Just as there is historical fiction, there is also ‘biblical fiction,’ which may be an oxymoron to some, but is understood by people who believe in a historicity of scriptural events. Almost any TV series or film based on ancient scripture of any kind is biblical fiction by default; there just isn’t enough story to pad a runtime, not enough dialogue or character development. And so, writers and filmmakers insert story between the verses. Take that as a word of warning if you’re expecting biblical accuracy from the new Prime Video series House of David, based on the Books of Samuel in the Nevi’im and 1st Samuel in the Christian Bible.
Ever Wonder About David & Goliath?
House of David
2
/5
- Release Date
-
February 27, 2025
- Network
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Prime Video
Cast
- Michael Iskander, Stephen Lang, and other members of the cast do a great job.
- It eventually settles into a good rhythm and fleshes out a full and interesting world.
- Low production value and confusing direction and editing.
- While this may only matter to some people, the series deviates from the scripture quite a bit and makes a ton of things up.
- Overly melodramatic and emotionally manipulative.
House of David is the first release from The Wonder Project, which does not make bread (except for the bread of life, perhaps). The studio comes from Evangelical Christians who have been popularizing faith-based media in recent years, led by Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen) and Jon Erwin (I Can Only Imagine, Jesus Revolution, Ordinary Angels). They, along with the separate Angel Studios (Sound of Freedom, Cabrini, Sight) have been releasing high-profile faith-based films that seem to increase in scope as they do in box office returns. Now comes an eight-part Prime Video series that, in eight hours, covers about the second half of 1st Samuel.
Even diehard atheists know all about David & Goliath. In many ways, it’s the prototypical underdog story (well, that applies to much of the oldest Hebrew writing). It’s the tale of the scrawny kid who came from nothing, looked down upon by the giants of the world until he gets his shot to take one of them down. And if you know that story, it might seem kind of anticlimactic to build a whole TV series based around it; after all, Goliath went down in just one blow. As such, House of David is certainly stretched out, highly dramatized, and, yes, anticlimactic. But the things that are fabricated turn out to create a pretty epic, interesting story of power, pride, and politics.
‘House of David’ Has Many Other Tenants
House of David jumps around quite a bit, and the direction and editing isn’t coherent enough to clearly distinguish locations and characters; everything looks like the desert, and everyone is covered in cloaks and robes. So it may take two or three episodes to get your bearings on who is who and what their purpose is.
Fortunately, David stands out among the rest, thanks to first-time actor Michael Iskander (plus his unique face — and the fact that seemingly every other male person has a beard). Iskander almost radiates in the role. Wide-eyed with an afro of curls and a thin definition but noble face, Iskander is kind of a perfect David. For a show with his name in it, though, he doesn’t get a ton of screentime.
There are so many characters and subplots in House of David (several of which have no mention in the canonical scripture whatsoever) that you can forget whose story this supposedly is.
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