I can only speak for myself, here, and say that my sister really did me a solid in sending me the first season of this series and I've watched both seasons and even gifted my boss with the first season for him to share with his family. She and I had the same troubles with past Biblical content (movies, etc.) in that we thought to ourselves "How can we be anything like these people?! They're on another level than us, they're better than us!" What I think this series has gone a long way towards doing is humanizing the people of these stories and making them relatable, approachable, especially Jesus Himself.
I love how Jonathan Roumie plays him, with the air of grace and dignity tempered with humor; I admire the balance they strike in portraying Him as someone you'd want to follow. The ending of the first episode was like a bomb drop for me in that it came out of nowhere and took me off guard, and the series has consistently done so in a delightful manner with me ever since. (Sue me, I also admit to having a crush on Elizabeth Tabish as well as liking the way she portrays Mary Magdalene) Was Matthew "on the spectrum"? I rather doubt it, but for me it adds an interesting dimension to his character, and if I'm honest? For those who have watched the series, the scene where he breaks it down to Philip why he knows people don't like him is a scene I will be riffing on with my D&D character if ever he has to explain to others why he feels constantly left out and on the outside looking in where humans and human society are concerned. I can absolutely relate to how Matthew feels as someone who has felt that way all his life (being on the outside looking in). Quintus is that villain you love to hate in his smugness, and let's not forget that the Romans were known for their arrogance in those days. In general, I like the acting, and the delivery is not what I'd call overbearing or overblown or pretentious. I really feel a sincerity at work, here, and that's what appeals most to me in this situation.
Let us not forget that in the opening credits of each episode in the first season, there is a prominent statement declaring that liberties have been taken for the sake of storytelling and that one should go to the source for the real story. I like that a lot, because it says to me that Dallas & Co. are not declaring their take on Scripture definitive. They've always made it clear that a lot of what they're depicting falls under the heading of "what might have happened here," and that they are not trying to rewrite Scripture, and I like that as well. For those of you out there upset over his connections to BYU and the LDS folks, well...I have friends who are Mormon and they are some of the best people I know. They're not perfect, they don't think they're better than us somehow, but they're diligent, hard working, down to earth, and witty, as well as educated, and just because they interpret Scripture differently than I do doesn't mean I have anything against them. I think some people need to calm down about that and get to know them better before passing judgment. I don't agree with their take on things, but I don't think less of them for it.
It's also reminding us that Jesus was intensely rebellious; the scene where the Pharisees witness him performing the miracle of the fountain and stand there goggling and thinking "Hey, that's that crazy guy from Nazareth," is great because all he does is just stare back at them in a quietly defiant manner as if to say "Yeah, I'm that guy, and I just did that, what about it," before he walks off. I think this is something we need to remember, that Jesus was not always all about "pray and obey,"; he had his moments where he Laid It Down on the table before the Pharisees and said "Y'all are wrong, and here's why!"
In general, I'm glad I discovered this series and fully intend on supporting it to the end. I wish Dallas & Co. all the luck with this and I hope they can see it through to the end!
