This show pretty much came out of nowhere. Not unusual for Netflix who like to occasionally drop a 10 part series and let the auto-play trailer on the homepage do the leg work and, to be fair, it sets the scene perfectly – A cat and mouse game between Michelle Monaghan as tenacious CIA Agent Eva and Mehdi Dehbi as the so-called Second Coming, the titular Messiah. I thought there could be something in this so I threw it on, although I must admit it was partially just to avoid falling down another Netflix rabbit hole…
It’s clear from the off that this isn’t a show driven by any from of religious agendas or ideals, It’s deeper and broader than that. Yes religion is an obvious focal point but in addition it explores current affairs, politics, faith and, crucially, the modern world’s reaction to a man who appears to be sent by God. That is the heart of this show. Whether he is a fraud or not is secondary. What’s fascinating and terrifying is his ability to amass a following that cannot be reasoned with or stopped. Worryingly, it’s entirely plausible and there are some glaring parallels with our current geo-political climate…
Messiah wastes no time in setting up our key characters. Eva is our female lead and takes centre stage but plenty of screen time is shared between the supporting cast. Tomer Sisley as the absent father come Israeli interrogator Aviram, John Ortiz as the desperate preacher Felix and Sayyid El Alami as Palestinian refugee Jibril. The story unfolds from these radically different points of view, each of whom have, in some way, come into contact with the mysterious Al Masih (Mehdi Dehbi). As his following grows, so does our understanding of these characters, all except the Messiah himself who remains an enigmatic unknown throughout.
The performances are solid, no one gives an underwhelming performance and Monaghan, as ever, is outstanding, but the show falls down when it comes to the sheer amount of characters. The third tier characters simply don’t compel me in the same way which is understandable given that they are not designed to do so. However, far too much screen time is given to these tertiary personalities. The ratio of appearances on screen to how many shits I give is way off. I often found myself waiting expectantly for Monaghan or Dehbi to return. The latter of whom gives the performance of the series for me. The central question of the story is whether or not he’s the real deal or just a talented con-artist and he walks that tightrope brilliantly. Stoic, mysterious, fascinating and coercive. Always teasing a reveal but never convincing us one way or another. It’s a role that had to be played to perfection to work and it works.
Ruling – So we know season two is on its way and there are many questions still up in the air, mainly surrounding how Al Masih was able to pull off some of the ‘miracles’ peppered throughout season one. For me, this is where the show will sink or swim. It’s easy to create intrigue and pose questions, it’s much harder to follow them up with satisfying conclusions. So for now it’s hard to say how great this show is because it still has a hell of a lot of work left to do… hopefully some of those burning questions will be answered in the second coming of the show.