House of David Season 2 Episode 2: Review, Recap, & Analysis

Kevin Keating
Oct 3
19 min read

Updated: Oct 19

After the action-packed opening to House of David Season 2, Episode 2 ("A Journey Home") slows things down a bit in order to hammer home the cost of Israel’s victory and the ramifications it will have for David, the House of Saul, and other key figures. If you’re following along in Scripture, Season 2 Episode 2 is basically covering the start of David’s ascent through the Israelite military (1 Samuel 18:5) as well as the resulting drama in the House of Saul. Below I'll offer my review of the episode (without spoilers) as well as an in-depth recap (with SPOILERS), and an analysis of key themes. Also be sure to check out my no-spoiler review of Episodes 1-2 of House of David Season 2 on YouTube as well as my deeper analysis and discussion of Episode 1-2's characters and themes.

How to watch House of David Season 2

To watch Season 2 of House of David, you can sign up for a 7-day free trial of the new Wonder Project subscription (affiliate link). After the trial, the subscription costs an additional $8.99/month on top of the cost of Prime Video.

More House of David Resources

King Saul (Ali Suliman) presents David (Michael Iskander) to the Israelite crowds in Episode 2 of House of David Season 2 — King Saul (Ali Suliman) presents David (Michael Iskander) to the Israelite crowds in Episode 2 of *House of David* Season 2

Review of House of David Season 2 Episode 2

Episode 1 started Season 2 off with an epic homerun. Episode 2 isn’t trying to knock the ball out of the park, but what it does, it does well:

Production Value, Costumes, Cinematography, Choreography: House of David continues to maintain the quality of a mainstream historical/fantasy epic. Pretty much* everything looks top notch.
Mychal’s Narration & Dramatic Irony: Future-Mychal’s narration provides us with an ironic perspective on the ongoing events in House of David. So far, David has been depicted as fairly blameless, particularly in the adoring eyes of (present-timeline) Mychal. But in her opening narration, Future-Mychal describes David as the “one I loved” (past tense) – a hint that a major rupture in the relationship is on the horizon. This changes our perspective on events and characters in the present timeline. Instead of taking the current state of affairs for granted, we’re primed to look for cracks in their relationship and signs of corruption in David. Many people assume that David was pretty much sinless until he slipped up with Bathsheba, but House of David may help us see how the seeds of David’s downfall were present in him from the beginning. Note: It's also quite possible that Mychal's narration is a clever misdirect. Although we're primed to think that she's talking about David, there's another member of the House of Saul that may cause Saul's downfall even though he was trusted and loved, namely Eshbaal. I love that ambiguity.
Dune & Mychal: The Lord of the Rings isn’t the only epic fantasy franchise that House of David has a pattern of interacting with. Since the opening of Season 1, I’ve been drawing attention to how House of David also seems to be influenced by Dune. In particular, I’ve been wondering whether the opening narration from (future) Mychal should remind us of the role of Princess Irulan’s frame-commentary in Dune. Like Irulan, Mychal will end up as a wife to her royal father’s successor (i.e. David) and yet she will be spitefully denied the opportunity to have any of his children (2 Samuel 6:23). I suspect that her ironic commentary on the events of House of David is inspired by Irulan’s own commentary in Dune.
Flashforward: Although I complained about the use of a flashforward in Season 1 to broadcast the upcoming fight between David and Goliath, I don’t have any issues with the use of a flashforward in Season 2 Episode 2 because it creates a sense of dramatic irony. I was expecting King Saul to become jealous of David much earlier in the season. Instead, Saul genuinely seems to be trying to bless David throughout the episode and he’s even trying to take a more respectful tack with Samuel. By telegraphing to viewers that the relationship between Saul and David (just like the relationship between David and Mychal) is doomed to fail, House of David imbues the events of David’s rise with a sense of dread and foreboding.
Palm Sunday Foreshadowing: The triumphal procession into Gibeah, greeted by cheering crowds, armed with palm branches, is clearly designed to foreshadow Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. But careful Bible readers will note that David rides into Jerusalem on a horse and not a donkey. Though David is praised for being a simple shepherd and a musician, he is a pale reflection of his far humbler (and more mighty) descendent, Jesus.
Saul’s Complexity: Like I said, I expected Saul to turn against David much sooner, but I’m glad the writers avoided turning him into a simplistic villain so soon in the season. Instead, there’s a lot about Saul in Episode 2 that is praiseworthy – he’s eager to praise David, eager to reward him, quick to forgive his son, eager to make up with Mirab by giving her what she wants. That’s not to say that Saul has clean hands – he continues to be self-aggrandizing (David is his champion and a sign that the Lord is on his side) and insistent on his own vision of things, even when it goes against what the Lord’s prophet reveals. But we can still see the nobility in Saul – and that makes his future trajectory feel all the more tragic.
Complex Political Scheming: in both the narrative of Samuel and in the psalms, David often refers to false witnesses who are scheming against him (e.g. 1 Samuel 24:9, Psalm 27, Psalm 35), but the Bible itself doesn’t give us much information about who these schemers were and what they were after. I appreciate how Episode 2 of Season 2 begins to set up a complex web of competing schemes (Adriel and Jordan, Eshbaal and Ahinoam, Mirab, Doeg)that ultimately come together to turn Saul against David.
Eliab & David: I found Eliab and David’s conversation about the cost of the victory to be moving. And I also could totally buy his reaction to David’s elevation. It’s one thing to want your brother to survive and to be glad that God used him to defeat an enemy. It’s another thing to see him elevated ahead of you when you’ve been faithfully serving and advancing through the ranks for years. There’s also clearly some submerged anger at David for That Death which Eliab can’t articulate publicly and can only express through hostility. I’m looking forward to seeing the relationship between the two brothers continue to evolve. Eliab’s reaction to David also contrasts with Jonathan’s and makes it all the more apparent how awesome Jonathan is. Both know that David has been anointed and have to decide how they will respond to having an upstart elevated above them. Ironically, Jonathan is the one who is quicker to support David, even though he has far more to lose than Eliab.
Samuel: The requests made to Samuel throughout the episode seem quite reasonable, but that just highlights Samuel’s wisdom and fidelity when he refuses to budge. I thought Ahinoam’s exchange with Samuel was particularly powerful. The backstory it provides to her character adds an additional layer to help us make sense of her persistent support of Saul. I also love the final moment, when she asks Samuel if God can show Saul mercy and he replies – “he can, but he has not.” This is a hard truth that Christians don’t like to contemplate – although God has the ability to step in and turn the wicked away from the path of destruction, like Saul on the road to Damascus, he doesn’t always choose to do so. Many readers of the Book of Samuel are left questioning why God has mercy on David and not Saul, even though they both fail in big ways, and so I appreciate how the show is grappling with these issues.
Eshbaal & Mirab: I’ve been waiting to see how the show would motivate and justify David’s messy romantic situation, and I was pleased to see where they went with it. Eshbaal’s message to Mirab sounds like something out of a self-help book and might initially strike some viewers as positive. But the turn of events will show the folly of focusing solely on self-worth to the exclusion of considering others.
The Sword of Goliath: In my review for Episode 1, I noted how the Sword of Goliath (and more generally, iron weaponry) appears to be functioning as a major thematic symbol in Season 2. I appreciated seeing this theme continue to show up in a prominent way.
The Ending: Even though I knew what was coming, the closing turn was brutal. There’s going to be a lot of drama happening in Episode 3.

Again, I didn't have any major issues with Episode 2. I'm still not a huge fan of the shadow-world effect that gets employed briefly at one point, but it didn't take me out of the story.

Mychal (Indy Lewis) and Mirab (Yali Topol Margalith) in Episode 2 of House of David Season 2 — Mychal (Indy Lewis) and Mirab (Yali Topol Margalith) in Episode 2 of *House of David* Season 2

Is House of David Season 2 Worth the Cost of a Wonder Project Subscription?

Many who read this review are probably trying to figure out whether Season 2 of House of David is worth paying $8.99 a month for the Wonder Project subscription on Amazon Prime Video. Here’s how I see it:

You can always sign-up for the 7-day free trial of the Wonder Project subscription (affiliate link) and see how you like the first two episodes of Season 2.
If you’re the kind of person who goes out to movies, this is a no-brainer. Skip one movie, and for the price of your ticket, you can subscribe to Wonder Project for the two months it’ll take to get through House of David Season 2. Instead of a two hour movie, you’ll get a ~8 hour epic show and a lot of other good family-friendly/Christian content thrown in.
If you’re the kind of person who wants to support Christian art and media, it’s also a no-brainer. House of David is top-tier content full-stop, not just good compared to other Christian content. Outside of The Chosen, I haven’t seen another Christian show that comes close to rivaling it.
If you’re on a tight budget and being the first to watch the hottest new show isn’t a priority, you may want to hold off on the Wonder Project subscription, since House of David Season 2 will eventually be available to regular Prime Video subscribers (when exactly has not been announced).
Disclaimer: I participate in the Amazon Associate marketing program, so I do get a small reward each time someone clicks on one of my links and starts a new subscription. That said, I’ve tried to be as honest as I could in my evaluation.

What Happened in House of David Season 2 Episode 2 (A Journey Home)?

Be warned, this recap is detailed and includes SPOILERS!

House of David Season 2 Episode 2 Opening Narration & Flashforward

Episode 2 opens with a shot of a shadow moving across Saul’s throne room, while we hear a voice-over from (future) Mychal:

History will tell you that the House of Saul was defeated by enemies. Others will tell you that there was never supposed to be a king in Israel, and for this reason God forsook him. But I will tell you that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and my father was not defeated from without; he was overthrown from within, from the one closest to him, the one he trusted, the one I loved.

Flashing forward one year, we see Gibeah at night. Leading David into the royal palace, Abner senses David is troubled but assures him that the King will help the king. As David enters the throne room, the door shuts behind him ominously, leaving him alone with Saul, who is armed with a sword and spear. When Saul accuses David of being the one who betrayed him, David insists that he has been loyal but Saul isn’t listening. He demands whether David is the one Samuel chose. David replies that he is not – he is the one God chose. With this Saul attacks.

David & the House of Saul in House of David Season 2 Episode 2

The main episode opens with King Saul leading a procession of Israelite soldiers into Gibeah, where they are greeted by cheering crowds waving palm branches. Ahinoam watches the procession from the palace, a bit apprehensive. Seeing the crowd, Eshbaal removes his crown and Ahinoam urges him to keep it between them for now, since seeing Eshbaal returned from exile will be enough of a shock.

As the procession pauses, Saul announces to the crowd that God has given them victory through his champion, the giant slayer, a simple shepherd and musician. He promises to take David into his house, give him one of his daughters, and reward him with the command of a thousand men. Mychal and Mirab are in the throng, and Mychal hears this news with joy. After the announcement, David tries to catch up to her in the crowd but the two are separated, a sign foreshadowing what is to come.

Adriel and his youngest son, Jordan, are also present as Saul introduces David to the crowd. Adriel bitterly notes that as giants fall, small men rise, but notes that he has information (about David) that is worth more than the price of gold.

Ahinoam greets Saul as he enters the palace and embraces him, Jonathan, and the girls, before insisting that she has something to show Saul. Following her into the throne room, Saul and the others discover Eshbaal, who is immediately embraced by Mirab and Mychal. Eshbaal kneels before his father, acknowledging there is much to explain, but Saul brushes aside the need for explanations and embraces him. But the family reunion is interrupted by the news of Nathaniel’s death, which Jonathan has to report to David. Eshbaal, curious, asks who David is.

Mychal goes looking for David and finds him cleaned up and radiant, looking out over the city. She’s amazed at how well he seems, given the spear that he took – a miracle that he can’t explain. Mychal tells David about her own miracle – the reunion and reconciliation of her broken family. Unfortunately, her time with David is cut short by the news of his brother’s death.

Later, as Eshbaal talks to Mirab, he begins to offer hints of where he’s been. The once dissolute partier now refuses to drink wine, since it clouds the sense. Moreover, although Mirab fears that her rebellious brother has now disappeared, he insists that rebellion takes on many forms – a hint that he may have darker intentions. Turning attention to Mirab’s near-marriage, he asks if she was in love with Jordan. Mirab denies it, but concedes that it was nice to imagine having a decent man and being happy, before bitterly noting that such things are for Mychal and not for people who ruin everything like herself. In reply, Eshbaal points out that Mirab is shackled by the belief that she is unworthy and questions what she would ask for if she believed otherwise.

During a moment of repose with Saul, Ahinoam questions whether it would be wise to wait before marrying their daughter to David, insisting that he should further prove himself. Unlike Adriel’s children, David doesn’t bring power with him. Angered, Saul sees her lack of belief in David as a lack of belief in him, but Ahinoam insists that she does believe in her husband. Their time together is interrupted by the news of Samuel’s escape – and the revelation that the prophet was being threatened without Saul’s permission.

That night, Mirab finds her father alone and tells him that she’s struggling to sleep. When he asks why, she explains that she’s still grieving the marriage that he tore away from her. After Saul explains that he was not being himself, Mirab tells him that she has figured out a new way that she can serve his kingdom and house.

The next morning, Mychal excitedly greets David upon his return, but their reunion is interrupted by Abner, who summons them to the throne room. There, Saul asks David if he’s ready to commit himself to the house of Saul as a commander and as a son. When David agrees, Saul offers to marry him to his daughter – Mirab! As Mychal looks on in horror, Saul puts Mirab’s hand in David’s.

David & Eliab in House of David Season 2 Episode 2

After returning triumphantly to Jerusalem and being promised the hand of one of Saul’s daughters and the command of a thousand men, things are looking pretty good for David. But his time of rejoicing is short-lived. When Jonathan soon reports to him the news of his brother Nathanael’s death, David has to return back to Judah.

As Jesse and his children bury the body of Nathanael, David sings a psalm of lament. Overcome with grief, Eliab goes off alone.

David finds Eliab weeping on a hillside, haunted by all the good men who have died before their time and will never return to their families – including Nathanael. He relays Nathanael’s last words to David, and tells him that he is proud of David as well. David is about to reveal all that’s happened when they see horses approaching, with Joab at the head.

Upon arrival, Joab announces that he’s been sent to escort David back and reveals to the family that he has been made a royal commander of a thousand, over both him and Eliab. Frustrated, Eliab stalks away, raging at how David rises as they fall. David points out that he didn’t choose any of this but Eliab isn’t assuaged and ends up punching David. Initially, David keeps trying to make peace, but as Eliab continues to strike him, he grows angry and fights back. But David can’t overcome his stronger and better trained brother in close combat – a proof in Eliab’s eyes that David is not ready to command him or anyone else. His attack on David is only stopped when Jesse intervenes.

Later, as they prepare to depart, Abinidab urges David to not worry about Eliab. After hugging his younger sister, David bids farewell to Jesse, explaining he has found a peaceful way to the throne through Mychal. Jesse bids him well, noting that if he has to be ruled by a king, he’s glad it will be David. Mounting a new horse, David offers a horse to Eliab, but his brother refuses, insisting on walking back to Gibbeah with Abinidab.

Samuel, Abner, & Doeg in House of David Season 2 Episode 2

Having rejected Saul’s demands in Episode 1, Samuel is chained up inside a room, where he is visited by Abner, who urges him to eat. Abner tells Samuel he will be freed if he is willing to reannoint Saul on the upcoming Day of Atonement, but Samuel insists that he cannot do so. He warns Abner that “what we allow, we become” and that the darkness that has consumed Saul will consume him as well if he doesn’t renounce it.

Later, Samuel is visited by Ahinoam, who expresses worry for him, though he points out that she is the one bound, not him. Ahinoam insists that Saul has redeemed himself with a great victory and questions how God does not see this. But Samuel points out that God does see – to the very core of who we are and that an external victory doesn’t mean that there’s been an internal victory of transformation. Ahinoam recalls how her sister was once swept away in a flashflood and appeared dead, until she prayed and her sister was revived, as if by a miracle. She wonders why God could take and then give back her sister but can’t do the same with Saul. But Samuel tells her that God can, and yet he has not.

Samuel’s next visitor is Doeg, who reveals to Samuel that he killed his apprentice, Silas, and has been sent to get information from him. Doeg plans to torture and cut Samuel, beginning with his hair, which has never been cut, in accordance with the Nazarite vow of his mother (1 Samuel 1:11). Undaunted, Samuel frightens Doeg with supernatural knowledge of how his mother died at the hand of his father while he cowered, a moment that led to his obsession with death. Samuel insists that God could have lifted him from that darkness if Doeg had not renounced him and sided with Saul. In judgment, Samuel casts Doeg into a dark spiritual state like Saul’s where he is met by demonic crows and jackals. With Doeg incapacitated, Samuel is able to escape. Finding Doeg, Abner alerts Saul, who is angry to learn that he and Ahinoam had threatened the prophet without his permission.

That night, Abner has a nightmare of Goliath. Awakening in a fright, he finds the Sword of Goliath where he’s stowed it away. Handing it over to Ahimelech, the High Priest, he explains that the Sword is cursed and doesn’t want it near the king. Following his order, Ahimelech takes the sword to Nob, where other sacred objects are stowed.

Jonathan in House of David Season 2 Episode 2

Still suffering from his arrow-wound from Episode 1, Jonathan tries to self-cauterize. Kazia, the household servant, finds him and offers to take him to a healer that she knows of in the hills near Gibbeah, and Jonathan agrees and rides off with her.

In the hills, Jonathan meets a healer named Hiram and his granddaughter, Sara. Inspecting the wound, Sara recognizes that the arrowhead is still present and spreading poison and must be removed. After losing her brother to a similar wound, Sara invented an experimental new tool to extract arrowheads, but she hasn’t had a chance to use it on a human. With no other alternative, Jonathan agrees to let her use it on him.

Later, as they prepare for surgery, Sara asks Jonathan about Naomi, whose name he kept saying while asleep. Jonathan reveals that he left his wife to go off to his first battle in Micmash only to find her dead upon his return, a victim of a sudden sickness. He’s always carried guilt that he wasn’t there for her. After consoling Jonathan, Sara proceeds with the surgery, removing the arrowhead.

In the morning, wakes to find Eshbaal watching over him, having been alerted by Kazia. Feeling better, Jonathan prepares to head home. Sensing Jonathan’s attraction to Sara, Eshbaal asks her to return with them to Gibeah as Jonathan’s personal healer, but she insists that she is needed at home. Disappointed, Eshbaal expresses his happiness at witnessing Jonathan interested in another woman.

Achish in House of David Season 2 Episode 2

Back in Gath, Achish is visited by Dagonor, the new King of Ashdod, who rages at how many Philistine lives Achish threw away with his flawed plan. Dagonor suddenly attacks Achish, who fights back but soon has his blade broken by his rival’s iron sword. Dagonor chides Achish for only equipping Goliath with an iron blade and not the entire army, insisting that with the new technology, no one will be able to stand against them.

Later, Achish, still suffering from his arrow wound, struggles to hit a target with his arrows. Frustrated, he draws a new iron sword and beheads his target mannequin.

Key Themes of House of David Season 2 Episode 2

Episode 2 of House of David Season 2 has a few key themes that I found very interesting:

Why did the House of Saul fall? (A House Divided Against Itself)

I did a little bit deeper dive into how Episode 2 explores the cause of the fall of the House of Saul, which is available to my monthly supporters on Buy Me a Coffee.

Rising & Falling

The fall of Goliath allows David to rise rapidly through the hierarchy of Israel. In the space of a day he goes from being a poor, bastard shepherd from a common family to a commander of a thousand and a son-in-law to the King. Saul sees himself as the architect of David’s life-change, but viewers recognize that it’s actually a result of the Lord’s work. This sudden reversal is the perfect embodiment of a principle that’s set out in the beginning of the Book of Samuel through Hannah’s song,

The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. (1 Samuel 2:6-8, ESV)

Those who have already achieved a high status can feel threatened by the way the Lord brings about such sudden changes in status. Adriel clearly fears David’s ascent and intends on using his knowledge to stop it. Eliab, on the other hand, resents how his younger brother has slingshotted ahead of him in the ranks of the military, even though he lacks experience. But the one who stands to lose the most from the rise of David is King Saul. Because he sees David as a tool that belongs to him and not a potential rival, Saul is slower to recognize the threat he poses than Adriel and Eliab, but the flashforward at the start of the episode foreshadows what’s to come. By contrast, Saul’s son, Jonathan seems to welcome David’s rise, even though he too will lose his privileged status and position.

Of course, just because the Lord can bring about sudden changes of fortune doesn’t mean he always will. Ahinoam quite literally saw the Lord kill and bring her sister back to life, and so she questions whether Saul too could experience a sudden reversal that leads to his restoration. In response, Samuel explains that God could do this but he has not. We’re never entitled to a sudden reversal, particularly when our poor fortune is a result of divine judgment. The ability to raise small men up and make giants fall is a sign of God’s ultimate sovereignty and power over this creation. Though God graciously condescends by listening to our prayers and responding in accordance with his will, he is still the Lord and we are still his creatures.

Chains & Shackles

When Ahinoam visits Samuel in prison, she expresses concern for him, since he is in chains, but Samuel questions whether he is really the one in chains. His words invite us to notice the metaphorical chains and shackles that bind various characters in the episode. Ahinoam and Saul are chained by their own need for power, control, and status – although they both know what God wants, they cannot submit to his rule because it would mean relinquishing their own.

Eshbaal uses similar language in his conversation with Mirab. He suggests that she is shackled by a lack of self-worth and her belief that she does not deserve to be happy. Given that this suggestion is coming from Eshbaal and the chaos that results, we have reason to be suspicious of it. If anything, what chains Mirab is not her low self-esteem but rather her self-focus. This is precisely why Mychal shines in contrast to her – because Mychal puts concern for others above her pleasure.

The other major chain we see at play during the episode is guilt. Eliab expresses guilt over all the Israelite men who died in battle and won’t return to their family, including his brother. That guilt seems to be what’s really keeping him from embracing David’s rise. Jonathan also struggles with guilt for not being present when Naomi got sick and died. Jonathan’s guilt has kept him from moving on, even when a suitable new wife shows up in his life. Both men will have to find a way to be set free from the guilt that’s chaining them to the past if they’re going to embrace the future that God has in store for them.

Stay tuned for more content on House of David Season 2. Also be sure to check out my blog review, recap, and analysis of Episode 1, as well my no-spoiler review of Episodes 1-2 of House of David Season 2 on YouTube as well as my deeper analysis and discussion of Episode 1-2's characters and themes.

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