“House of David” and Michael Iskander continue to impress in second season

FCC Rating: PG-13
Reel Rating: 4 out of 5 reels

King David is one of the most important characters in the Old Testament. Yes, Abraham started it all, and Moses was the liberator and lawgiver, but only David is described as “a man after God’s own heart…” (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22). Despite his serious flaws and sins, he was held as the standard for every king afterwards and eventually became the primary ancestor of the Messiah.

The first season of House of David (Prime Video/Amazon) focused on the king’s origins, and the second season sees his meteoric rise to fame and power in Israelite society, which occurs not without many (and sometimes bloody) bumps along the way.

The first season ended with the defeat of Goliath, and the next continues in the immediate aftermath. Seeing their champion victorious, the Israelites charged the Philistine line, resulting in a dark and chaotic battle. The people of God are victorious, and David is given a hero’s welcome in Jerusalem. Saul, seemingly free of madness, is overjoyed to have a new champion and quickly makes David a general in his army and even promises one of his daughters in marriage, which will make him part of the royal family. Things couldn’t be better until the ways of the world catch up with him.

The two keys that make this series work are the brilliant performances of Michael Iskander as David and Ali Suliman as Saul.

I had the good fortune of speaking with Mr. Iskander recently, and I do not think there is a better actor to play this great hero. He not only understands the role but the man. He not only spoke of battle training, reading the text, and consulting scholars, but also of the necessity of “praying to St. David every day.” This is a living soul in Heaven, so why wouldn’t you go straight to the source? His background in Broadway and even his experience as a track-and-field athlete in high school all seem to have uniquely prepared him for this moment.

In the series, David is portrayed as having been born out of wedlock and thus marginalized his whole life, especially by his older brothers. He learns not just humility, but that God has a heart for the poor. When he quickly rises in station, he thus understands it is a gift from God, not his own efforts, and gives all the glory back to Him.

Suliman is not just a native of the Holy Land but was born in Nazareth. He portrays Saul as a man who initially wants to do God’s will, but always through the lens of his own understanding. He likes the idea of being king more than the reality of service. During the battle, Saul rides out willingly to be with his men, but is soon distracted by his own madness and leaves the fighting. The next day, however, he is more than happy to take credit for the Israelite victory. Suliman does an amazing job outlining Saul as a sad and tragic figure who could have been so much more.

David had a radical trust in God. No one wants to fight Goliath because they put faith in their own strength, yet David understands the Lord oversees everything. This trust continues even as Saul starts to suspect David will take over as king and begins to plot his death. David’s spiritual life can best be described by the Psalms, which Michael Iskander beautifully described as “David’s diary.” In them, you find a whole range of emotions—from joy and thanksgiving to fear and anguish. Yet even in Psalm 22, which famously starts with the line, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ends proclaiming God’s righteousness, that “He [has] done it!”

The production values of House of David are fantastic, especially considering the limited budget for a biblically based streaming program. The cinematography is compelling, especially during the fight sequences. Everything is dirty, brown, and worn. In other words, it is real and immersive rather than the clean, otherworldly feel of some biblical pictures.

Narratively, House of David leans heavily on the genre of political intrigue, like Game of Thrones or Succession. What this series adds, from the biblical source, is that God is the hidden hand behind every rise and fall. Thus, the events, while the result of free choice, work towards God’s purpose. The news is full of politicians trying to spin the wheels of chance in their own favor, and the common man always suffers.

Yet there is hope in Joseph’s famous closing line from the Book of Genesis: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.”

St. David the King is currently having a renaissance with multiple series and films in just the past six months. The world is starving for righteous leadership and someone to bring peace amid this chaotic existence. It would be easy to say we need someone like David, but he would have the wisdom to say, “No, who you really need is the Lord.”