Amazon Prime’s House of David is a masterpiece

House of David charts the rise of David from shepherd boy to the most celebrated king of Israel. Giles Gough says the big-budget series features a strong opening with stellar performances and will give viewers insight into the strength and humility of one of the Bible’s most enigmatic characters

“Can one stone change the course of history?” the softly spoken narrator asks as the first episode opens with David picking a stone from the river. The scene quickly moves to Goliath emerging on one side, David on the other. David puts the rock in the sling and begins running towards him… only to be skewered to the ground by one of the giant’s spears. We then flashback to one year earlier. The show is teasing us with a glimpse of his most famous battle, before slowly and deliberately laying the groundwork for it.  

Although the standard has risen over the years, audiences might still be hesitant when it comes to another biblical epic. Which is why it’s such a relief to say that House of David is a masterpiece. The script, score, cinematography and performances all combine to make for absolutely wonderful story-telling. It’s hard to think of another series like this that had such a strong opening, but the producers for this show seem eager to get that Amazon studios money up on the screen. Caution is advised when it comes to younger viewers…