by Pa Rock
TV Junkie
It's been quite awhile since I have been sucked into watching a television series, and when I come across a series that I like, I always take my time in viewing it so as to extend the enjoyment. Usually that means no more than one episode a day.
Last week while searching for something good to watch I came across "Messiah" on Netflix. The new series has completed just one season - ten episodes - and I found myself so engrossed that I tossed my old viewing habits aside and began binge-viewing. Two evenings later I had completed the entire first season and found myself hoping that another season was in the works and would soon be available for more binging.
"Messiah" is a very compelling drama that is laced through the very real geo-politics of today's world.
The story begins as an Arab military force calling itself the Caliphate has surrounded Damascus and is preparing for the final attack, a siege that will topple the world's oldest city. But, as the troops are gathering for the final assault, people begin gathering in the city center where a young charismatic minister of an unidentified ethnic origin is exhorting them to remain calm. He says that God will protect them and their city. A few shots are fired from the military, panic ensues, and a monstrous dust storm moves in and envelops the scene. The dust storm goes on for many weeks and by the time it relents the danger to the city of Damascus has gone.
The young minister, who some start calling "Al-Masih" (the Messiah), gathers a following and begins a well-publicized march into the desert. His followers grow in number as the march progresses, and eventually they wind up at a remote Israeli border outpost. The Israelis arrest Al-Masih as he steps through the border wires, and they hold him in solitary confinement in a detention facility. A Mossad agent arrives to question the detainee, but the agent becomes rattled when it becomes apparent that the prisoner knows some of his darker personal past.
While the world's news sources are focused on the Middle East and particularly the strange young man whom many are beginning to refer to as "the Messiah," the prisoner suddenly disappears. A couple of days later shows up in the middle of the night outside of a little church in a dusty Texas border town - just as a tornado is bearing down on the town. The stranger saves the life of the minister's daughter and many believe his presence helped to keep the townspeople safe. The town is completely wiped out by the tornado, with only the church left standing, and the population survives, miraculously unharmed.
The next day the FBI shows up and arrests Al-Masih for being in the country illegally. A CIA agent manages to get inside the US detention facility and interview the strange prisoner - and like her counterpart in Mossad, she leaves rattled by the amount of personal information that he knows about her.
The Texas minister whose church was the center of the literal storm manages to get an ACLU lawyer to come to Al-Masih's defense, and an immigration judge who is lobbied by an official in the White House to deport the problem prisoner, suddenly decides instead to grant Al-Masih political asylum and orders him freed.
Pilgrims are rushing to south Texas, and so are journalists from around the world, and many begin celebrating the return of the Messiah. But is Al-Masih the second coming of Christ, or is he just a very skilled con-man? That's the set-up as the story begins to unfold in earnest.
If the Second Coming occurs will it feature lights, and trumpets, and a God-like human descending to earth on a gaudy golden escalator, or will it be a more humble entry? Will Christ step from the rabble, a man - or a woman, with an actual history, and lead the downtrodden in a crusade against the greed and corruption of modern society? Will the Second Coming be about golden thrones, and glitter, and collection plates - or will it focus on establishing social and economic justice?
The set-up for this television program, "Messiah," went with the Christ emerging from the downtrodden approach. And where better for that message to resonate than in the war-torn Middle East - or the immigration battleground of the southwestern United States?
This Messiah is believable, one that engages viewers in a troubled world that they already recognize. He plays on their histories, their prejudices, and their hopes. He is a reflection of what they dare to believe - or what they dare not believe.
"Messiah" is a drama that will challenge beliefs and stimulate thought and discussion. It is also damned good television!
TV Junkie
It's been quite awhile since I have been sucked into watching a television series, and when I come across a series that I like, I always take my time in viewing it so as to extend the enjoyment. Usually that means no more than one episode a day.
Last week while searching for something good to watch I came across "Messiah" on Netflix. The new series has completed just one season - ten episodes - and I found myself so engrossed that I tossed my old viewing habits aside and began binge-viewing. Two evenings later I had completed the entire first season and found myself hoping that another season was in the works and would soon be available for more binging.
"Messiah" is a very compelling drama that is laced through the very real geo-politics of today's world.
The story begins as an Arab military force calling itself the Caliphate has surrounded Damascus and is preparing for the final attack, a siege that will topple the world's oldest city. But, as the troops are gathering for the final assault, people begin gathering in the city center where a young charismatic minister of an unidentified ethnic origin is exhorting them to remain calm. He says that God will protect them and their city. A few shots are fired from the military, panic ensues, and a monstrous dust storm moves in and envelops the scene. The dust storm goes on for many weeks and by the time it relents the danger to the city of Damascus has gone.
The young minister, who some start calling "Al-Masih" (the Messiah), gathers a following and begins a well-publicized march into the desert. His followers grow in number as the march progresses, and eventually they wind up at a remote Israeli border outpost. The Israelis arrest Al-Masih as he steps through the border wires, and they hold him in solitary confinement in a detention facility. A Mossad agent arrives to question the detainee, but the agent becomes rattled when it becomes apparent that the prisoner knows some of his darker personal past.
While the world's news sources are focused on the Middle East and particularly the strange young man whom many are beginning to refer to as "the Messiah," the prisoner suddenly disappears. A couple of days later shows up in the middle of the night outside of a little church in a dusty Texas border town - just as a tornado is bearing down on the town. The stranger saves the life of the minister's daughter and many believe his presence helped to keep the townspeople safe. The town is completely wiped out by the tornado, with only the church left standing, and the population survives, miraculously unharmed.
The next day the FBI shows up and arrests Al-Masih for being in the country illegally. A CIA agent manages to get inside the US detention facility and interview the strange prisoner - and like her counterpart in Mossad, she leaves rattled by the amount of personal information that he knows about her.
The Texas minister whose church was the center of the literal storm manages to get an ACLU lawyer to come to Al-Masih's defense, and an immigration judge who is lobbied by an official in the White House to deport the problem prisoner, suddenly decides instead to grant Al-Masih political asylum and orders him freed.
Pilgrims are rushing to south Texas, and so are journalists from around the world, and many begin celebrating the return of the Messiah. But is Al-Masih the second coming of Christ, or is he just a very skilled con-man? That's the set-up as the story begins to unfold in earnest.
If the Second Coming occurs will it feature lights, and trumpets, and a God-like human descending to earth on a gaudy golden escalator, or will it be a more humble entry? Will Christ step from the rabble, a man - or a woman, with an actual history, and lead the downtrodden in a crusade against the greed and corruption of modern society? Will the Second Coming be about golden thrones, and glitter, and collection plates - or will it focus on establishing social and economic justice?
The set-up for this television program, "Messiah," went with the Christ emerging from the downtrodden approach. And where better for that message to resonate than in the war-torn Middle East - or the immigration battleground of the southwestern United States?
This Messiah is believable, one that engages viewers in a troubled world that they already recognize. He plays on their histories, their prejudices, and their hopes. He is a reflection of what they dare to believe - or what they dare not believe.
"Messiah" is a drama that will challenge beliefs and stimulate thought and discussion. It is also damned good television!
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