Visually impressive and narratively compelling, House of David on Prime Video is a new series that adapts the biblical story of King David’s life. From Jon Erwin, co-director of Jesus Revolution and American Underdog, the new series premiered its first 3 episodes today (February 27th). This is the first project under the new “Wonder Project” banner that Erwin co-created. Starring newcomer Michael Iskander as David, the first season will run for 8 episodes and cover David’s youth through his defeat of the giant Goliath. While the opening disclaimer states liberties have been taken with the biblical story, the series clearly strives to be respectful of and not shy away from the intensity of the source material.
This will be a review of only Episode 1.
Opening on glimpse of the battle with Goliath and the backstory of Saul becoming king, the story then flashbacks to one year earlier, showing David as a young shepherd. The brief tease of the Goliath confrontation might be the weakest aspect of the opening episode. Knowing that the Goliath and David face-off is inevitable in the series, teasing the conflict so early deflated the potential anticipation for the climactic event. The following time jump back to a year earlier would have been a sufficient place to begin the story.
The premier episode also focuses on Jonathan, son of King Saul, immediately after defeating the Amalekites, as well as the prophet Samuel and King Saul himself. It highlights Saul’s failure to follow God’s commands to completely destroy the Amalekites and the subsequent judgment upon him. All of this material is really effective and compelling. The performances are all very natural, and Stephen Lang as Samuel is particularly good. Battle sequences are realistically violent and mature, not sanitized to the point of neutering the weight and importance of the material.
The first question most will ask about the show is likely “is it accurate to the Bible?” David’s time as a shepherd is the part of the show where the most liberties have been taken so far. The aspects of the show that are not within the biblical text are not so much deviations, as expansions of the narrative. There is nothing “added” into the show that could be considered contradictory to the source material’s meaning. For example, the Bible doesn’t provide details of David’s mother, so the show creates a character for her.
The only deviation from the biblical story that might be considered unnecessary, is during the tease of the Goliath fight. As Goliath throws spears at David, the young shepherd seems to take a hit in his side. The episode’s framed as a death fake out for David. Aside from being absent from the biblical story, the dramatic addition is ineffective as most viewers will know the true story doesn’t end in David’s death.
The production is incredibly high quality and impressive. Visual effects are sufficiently realistic and the on-location shooting adds to the overall feeling of scale. The series doesn’t feel cheap or small in scope. The series is clearly striving to portray the time period realistically, with costumes and sets never feeling too much like a “Hollywood” version of history. The writing is also intelligent and natural, with dialogue never feeling clunky or overwritten. The narration within the episode can sometimes feel slightly forced, but never enough to ruin the viewing experience. The cinematography is also a strong element in the show, always looking just as professional as any other acclaimed prestige television show.
Interesting and impressive throughout, the opening episode of House of David definitely warrants a viewing. It is intriguing enough to continue watching subsequent episodes. The narrative potential of David’s story is very exciting and ripe for an epic portrayal. The minor additions and changes to the original text are not detrimental, so far. I would highly recommend watching for anyone interested in high quality Christian storytelling.
Rating: 8/10
