Drama
A Man in Full
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
It’s easy to claim a miracle has occurred. But if you’re wrong, it’s kind of embarrassing. That’s why the Catholic church sends out trained envoys to test and verify supernatural claims—to test these supposed miracles with the rigors of science. If they can’t be explained naturally—then boom! You’ve got yourself a miracle.
Priests Simón Antequera and Pedro Salinas are among the Vatican’s most rigorous miracle investigators. In Season One of The Envoys, they investigated claims of a man in Mexico who allegedly (under the influence of a demon) committed suicide and (through the prayers of a priest) came back to life. In Season Two, a nun in the small Spanish town of Porto da Lúa has a vision that’s instrumental in the recovery of a missing girl, the priests are sent to investigate once more.
But they soon find their time filled with more than just that investigation. Soon after Simón and Pedro arrive in Porto da, Lúa, they discover that their host, Joaquin, has been brutally murdered. What’s more, three blind nuns (one of whom had the vision of the girl) confess to the crime. But despite the confession, the priests believe there’s another piece to the puzzle—and Pedro’s own visions might be the solution.
Wherever the envoys go, they discover many more sinister secrets than they originally expected.
The thing about shows like The Envoys is that the show’s creators make it very clear that Christianity is nothing more to them than a means to an end—a way to explore the spiritual realm in entertainment without actually committing to any of the tenets of the faith.
Is that a blunt way to start off a review? Perhaps. But The Envoys deserves it.
Late in the first season, protagonist priest Simón holds a gun to a suspect’s head. “I’ve sent all of the [Ten] Commandments to hell,” he threatens, “except ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”
Yeah, that should give you a pretty good idea of how un-pious these supposedly saintly men are.
Simón apparently believes that many things taught in the Bible—including the devil, the Garden of Eden and Noah’s Ark—are just metaphors. Meanwhile, his priest partner in crime, Pedro, is a homosexual who develops feelings for Simón. Both of them frequently use God’s name in vain.
In terms of content, that means we’ll deal with demonic influences, some sexual moments, violent deaths and quite a bit of swearing. And sometimes children die, too.
So, if you see these envoys walking up your driveway—or into your living room via Paramount+, for that matter—you’d be best off sending them away.
Tensions in Porto da Lúa intensify as news about Joaquin’s death spreads.
The mayor (and Joaquin’s sister), Pilar, believes the town should carry on with its tourism efforts despite the tragedy, but Joaquin’s friends resist.
Although three nuns have already confessed their responsibility for the murder, Simón and Pedro suspect there is more to the story.
One character begins to have visions of something that happened in the past. He also claims that a place he is staying “is the house of the Devil.” Characters claim that God had instructed them to kill a person, asserting that God often asks people to commit such crimes.
A scene features characters being stoned to death. Several dead bodies can be seen covered in blood. There are graphic descriptions of a murder.
The unclothed bodies of deceased individuals are shown. We can make out a woman’s breasts and bare backside, but generally the scene jumps so quickly that it’s difficult to make out anything critical.
Characters use profanity such as “h—,” “d–n” and misuses of God’s name. There are references to smoking and drinking alcohol.
In the small town of Porto da Lúa, a nun named Sister Corina, had a vision about a little girl who went missing 20 years earlier. Amazingly the vision helped recover the missing person, and the town celebrates the miracle. But not everyone is convinced.
Enter Simón and Pedro.
While the priests, aided by their friend, Sister Emilia, investigate the legitimacy of Sister Corina’s vision, they discover a sinister mystery.
Spiritual visions are a key idea in the episode, and characters discuss how God uses visions in their lives.
Violence is abundant in the episode. Two characters get stoned to death, and the resulting blood can be seen. One character discovers a blood-covered knife. Characters find a body, dripping in blood, that had been crucified upside down.
There are a few sexual innuendos and a crude reference to male genitalia. One scene features a couple engaged in sex. Both individuals are unclothed, and the woman’s breasts can be briefly seen (though nothing else is seen).
Characters spew profanities including the s-word, “d–n” and misuses of God’s name. Some individuals indulge in alcohol, and one scene features men walking home drunk from a bar.
Simón and Pedro are sent to investigate a miracle.
A man is seen committing suicide by jumping off a building, hitting the ground with a thud. We see his body on the ground, lying in a pool of blood. After being, apparently, resurrected, he later collapses, dead again. Additionally, a woman’s body is found after she hangs herself. We hear references to insane people hurting themselves with their own fingernails and with stones. Simón is pushed to the ground.
A priest says that “people say Mexico is hell, but San Acacio is where the Devil goes to put up his feet,” referencing the many cases of sudden madness that have plagued the town. He causes a man to faint when he touches him. When the envoys ask to have the miracle proven, the man jokes that they could stick a hidden camera on an angel.
An insane woman calls Lucifer by every name she can remember that is attributed to him. She also utters Catholic Rosary prayer, which focuses on Mary. Simón refers to Islam. A man says that a demon within him prompted him to attempt suicide.
The priests disagree about how interesting soccer is or isn’t, and Simón jokes, “Even God is interested in soccer.” A dead man is apparently raised when a priest prays for him, causing the priest and onlookers to exclaim, “Glory to God!”
Simón investigates a supposed miracle in Bulgaria, where a priest’s grave is apparently shedding blood. The officials there are passing the blood to people in a kind of relic adoration, but Simón tells the priests that it’s simply algae that looks like blood. They refuse to believe him, and they call him an apostate.
A woman wears a low-cut dress that partially shows her breasts. Simón makes a crude reference to male genitalia. The priests find that another reverend has been sleeping with a woman out of wedlock.
The priests break into a home. People drink alcohol.
God’s name is used in vain three times, including one time that is paired with “d–n.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
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