House of David Season 1 Episode 5: Recap, Review, & Analysis
House of David Season 1 Episode 5 (The Wolf and The Lion) introduces us to the complex web of politics, status, and marriage that will ensnare David and his sons on multiple occasions throughout the Bible. It may be one of the most dramatic episodes of the show so far, with multiple surprises and some really interesting character development for both David and Saul. Below I will recap what happens in Episode 5 of House of David (*SPOILERS*), review the episode, and analyze some of the key themes. Also be sure to check out my recap, review, and analysis of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4, as well as my YouTube discussions of Episodes 1-3 and Episode 4.
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What Happened in House of David Season 1 Episode 5 (The Wolf and The Lion)
Although Episode 5 focuses almost exclusively on the marriage negotiations between the House of Saul and the House of Adriel, the chief elder of Judah, multiple storylines are woven in: the romantic struggles of David (Michael Iskander) and Mychal (Indy Lewis), the tense negotiations between Saul (Ali Suliman) and Adriel (Stewart Scudamore) under the watchful guidance of Ahinoam (Ayelet Zurer), and the budding romance between Mirab (Yali Topol Margalith) and Adriel’s youngest son, Jordan (Paolo Luka Noé).
David and Mychal in House of David Season 1 Episode 5
Episode 5 opens with David sitting on the walls of Gibeah, singing to Adonai, while Mychal listens from inside. Later that day, Mychal continues teaching David how to read (Judges 21:25) and she reveals a secret: she has no desire for the life of a princess and would rather be just another girl living in a village like Bethlehem. David initially denies having secrets and downplays the impact he has had on Saul, insisting that Mychal’s kindness, grace, and wisdom are what have actually healed him. He finally admits that he does have heavy secrets, but before he can reveal them to Mychal, Ahinoam intrudes and sends Mychal off to prepare herself. Ahinoam forbids David from ever speaking to Mychal alone and urges him to remember who he is and that his sole purpose for being in Gibeah is to comfort the King. As she leaves, David playfully chides Reuben (the survivor of the border town attack in Episode 1) for not keeping a better watch.
Having dressed in a beautiful red gown, Mychal presents herself to Saul and Ahinoam. Later, David meets Eliab, who has recently returned from investigating attacks on ten other border towns, and David reveals that Reuben has been dreaming of the giants who attacked his town. As they’re talking, David sees Mychal pass by, teary-eyed, and we realize that her parents are planning on giving her away to one of Adriel’s sons.
After Adriel’s entourage arrives, our suspicions are confirmed: Saul announces to the court that he plans on giving Mychal to one of Adriel’s sons. Shocked, David is almost unable to fulfill his duties playing music for the gathering. Mychal, on the other hand, dutifully listens to Adriel’s boorish sons as they boast about their prowess in battle. Eying her rapaciously, Adriel praises Mychal’s beauty and even goes so far as to insist that he would marry her if his wife was dead.Joab privately complains to Abner that Adriel’s sons are unworthy and the union will not benefit the House of Saul, but Abner urges him to put an end to his interest in the princess – while also pointing out that he should probably be more worried about David, who is visibly watching Mychal.
David follows Mychal out of the gathering, but she urges him to go back and play, insisting that they are who they are and they each have duties. When David tries to keep following her, Eliab stops him. David wants to tell Mychal the truth about who he is, insisting that if he marries into Saul’s house, he can join the royal family without bloodshed, but Eliab insists that Saul will see him as a threat and urges David to go back out and play.
As Saul’s negotiations with Adriel grow more tense, David comes to Saul’s rescue, soothing him with his music. Watching Saul interact with Ahinoam, David notes how good it must be to have married for love. When Saul asks him which of Adriel’s sons he thinks Mychal should marry, David boldly puts himself forward as an alternative. Although Saul laughs at the thought, he at least realizes that Mychal doesn’t love any of Adriel’s sons – and yet that Mirab apparently has interest in Jordan. Reversing course, he declares that Mirab will marry, not Mychal. This is a great relief to Mychal, who leaves. David follows her but can’t stay for long, lest they be discovered alone again.
While David passes along the wall of the fortress, he is assaulted by Joab, who holds him over the edge of the wall and accuses him of defying the House of Saul and corrupting the princess. Joab bemoans how Eliab has been too soft on David and threatens to kill David unless he swears never to meet with Mychal or even look or think about her again. Instead of giving in or fighting back, David challenges Joab to drop him. He insists that he has a purpose here in the House of Saul and questions whether Joab knows his own destiny. Confounded by David’s response, Joab lets him go.
Meanwhile, Ahinoam finds Mychal in her room. While she acknowledges that Saul has given the princess a gift, she warns her against chasing a shepherd like David. Though Mychal points out that Saul himself was once a herdsman, Ahinoam insists that she is the daughter of a king, unfit for a shameful bastard-child like David. She realizes he has captured Mychal’s heart for the time being but warns that the damage he could bring upon their house could last for generations. She points out that Mychal’s purpose is not to be a trophy-wife but a shield that protects the honor and security of their kingdom.
Later, after Saul has a total breakdown and destroys the marriage-deal, he is unable to sleep and wanders into his throne room. David, also sleepless, meets him there. Saul wonders aloud how he will be remembered, regretting the pain he caused to Mirab but also insisting that Adriel wanted his throne. He muses about how all men dream of sitting on the throne but don’t realize how it changes you and leaves you misunderstood and alone. David assures Saul that his family will forgive him because of their love. Saul offers to let David sit on his throne to see what it feels like – but David initially refuses. After Saul leaves to go to bed, however, David secretly goes back and sits on the throne – not knowing that he is being watched by Mychal.
Saul and Ahinoam in House of David Season 1 Episode 5
Riding across the countryside, Abner arrives in Judah and meets Adriel, the senior elder. At first, Adriel acts as if he could never live in the fortress of Gibeah, on account of the pagan carvings chiseled into the walls, but Abner isn’t fooled and questions what Adriel is after. Adriel reveals that Samuel has been traveling throughout Judah, making sacrifices, but refuses to disclose who else was involved without assurances.
Reporting back to Ahinoam, Abner expresses unease, recognizing that Adriel is loyal but only because it benefits him. After Besai, the witch of Endor, suggests a show of strength, Ahinoam decides a union will help distract the people and capture hearts and minds.
While preparing the palace for the negotiations, Ahinoam finds Mychal meeting secretly with David. Sending her off to get ready, Ahinoam forbids David from any further contact. Back in her chambers, she watches Saul get ready, still not fully present, as Besai laments how she is unable to do any more without sorcery. Still suspicious of Adriel, Saul questions whether they should join with his house, but Ahinoam insists that Adriel is nothing but a fool – and yet a powerful one, whose loyalty must be secured by marriage. As Saul adorns her with the nostalgic necklace he gave her in Episode 2, she urges him to not let Adriel shake him. When Mychal arrives, beautifully adorned in red, Saul marvels at how queenly she looks and they make known to her their plans.
The gathering begins in a room adorned with flags bearing the wolf of Benjamin and the lion of Judah. After the House of Saul and the House of Adriel enter, Adriel boasts of the difficulty they endured on the journey and Saul responds by thanking him for his faithful service since the day he was first crowned. Saul announces that he intends to unite the house of the wolf and the house of the lion by marrying Mychal to one of Adriel’s sons and sends Mychal to meet them while he talks with Adriel. When Adriel asks about Saul’s health, Saul admits that he is only human and was sick for a time but insists that he is now well.
Later, negotiations between Saul and Adriel continue, and Adriel expresses a desire for a copy of the Genesis scroll that contains Jacob’s blessing for Judah (Genesis 49:8-12). However, Saul is distracted when the spirit oppressing him takes on the form of Agag and begins poisoning his mind with suspicion toward the Lion of Judah. David arrives and begins playing in time to save Saul from getting too crazed, but Adriel notices that he is off and questions whether Saul is too weak to negotiate. Saul insists that he does not intend to split up his scrolls or his kingdom and pushes Adriel to name what he really wants. Adriel admits that he wants a permanent seat in Saul’s council and Saul agrees. After he leaves, Saul vents to Ahinoam how he’s a jackal, but she insists that he will now be Saul’s jackal.
Having second thoughts, Saul is convinced by David to spare Mychal from a loveless marriage and announces that Jordan and Mirab will marry instead – a deal Adriel accepts with no qualms. As the two prepare to make the deal official, Saul offers Adriel a copy of the scroll with Jacob’s blessing and Adriel gratefully receives it and asks to read it to the crowd. While he reads, the apparition of Agag returns and again warns Saul of how the lion of Judah will turn on him and steal his throne, even as Adriel reads how “The scepter shall not depart from Judah” (Genesis 49:10). Enraged, Saul stops Adriel and recites Jacob’s blessing on the ravenous wolf of Benjamin (Genesis 49:27). Raving, he accuses Adriel of seeking to steal his throne and revokes the marriage-deal. When Ahinoam tries to stop him, urging Saul to rest, Saul begins to choke her, tearing her necklace in the process. Screaming, he sends Adriel away and tears down the flag of Judah, while his daughters try to recover the precious stones from Ahinoam’s necklace.
That night, Saul lies in bed, oppressed by the spirit, while Ahinoam watches. Besai arrives and urges Ahinoam to let her use dark magic and sorcery to shake the spirit from Saul, insisting that Saul is the one who cannot be trusted, not her magic. When Ahinoam points out that the laws against sorcery cannot be changed without the king’s seal, Besai urges her to take the ring herself, which she does.
Mirab in House of David Season 1 Episode 5
After Saul announces that Mirab will be married off to one of Adriel’s sons, Mirab is moved by pity for her sister – and contempt for Adriel, whom she wishes died on the journey to Gibeah. While most of Adriel’s sons swarm around Mychal, his youngest son, Jordan, approaches Mirab, sensing that they both feel overlooked and unimportant – Jordan because he is the youngest and Mirab because she’s the rebellious one. The two bond, watching the suitors attempt to outdo each other in manliness, while Mychal nods along politely, doomed to a loveless marriage.
The chemistry between Mirab and Jordan is so obvious that even Saul is able to perceive it, leading him to reverse course and offer Mirab’s hand to Jordan instead of marrying Mychal off to the other brothers. Surprised, Mirab admits that she always thought Saul preferred Mychal, the perfect daughter, and didn’t care about her own happiness. In response, Saul explains that while Mychal acts as she should, Mirab acts as she wishes, just like her mother. He assures Mirab that he is always thinking of her happiness but urges her to keep the House of Adriel honest. Mirab assures him that she will not allow the House of Saul to be divided.
Unfortunately, Mirab’s happiness is short-lived. After Saul’s fit of madness destroys the marriage negotiations, Mirab’s hopes of a happy life with Jordan are crushed. Although she tries to hold herself together as she picks up the pieces of her mother’s necklace, she soon finds herself overwhelmed with grief and takes off, declaring her family to be a curse.
Review of House of David Season 1 Episode 5
Episode 5 may be my favorite installment of House of David thus far:
David receives some much needed development. Up until this point, I’ve criticized House of David for allowing the titular character to succeed too easily and for not allowing him to have enough complexity. But Episode 5 puts David into some truly challenging situations that he’s ill-equipped to overcome. Although he still has triumphs – convincing Saul to not marry off Mychal and convincing Joab to relent – these triumphs require real boldness and feel earned. And Episode 5 also forces David to struggle through meaningful tensions. On the one hand, he wants to reveal his anointing to Mychal in order to prove that he’s worthy of her; on the other hand, he realizes that Saul and Ahinoam won’t be as receptive. On the one hand, he has a duty to play music for the House of Saul; on the other hand, his heart feels compelled to seek after Mychal. On the one hand, he genuinely seems to revere Saul as the Lord’s anointed; on the other hand, he begins to desire Saul’s throne for himself.
Drama: Episode 5 is the most well-structured and surprising installment of House of David so far. The arbitrary and mercurial whims of Saul leave us questioning what will happen next and whether the story will prove to be a tragedy or a comedy. Even those who are well-acquainted with what comes of Mychal and Mirab in the biblical account will find their expectations subverted. In the source material, Mirab is offered in marriage to David but then married off to Adriel instead, opening the door for David and Mychal to marry (1 Samuel 18:17-27). In Episode 5, Adriel’s desire for Mychal nods in the direction of the source material, but it seems like the show is tweaking the story, by having Mirab marry Adriel’s son instead of Adriel himself. And yet the breakdown at the end of the episode leaves the future in doubt. It’s possible that the show will ultimately follow the biblical account by having Saul and Adriel reconcile and then allowing Adriel’s perverse desire for a young wife to come to fruition. But it’s also possible that the show is taking artistic license. While some viewers may take offense at the thought, I appreciate how House of David is trying to convey the experience of uncertainty and doubt present in the original story instead of mechanically going through the motions.
Saul and Ahinoam continue to be fascinating characters. We haven’t gotten as much insight into Saul’s relationship with his daughters and so it was interesting to see the tension he felt between his desire to use them in his political maneuvering and his genuine concern for their well-being. Likewise, I enjoyed seeing Ahinoam have compassion on Mychal’s fear of being a trophy wife, while still objectifying her, not as a trophy, but as a shield for the House of Saul. There’s also an interesting dance of power between Saul and Ahinoam. In many ways, she demonstrates masterful control over Saul – and even shows herself willing to violate his will in order to do what she thinks is best. At the same time, Saul is no mere pawn – we see him assert his independence throughout the episode and also see the severe threat he can possess to Ahinoam. I’m looking forward to seeing how this dance of power between the two of them continues to evolve.
Mirab and Joab also get some welcome development. After the initial three episodes, I questioned whether Mirab would prove to be a fairly flat foil for her sister. The past couple episodes have rounded her character out and given her a more complex set of motivations. I genuinely felt for her by the end of this episode – perhaps more than I have for any character in the show thus far. Joab’s motivations also become more clear, setting up a really interesting long-term trajectory for the character. We know that Joab will eventually become David’s second in command – and yet a constant thorn in his side. Establishing a love triangle between him, Mychal, and David provides an interesting rationale for the complicated relationship between the two characters in the biblical account. There could be some really interesting payoff several seasons down the line, once David’s relationship with Mychal frays (2 Samuel 6:20-23) and Joab begins asserting his own power (2 Samuel 19:1-7, 2 Samuel 20:8-12).
Portraying Saul’s spirit in the form of Agag is an interesting decision. It’s a constant reminder of why Saul is being tormented – while at the same time being a quite fitting appearance for such a being.
Interrogating biblical details: In the biblical account, when David first learns about Goliath, he seems particularly interested in what Saul will do for the man who defeats the giant (1 Samuel 17:25-27). Details like these are easy to ignore, but they’re clearly meant to give us insight into David’s character. While I personally interpret David’s words as a reflection of his personal ambition, House of David is constructing an interesting alternative explanation. In the show, David and Mychal are already in love but David is unable to pursue his desire because of his status. The battle against Goliath will provide him with an opportunity to win the hand of the woman he loves. Of course, in the biblical account, Saul temporarily seems to renege on his offer – a detail that I suspect will be explained by Ahinoam’s disregard for David and other political dynamics at work in the show.
Creative solutions to biblical problems: With hindsight, as we read the biblical account, it’s hard to believe that Saul didn’t see the threat of David sooner. After all, Jacob seems to anticipate a royal king from Judah and David is obviously a Judahite. I appreciate how House of David is explaining Saul’s initial oversight by fixing his suspicion on Adriel, while making David appear harmless due to his illegitimate origin. It’ll make Saul’s eventual realization about David hit so much harder and creates some interesting dramatic irony in the present.
Symbolism: The symbolism in Episode 5 isn’t particularly subtle – the necklace Saul made Ahinoam to capture their innocent youth getting torn apart, the wolf-like Saul tearing down the banner of the lion of Judah, David secretly sitting on Saul’s throne – what these moments mean is fairly transparent, but I’m glad to see the effort that House of David is making to take advantage of the visual nature of the medium.
Approach to scrolls: We live in a time when books can be mass produced for very little cost. Bibles can easily be handed out for free by evangelists and churches. It’s hard for us to imagine what it would have been like to live in a time where texts – even the Scriptures – were exceedingly rare and costly. I appreciate how Episode 5 makes Adriel's desire for a copy of the Genesis scroll into an important plot point. It’s a reminder to viewers of just how precious the scrolls of Scripture would have been.
Honestly, I only had a couple of small quibbles with the episode:
I find it very dubious that the Book of Judges was readily available during the reign of Saul. Although I’m sure oral traditions about the Judges were in circulation, I can’t imagine it was written until the end of Saul’s reign, if not during the reign of David or Solomon. The only way I would have found this moment believable is if Mychal had commented on how the text was recently finished by Samuel or something to that effect.
I wish the show did more to convey the distance between locations and the passing of time. For example, it feels as if the main events of the episode happen almost immediately after the initial meeting between Abner and Adriel, even though Adriel talks about the arduous journey his family had to take. That said, this is an issue that many films and shows in the epic genre struggle with – even the renowned The Lord of the Rings trilogy – so it’s a very small point.
Key Themes of House of David Season 1 Episode 5
Duty, Purpose, & Identity
Throughout Episode 5, David is repeatedly told to stop pursuing Mychal and resign himself to his duty playing music for the House of Saul. But David knows there is a discrepancy between this “duty,” which is shaped by his birth and social status, and his God-given purpose, which is defined by his identity as God’s anointed. Even though pursuing Mychal goes against the demands of his socially-prescribed duties, it makes sense within the framework of his divine purpose and identity, since it would provide a peaceful way for Saul’s house to cede leadership to David. So far, however, only David has enough faith and confidence in his divine calling to ignore the much more imminent demands of social duties. But that may change. David’s willingness to put his own life on the line in his confrontation with Joab really seems to confound his kinsman. It speaks to the deep faith and trust that David has in his own sense of purpose and calling, which Joab seems to lack. It’ll be interesting to see how Joab, Eliab, and Mychal continue to evolve in their understanding of David, from viewing him primarily through the constraints of social duty to eventually recognizing his superseding divine purpose.
The Lure of Power
When Saul decides to not marry off Mychal, who doesn’t seem eager at the prospect, and instead to marry off Mirab, who seems like she could indeed be happy, it seems like he’s made a major step forward. Instead of being driven purely by the desire to secure his house’s power and security through an alliance, he is pursuing the good and happiness of his daughters. And yet his desire to maintain and protect his own power doesn’t go away and instead gets egged on and amplified by the paranoid murmurs of the Agag-spirit. This is a divine punishment – because Saul’s pursuit of power led him to ignore God’s word, God has handed him over to a spirit that will strengthen Saul’s drive for power, even to his own destruction and the destruction of his house. While in the grips of madness, Saul is unable to recognize what’s going on in his own heart. Later, however, as he talks to David about the perils of the throne, he seems to have at least some sense of the way his desire for power is destroying the family he cares about. And yet Saul still doesn’t seem willing to give up the throne. And even David, in spite of what he’s seen, can’t help but feel the pull of the throne and the power that it promises him.
There are a couple more themes in Episode 5, but I’ll plan on exploring them in my next post on my Buy Me a Coffee Members-Only blog.
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