TV

Tom Hiddleston Is In His Hot Priest Era In ‘The Essex Serpent’ And God Bless

The hot priest continues to be an extremely important part of the television landscape.

by Merryana Salem  26 May 2022
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First Andrew Scott in Fleabag, now Tom Hiddleston in The Essex Serpent: TV is continuing its hot priest era and we’re here for it.

The Essex Serpent is the last drama from Apple TV. Based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Perry, the series is kind of a ye olden time The X-Files.  It’s the 19th century and London amateur palaeontologist Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes) relocates to Essex after the death of her husband to investigate a “sea dragon” long rumoured among the misty marshes.

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Based on her readings of Charles Darwin, Cora is determined to prove that the “sea serpent” is actually a plesiosaur who escaped extinction. However, the superstitious local villagers reckon that an earthquake released the creature from Hell to punish them for their sins.

Among the villagers, too, is the articulate and hot priest, Reverand William Ransome (Tom Hiddleston). The Scully to Cora’s old-timey Mulder, the pair begin to form a strong chemistry-fueled bond despite their opposing views around science and faith.

But the thing is, Mr very handsome Ransome does not want Cora to confirm whether or not the creature is real. For him, the superstition and fear surrounding the Essex cryptid strengthens the parish’s reliance on the comfort of the Church. Despite his own personal reservations against his parishioners’ superstitions around the serpent, it’s the 19th century and confirming to “fad” fields of science like geology, or paleontology isn’t on the cards.

But you know what is on the cards? Tom Hiddleston being a lusty reverand, lending a friendly, cozily dashing hand to a recently widowed Danes. Much of the series’ runtime is dedicated to the pair exchanging longing glances and almost-touches with one another as they wax philosophically about the “battle” between fields of science and the church. It’s certainly not a bodice-ripping rort akin to Bridgerton. But we take our yearning, repressed, occasionally bare assed and hot priest content where we can get it around here.

The Essex Serpent is streaming on Apple TV. Check out some of the thirst tweets below.