Fear Not NBC's Book of Daniel
Fear not, the decline of Christian America did not come to pass
with the 2 hour debut of NBC's "The Book of Daniel" on Friday.
After watching the well produced and written premiere, I'm
certain that the show will become my newest Friday night
obsession.
A cross between Desperate Housewives and Six Feet Under but set
against a religious backdrop, The Book of Daniel manages to
torpedo through nearly every social, ethical, and moral issue
plaguing this county.
The debut episode alone touched upon issues ranging from
homosexuality, adultery, euthanasia, Alzheimer's, teen sex,
racism, alcoholism, sibling rivalry, drug use, pre-martial sex,
church politics, and the contention between the Catholic and the
Episcopalian church.
Amazingly all of it was effortlessly weaved within the textured
fabric of the lives of the ever evolving Webster family. Aidan
Quinn's performance as the compassionate but pill popping priest
who has frequent chats with Jesus is the most poignant and
multi-burdened character.
In one gab fest with Jesus, he asks the savior if he also has
fire side chats with everyone else. Jesus' response was yes, but
not everyone listens. In another scene, we learn that Christ
himself has a sense of humor and exchanges light-hearted jokes
about himself.
Combine this with supporting story lines and characters such as
Webster's martini loving wife, openly gay son, drug dealing
daughter, sex crazed adopted Asian son, lesbian sister-in-law,
adulterer father whose also a bishop, and an Alzheimer impacted
mother. Obviously there're plenty of plot twists and turns to
keep you glued to the television set hungering for more.
The best feature about The Book of Daniel is that it shows every
day people struggling with every day issues. In one scene we see
a character's outward faith but most importantly in the next
scene we see the inner person behind the mask of faith. What's
revealed are impeccably genuine people who try their best to
love and support one another the best way they know how.
If you haven't seen The Book of Daniel yet, I encourage you to
join me in making it your newest Friday night obsession!!
Herndon L. Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV Host of
America's first Black Gay TV Talk show. He can be reached
directly at http://herndondavis.com