minister, one vested with the authority of
the church to administer sacraments and rites such as marriage.
Priests,
reverends, and ministers have often been important characters in cult-TV
history.
Consider
V:
The Final Battle (1984), in which Father Doyle (Thomas Hill), a
resistance fighter, attempts to introduce Diana (Jane Badler) to the Christian
Bible. Diana reads it, impressed, and then kills Father Doyle, because she
doesn’t like the Bible’s message of peace and brotherhood. She fears the Bible, and those who would spread its word.
In
Firefly
(2002), the Reverend Shepherd Book (Ron Glass) is a crucial character,
and one with a mysterious past. I’ve always suspected he worked for the
Alliance in a violent, sadistic capacity, but then had a life reckoning, turned
to God, and began to spread a message of peace and love to those he
encountered.
On
Buffy
the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Nathan Fillion plays an evil Preacher
working for the First Evil, in the seventh and final season of the Joss Whedon
series. He is the villain responsible for taking Xander’s (Nicholas Brendon’s)
eye, and is a real fire-and-brimstone misogynist.
In
The
Walking Dead (2010 – ), Father Gabriel Stokes is introduced in Season 5,
played by Seth Gilliam. At first he is merely cowardly, but later he is
confirmed to be treacherous, and damn near useless.
On
The
Simpsons (1990 - ) Reverend Lovejoy is a regular character; he of the
droning voice, and dull sermons.
Outside
genre programming some of the most famous priests or reverends appear on Father
Dowling Mysteries, and the Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) is the
chaplain at the 4077 in M*A*S*H* (1974 – 1981).
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