by Dish Staff
Alissa Wilkinson reflects on the Amazon pilot, Hand of God, pointing to the way the show grapples with “how the practice of religion … can be not just a place for people to meet God and seek salvation, but also a place for people to exercise corrupt power for their own ends.” Why she welcomes the realism:
There are lousy, manipulative, lazy, boneheaded portrayals of Christians on TV and in the movies—the conniving Bible-thumping vice president on Scandal springs to mind, for starters—but let’s be honest: there are many wonderful pastors and priests and ministers in the world, and there are also some real doozies out there who can cause a great deal of harm, and unfortunately they are the ones who get a lot of attention both before and after the fall.
If we have seen anything in the last year, in which a large number of formerly highly-respected celebrity pastors have taken a very public tumble (not that it’s anything new!), it’s that power is a dangerous, dangerous thing to handle. So while I hope we keep getting great portrayals of ministers who do God’s work well (here’s a few from the last ten years), let’s not be too quick to wish for these other characters to go away. Like the broader antihero type, who almost inevitably reach a gruesome end, the power-hungry minister serves as a reminder that power corrupts.
To those in positions of spiritual authority, they remind us to be careful. To Christians, they remind us that not everyone who cries “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. And to those who are sitting in the pews, they remind us that things are not always what they seem.
Derrik J. Lang, talking with show’s cast and creators, emphasizes the show is about more than religion:
Despite the show’s subject matter and title, a reference to a fringe religious group led by [Julian] Morris’ smarmy soap star turned preacher, the creators of “Hand of God” are quick to note that Amazon isn’t moving into faith-based programming. The show’s conceit is more about characters grasping for power in the fictional town of San Vicente than it is about religion.
“The religion in the show is like the science in ‘Breaking Bad,’ ” said writer-producer Ben Watkins, who previously worked on “Burn Notice.” “It’s an important part, but it’s just a thread — a great one because there’s so many compelling themes to explore. For me, this is more about the contradictions of our lives and our ambivalence toward life in general.”
The Dish 