We’ve been making art about our religions since the beginning of recorded history, so it’s not exactly a surprise to see new shows tackle faith and everything we’re willing to do for it. But there’s something in the air right now, some magic dust called the Emmy consideration window (which ends on May 31) that, when sprinkled judiciously, produces a Spring jam-packed with really great shows. Whether overtly or covertly, cynically or with all sincerity, the three shows below all have something unique to say about the role of faith in our lives today.
Mrs. Davis (Peacock): Leading the pack is Mrs. Davis. From renowned writer/director Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers, Watchmen) and writer Tara Hernandez (Big Bang Theory), Mrs. Davis is a show about a world where an AI assistant has reorganized the entire world into a state of harmony and peace. This AI, known as Mrs. Davis, has few opponents; a reclusive sect of nuns and a very Proud Boys but not horrible maybe (?) paramilitary group seem to be the only ones left trying to oppose it’s world domination. One of those nuns is Sister Simone and it is upon her that Mrs. Davis decides to focus her/its attention. Simone is a nonbeliever in Mrs. Davis and a firm believer in God, so when Mrs. Davis offers Simone a quest that would result in the AI self-destructing, Simone warily accepts. The quest is, of course, a quest for the Holy Grail. Lindelof has always made shows about faith, magic, conmen, and the power of belief, and he brings those focuses to bear on this show in a wonderful way. His partnership with Hernandez keeps the show with one foot firmly planted in the comedic realm, meaning it is unlikely this show will rip your heart out the way Leftovers liked to do every other episode. But that’s not to say it won’t mess with a few other vital organs, most notably your mind. Lindelof and Hernandez use every tool in their combined toolboxes on this one, and the result is an explosion of meaning and razzmatazz and poignancy. Let this show lead you by the hand; you won’t be disappointed.
Drops of God (Apple TV+): Apple continues to be the most interesting streamer out there in their content buying, and Drops of God is a great example of that. From a popular manga, this show is in three languages, Japanese, French, and English and is about a young woman whose father trained her from a young age to have incredibly heightened senses so she could be the best sommelier ever. I have no idea how you pitch this show to anyone and get them to buy it; trying to describe it to you is arguably more difficult than describing Mrs. Davis, and that’s really saying something. But Drops of God is phenomenal. It’s inventive in how it visualizes Camille’s heightened senses and makes us feel what drinking wine tastes like for her. The cast is excellent, with no one I’ve ever seen before. And it makes the world of wine feel variously like a detective novel, a romance, an addiction, a superhero movie, and a religious calling. Camille is the chosen one; she alone can identify the greatest wines the world has ever known, if only she can train hard enough and handle her childhood trauma. Camille is St. Catherine, in ecstasy and in pain as she takes the sacrament. And above all, she’s a child trying to please a father she can no longer know in any other way. There’s nothing like this on television; don’t let it fly under your radar.
The Consultant (Amazon): No religion seems complete without an adversary to make it all worthwhile. We humans seem to need our grand stories to include a villain; it isn’t enough to tell the story of the kind carpenter’s son teaching goodness and love. You need Revelations, too, with it’s whore of Babylon, it’s Leviathan, it’s cast of supernatural baddies. And so it should be no surprise that one of the most enduring bits of heavenly fanfiction is the story of Faust and the Devil. In this story, a learned but bored man sells his soul to the devil for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. He doesn’t end well. There are many variations on the story, but it is so ubiquitous it has become something of its own genre. I have done several podcast episodes on Opera for Everyone on the many operas written in this genre, but never have I seen it adapted into a modern television show, until now. The Consultant is a bonkers take on Faust, set in a Silicon Valley gaming startup. Christoph Waltz plays the titular consultant, who may or may not be the actual devil. This show teems with oddities; a goldsmith being asked to make a solid gold skeleton bone by bone, a Russian model who replaces her limbs with bionic equivalents, a phone game that drives children insane, and much much more. It’s chaotic, but that’s what makes the atmosphere of the show so effective. You feel watching it that anything could happen, including things we can’t predict and may not understand. The instability keeps us guessing and anxious throughout. They say idle hands are the devil’s playthings, and in this show, they’re really really right.