NEW YORK (OSV News) — Theology blends with politics, family tensions and derring-do in the generally well-crafted biblical drama “House of David.” Three hour-long episodes of the eight-part series, created by Jon Erwin, are currently streaming on Amazon Prime. The remaining portions will become available each Thursday through May 3.
Based on the two installments screened, the early portions of the program focus on the conflict between David’s predecessor on Israel’s throne, the militarily successful but spiritually troubled King Saul (Ali Suliman) and the prophet Samuel (Stephen Lang). Despite his previous support for Saul, whom he anointed sovereign, Samual believes the monarch has now lost God’s favor.
As readers well-versed in Scripture will know, that opens the way for David (Michael Iskander) to make his spectacular rise from obscure shepherd to ruler of his nation. For the time being, however, David is too busy trying to prove to himself and others that he has the makings of a warrior to imagine such a future.
The show’s strongest asset is Simos Sarketzis’ handsome cinematography. Iskander succeeds in making the marginalized David a thoroughly appealing figure as well.
Yet the tone of the script — co-written by Erwin — varies from insightful to stodgy. Additionally, some of the details feel a bit over-the-top, as in the case of a snarling, reputedly cannibalistic, pagan king Saul has taken prisoner.
But the screenplay does accurately reflect the tension in ancient Israelite society between those committed to God’s absolute strictures against idolatry and those adopting a more relaxed attitude. As for the warfare Israel was forced to wage both to become a nation and to maintain its existence, the narrative stance is somewhat ambivalent.
On the one hand, David’s older brother Eliab (Davood Ghadami) deplores the destruction such violence entails and takes David to a ruined city to reinforce the point. Yet, when ambushed there, Eliab proves a skillful swordsman who makes short work of a crowd of adversaries.
The mayhem of which this is an instance is mostly stylized but sometimes harsh and somewhat bloody. Along with a handful of mature themes — David is described as an illegitimate child and is shown to be indirectly responsible for his mother’s death — as well as a bit of earthy humor, the frequent dust-ups make “House of David” most suitable for teens and their elders.
Possessing the courage to take on a marauding lion, yet fond of composing heartfelt songs on his harp, the central figure of the series is as complex as the real-life author of the many-mooded psalms. Mature viewers will likely appreciate the chance this program offers them to follow his political ascent and his evolving fate.
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